Search results

Hi! I am looking for advice from those who have experience with the Cornucopia Fruit packs or packs in general and if I should only use half of the pack to start? Myself and family enjoy wine dry for the most part with a touch of sweetness. This is my first Cornucopia kit intended for a...

So I posted awhile back about doing a Zinfandel wine kit. I made the kit according to directions (never failed me yet) and kept up to snuff with extremely good sanitizing practices (what I do is probably overkill even, so this is why I am reluctant to call this an infection, but it is weird...

Hello everyone & happy brewing/fermenting (there should be a holiday for this!) Just had a quick question. I have a Zinfandel kit underway right now that I plan on racking into 5 tiny one gal carboys for experimentation. I plan on adding some oak to two gallons and the remaining three I was...

Hi everyone! It has been awhile since I frequented this forum... I graduated from homemade apple wine to low to mid priced wine kits (I'm in Canada here and I've only made Paklab kits thus far). I currently have an Onyx All Juice Pinot Noir (6 gallon kit from Paklab) that is almost done...

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! :-) So I have made several successful apple wines in small one gallon carboys but at present I have one package of wine yeast and 3 gallons of apple juice. I don't have a fermenting pail that is in acceptable condition right now. So I was...

Hey guys, So I was looking at Yooper's recipe for grape juice wine and wanted to do something similar using 1 gallon of pure concord grape juice from Newman's Own. I am pretty green when it comes to winemaking but I've now made two apple wines that came out pretty good and I really enjoy...

Hey everyone, I am in a bit of a lame bind. I purchased a mini siphon online but forgot to order proper tubing to go with it. The tubing on my large auto siphon is welded on there and isn't going to budge, so that option is out. I have a nearby Home Depot but they seemed confused when I asked...

As the title says, my first batch of apple wine is more or less rocket fuel but now friends and family want to try it just for fun. It has been racked twice, has been aged in a carboy for a month, and I know wisdom says to leave it be (even if it *is* rocket fuel) and it will be better after...

So I was looking at a visual cider guide today and realized I've been making a critical error everytime I rack my apple wine. I have NOT been leaving half an inch of liquid behind as well as the lees. In other words, I stop *just short* of the thick stuff (lees) and I have been taking the...

Hey guys, I've heard several times now that the sediment on the bottom of the carboy can be re-used in other wine making, cider making, etc, provided you give it a good environment to work with (yeast nutrients and what not). Can anyone guide me step by step through this process? So after...

Hi everybody! My two apple wines seem to be progressing nicely (glad to have made it this far). My first wine has been racked once and it appears the yeast have dropped significant sediment once again and I am thinking it is wise to rack again soon. Since a bit of volume is lost upon...

So I just made Yooper's Apple Wine but I did not add pectic enzyme to the mix. I don't remember now why I didn't do that. Perhaps I was worried about something? Anyway, it has since fermented for 10-12 days, was racked to secondary, and is sitting airlocked. It is hazy. Incredibly hazy. So...

Hey guys, I was thinking of a fun question to ask you all. My birthday is next month and people have been asking me what I would like to add to my winemaking arsenal. I was thinking I could would share the things I have on hand at present and perhaps you could chime in with what you...

Hi everybody, Just wanted to confirm that I am on the right track with my apple wine. I am about 6 to 7 days into my primary fermentation. Today while I was de-gassing the apple wine, I took a very small taste test and was pleasantly surprised with how dry and appley it was. I honestly...

Hi guys, I will be doing my first racking this weekend on my first ever test run of apple wine. I will obviously lose volume in the process (I also plan on taste testing & hydrometer reading) so I will need to top up with something to reduce head space/oxygen in the carboy. What do you...

Hey guys! Happy Labor Day! So here I am hoping to make Apfelwein for the first time ever. I realize all I have on hand are: champagne yeast, cane sugar, and 100% apple juice. The curious question is... can I make a good apfelwein? Or should I wait until I have a better yeast (Montrachet)...

Well, here I am again. I think this is my new home (which is A-OK with me!) I just hope I'm not being a pain in the ass around here. Okay, so I managed to de-gass the wine every day thus far. So while I was going through my equipment, I figured "oh hey I should test out this auto siphon I...

Hey everyone, I must say you've all been an *amazing help* So thanks for all the guidance thus far!!! Couldn't have gotten this far without the help :-) I have one more question to ask and then I promise I am good for awhile. (yah right I hear myself saying haha). I'm the type who loves to...

Hi guys, I recently purchased a bag of campden tablets from a small supply store that has a great reputation. I took 4 campden tablets, crushed them up well, and added it to a cup of warm water to create a quick sanitizing solution just before putting an airlock on a carboy, I noticed that...

Hi everyone, I am only a few days along with my first ever batch of apple wine. I've noticed a family of fruit flies hanging out ON and near the carboy that are starting to make me nervous! I understand the general guidance is to allow the initial fermentation to receive some oxygen...