It’s been about 14 months since I started making wine (one of the best hobbies ever!). In that time I made about 70 gallons or a little over 360 bottles. And saved a lot of money too!
We live in Florida (the land with no cellars/basements and almost everyone uses salt-water softeners), so my wine making production line gets hauled into and out of the kitchen almost weekly.
One wine making tip/trick I can share that my wife “taught” me was to protect her kitchen counters and floor for that matter. After scratching her non-scratchable counters up pretty good, she suggested I use those rubber type mats you might put in your kitchen drawers or cabinets!! No more unhappy wife.
Also, while in my early learning stages I really spilled quite of bit until she threw down some old worn out “pool” towels. Yes, I now know the difference between “pool” towels and “guest” towels.
In closing, I was surprised to read many negative comments on the website on using distilled water. Using our tap water, again which is water-softened, is definitely NOT recommended; I only use distilled water and I airlock my primaries 100% of the time. I never had a slow/stuck fermentation or had any issues with using distilled water. I always use yeast nutrients and/or energizers, and primaries with at LEAST 20-25% head room plus I stir, stir, stir during primary and aerate when racking secondary. My fermentation temps are always between 68-78F.
Thanks for your great store, website and tips.
Name: Matt S.
State: Florida
I have been fermenting one gallon of homemade wine with fresh grapes with its own wild yeast for about a month now. I had racked it once and it is done fermenting for now. I added one cup sugar in the first fermenting and one cup to the second fermenting. should I do it yet a third time? Its still quite cloudy, so I wondered if I should add more sugar and get it to ferment again. Will that clear it up?
Sherri, there is absolutely no way to tell you what you should do without a beginning hydrometer reading. We have no way of knowing how much sugar was provided by the grapes, themselves. This can vary greatly. Because of this we do not know if more sugar should be added or not.