Category Archives: DIY Projects

Building a PVC cap punch down tool

Posted on 09/16/2009 by Ryan ODonnell in DIY Projects Leave a comment

When making red wine, there’s really two methods for cap management: punch downs and pump over. For the home winemaker, punching down the cap with your hand or tool is the most realistic. Punching down the cap back into the … Continue reading →

Fermentation “grenades” are a bad idea

Posted on 09/14/2009 by Ryan ODonnell in DIY Projects Leave a comment

Not sure I’m a fan of this technique at all. It’s messy. Here’s the premise. Depending whether you need to raise or decrease the temperature of your fermentation, you drop these “grenades” in the core of your must. Fill with … Continue reading →

Building a Wine Barrel Cradle

Posted on 09/02/2009 by Ryan ODonnell in DIY Projects Leave a comment

When the home winemaker decides to take the leap into actual barrels there’s a million decisions before them: what type of oak, what toast level, new or recooped, the list goes on. But one can easily get so caught up … Continue reading →

Delestage Fermentation Tank (homemade attempt)

Posted on 02/09/2009 by Ryan ODonnell in DIY Projects Leave a comment

After spending a great deal online reading about fermentation methods and techniques, I stumbled upon a style the produces an effect that is right up my alley: delestage The article about it on WineMaker Magazine’s website is a great read. … Continue reading →