I have had no problems either. My wines make in the kitchen where it's warmer. I don't put them in the cellar until I bottle them. I have never had a problem with the CO2.

Actually other fruits also have yeast blooms, as it is called. Yeast has successfully mutated to colonize anything and everything that it possibly can, including human beings but, that is neither here nor there as to this discussion. Their are many, many varieties of yeast, as is evident with the wine making yeast that comes from different regions of France that can be purchased through a vinters supply. Some fruits have been used for their wild yeast to start sourdough starters as well. Mother Earth News once did an article on fruits and wild yeasts, and it was a wine making article. Personally I enjoy country wines, and sometimes drink them young. Some wines lend themselves more to that than others, of course. If you are wanting to make a wine to be enjoyed while young then you may want to try using a yeast that is more specific for that purpose. Lalvine yeast offers a type labeled 71B-1122 that is suited for that purpose. If you are not stuck on making your own Beaujolais Nouveau, and would like to try a country wine that is fairly good when young, then you may like to try making one with any of the various cranberry juice cocktails on the market. They now have cocktails with raspberries, strawberriess, and one called wildberries, among others worth making a wine with, and that bypasses dealing with a must. Easier than pie. By the way; even though yeast does exist on other fruits grapes are indeed the only fruit where the fruit is allowed to use its own yeast for the fermentation process. A wine making yeast, which is a grape yeast, should always be used for country wines that are made from various fruits and vegetables other than grapes. The natural yeast that may occur on other fruit is first killed of with sulfur tabs before adding the much more desirable wine making yeast. Perhaps this need not even be said here but, although making wine with baking yeast can be and has been commonly done,to me there definitely is a big difference. I have known several country folks over the years who make their wine that way.

I can't imagine it's going to be a problem with the size bulbs you're going to install. It will draw less than an amp. Dry sand would not be a problem.

I've seen recipes for skeeter pee on the winemaking sites I read, but being so far from citrus country it has never been an option. I can imagine it's great though! Jalapeno wine sounds weird, but I'd try it. Couldn't hurt... ok, it might hurt a little - in passing! It was tough to clean so many pears. I'm looking to fashion a fruit press for the next time I try to make that much. How much juice did you wind up with from your apples? Was it 2 carboys? People don't always realize that in pioneer days, and when Johnny Appleseed was traveling around, one of the main reasons for apple trees was for hard cider! Without refrigeration, fermentation was one of the few ways to preserve a lot of fruit. It had so many uses too! When your batch is done, a nice wedge of pie and a sip of the wine will make for a nice evening's dessert!