# Chateau Michaelena Winery/San Acacia Cellars



## ibglowin

*Chateau Michaelena Winery*

*The Winery is definitely more fun to hang out in now!*








Normally I am pretty good about avoiding impulse buys at Costco, but this was an amazing deal. Picked up this 32" LED backlit LCD 720p HDTV for only $219 at Costco. This was a fantastic bargain for sure. The is a Hannspree branded but the panel is obviously made by Samsung and has a glass front bevel and base, 5 HDMI inputs, built in PVR capability if you plug in a USB drive it will record over the air HDTV directly to the USB drive. I rerouted and split some cables in the attic and now I have OTA HDTV from ABQ as well as all my Dish Network channels and of course a computer all in one nice package. I added an AppleTV as well and now have additional access to all my Movies and TV shows on my media server in the house (now at a whopping 5T of space!)


Lets have a little contest and see if anyone can figure out what movie this quick snapshot is from!









Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha! I may never have to leave the man cave, oh I guess I still need some food!


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## Runningwolf

Very cool. I would love to get a tv down in my basement so I could watch a game or show while working in the room.


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## Wade E

Very nice Mike although I dont know what the hell you said in 1/2 of that paragraph!!! LOL Hey Mike werent you the one telling us not to buy stuff like this at places like that though?


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## ibglowin

Ahhhh but this is a rebranded Samsung plus its not the main TV in the living room. PQ is excellent on this guy. Running the sound through a set of 2.1 computer speakers.


No one wants to take a stab at guessing the movie!?


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## Runningwolf

ibglowin said:


> No one wants to take a stab at guessing the movie!?



Bottle Shock


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## ibglowin

Pretty good guess but...... Nope!


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## Runningwolf

Me thinks ur soaking corks in there.


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## Rocky

Who are you, Felix Unger reborn? You are entirely too neat.

Is the movie, _"Under the Tuscan Sun?"_


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## ibglowin

Another good guess but no Cigar!

(and no cork soaking either!)


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## Wade E

OK, WTF is PQ? LOL No clue on the movie, it already doesnt look like my type.


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## Runningwolf

Wade E said:


> OK, WTF is PQ? LOL No clue on the movie, it already doesnt look like my type.



 PQ = picture quality


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## Rocky

_"Tea with Mussolini?"_


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## ibglowin

Rocky said:


> _"Tea with Mussolini?"_




Good guess but not the right answer. Its definitely a recent wine related movie!


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## KevininPa

Mondovino?


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## ibglowin

Good guess but not the correct one!


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## grapeman

It looks to me like you had "A Good Year" there Mike. Great looking place to hang out.


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## ibglowin

You peeked over at FVW's! 

Yes, A Good Year!


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## grapeman

I was just giving these guys a hint here since they couldn't get it. Maybe I shouldn't have put it in quotes!!??


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## shoebiedoo

Is the movie Sideways?


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## ibglowin

No, but it is a wine related movie made in 2006


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## hobbyiswine

Watched this movie while staying at a B&B in Texas wine country. If you haven't read the book I would suggest reading it. The movie doesn't quite do it justice. "Russell" wouldn't have been my first choice for the leading role. There are not a lot of wine movies out there so it has to make the list but not at the top.


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## Crawlspacevintner

Great set up! My wife and I watch that movie probably 5 times a year. It is great to sit back and have a few bottles of something good and watch that. It gets really bad reviews but I think I love every part. "LANCE ARMSTRONG"


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## AlFulchino

the one movie i allow some indulgence on after a few others....probably have seen it 30-32 times
other must favorites..Magnificent Seven w Yul Brynner, 3:10 to Yuma w Russel Crowe ( the old version w Glenn Ford is good too), A Walk in the Clouds, but i digress

Mike your winery is very well organized..this is a sign of impending addiction...right now you have a love affair w wine, thus the organization display.....the sign ( 'just so you know', to use A Good Year phrase) that you have reached addiction status will be when you cannot walk in your winery w/o having to move things


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## rhoffart

Very nice setup Mike.  ... time to upgrade that linksys router


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## ibglowin

Well, its small but growing rapidly (the Devil's hands have been busy!)

