Recent content by Hummer

Five or six lbs. per gallon will make a richer peach wine, and yes about covering the peaches with water. Use fresh, ripe fruit. You'll probably need to add some sugar and/or white wine concentrate to build it to 12%. I disagree about using canned welches white grape juice. It's icky...

We grow apples, apricots and peaches and often have an abundance left to make a variety of wines. Fruit wines can be wonderful, and inexpensive to make when you grow your own fruit. You can't buy wines like these in any store. :) Apricots and peaches are best fermented on the whole fruit...

Nice find! Having a crusher destemmer can be a real game changer for your winemaking. Nice press, too. One year ago today, I picked up this Zambelli 80 liter bladder press and Eno 15 crusher destemmer off Craigslist. Last fall, I crushed and pressed one ton of grapes with them...

Without your posting the recipe, actual ingredients, quantities and steps taken, it's hard to offer much meaningful advice.

My favorite wines go to hunting camp to share with the guys in the evening. Some fellows aren't regular wine drinkers so I take a few fruit wines that are lighter or sweeter, and a few heavier tannic reds for those who appreciate red wine. When elk, deer or bear steaks are on the campfire, the...

Looking for a good but fast wine is a little like looking for a good but fast girl. It might taste good for the moment but it will lack the flavor and elegance of maturity. I suggest a strategy of making wines that will be fun to drink early, and to also build wines worthy of a longer term...

I agree with Saramc that if you want something quick, mulling is probably your best option. But, making a real spiced wine, and any good wine, takes time. I suggest you make more wine now and set your sights to drinking properly aged wines a year to two years hence when they will be really...

Flavor, color, and the work it takes to remove the skins. Of course, on a single batch, removing peach skins is not that big a deal. A dip in boiling water for a few moments, then they come off easily. But I don't think it's necessary or desirable, check Jack Keller's peach wine recipes. I...

Thirty peaches for 5 gallons may be a little light on flavor. Four or five pounds per gallon would be a good start. I've used a much as eight pounds per gallon to make a rich peach wine. Let them ripen first, slice in half to remove the pit, leave the skin on, add sugar and water to about 6.5...

I think you're right that bulk aging would work better, and also to continue stirring it off as Yooper suggests. Lacking a reliable test for sulfite level, sniff and taste has to be good enough. You'll still want to be careful in keeping it topped up and not rely on presumed high sulfite to...

Maybe. It sounds like a good idea but I've found that leftover fermented fruit has lost all it's sugar, and most of it's flavor and structure. It's never appealed to me enough to try making jam from it. Best to start with fresh fruit, IMO.

I'm not clear whether you used 3 tsp. in 3 gallons, or 6 tsp. in 6 gallons. Did you recombine the 3 gallons with 3 tsp. to make a 6 gal. batch with 3 tsp. Kmeta? If so, you're probably not too far off the mark. In any case, you could use the foul up to advantage by bottling and aging the...

If they haven't been picked yet you could water the area under the tree very well for two or more weeks to increase size, sweetness and water content. Letting them hang longer will help, too. I use an apple grinder that pulps the apples but chopping them down to an inch square or less should...

Bummer about the wine faults. One lesson is to always know what your wines taste like before sharing them with friends. I know, not very helpful at this point.... After a year of aging, I don't think you'd be getting a hot alcohol taste, especially if your ABV is 10-12%. The low alcohol...

Contact your extension service agent. In CA, chances are good that they will be able to ID or connect you with someone who can ID the grape variety from some leaves and a photo of the vine. If the neighbors won't wait until harvest time, transplanting now will give you a big head start over...