E.C. Kraus Home Wine and Beer Making Supplies

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...

Home winemaking, while it can be hard work at times, is a delightful hobby that for some can turn into something more serious such as a second career.  For most, however, winemaking provides a lot of pleasure and excitement in creating something that can be enjoyed by not only them but also by friends and family.  Before you get to that point, however, you need to start at the beginning and learn...

Home winemaking is an enjoyable hobby that can bring you great joy, but if you’re not prepared, it can be frustrating and near impossible.  It’s important to understand the first steps in winemaking; to get a solid grasp of the basics, as well as an understanding of why it is you are doing what you are doing at any step of the way. One of the first steps in winemaking that you should do is to get...

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...

I’ve been making wine using wine ingredient kits such as KenRidge for several years. These kits seem quite complete with all the ingredients needed – but reading many of the posts on your site causes me to wonder. Should I, could I, must I supplement the ingredients provided in these kits with other ingredient such as Yeast Nutrients, Acids, Tannins, Potassium Sorbate, Wine Conditioner? Should I...

Most red wine kits give a finished wine with 12.0% to 12.5% alcohol. Is it harmful to add additional sugar to the wine kits (with Sp. Gr. control) to increase the alcohol to about 13.5%? Thanks,Name: H. Dalesponaugle MDState: VA Hello Dr. Dalesponaugle, By all means you can add sugar to these winemaking kits to boost the alcohol. It will not harm the wine in anyway by doing so. But, there are a...

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...

What would I have to eliminate in my wine kit (Cabernet Sauvignon ) to get close to an organic wine without sacrifice taste. Thank you, DanielName: Daniel BottoniState: FL Hello Daniel, The whole idea behind organic wine is to grow the grapes without the use of pesticides or other manmade interferences — to keep the growth of the grapes as natural a possible. Unfortunately, we have never seen this...

Can l combine two 10 liter wine kits (cab.franc) to one single batch; l do not want to dilute the juice with too much water. Will this work ? Your answer would indeed be very appreciative.Name: RichardState: California Hello Richard, The answer to your question is no. The issue is the acid in the juice. Your wine would have double the acidity making is very sharp tasting. I strongly suggest that...

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...

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...

Sorry to give this post such a grim title, but oxidation is really not a very happy subject for me. I'd rather be writing about something more positive, but that wouldn't be doing you any favors. Every home winemaker needs to learn about the harsh realities of wine oxidation. If not for any other reason, so that they can learn how to avoid it. Louis Pasteur, the father of modern microbiology, once...

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...

Hello EC Kraus Folks, Thank you for the speedy delivery of my requested catalog.  I ordered it only a few days ago but now I've read the whole thing and am almost ready to place an order for a wine kit.  However, I have a questions.   I would like to buy a kit, but would prefer to make a fruit wine.  So I'm planning on buying the Your Fruit! Wine Making Kit and then buying the County Fair Fruit...

My wife and I started making wine kits about 10 years ago. Since then many others have wanted to try their hand at it, and things have kind of mushroomed! There are now 10 different "wineries" in production throughout the year in our basement. Of course the sampling and comparing and sharing among friends is the greatest part, but the wine is the thing that brings us all together. None of us can...

Hello Kraus, I have been making wine from top end ($200+) wine kits and really getting into it. I was wondering if I should continue with wine kits or jump into creating wine from fresh grapes. I guess my questions is: What will produce a better red wine, a high end wine kit or quality fresh grapes? Best Regards, Dominick S. ----- Hello Dominick, This is really a great question, and one that I'm...

Hello Kraus: Is there a wine making kit for dummies that is both easy and cheaper than buying at the store (dry wine)? Thanks ---------- Hello Anthony,   Yes, we have just that! Our SunCal Wine Making Kit is a beginner wine making kit that was designed to allow you to make wine less expensively than what you can buy it at the store. It includes all the wine making materials and ingredients you...

  Good day! May I know what causes a fresh fruit wine to taste so sour? I've tested a homemade fresh fruit wine that is so sour, and what is the remedy to remove the taste? Thanks very much! Shirley S.----- Hello Shirley,       In almost all cases, the reason for a wine tasting too sour is too much acid. All fruits have various acids in them that contribute to a sharp/sour taste. If the fruit is...

  Hi After I bottle my wines, I'm getting a small amount of sediment in the wine bottles after about a month. Talking to several people about this, they say I'll probably always have this unless I start filtering my wine. I don't make a lot of wine so it is hard to justify buying a pressure wine filtering system.My question is how do coffee filters compare with the wine filters you sell with your...

Hi, I have been making wine from homemade wine kits for about a year now and have a question about the sediment just when I am ready to bottle the wine. Sometimes I do another rack back to my plastic fermenter to clear out some of the sediment; however, there is always a little in the bottom. Should I buy a wine filter or just siphon the wine down to the sediment and disregard the stuff? Is the...