E.C. Kraus Home Wine and Beer Making Supplies

I bought table grapes at a farmer's market, very sweet, reddish grapes for my wine. I had success with the fermentation and put it in a carboy. It made 4 gallons and I put it in a 5-gallon carboy with an air lock, thinking the CO2 would force the oxygen out. It continued fermenting and I assume no oxygen got in.Ten months later there is a thin, white-ish particulate on surface. When I moved...

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...

Hi Ed, Could you tell me how I might control my fermentation temperature? I have been making wine for 15 or so years from real grapes. Many times the must temperature starts to get way too warm. What is the best way to control it. Thanks in advance.Name: Al J.State: NY Hello Al, Thanks for the great question. This is something that plagues a lot of home winemakers, so I'm glad you brought this up....

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...

For the first time ever I ordered juice concentrate, your merlot and blackberry, to try making a large batch of my favorite flavors. Well, I followed the directions to the letter and it all fermented nicely in the primary. After 5 days racked it to the secondary, a glass 5 gallon carboy but for the first time left a little head space of a couple inches figuring that it would be ok since it it was...

I bottled a batch of strawberry wine which had cleared up perfectly, but then within a couple months, small light colored particles appeared in the bottles. If the bottle is shaken, some of the particles dissolve, but after an hour or two they reappear. The wine tastes great, but with the floating particles, it's difficult to share it with others. What could the problem be? I have another 6 gallon...

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 made 25 gallons of yellow plum wine this summer (began in August 2012). One batch in one of the 5-gallon carboys looks and has the consistency of water (not very interesting) and appears to have finished all of its fermentation. I've calculated its alcohol content to be around 12%, but its bland, dry flavor suggests that I add sugar before bottling, but this doesn't seem to help much when I add...

Preparing wine bottles for bottling wine is sometimes glossed-over or minimized by some home wine makers. That's not a good thing. That's a bad thing! Starting out with clean and sanitized wine bottles is paramount to having healthy wine. The alternative can lead to a spoilage and embarrassment. Cleaning Your Wine Bottle Even if the wine bottles are new, out-of the-box they should be thoroughly...

This is Part II of a 2 part series on wine oxidation. Part I covers the effects of oxidation. Part II, this part, covers how to avoid it. The first thing I'm going to say about avoiding oxidation might not be what you'd expect, but it's important to know. Make sure the fermentation has plenty of oxygen in the beginning — particularly the first 2 to 3 days of fermentation. This is the time when...

Hello Winemakers:I am getting ready to start my first batch of wine from concentrate. I am a little confused about the sanitizing process for large pieces of equipment. The directions say to dissolve so much sanitizing stuff to one gallon of water. Does this mean a gallon will do the job? With a 6 gallon tuft tank or a 6 gallon glass carboy, for example, do you pour the gallon in the container and...

Hi, I bought your wine making starter kit and am up to the point where you add the wine yeast. I added the yeast about 12 hours ago and nothing has happened yet at all. Is this normal? The reason I ask is because I have made wine before in just a gallon milk jugs and added brewers yeast and instantly it foams. Can you please let me know......... Thank-You, Harley ----- Hello Harley, Thank you for...

One of the most important aspects of making your own wine is keeping things sanitary. It's important because wine is a like a living thing. It needs to be protected from wild molds, bacteria, etc. Without proper care your wine can become overtaken by these foreign organisms and eventually spoiled. Yet, sanitizing is overlooked or treated lightly by many home wine makers and understandably so. It...

Hi: Today is day 8 and I just transferred my wine from the plastic fermenter to a glass carboy like the homemade wine instructions say to do. I do not see the wine brewing at all. Shouldn't the wine still be fermenting? Do I have a problem? Please help! Robert ----- Hello Robert. I am going to assume that you are making your wine from a wine ingredient kit such as our European Select or...

Hi E.C.Kraus! I'm new to home winemaking. I made red and white wines this year and have them resting in 54 L carboys (with air-locks) after the initial fermentation is completed. The storage room does have a pretty high temperature (65degF), but it doesn't fluctuate. After a month, I decided to start drinking the red one. It tastes great now. So, every weekend I open the carboy and have 1.5 L of...

Kraus folks: Could you tell me what solution should go into the bottle tree rinser -- could I use campden tables? Rick F. ----- Hello Rick, The Bottle Tree Rinser/Sulphatizer is designed to be used with a sulfite solution. What this means is that you can use either Campden Tablets, Sodium Metabisulfite or Potassium Metabisulfite with water to make the sanitizing solution that goes into the bottle...

Dear Kraus, Has anyone used STEVIA to sweeten the wine before bottling? It might take more than expected but I would like to try it. I am Diabetic and adding sugar to sweeten the wine just adds problems, so I don’t drink my wine, which my wife is okay with… because she can drink it without problem.   Could there be problem using this sweetener after fermentation? Thanks in advance. Bob W. -----...

My father started making wine back in the 1960’s. He had a very basic set up - I remember a dozen or more gallon jugs each with it’s own air lock - a Styrofoam cup taped to the side of each jug with a tube coming out the top of each jug. Some of his wines weren’t so great but some were very good. I helped him from time to time but mostly it was just him, however I always helped drink the wines!He...

Hi. My name is Bryan and my 1st vintage was 2005. I have a source for Zinfandel in the Paso Robles area of the California Central Coast. I help the vineyard owner hand harvest his 2 acres and he lets me take a few hundred pounds. My operation is located in my garage and guest bathroom. I hand crush, with a rubbermade container and a 2x4. Ferment in a 40 gallon trash container and press by hand...