Hi everyone!  I’m sitting here smelling the sweet smells of fermentation right now, and just pondering how it’s going to all turn out!  In case you forgot or did not read my previous entries, I am attempting to make my first mead at home after trying grape kits for a little while.
Fermentation seemed to get off to a great start—it was doing it’s thing by 24 hours after adding the yeast, which is exactly what I expected based upon the mead recipe I had. I’m a little nervous; however, as the smell of this particular fermentation is not as “nice” as the smells of the other fermentations I’ve done in the past.  Of course, I’m using a completely different product (honey as opposed to grape juice), so I would expect the mead fermentation to smell a little different, however, since I’ve never made mead before, nor have I ever smelled honey fermentation, I’m not sure if what I’m smelling is normal or if what I’m smelling means bad news bears.
Now, it basically smells like fermentation, but with a little bitter-like tinge to it.  I don’t know if bitter is quite the proper word to describe it, but it definitely smells a lot different than when I fermented with grape juice.  I’m probably just being paranoid and the mead is fermenting along its merry way just as it is supposed to, but I’m just a teeny bit nervous anyway!  It kind of reminds me of the smell my fiancé’s “wine” made when he just threw a bunch of things together without following any kind of instructions.  I’m hoping my honey wine will continue to develop along a more palatable path than my fiancé’s wine did. Continue reading →

I have started using a steam juicer with my fresh fruit. Most of the wine recipes that I find call for whole fruit with pulp. Can you recommend a wine recipe using the fruit juice? Should I be able to use a wine recipe that calls for fruit concentrate?…
Name: Missy H.
State: Mississippi
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Hello Missy,
For what ever reason, almost all wine recipes you run across will call for the fruit in pounds not in ounces of juice.
The reason for this is that normally you would have the wine recipe in hand before getting the fruit. This makes pounds of fruit the most beneficial form of information at that point. If you where going to the market to get some raspberries to make some wine and your wine recipe calls for 1 gallon of raspberry juice to make 5 gallons, that wouldn’t be very helpful when trying to figure out how much fresh raspberries you need.
Your situation is the reverse and the least common scenario. You have the juice that you extracted with your steam juicer and now have decided to make some wine. It normally works the other way around.
Another reason wine recipes call for the fruit in pounds is because wine recipe directions instruct that all the fruit is to be added to the wine must, pulp and all. It is simply crushed and added. The reason the pulp is added is because a lot of a fruit’s flavor qualities are in the skin and fiber. During the fermentation the fruit is broken down by the wine yeast, releasing all its goodness.
While you can make a perfectly good wine with the juice only, it will be a crisp-tasting, lighter-boded wine. The perfect type of wine for drinking in the hotter summer months or before dinner. If you want to utilize your steam juicer to make a fuller-bodied wine, you will want to save the fruit pulp after juicing and add it to the wine must as well.
Missy, you also mentioned using a wine concentrate recipe and using your fruit juice from the steam juicer in place of the concentrate. This is not a viable option either. Concentrated juices are much more concentrated than what your steam juicer is producing. What is coming out of the steam juicer should be consider to be fruit juice, no different than if the fruit had been crush then pressed in a wine press. Actual concentrates are 3 to 5 times more concentrated than what is coming out of your steam juicer.
So in the future if you want to make wine with the juice from you steam juicer, you will want to weigh the fruit first. This is the only way you will be able to use any wine recipes you come across.
Best Wishes,
Ed Kraus
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Ed Kraus is a 3rd generation home brewer/winemaker and has been an owner of E. C. Kraus since 1999. He has been helping individuals make better wine and beer for over 25 years.

