Author Archives: Dennis S.

Winexpert Kit – Eclipse Napa Valley Stag’s Leap District Merlot

General, Reviews
Winexpert Eclipse Napa Stags Leap Merlot

I have made this kit a couple of times and it does not disappoint! Eclipse Wine Making Kits have the highest single strength juice and varietal content of any Winexpert wine kit, past or present. I added the grape skins and oak that was included in the kit and pitched the yeast.  I stuck to the instructions included in the kit and didn’t deviate from the process.  The only exception was aging as I keep the wine in the carboy for bulk aging, racking every few months […]

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Fermentation Bucket Cover Review

General, Reviews
fermentation bucket cover

I like to ferment my juice in an open container giving the yeast plenty of oxygen during the first few days of fermentation.  The issue is that while I want oxygen, I want to keep all foreign objects out, including the fruit flies!  Here is a solution that I found that works great. Designed as a feed bucket cover, this inexpensive cover works great allowing the bucket to remain open during primary fermentation, yet it keeps the little critters out. Yeast enjoys a rich oxygen environment so […]

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Five Star PBW Cleaner Review

Reviews
PBW Cleaner

For cleaning fermentation buckets, wine bottles and your other wine making equipment, its hard to beat the effectiveness of Five Star PBW. It’s a buffered alkaline detergent that has been proven to be more than effective substitute for caustic soda cleaners that is safe on the skin as well as stainless steel, glass and plastics. It is the preferred cleaner for many home winemakers. PBW’s contains Sodium percarbonate (an oxidizer), Sodium carbonate aka washing soda (a buffering agent) plus Sodium metasilicate (a builder). It uses active oxygen […]

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Carboy Cover Review

Reviews

From racking, to fermenting, to cleaning, to storage, your carboy never needs to be removed from the All-in-One Carboy Cover. No other product on the market can do everything that the All-in-One Carboy Cover does. This high quality product is a must-have for any home winemaker. Initially these covers were purchased to keep the light away from the wine as it ages and to make moving carboys much easier then using a carboy handle. It covers those bases with flying colors! What I found to be a […]

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Tips for Making Wine from Concentrate

Wine Making Tips

If you are just starting out, wine concentrates or wine kits offer an easy way for you to get started with your first batch of wine. Kits come with simple, easy-to-follow instruction that eliminate all of the guesswork.  Making wine is as simple as following a recipe and wine kits provide you with all of the ingredients you need, pre-measured and ready to use out right of the box. You’ve been to the local brew store or shopped online for wine kits and you have noticed that […]

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A Look at the Steps of Making Wine

Wine Making FAQs

If you are a wine lover, the next step in appreciating a great bottle of wine may be to make your own wine at home. While the process may seem to be complicated, wine can be made easily at home. Before beginning the process of making your own wine at home it is important to understand the basic steps of wine making. The general process begins with taking the juice of a fruit (grapes or other fruits) and introducing yeast that multiply and turn the sugars found […]

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How to Get Started Making Wine at Home

Wine Making Guides

If you have given some thought to the idea of making wine at home but just haven’t quite gotten around to it yet, there is no reason to delay any longer. Thousands of people around the world happily enjoy the benefits and rewards of making their own wine. While certain equipment is required, you do not need to make a prohibitive investment or even have a large space in order to enjoy a hobby that can be quite rewarding. Our website is dedicated to helping your through […]

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Guide to Oaking Your Wine

Wine Making FAQs

Certain wines can certainly benefit from the addition of oak chips. Just a few of these wines include Chardonays, Cabernets, Pinot Noir, Chianti, Merlots, Sauvignon Blanc, Burgundy, Pinot Blanc and Fume Blanc. Oaking provides a way to develop a wine that is quite complex. The depth of the complexity is greatly determined by the type of oak that is used as well as the wine itself. Oak can provide a wide variety of flavors to wine including coconut, vanilla and even spices such as cloves, nutmeg and […]

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Guide to The Basics of Winemaking

Wine Making Guides

Before you begin your first batch of wine, it is a good idea to understand something of the background of wine and the basics of winemaking. Today there are certainly many kits which can be purchased which will walk you step by step through the process of winemaking. Even so, you may find that you enjoy and appreciate the results all the more for understanding the background of each step. Wine is produced by fermenting grapes that have been freshly harvested. While many people today have taken […]

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The Different Types of Wine

Wine Making FAQs

One of the most common questions you may have when you begin considering making homemade wine is what type of wine you should make. There are certainly plenty of different types of wines from which to choose. Understanding the different types of wines can help you to narrow down the choices and select the type that would be best for your first, or your next, batch of wine. First, it is important to understand that while wine is generally made from grapes, you can actually use practically […]

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