Hello. I've been making wine for about three years now. I feel that my
knowledge on the subject is still greatly lacking. I am able to create good
wines most of the time, but sometimes when all is said and done, I have a
few problems. Here they a

1.) Some of my wines are astringent to the tongue. Specifically to the
edges of the tongue, if that makes a difference. This only happens
occasionally, and I am not really sure why. Most recently it happened when
making a Rose'. I had made some Vidal Blanc wine about 1 year ago. Around
4 or 5 months ago, I purchased several gallons of Steuben grapes. I
fermented the Steuben grapes on the skins for around 7 days. I then removed
all of the excess grape skin material, and added the Vidal Blanc wine I had
already made to the Steuben mixture. I am not sure of proper technique for
making a Rose' wine. This was kind of an experiment for me. When all was
said and done, I ended up with a wine that was extremely bitter and hot on
the tongue. The Vidal Blanc that I added to the mixture initially was 14%
ABV. The end result of the Rose' seemed to have a much higher ABV although
I do not have a specific measurement of the alcohol content right now. I
was able to 'cover up' the astringency with simple syrup, but if I had
wanted the Rose' to be any less sweet, I would not have been able to mask
the taste. Can anyone tell me what probably happened? I typically adjust
acid levels pre-fermentation. Is there a good procedure to follow for
adjustment following the completion of fermentation and clearing ?


2.) With white wines, I have been having a problem maintaining SO2 levels.
My wine always seems to oxidize - get a brownish tint to it. The wine does
not look brown really, but it does not have the color that it should. What
can I do to ensure that my wine does not oxidize, or to help prevent
oxidation? Also, I'm looking for a good cheap way to accurately measure
levels of SO2. I've been told the most accurate way would be to do some
sort of titration which requires very expensive equipment. I can't think of
the name of it right now.

3.) I will be planting Vidal Blanc grapes in the Spring. 1 acre of them,
approximately 700 vines. This will be my first planting. If anyone has any
tips about grape growing in general, or about Vidal Blanc specifically, I
would be all ears. I have several books I am reading, The Midwest Grape
Production Guide, General Viticulture, Sunlight Into Wine, Small Fruit Crop
Management, and I'll be ordering the Compendium of Grape Diseases. Any
other suggested reading? Also, any tips on trellising? Probably only my
wife and I, and a few others will be doing all of the planting, and all of
the trellising. We'll be using a basic double cordon training system.

Sorry for the long posting, it has been a long time since I have been to
this newsgroup. I have always found the people here to be very
knowledgeable and willing to share information.