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Hello John.

I was planning on keeping it dry. Would the addition of potassium be an option to decrease acidity? Or...will the clearing process simply help some of the particles causing bitterness to fall-out?

Hello John. I have a question regarding the addition of Ca+ Carbonate. I am currently experimenting with a 3 gal batch of Coffee Wine. It has finished fermenting and just needs cleared and stabilized. I took a sample of it last week and it is bitter/highly acidic so I picked up some Ca+ Carbonate (L...

Hello John. "Hot Wine??? I stopped by the "Grape" this past Saturday and was talking with you about a fruit based recipe that has turned out to be a little on the "Hot" side. You mentioned that I need to compensate a little for the fruit recipes as thay are general and not a...

Hello Winemakers. Is it safe to assume that when making wine from a kit, which is a balanced juice, that it is not necessary to use a stabilizer prior to bottling? I am currently working with the WinExpert Riesling Ice Wine Kit (3 gal.), I have finished the clearing/fining stage with the assist of S...

Good point...I didn't think about throwing of the initial SG reading due to the addition of water. So, the only true way to assess %ABV would be to use the "boil down" method? I'm fine with sitting on it for a while, I'm in no hurry. It does taste a little "hot" as you said, due ...

Hello John, bellis, and the Merry World of Winemakers... Well, it looks like the Secondary fermentation is complete on "Recipe #66". The wine has been around 82F so today when I took a sample, I chilled it down to 55F and was sitting at 1.020. With a starting SG of 1.152 down to 1.020 it l...

Hello out there...

Does the application of a Brew-Belt, to keep the temps up, prolong the Clearing stage of winemaking?

Everything seems to be going well since I transfered Friday evening. The dead yeast sediment is dropping out and the small bubbles of gas are rushing to the top and pushing air through the air-lock. I'm keeping the temps up and watching closely. You guys have been great. Thanks for lending your expe...

Fantastic!!! Thanks so much for the advice...

It seems to be fermenting steadily. There are bubbles (fizz) but it is not foaming. When I draw a sample to check my daily readings I do see some of the yeast, as you said, sitting on top the wine. Since the SG was high at the start, it seemed as if the yeast came to a halt and would not burn off an...

Thanks bellis, I appreciate the feedback...that's great news. This is my first time making wine from an actual recipe (non-kit) and the measurements and other ingredients, such as energizer, are new to me. The recipe states at an SG of 1.040 (I was stuck at 1.050-1.048) to transfer wine to the Secon...

Hey John. Thanks so much for the tip...the yeast energizer seems to have motivated the fermentation and the SG is dropping. Will I need to take any special precautions as far as using stabilizers or clarifiers, when I get to the Secondary phase, now that I have added energizer?...or just repeated ra...

Hello John.

What about the use of a Yeast Energizer to encourage more fermentation in attempt to bring down the SG?

Hello John. My SG has been hanging around 1.060-1.058 and after adding the quart of water, as you suggested, I am currently at 1.052. I was just curious; will the SG drop a little more once the wine has been transfered out of the Primary, off the sediment, and into the Secondary? If not, I assume I ...

Hello John. Just brainstorming other possibilities... What if I was to use a "like" wine as the additive in which to dillute in my attemp to reach a SG within the acceptable range...would that work as well or possible better than water? Since I would be using a dry red wine with no residua...