Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherFeb 20th, 2010 | No Comments
Another reader asked me to comment on when to pull the plug on a wine or mead. He said he wasn't sure when to give it more time, when to dump it or do something else. It's a good question, and a tough one even for a commercial winemaker to answer. It's especially tough for the home winemaker without an in-house lab, but I will give you my thoughts. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherFeb 20th, 2010 | No Comments
Seven of us at work were discussing fresh fruit. Only two of us ate fresh fruit every single day and I was the only one that eats – sometimes three – two portions of fresh fruit each day. I eat a banana on the way to work or before I have my coffee on weekends and have a second fresh fruit midway through the morning. I sometimes have a third portion mid-afternoon or as a dessert following my evening meal. But my interest here is the fruit we most frequently chose to eat as well as that we simply ignore. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherFeb 20th, 2010 | No Comments
In my last "WineBlog" entry I mentioned a potential sluggishness problem when fining with Bentonite. At least two of you over-reacted. Please re-read the entry. The potential problem exists when using a yeast strain with high nitrogen needs. Most yeast strains are not affected but listed below are some that are. Perhaps more importantly, there are other things you should know about Bentonite. Used correctly, it can be among your best winemaking friends. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherFeb 20th, 2010 | No Comments
A few days ago a reader wrote that he had followed one of my recipes to the "T" and after a month the specific gravity had only dropped from 1.110 to 1.046. After several email exchanges, he finally admitted he did two things different – he used Lalvin RC212 yeast instead of Red Star Montrachet and added Bentonite before pitching the yeast. "All the red wine kits do it," he said. And so I had to explain to him why his fermentation is slower than a snails' race and how to correct it overnight. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherFeb 14th, 2010 | No Comments
Another reader asked me to comment on when to pull the plug on a wine or mead. He said he wasn't sure when to give it more time, when to dump it or do something else. It's a good question, and a tough one even for a commercial winemaker to answer. It's especially tough for the home winemaker without an in-house lab, but I will give you my thoughts. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherFeb 14th, 2010 | No Comments
A few days ago a reader wrote that he had followed one of my recipes to the "T" and after a month the specific gravity had only dropped from 1.110 to 1.046. After several email exchanges, he finally admitted he did two things different – he used Lalvin RC212 yeast instead of Red Star Montrachet and added Bentonite before pitching the yeast. "All the red wine kits do it," he said. And so I had to explain to him why his fermentation is slower than a snails' race and how to correct it overnight. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherFeb 6th, 2010 | No Comments
In the previous topic I mentioned that the Jackfruit Wine I made was bottled slightly sweet at a specific gravity of 1.010 and that the wine's unique and inviting flavor makes a nice dessert accompaniment. Am I saying this is a dessert wine? No. What I am saying is that it is neither a wine you would drink by itself – a social wine – nor a wine you would drink with the main course of a meal – a table wine. While it could be consumed as a dessert wine, it is neither sweet enough nor high enough in alcohol to strictly qualify as a dessert wine. So what is the difference? Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherFeb 6th, 2010 | No Comments
Last year I made a jackfruit wine and began drinking it last month. Bottled slightly sweet at a specific gravity of 1.010, the wine's unique and inviting flavor makes a nice dessert accompaniment. It was reviewed very favorably by those who tried it and I am quite proud of this wine. Read more....