I have an outside office thats actually part of the garage. Footprint is approx 175 square ft. I started by adding in 9" of attic blanket for a total of 12" insulation above the winery. I will be adding several (to start) of the Samsclub commercial wine racks soon as bottling time nears. I have a single window with a blind that I keep drawn and closed all the time so its quite dark in the daytime. Right now carboy temps are ~66 in the AM and peak at~68 degrees in the PM. Next Summer I will add a small window AC unit to help out during our short but often at times warm Summer. Humidity is usually not much of a problem except during our short monsoon season.

I know its not much but I wanted to start small and simple until I see what quality of wine I can actually produce! I have 24 gal of Red in Carboy and started 6 gal of Pinot Grigio yesterday. Have a Chardonnay on the way.

The winery name is a mashup of my favorite winery in real life and my first name. I kind of liked the way it rolled off the tongue (and hopefully my wine someday)

Enjoy!


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## Wade E

ice room and love the Himalayan!


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## ibglowin

Every Winery needs a cat!


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## Tom

Does R2D2 help you?


Nice room I like the posters


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## Wade E

Nice Schucco unit also. Do you rack with it also. I love vacuum racking!


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## ibglowin

R2 and Robby are there to watch over me so I don't forget to do something!

Actually I have quite a collection. I like Robots. Always have since I watched Lost in Space as a kid on TV!



tepe said:


> Does R2D2 help you?
> </font></font>
> Nice room I like the posters</font>


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## ibglowin

I have been using it just to degas so far. I just got some parts from Valley Vintner (stoppers etc) to assemble a vacuum racking system. Plan on using it soon!



wade said:


> Nice Schucco unit also. Do you rack with it also. I love vacuum racking!


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## Scott

ibglowin said:


> The winery name is a mashup of my favorite winery in real life and my first name. I kind of liked the way it rolled off the tongue (and hopefully my wine someday)
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nice room, good place to get away and enjoy the hobby.
> 
> 
> Your first name is Chateau?


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## ibglowin

Ha ha

Oui monsieur!


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## Big Ike

Mike,

Nice room. At your present production rate you should get your office furniture and other accessories out sooner rather than later. You're going to need the space for wine.


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## ibglowin

I keep saying I will slow down once I get a couple of hundred bottles in the supply line.

Geez, you don't think we'll all end up like Tepe do ya!


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## vcasey

ibglowin said:


> I keep saying I will slow down once I get a couple of hundred bottles in the supply line.
> 
> 
> 
> Geez, you don't think we'll all end up like Tepe do ya!



You'll just find more you want to make. Wait until you start making fruit wines! 
My goal is to have as much wine as Tepe. Only problem is my production rate is much slower. However my consumption rate is much slower also. Ya never know!
VC


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## uavwmn

Sweet!!!!!


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## Tom

Ya know its the old saying 
"The more you make the more you DRINK"


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## rrawhide

Lookin' great - nice setup and nice toys.

Keep us posted and we all like to see lots of pictures too.

rrawhide


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## ibglowin

Will definitely send more as I fill this puppy up with bottles!


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## JimCook

ibglowin said:


> I keep saying I will slow down once I get a couple of hundred bottles in the supply line.




Mike,


It's a momentum thing, kind of like the way carboys breed and multiply. My crystal ball says you won't be stopping at 100. Personally, I've been using a spoon to dig out the foundation and break into the adjoining townhouse to commandeer some extra basement space for wine storage. I work late at night so they won't know. And since I don't have a Robby in my winemaking area like you do, I don't have to worry about someone yelling "Danger, Will Robinson!" as I'm digging.


- Jim


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## ibglowin

Hmmm....

My neighbor actually built a 6x8 underground fallout shelter back during the Y2K scare!

Perhaps a tunnel over to it would be in order soon!


