Date: Dec 09-Jan 10

Freezing kit juice Will freezing affect the juice I get in a 5-gallon (19-L) kit? I am concerned about the variations that occur in home winemaking. My 6-gallon (23-L) primary fermenter works well but I only have one shot per kit. I want to take a standard kit (10-liter bag of Grand Cru Cabernet Sauvignon

Since these two questions are related I will answer them together. Layering ones’ containers with argon or CO2 gas may seem like an easy, pat solution to un-topped containers. It’s heavier than air so one would assume that a nice layer of it over the wine would be just like having a completely topped container.

 When most people think of a great wine and what sets it apart from other wines, they typically look to the usual suspects: grape variety and quality, composition of the grape must, viticulture (soil, water management, vine canopy, ripeness), and vinification (grape crushing, must treatment, skin contact). Very few would even consider the art of

Argon gas My carboys are 6 1⁄4 gallons (24 L). I am making mostly heavy reds and want to bulk age in glass carboys for up to twelve months before bottling. I don’t mind topping off with a small amount of similar wine every once in a while but what do you do when making

 Ahh, glorious Champagne: our companion at celebrations and important events, it christens our ships, welcomes our New Year, and gently helps the caviar and oysters along the path to culinary nirvana. Sparkling wine has no peer, and you can make it at home if you’ve got a little adventure in your soul and a DIY

Last summer, as I was leaving for work, I looked at our peach trees, which were bearing some of their first ripe fruit and thought, “They’ll be perfect by Friday!” Unfortunately, I