Hi everyone!
I’m excited to be starting a new batch of wine today!  In case you missed it, my new batch of wine is going to be honey wine (a.k.a. Mead).  I ordered 15 pounds of honey online (the mead recipe called for 13 lbs, so I’ll have a little left over in case I want to sweeten it at the end), and also purchased the few wine making ingredients required that I did not have already (mainly the yeast and the yeast energizer).
For this next batch of wine, I made a fresh batch of sanitizing solution (with the Campden powder) and sterilized all my wine making equipment.  I downloaded and printed the Mead Wine recipe instructions from Homebrewing.org and launched right into it!
For the first step, I basically had to mix together everything except for the wine yeast.  Since I was adding Campden powder (same as crushed Campden tablets), I was required to wait 24 hours in order for the gas to have ample time to leave the container.  If I had added the wine yeast at the same time as adding the Campden powder, then I would have run the risk of killing the it right then and there.
I measured out 13 pounds of the honey by determining how many cups of honey are in a pound, and added that many cups.  I ended up with a couple of pounds left over, since I originally ordered 15 pounds, so if I decide at the end that I’d like to sweeten the mead up a little bit, I have the perfect ingredient to do it!
After mixing all the ingredients, I covered the primary fermenter with a thin towel.  Now, since I have inquisitive animals milling about my apartment, I made sure to securely fasten the town to the fermenter using duct tape, so as to avoid any accidental “sampling”.
According to the instructions, I was to wait 24 hours for the sulfur gas (from the Campden powder) to dissipate, and then add the yeast.  Right before I added the yeast, however, I measured the specific gravity with my wine hydrometer, even though the instructions did not tell me to do so.  I figured it would be a good bit of information to have, so as to better monitor the progress of the fermentation, and for later on when I attempt to calculate the approximate alcohol content of the finished mead.  So, after measuring the specific gravity right before adding the yeast, it came out to be 1.096.  Right about where it should be, based on my very limited experience!
After adding the yeast, I secured the thin towel back over the primary fermenter and put it to bed for 5-7 days!  I could tell the next morning that there were tiny signs that fermentation was about to begin, and sure enough, by the 24 hour mark, the mead was fermenting at full force (as predicted by the instructions)!
I’m looking forward to the next phase of this homemade Mead wine, and I’m crossing my fingers it all turns out yummy!

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My name is Leigh Erwin, and I am a brand-spankin’ new home winemaker! E. C. Kraus has asked me to share with you my journey from a first-time dabbler to an accomplished home winemaker. From time to time I’ll be checking in with this blog and reporting my experience with you: the good, bad — and the ugly.

How can I get more of a peppery taste in my wine kit?
Name: Anthony B.
State: TN
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Hello Anthony,
Having a peppery taste or flavor in a wine is something that comes from the grape itself. It has little to do with the yeast you select, the temperature at which you ferment, and all the other little subtleties that can be played with during the winemaking process. It’s all about the grape.
Pepper is normally a note you will find in a Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a varietal wine meaning Cabernet Sauvignon is an actual grape variety. You can get hints of pepper in other wines — a Shiraz for example — but most wine drinkers will associate a pepper taste with a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Some Cabs are more peppery than others. This has to do with where the Cabernet Sauvignon grape was grown. The ground and climate both play a distinct role in how the grapes flavor profile develops. The French refer to this as the terroir.
For example, Cabs grown in the Old World such as France and Italy tend to produce Cabernet Sauvignons deep, earthy characters. The pepper flavor of these wines lean more towards an herbaceous, green pepper flavor. Their counterparts from the United States and Australia tend to be a little more fruity with the peppery leaning more towards black pepper. Of course there are many examples to the contrary, but this is what you can expect in general.
Another factor that can play into this for the home winemaker is time. Some flavors just need time to develop. By allowing your wine time to age, it may very well enhance the peppery flavors you are seeking. Unfortunately, this is not likely to be any help if the wine kit you made is not a Cabernet Sauvignon. There has to be something there to build upon for the aging to help you in this regard.
Anthony,  I would suggest that you take a look at a couple of different wine kits we offer. They are both known to have great pepper flavor profiles. The first one is the Cabernet Sauvignon wine ingredient kit grown in Walla Walla Washington state. Not only does this one have a solid note of black pepper, it also has a complex layer of anise and coffee that balances well with it’s fruit-forward flavors.
The other wine ingredient kit is the Legacy brand Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a good peppery character, but not quite as fruity as the Walla Walla version — not quite as assertive. It more laid-back and rich.
One wine kit is not necessarily better than the other. It’s more a matter of personal preference. For example, many wine drinkers do not like a pepper taste in their wine at all. Others want their homemade wines to be bold and spicy. Just learn what you like and go with it.
Happy Wine Making,
Ed Kraus
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Ed Kraus is a 3rd generation home brewer/winemaker and has been an owner of E. C. Kraus since 1999. He has been helping individuals make better wine and beer for over 25 years.