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## vcasey

I wish we could have a basement/underground shelter here. However in Florida that's called a pool




. 
VC


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## ibglowin

A winemaker needs an extra pair of hands every now and then!


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## Tom

Where's R2D2?


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## ibglowin

Bad Motivator unit had to be sent back for repairs on Tatooine!


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## grapeman

This thread is getting quite amusing.







I have a better idea for the tunnel digging. Get the bots to all get together with their friends and have them dig it for you. They could all get a nice big spoonlike the one there and use them. Robby can check the temp as they go to make sure the temps will be just right for the storage.


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## rrawhide

yep - yep - yep !!!

dig dig dig -


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## ibglowin

6 Little Indians.....

On my way to 10 by the end of the year!


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## Bartman

I hope that counter/desk is reinforced if your going to keep 10 70-pound+ carboys on it for an extended period. You probably already thought of that, though.





Bart


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## ibglowin

I have thought of that.....

Wouldn't that be a horrible sight to walk in on one day.....





The desk is very strong but I am going to have to start spacing them out all along it. Its a U shaped configuration.

I think I am close to peak loading on this side!


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## Waldo

All looking mighty fine there


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## ibglowin

Don't tell my wife but George delivered 3 more bad boys this afternoon.

CC Showcase Old Vine Zin, CC Showcase Viognier, MM Renaissance Rio Grande Rojo.....

That should keep me busy through the holidays for sure!


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## Tom

ibglowin said:


> 6 Little Indians.....
> 
> On my way to 10 by the end of the year!




Whats the 1st carboy great color!


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## rrawhide

yep - - - 

you got it good!!!

hobby turned obsession - like the rest of us!!!

good job

rrawhide


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## ibglowin

tepe said:


> Whats the 1st carboy great color!



MM Riserva Mondiale Pinot Grigio for the "wife"!

That is 2 days after fining. I think its even better looking now. Can't wait as this will be the first one we actually are able to drink in a few months.


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## ibglowin

rrawhide said:


> yep - - - you got it good!!!hobby turned obsession  -  like the rest of us!!!good jobrrawhide



Would you believe someone has offered me grapes for next year if I help out in the Vineyard.

Holy Moly ! I am trying to find out what type they are other than "White" and supposedly a cross between Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Anyone know what that might be?


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## grapeman

I missed this somehow earlier. What you have there is one great tasting and easy winemaking grape- called Chardonel. Given a cool climate and long growing season they give a great fruity full bodied wine. The grapes are high brix, moderate pH and low TA (acid). I grow them here and they are my favorite grape to work with- just a bit tender for here. The cluster are well developed and large. The vines are fairly tolerant of disease. 


Shall I go on or do you notice, I LOVE THIS GRAPE.! You lucky SOB!


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## ibglowin

[DOCTOR_EVIL] Mu ah ah ah ah ah !!!!!!!! [/DOCTOR_EVIL]

I will start a new thread on this if it looks like its actually going to pan out. Sounds almost too good to be true. He used to sell them to several of the nearby wineries around him but this year he could not find the time to properly tend to the vineyard so I have no idea what to expect for next year. 

I also have ZERO equipment so hopefully I can score what I need locally via beg, borrow or Craigslist!

Those do look pretty yummy I have to admit!


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## rrawhide

Good score MIKE!!!

Have fun and keep us posted.

rrawhide


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## ibglowin

Now if only I knew where I could score a crusher/destemmer for $200........


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## AlFulchino

put an ad on winebusiness.com it is free to list and you never know


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## ibglowin

My quest to make 10 kits before the end of the year continues!


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## AlFulchino

looking very good...and i like those heart monitors on the carboys


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## Tom

GEE !
Looks like you past the hobby part and went right to Obsessive !
Now Do you have enough room should you make 10 kits by the end of the year?


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## ibglowin

The chemist in me I guess.....

One of them is wireless back into the house so I always know what the temps are in the winery. The rest all have hi/low memory so I can see what happened while I was away from my "kiddos".

Must have data.......


