E.C. Kraus Home Wine and Beer Making Supplies

When you’re relatively new to home winemaking, following each and every step of a wine recipe is critical,  but where do you even begin finding good wine recipes?  There are a lot of resources out there, and hopefully this post will shed some light on where to find them. Wine Making Books There are a large number of wine making books out there that are full of wine recipes.  It is important to...

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 interested in making wine with blackberries, blueberries and Concord grapes. Can you give me any input on what yeast to use or a formula for 5 or 6 gallons. I've been ordering from Kraus for over 6 years and have had a lot of fun. Thank you for your input.Name: Guy K.State: PA Hello Guy, This is a question we get from time to time, and one I don't mind answering again because it's such a...

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...

The art and science of winemaking has been around for millennia, though certainly the techniques and procedures have evolved throughout the course of winemaking history.  It takes a lot of time, practice, and patience to become an expert winemaker, and even then, a bad batch can come along despite all your best intentions and efforts.  With all that being said, one thing has always remained true...

There are many more pieces of homemade wine equipment than can be described in one short post.  It is very important to understand the different types of homemade wine equipment, how they function, and whether or not a particular piece of winemaking equipment is needed in your home.  Therefore it’s important to introduce to you as many pieces of equipment as possible in as many posts as it takes!...

I have made several attempts at making wine. I have used grape juice (Welch's), rhubarb, blackberry, and have even purchased a kit to make some Merlot. My problem is that they all taste nearly the same with a hint of vinegar. I have been careful to wash and sanitize everything. I am going to try again soon but don't know what to do different. I even purchased new siphon hose for the Merlot kit and...

I am new to making white wine (past 3 seasons). I have made red for about 10 years. I use fresh California grape wine juices in Sept. I have not figured out how to keep my whites from clouding after bottling. I rack several times then cold stabilize and rack several more times and the wine is clear. Any suggestions on where I might be going wrong.Name: JerryState: NY Hello Jerry,There are...

I have really become enamored with the flavor of ground cherries and have made jam and marmalade with them this year, but really want to make some wine with the few quarts left in the freezer from summer, but none of my wine making books mention using them...any ideas? Was planning on mixing white grape concentrate with them, but don't know what amounts to use. Thanks for your help-Name: Debra...

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...

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...

As a home winemaker, you don’t have to worry about conforming to all the strict rules regarding wine bottle labels that are in place for commercial winemaking.  However, creating labels that will allow you to easily identify your wine in your cellar is highly recommended.  Simply writing a “Cab” for Cabernet Sauvignon or “P” for peach on the top of the cork or side of the bottle isn’t going to cut...

Making wine from grape juice is relatively straightforward, but maybe now you’ve grown more comfortable with the process, and you’re ready for the next level: making wine from grapes.  Is making wine from wine grapes really all that different from making wine with juice? Most of the process of making wine from grapes and making wine from juice is the same; however, it is in the first steps where...

We are in the midst of the holiday season, and the days to purchase gifts for your friends and loved ones are going by quickly.  But there's still time!  Place your order with us by noon, December 19th, and you'll have it in time to place under the Christmas tree.Perhaps you know someone who is an avid home winemaker, or maybe you know someone who keeps talking about making their own wine at home...

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...

A few weeks ago we posted the blog, "7 Random Winemaking Facts...". It had such a great response we decided to put some more winemaking facts into a post.  These are trivial little pieces of information that randomly shoot off into different areas of wine and winemaking. Some of them you may already know, but do you know them all? A single packet of wine yeast multiplies itself many times over...

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...

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...

This is the last of a two part series. In Part I we discussed how you can imporve your wines by testing and adjusting its acidity with an Acid Test Kit. Here are 7 quick tips for using your Acid Test Kit. These are tips that will help you get the most accurate readings you can when using your kit: Play Around With The Kit Before Actually Needing ItThe Acid Test Kit will provide you with about 50...

Here are five wine making tips for using a grape press. These are basic bits of information that describes the central role grape presses play when making wine at home.1 . You Can Press More Than Just Grapes With A Wine Press: While grape presses are sold with the intent of being used for making grape wine, they work perfectly fine for pressing other fruits. Everything from tiny elderberries on up...