E.C. Kraus Home Wine and Beer Making Supplies

I am a diabetic, but my doctor has suggested 2 glasses of wine a night. Can I substitute artificial sweeteners to bring up the "sweetness level" of my wines after the fermentation has stopped? Will it affect the aging after bottling?Name: FrankState: TX Hello Frank, There is nothing that suggest that artificial sweeteners affect the aging process, or aging-chemistry, of a wine. So from this...

There are many pieces of homemade wine equipment than can be described in just one post.  It’s important to understand each piece of homemade wine equipment, how it functions, and whether or not a particular piece of equipment is needed in your own home winemaking practice.  Today’s post features three more important pieces of equipment: the Three Spout Bottle Filler, the Wine Thief, and the Brew...

Hello Ed, I've been making homemade wine for over 20 years. Good friend of mine got me started and he introduced me to E. C. Kraus. I purchased a starter kit from you guys in 1992. Best move that I ever made. That brings me to my story. I make cranberry wine every year and it usually comes out great. Last years batch went cloudy on me. The taste is great, it's just cloudy (what's left of it). I'm...

Sodium metabisulfite is a very important part of winemaking, and is used commonly in both commercial winemaking and home winemaking.  Basically, sodium metabisulfite wears many hats, making it an extremely versatile and thus valuable item in winemaking.  It acts as a sanitizer in both the wine and in the equipment used, as well as a protector against the damaging effects of too much oxygen. Very...

1. Are the mushroom caps easy to install, or do you need special equipment. Do they seal as well as regular corks, (over time). 2. Wine bottles that have a screw top, can you reuse them with a cork.Name: Tom H.State: Davison, Mi Hello Tom, The Mushroom corks are very easy to install. This is the biggest advantage to using them over traditional wine bottle corks. You do not need a wine bottle...

I am making a Cab Sauvignon from the California Connoisseur wine kit. I also plan on making a Merlot next and would like to blend some of the two wines before bottling. I would like to save half of the Cab in a 3 gal carboy and bottle the other half. However, at what step in the process is it best to store the bulk Cab while I am making the Merlot? After Stabilization and...

There are so many more pieces of homemade wine equipment than can be described in one post.  It’s important to understand each piece of homemade wine equipment, how it functions, and whether or not a particular piece of equipment is needed in your home winemaking practice.  Today, you’ll be introduced to three important pieces of equipment: the Copper Tun Heating Pad, the Transfer Pump, and the...

I think I'm obtaining an off-taste with my Muscadine wine because it needs additional degassing. I degas the wine once after the 7 day initial fermentation. Can I also degas again after 30 days and right before the first rack? I understand that the degassing technique may place unwanted oxygen into the wine.....what do you recommend? ThanksName: HermanatorState: Missouri Hello Hermanator, I would...

I made an apple cider and a apple/blueberry cider. Both are in the aging process  (4 months before bottling). I have the apple cider in a 5 gal. oak keg and the blueberry on in a 5 gal. carboy. When I want to bottle, should I be adding a sodium metabisulfite prior to bottling?Name: Mike in NYState: NY Hello Mike, If you are aging your wine in bulk, such as a carboy or oak wine barrel, we recommend...

So, your homemade wine is just about ready and you’re preparing to bottle!  All the hard work creating your masterpiece is nearly complete and transitions into a more passive process of waiting for the wine to be ready to be shared and enjoyed! You must be careful at this point to not get too lax about things, as the bottling process is just as important as every step up until now.  That being...

Whether you are just starting to get involved in home winemaking or you have been making wine at home for some time, it’s a good idea to have a good understanding of the different types of homemade wine equipment, how they function, and whether or not a particular piece of equipment is needed in your home. Of course, there are many more pieces of homemade wine equipment than can be described in...

I'm in the process of making my first batch of wine. I'm making apple wine. When I started, I took a hydrometer reading and it was in between 1.080-1.100. I let it ferment in the bucket for about a week and a half. When I racked it into the carboy I took another hydrometer reading and it was about the same.(this was on the 7th of January.) I just took another hydrometer reading today( Jan 21) and...

I used too much Speedy Bentonite to clear my last batch of wine. The bentonite worked, but there is a bunch of sediment. I racked off the wine that was clear. It tasted fine. There is about a gallon and a half of sediment. Will the bentonite continue to settle and is it worth the time and trouble for a few extra bottlesName: Hans WikleState: WV Hello Hans, The general rule-of-thumb is to always...

There are many steps to home winemaking, and each individual step is critical in maintaining the quality and acceptability of your homemade wine.  First, you have to prepare the must either from juice or the fruit itself.  Next, the must undergoes fermentation to convert the sugar in the must to alcohol.  Further racking, clarifying, stabilizing, and aging steps help develop the wine to an even...

Another year has passed, and the rearview mirror is full! I always use this time as an opportunity to reflect on what's happened. In doing so I have come up with a list of my top 10 favorite wine making posts. These are wine making post that I feel have been helpful, entertaining and interesting. They are listed in no particular order. You might want to give them a once-over and see if there's...

There’s a lot of variation in how to make your own wine, however, the same basic steps apply regardless of what type of wine you make. Must preparation: For this step of how to make your own wine, the fruit or wine grapes are made into a mushy substance, known as the “must”.  During this stage, sugar and acid levels must balance so that when following the wine recipe it leads to a well-balanced...

Before diving head first into the fun of home winemaking using one of our homemade wine kits, it is important to understand what exactly is in the kit, and what role each item in the kit plays.Of course, all of the homemade wine kits that you can buy are going to be slightly different, depending upon the brand and upon what type of homemade wine you wish to make.  Here is a breakdown on some of...

There’s a lot of debate regarding what type of closure you should be using to bottle your homemade wine.  Understanding the qualities of each type of closure and how they fit in with the style of wine you intend to create will allow you to make an informed decision and give you confidence that you are selecting the perfect wine bottle closure for your homemade wine. Two of the most common types of...

Hi: I made my first wine and it came out great. I made a Cabernet Sauvignon from one of your homemade wine kits. I started it in January and aged it with oak chips for 6 month. Then bottled. It still tastes a little young. Something I do not understand is that it taste better after I let it sit out for a few hours. Why does it improve when left out? Jason ----- Hello Jason,Thanks for the...

Help! I was wondering if you can straighten me out on something. I have heard that you should add campden tablets before you add the wine yeast. I should also add campden tablets after every time I rack the wine. Then add them before I bottle the wine. That seems like a lot to me. Thanks Gary ----- Hi Gary, Thanks for such an interesting question. You do need to use Campden Tablets or some other...