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## ibglowin

Oh sure, I can spread things out quite nicely for the other 2. I like to have the group all together for the family photos!



tepe said:


> GEE !</font>
> Looks like you past the hobby part and went right to Obsessive !</font>
> Now Do you have enough room should you make 10 kits by the end of the year?</font>


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## Tom

OK .
You are now nominated to be *OBSESSIVE !*


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## ibglowin

I represent that!


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## Tom

Then Brother join the brotherhood.


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## Big Ike

Two away and only 44 days left in the year...

I know you'll do it. You're goal oriented!

I commented on the Pinot, what's the other going to be?


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## ibglowin

Ahh....

A CC Showcase Viognier! One more white for the ahem.... Wife of course!



Big Ike said:


> Two away and only 44 days left in the year...
> 
> I know you'll do it. You're goal oriented!
> 
> I commented on the Pinot, what's the other going to be?


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## xanxer82

Nice family of wines there.


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## ibglowin

Pitching the yeast on a MM All Juice Pinot Noir today after work! Kit number 9.

My quest to make most of the major varietals by years end continues!


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## AlFulchino

be on the look out for post part-em depression after the quest if completed


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## Big Ike

ibglowin said:


> My quest to make most of the major varietals by years end continues!



I like that thinking - making the majors. Good idea. Too late for me to make that happen this year, but...2010 beacons! 

Sent you a note in friendly chit chat...


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## ibglowin

Ten Little Indians!

I did it! 10 different varietals in 6 months. It feels weird to not have anything fermenting away...... Kinda quiet in the winery the past few weeks. Everybody is done except for adding extra K-Meta and a couple need a final rack to get rid of the sediment from fining.

Will bottle the whites probably next week. I have a CC Showcase Yakima Valley Viognier waiting patiently for a carboy to open up and then I have a CC Limited Release (Cab/Shiraz) on order and will pick up probably 2 more reds while they are on sale for start in the next few months. 

Is there a 12 step program for this addiction! Wine Makers Anonymous..........







Left to right:

MM Renaissance Pinot Grigio
MM Renaissance Australian Chardonnay
CC Showcase OVZ
MM Renaissance Rio Grande Rojo
MM All Juice Sangiovese
MM All Juice Amarone
CC Showcase Yakima Valley Caberlot
CC Showcase Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 
CC Showcase Yakima Valley Merlot
MM All Juice Pinot Noir


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## vcasey

Wow, looks great, I can't wait to see some bottled, I know you'll be happy to see some bottled as well. So when are you going to take a walk on the wild side a try a fruit wine or even a mead?
VC


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## admiral

Mission accomplished, Mike! Way to go and they look great.


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## AlFulchino

lets see....

wine aging - check
computer - check
refridgerator - check
grape themed wall art - check
pictures of men in very tight shorts on bikes - what the ^&amp;**(^^!!!!!


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## Tom

COOL!.
I hope that table will hold all that weight. Do you have covers for them? You should always protect wine from light.


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## admiral

I believe that is Mike's athlete of the decade.


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## grapeman

300 bottles there. That won't last long, better get crackin and make some more!


I don't see anything wrong with having Lance Armstrong on the wall. He has been a source of inspiration and determination to more than one.


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## AlFulchino

oh thats Lance? nope nothing wrong w that at all..a true inspiration

sorry if the humor was missed


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## ibglowin

Humor not missed!

Actually in another life I was a pretty good Triathlete!

And like Lance I too am a cancer (prostate) survivor.





I tend to obsess on things (doh!)

Since I can't ride anymore for the time being this is my new obsession.





Someday I hope to get back on the bike but for now this fills a void quite nicely!


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## AlFulchino

Fascinating story Mike...glad that i attempted the humor now..another thing learned


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## ibglowin

I like my fruit cut up in my cereal!

I guess I need a sample.







vcasey said:


> Wow, looks great, I can't wait to see some bottled, I know you'll be happy to see some bottled as well. So when are you going to take a walk on the wild side a try a fruit wine or even a mead?VC


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## ibglowin

That table will hold a Mack truck! 

