E.C. Kraus Home Wine and Beer Making Supplies

I purchased three cans of Alexander's Pinot Noir concentrate and the recipe on the label calls for 4 tsp. Bentonite and the other ingredients to be put in the fermenter before the wine yeast. The people at our local brewing store said to use Super Kleer instead and that it was better than Bentonite. I understood that both Bentonite and Super Kleer to be for clarifying befoEditre you bottle and not...

I would like to mark my wine bottles without using labels which can be difficult to remove for my next batch of wine. Is there an easy way to mark my bottles that can be removed the next time I use them?Name: Curtis B.State: CO Hello Curtis, There are several ways you could go about marking wine bottles without using wine bottle labels. Most home winemakers will use a color code. Each batch...

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...

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...

This is part 2 of a 4 part series. In the previous post (part 1), we went over how the cork supply and demand became out of balance over the previous decades. In this post we cover how this lack of balance spawned the emergence of synthetic corks. As natural cork became shorter and shorter in supply, and the prices began to rise to unprecedented levels, the situation the wineries found themselves...

A friend had given me a wine-making recipe that I have used for several years. It doesn't call for special yeast's, but one regular pack of bread yeast. One quart of Cranberry Juice; two cans of Concentrated Grape Juice; One pound of white cane sugar. Plus one gallon glass jug, rubber cork & economy-lock.I dissolved the yeast first, place in the jug first. Then I semi-dissolve the sugar in the...

E.C. Kraus Customer Service -- Thanks again for being there.  You're greatly helping an amateur wine-maker get by the label "amateur". Three part question, all on potassium sorbate.  This is a question recognizing that potassium sorbate does not stop fermentation, but is used to keep wines from starting to ferment again after the fermentation has been completed.1).  When should the potassium...

I've been making wine for almost 10 years now, I was taught by my friends father Chuck who has been making wine forever. Each year we compare wines and argue which is the best and which year gave us the best wines and blends, Most years weather permitting I crush the grapes and do the first fermentation in my garage then its to the basement for about 12 weeks before bottling. Our claim to fame is...

I started making wine from age 10 years unfortunately faced many problems such as oxidation also in my country they leave the pulp up to 50 days in the containers (cause strengthen taste).... but now because of your valuable information of your website I enhanced the ways.......First I collect ripen fruits of both red and white grapes clean them and destemming the mix the ratio that I want of...

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...

Finally, the numbers are in! We have tallied, checked, scrutinized, scratched our heads, double-checked some more, and licked-our-pencil-sharp to come up with:   The Best Selling Wine Ingredient Kits of 2010!   Yes, that's correct! Listed below are the 2010 winners of each brand of wine ingredient kit we offer. These are the wine varietals and blends that have smacked across more lips than any...

As 2010 draws to a close, and a new year comes into view, I thought it would be nice to take another look at the blog entries that have proved to be most helpful to home winemakers this years. These are the blog entries that everyone here has gotten the most response from, or has been able to utilize the most when helping a customer. As I result here is the list of the top 10 most helpful posts of...

I know my opinion may be a little bias, but I find it very hard to think of a gift more thoughtful and sincere than a bottle of homemade wine. Wine, by itself, is the kind of gift that brings happiness and togetherness. Add to that the fact that you made it with your own hands, and you've got one heck of a gift that can be cherished and enjoyed throughout the holiday season.It didn't always used...

Christmas shopping for wine making gifts is not an easy task. You're trying to find a special gift for the home winemaker in your life when you barely know a wine press from a wine barrel. What could be more difficult. Well, we're going to make this holiday season a little more merry for you and give you a little help.We've assisted all kinds of unknowing Christmas shoppers over the years, and...

In my own humble opinion, nothing describes Thanksgiving better than the word togetherness. Whether it be with family, friends, co-workers or someone you just met, being together is what seems to make Thanksgiving work. Togetherness is what makes Thanksgiving worth celebrating. It is my deepest wish that where ever you may be this Thanksgiving holiday, that you my find and share some...

Hello I made wine from muscadines and gave a bottle to a friend they said that it gave them heartburn. Can you tell me what is in wine that would do that and can I make the next batch better..?? Thank you  Chuck __________ Hello Chuck,That's a heck of a note. You give a friend a personalized wine gift like a bottle of your own personal wine stock. You probably had some customized wine bottle...

Hi...I am seriously looking at making my own wine ...my only hesitation is a concern that I can only produce a very mediocre wine .. one that does not come close to commercial wine offerings (I have a 200 bottle cellar and enjoy wines from around the world). So understanding there are no guarantees and I am responsible for making the wine, can one make a comparable wine to mid range commercial...

Hey I hope yall had a great week, I have been thinking bout making a wine or mead for the holidays. Possibly something with a slight cinnamon or clove flavor or maybe a cider flavor as well. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks for your help. Steven  ---------- Hello Steven, It's hard to beat a hot cup of spiced apple wine. This is called a mulled wine... when you heat it up with spices. It's great...

  Hi there, I am a recent homebrewer turned winemaker. I was wondering if it was appropriate to filter the wine before bottling. I am making a European Select Verdicchio at the moment. I have a 10 inch sediment filter unit with either a 0.5 or 1.0 micron filter. Can I put wine through this and is it worth it? Thanks, any help would be great.   Regards, Dean R. ------------ Dear Dean, There are...

Hello: I recently read an article on your website that said not to use distilled water, but bottled water labeled spring water. Should I treat the water with sodium metabisulfite before beginning the primary fermentation in my plastic fermenter or is the bottled spring water okay to use straight from the bottle? -Shawn S. ---------- Dear Shawn, Deciding if you should add Sodium Metabisulfite...