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Your local library likely has a lot of useful books (remember books?) on the subject of home winemaking. This also lets you absorb the information a bit better, as opposed to being assaulted by YouTube personalities with past paced and possibly dubious information. C.J.J. Berry's First Steps in...

I have always had alignment issues when trying to use Avery (or any other pre-cut) labels. They end up not printing in the right place, and I end up wasting sheets of labels and printer ink. As a result, I use whole-sheet labels now. Basically, it's a printer-paper sized label. You can make any...

Thank you for giving some great advice about beer bottles. As a reminder, the OP was talking about wine bottles.

I know nothing about barrel aging or getting that taste. I do know adding bourbon to your wine will increase the alcohol content. When folks put wine in the used barrels, they're going for the added flavor, not the added alcohol content.

In case other folks (like me) don't know what PBW is, it's Powdered Brewery Wash: Powdered Brewery Wash A couple posts referred to it, and I wasn't sure if it was Pabst Blue Water (you know, the "beer"), or something else. 🤣

Congratulations on getting the flavors you wanted! It sounds like a tasty batch. Usually, wines will continue to have particulates fall out of suspension if you give them enough time. One type of wine I make every year (involves a grumpy type of tea) is always cloudy for the first nine months...

Wow that sounds really interesting! Personally, I'd use a different flavor (to each their own), but that's because that's my own taste. Make wine you want to taste! 👍 It is so wonderful to be able to try out new flavors - definitely keep trying out new things, and discovering if they are good...

A lot of recipes are very specific to what the chef (or vintner, brewer, etc.) had success with when making the creation. They are literally not written in stone. If you don't like walnuts in your chocolate chip cookies, don't put walnuts in your chocolate chip cookies. If you want your pear...

Peach wine is definitely one of those wines that needs pectic enzyme! Some folks I know (who have access to a lot of peaches) use a food processor. Basically, they cut them in half, take out the stone (pit), and toss them into the processor. Once they have the puree, they strain it through...

As a side note, there is usually a huge difference in wine bottle labels, and beer bottle labels. It sounds like some folks in this thread are talking about beer bottles.

This completely depends on the kind of label and adhesive used to keep them on the bottles. If they are the thin, papery labels held on by a water based, thin adhesive, this method can work out pretty well. If they are anything else, it can solidify the adhesive. Also, even at low temperature...

This really comes down to where you live, who's commercially making mead, and if restaurants / bars feel it's worth carrying. In higher population areas, you are more likely to have breweries and meaderies making alcohol. A lot of them have tap rooms, where you can sample and buy their...

Never had much luck with any of the "easy tricks" I'd seen posted on YouTube etc. to remove labels. It seemed to be a lot of extra steps, with still the same sticky gunk left afterwards. As a result, I use a retractable, flat razor to scrape off labels. For safety, I wear thick gloves, and put...

Any "drinkable" wine is definitely a win(e)! Congratulations, and welcome to being a vintner. For your next batch, ask yourself what you would like to drink. What flavor? Have you always wanted to drink [this non-grape flavored wine], but you can't buy it anywhere? You can go out, and buy more...

In my humble experience, trying to replicate a wine is a fool's errand. There are so many variations that are in play, especially in wine making. If you like a wine, buy it. Trying to duplicate a product without a recipe is really, really tricky. Even with the recipe, it will not be the same...

It likely will not ever be high enough. Check out this article about beer and wine's alcohol content, and bacteria: Beer & Wine vs. Bacteria

Congratulations on your first pyment! It looks like things are going along well. De-stemming all of those grapes must have been quite a task! If you backsweeten, or add more fresh grape juice, be sure to stabilize the pyment first. This is a good safety measure to take, because you're...

What else did you use for the recipes? Sometimes, a recipe with one flavor (all kiwi, nothing else) can taste drastically different once the yeast ferments out most or all of the sugars. What does a kiwi taste like when it's not sweet? What does prickly pear taste like without any sugars? It's...

Young wines can taste like you describe: young. Strong tangs of alcohol, bitterness, and other mouthfeels are indicators that the wine might improve with some aging. Once these fade with aging, the more subtle notes and flavors can shine through more. Take some of each wine, make sure they're...

Wow, it's a great color, but it looks so milky, and dense! 😮 Hopefully time will help it settle, and clear nicely. Did you taste a sample? Take a hydrometer reading?