1" MDF with a 9" support beam running down the middle of the thing. Its up to the challenge! The winery has a single 36x36 window with a room darkening cellular shade. Its pretty dark (no direct light for sure) but I should probably totally block out more light with some black poster board or something to make it even more protected from light.



tepe said:


> COOL!.</font>
> I hope that table will hold all that weight. Do you have covers for them? You should always protect wine from light.</font>


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## paubin

Nice lookin buncha wines ya got there bud! I cant wait to get my new room set up and runnin.


Pete


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## ibglowin

Ordered my commercial wine racks from Samsclub.com on Sunday and low and behold they showed up on my doorstep on Wednesday! Boxes were nicely stacked on the front door step with no damage at all when I got home yesterday (thank you, FedEx!) . 






These are some GREAT wine racks for the $$$ folks (~$100 ea shipped). They are heavy, fully adjustable, have side rails and can be bolted together or to the wall if so desired.






I put my first bottled batch of Pinot Grigio on the bottom shelf and as you can see it gobbled it up with room to spare for even more on the sides if I was really desperate!






The REALLY amazing thing about these racks is that while the box says it will hold 168 bottles, I was easily able to stack 30 on each shelf which would turn out to be a whopping 210 bottles per rack or ~ $0.48 per bottle!






As you can see I am up to my ears in cases of empties which will slowly disappear as I fill them all up over the next 6 months or so. Hopefully things will be slightly more open and less cluttered soon!


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## AlFulchino

wow..very nice...if you lose power you will still stay nice and warm...gonna be a lot of wine there


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## xanxer82

I'm sure you'll hear a lot of "Nice Rack" comments. Those are spiffy. Can't wait till Me and Kat can buy our first home, we're going to have a wine room and build racks on every wall.


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## ibglowin

Former Boy Scout here.

"Be Prepared!


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## grapeman

Great looking wine racks. I have seen them before, but can never seem to find them at Sam's. Did you get them online?


What is the weight rating for each shelf and the rack as a whole? I would expect 30 bottles per shelf to weigh about 80 pounds each so a total of over 500 pounds if they were all filled that full.


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## PAwinedude

i have this shelf (non wine rack) and each tier will hold 300lb according to the box it came in.

these shelves are strong~


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## vcasey

I got mine online through Sam's, never have seen them in any of the stores around here. The shelves were rated are rated for 200lbs each I think. Here is the main web sitehttp://www.sevilleclassics.com/index.php


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## ASAI

The REALLY amazing thing about these racks is that while the box says it will hold 168 bottles, I was easily able to stack 30 on each shelf which would turn out to be a whopping 210 bottles per rack or ~ $0.48 per bottle!



What is the meaning of HOLD?


Is that 168 bottles then on 169 it folds up and auto empties?


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## Tom

ibglowin said:


> Ordered my commercial wine racks from Samsclub.com on Sunday and low and behold they showed up on my doorstep on Wednesday! Boxes were nicely stacked on the front door step with no damage at all when I got home yesterday (thank you, FedEx!) .
> 
> 
> Yep.. Thats what I have.. I have 3 of them and 3 more I got from Costco


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## ibglowin

Yep,

Maximum per shelf is 300lb equally distributed, Max for the entire rack is 2100lbs (per the instructions)

Assuming a bottle of wine weighs 3lbs on average.

3lbs x 30 bottles = 90lbs per shelf or 630lbs for the entire Rack.

I think we are within the safety envelope of the wine containment system folks......

This rack is only available online at samsclub.com



PAwinedude said:


> i have this shelf (non wine rack) and each tier will hold 300lb according to the box it came in.these shelves are strong~


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## AlFulchino

ahem!!!! "
I think we are within the safety envelope of the wine containment system folks...."

it aint safe from you drinking it....just holding it until you do


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## ibglowin

Thats why I must stay too busy to drink any for awhile yet! Luckily I have a nice selection as well of commercial stuff to drink until this is good and ready.


