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My red muscadine wine is okay, but I'd like it richer, fuller. I'm using Noble and Black Jumbo varieties. I add no water to the process, and go thru typical fermentation using Cotes des Blanc yeast achieving 11% to 13% ABV from year to year. I also bulk age for one year, bottle the wine and age...

Last year I made a 1 gallon batch of blackberry wine for the first time. I used Cotes des Blanc to preserve the fruity flavor. My initial taste test was pleasing. I plan to make another gallon batch this year. Is there a better yeast for blackberry? Someone suggested 71B-1122 to reduce malic...

Several weeks ago, I opened a 2016 bottle of my muscadine wine. It was very tart, so I decided to experiment. I added 1/4 tsp Calcium Bicarbonate to a 750ml bottle along with 1 tablespoon of sugar. (I intentionally left the wine dry at bottling time in 2016.) I refrigerated this experimental...

I'd like to add a little more color to my red muscadine wine to make it a little darker. It's not bad now, but I'm trying to perfect the appearance and aroma. I'm considering Scottzyme Color Pro prior to fermentation. Would this help? And should I use it instead of yeast nutrient or WITH yeast...

Should I do anything before pitching the yeast based on these readings? I'm making 1 gallon of red muscadine wine. My hydrometer reading after crushing the grapes was 1.050, which I expected. The TA at this point was 5.5. 8 hours after adding 1.5 pounds of sugar I'm at 1.090 with a TA of 6.5...

I'm about to start a gallon of muscadine wine. Is it best to test titration before or after adding sugar to the must?

I have 2 cups of red muscadine JUICE leftover from making jelly. Can I use this juice to top my muscadine wine that I'll rack in a few days? I haven't racked this wine since going to secondary about 10 days ago. This juice has not been boiled, but it will dilute my 12% ABV since it has not been...

My red muscadine is in secondary. I just tested pH using test strips. When I first removed the strip from the wine, it turned green comparable to the shade representing 3.6, but after waiting 10 to 15 seconds, the strip turns grey. I'm not sure how to read this. Can someone offer insight...

First, thanks to everyone who has helped me get a better understanding of winemaking. In what order should I test for acidity, PH, and brix? Seems to me that ph comes first because you're measuring raw fruit, right? Brix is measured after specific gravity, after adding sugar but before adding yeast?

I posted the following question in the Muscadine Wine thread, but thought I'd start a new thread specifically about this issue. My 2016 muscadine wine is too tart. Can I add calcium carbonate NOW? What if I uncork my bottles of tart wine, siphon into a gallon jug with calcium carbonate, and let...

I'm making one gallon of blackberry wine and one gallon of cherry wine. Here are my hydrometer readings for each. CHERRY: 1.070 (raw fruit sugar) 1.100 (12 hours after adding sugar) BLACKBERRY 1.030 (raw fruit sugar) 1.100 (12 hours after adding sugar) I'll add Cotes des Blanc yeast in 12...

I'm planning to make one gallon of blackberry wine -- my first attempt. I have 3 pounds of blackberries (store bought). Too much? Not enough? Plan to use Cote des Blanc yeast. Please advise.

I plan to start a gallon of cherry wine (store bought fruit -- dark red). Recipes call for up to 8 lbs of fruit. I'm thinking about using more fruit and less water for fear of having a watered down wine. What if I use 10 to 12 lbs of cherries? What is the down-side of using too much fruit?

I'm getting ready to make one gallon of cherry wine -- my first attempt. I'm using Cotes des Blanc to preserve the fruity flavor. Since this yeast leaves residual sugar, I don't plan to back sweeten, depending on the hydrometer reading at final racking. I'm shooting for semi-sweet or slightly...

I'm thinking about adding a hint of cherry to this years Muscadine wine. I need advice on how many pounds of cherries I should add so that I get a hint of cherry flavor -- and not overpower the flavor of the muscadines. If I normally use 10 pounds of muscadines, how many pounds of cherries...

I needed to add more sugar prior to pitching yeast to get the hydrometer reading to 1.090. How quickly can I measure sugar after adding it? (BTW, I dissolved the sugar before adding it.)

I'm about to start a batch of muscadine wine. My recipe calls for adding Calcium Carbonate at the beginning of fermentation -- that I should draw off 1/3 of the wine, stir in calcium carbonate, and then slowly mix it into the rest of the wine. But will this risk oxidation?

Help me decide which yeast to use. In 2015, I used 1118, which I like. Initially, it added a distinct fermented smell and taste to the wine, but after two years, it has mellowed nicely. In 2016, I used 71B-1122, which tasted pretty good at bottling a few months ago. 71B supposedly helps reduce...

I started fermenting a gallon of muscadine wine almost 2 years ago (Sept. 2015). I did the usual racking, etc. over several months. To be honest, at the time of bottling, the wine looked thin and had an unpleasant fermentation smell and taste. Now, a few months shy of 2 years, I opened a bottle...

After months of racking, I have now caped my one gallon carboy of muscadine wine and refrigerated it for about 2 weeks. I noticed crystals at the bottom of the carboy -- acid crystals? How long will these fall? When can I bottle? And should I rack before bottling? By the way, I tasted the wine...