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## rrawhide

ok - here it goes - - - 

*NICE RACK</font>*


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## ibglowin

Bwaaaaahahahahaha........


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## AlFulchino

you know what i see when i see a topic like this?

enthusiasm


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## ibglowin

My wife just keeps seeing $$$$ go out the door!


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## AlFulchino

well remind her how much was saved at the next big meal when you didnt have to drink some 2 buck stuff and you didnt have to pay some high price for the fine wine you are enjoying 

and IF that fails....which it will not....then remind her that the 50% off sale at Nordstroms is still 1/2 of a small fortune


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## ibglowin

Thank goodness Nordstrom's hasn't quite made it past Phoenix in the Southwest. Thats my wife's favorite store esp Nordstrom's Rack....

On second thought if they did make it to NM she would be out shopping and helping to stimulate the economy and perhaps quit giving me grief over all those carboys I have bulk aging!


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## ibglowin

Were going to need another rack real soon if this keeps up!


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## admiral

Mike, it looks great and the stock is building. It feels really good when you stand back and look at it, doesn't it?


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## ibglowin

I can't wait to see both of those racks completely full!

Thats going to be a site to behold.


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## Scott

Nice racks there, chrome my favorite color. You gonna need some help drinking all that?????


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## ibglowin

Probably! I will have over 450 bottles when all my kits that I have in process are bottled.





I am hoping I have so much that I can let it properly age for the most part and have some nicely aged bottles to send into next years Winemaker 2011 competition.

Should have enough to do a "couple" of wine tastings at least!


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## AlFulchino

i wish i had known you when my son played for the Isotopes...we could have shared a bottle or two


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## ibglowin

How cool! 

When did he play for them?



Al Fulchino said:


> i wish i had known you when my son played for the Isotopes...we could have shared a bottle or two


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## AlFulchino

i want to say it was 3-4 yrs ago...i liked NM a lot...if my family was not here i would have moved to the southwest ages ago


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## ibglowin

It works for me. 

We moved here back in 1986 so I suppose were almost considered native by now. I lived in heat and humidity all my life prior to moving here (Texas).I love the four seasons, 325 days of sunshine and the dry humidity. We will probably stay in the SW when we retire, just may move to lower elevation. 

The SWMBO does not like cold so much anymore!


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## robie

If I remember correctly, on the bottles of wine per week survey, you indicated you drink maybe 3 to 4 bottles of wine per week.

You better get busy, boy!





At least you have enough that much of it should make it to a good ole age.

Put me in your will.


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## ibglowin

Yea, I definitely need to pick up the pace!


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## ibglowin

I think I better order another Wine Rack, these two are almost full!






Still have room for 4 - 5 more kits, just have to move the boxes and rearrange things a bit.

But.....


I think I will need one still soon enough. At least I have self control and not drinking it before its ready.......


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## AlFulchino

ay yiiii yiiiii yi yi......you have a habit


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## Tom

Looks like the ones I got from Sams Club. Is that where you got them?


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## Wade E

Looking goo there IBG!


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## Goodfella

Yeah... That is sweeeeet.


Good job Mike.


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## grapeman

I checked those out the other day. They only carry them online. When I clicked it it offered to have them shipped to the store for pickup. I tried that and it locked up the browser. I went back in and it said for order online only and shippin was about $40 so I figured I would wait a while and check further. How much does shipping generally run?


I love the looks of them and I think they would look good in the tasting room filled up for sale.


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## Tom

These racks are heavy. They do not cut a break its at least $40 or more each to ship
BUT, they are nice racks and you do not need to tie them to a wall


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## ibglowin

This is where us West coasters have it over you East coasters for once! These come out of California (just like oak barrels Al!)

My shipping is only $17!











appleman said:


> I went back in and it said for order online only and shippin was about $40 so I figured I would wait a while and check further. How much does shipping generally run?


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## ibglowin

Made some improvements to the cellar/winery and thought I would share with you.

June is our hottest month typically with highs that can reach ~90-95 even here in the mountains. The monsoons usually start in July and run through August which keeps our temps down. If we don't get rain we get clouds most afternoons that keeps the temps in check. Since I had "the incident" a few weeks ago I decided to go ahead and get some temperature control/stabilization in the winery.......

I picked up a 5300BTU GE window unit from Samsclub this weekend and got it installed tonight. It is very quiet even on high plus it has a nice energy saver setting that will shut the whole fan and compressor off once the set temp is reached. A nice feature for a room that is unattended for long periods of time. Got things installed in preparation for what they say will be a scorcher weekend coming up. AC unit is working fine and cooling things down nicely. Installation took only a few hours and I can remove things in the Fall and button things back up once the temps drop come October.



















Along with the AC unit I have been updating and redecorating the winery to make it feel more like, well a winery I guess! Have been picking up some nice vineyard and winery prints off allposters.com. They have some nice stuff but kind of pricey. The small 8x11 prints were all things I found searching the internets and made prints here at the house. I think they turned out pretty nice and give the place a cozy "napa feel" to it while I am whiling away the hours.





Win a prize if you can guess all the vineyards and barrel rooms!


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## Wade E

OK, whats that alarm looking pad above the temp unit? Is that a bottle movement alarm?



I bet that room will be not so unattended anymore now that the ac unit is in there!


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## AlFulchino

looking ,mighty fine....and the cigar fan is where?


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## ibglowin

Ha! 

Good catch but no, its just the water sprinkler timer.





Have a swamp cooler for the main house but the SWMBO is always saying she's COLD so I have to turn it off after an hour or so.......

I on the other hand am always up doing something and I am usually warm. My man cave has become much more inviting as of tonight!


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## ibglowin

Cigars and Cenare are always served patio side apres'-dinner!



Al Fulchino said:


> looking ,mighty fine....and the cigar fan is where?


----------



## grapeman

Looks great Mike. I don't see serving glasses though......


Those barrel rooms and such are different views of your wine room! Now what do I win for the prize? I guessed and you didn't say anything about needing to be right!


----------



## Scott

Very nice room indeed
Maybe just the picture but is the window a/c unit tilted towards the interior and not the exterior?


----------



## ibglowin

Plenty of serving glasses around just don't leave them out as they would get broke fast the way I work.......

OK, you win 2 more bottles of "steak marinade"!







appleman said:


> Looks great Mike. I don't see serving glasses though......
> 
> Those barrel rooms and such are different views of your wine room!  Now what do I win for the prize? I guessed and you didn't say anything about needing to be right!


----------



## Runningwolf

Mike, Holy cow!! Your wine room is way cool! I was also thinking about the cigars. I often get pictures from All Posters for my wine labels. I see your robotic men in there but Will and Robot is missing from LIS.


----------



## ibglowin

Its slightly pointed down out the rear of the window. Pic hides it. It will be interesting to see if it ever drains any liquid out the back as our humidity is sooo low there is not moisture to pull out of the atmosphere (which is why swamp coolers work so well in these parts.) Right now our humidity is in the single digit range (&lt;10%). Once monsoon season starts it can climb up to the 30-40% range so then I will be checking closely for drainage and adding more downward slope out the rear if necessary.

I checked last night around 10PM and it had shut itself off already and off still this AM. This morning it was 48 degrees but we should head up into the upper 80's this afternoon. Gotta love those 40 degree temp swings in the desert!







Scott said:


> Very nice room indeed
> Maybe just the picture but is the window a/c unit tilted towards the interior and not the exterior?


----------



## ibglowin

Hmmm OK a cigar humidor is next!

I actually do have an almost 3ft remote controlled LIS Robot (B9) as well but he is in his box tucked away in the garage (he's pretty big!) 







The 24" Robby is one of only 1000 made and was imported from Japan. Yea, I am a geek scifi fan at





I am in big trouble if SkyNet ever goes online and becomes self aware!







runningwolf said:


> Mike, Holy cow!! Your wine room is way cool! I was also thinking about the cigars. I often get pictures from All Posters for my wine labels. I see your robotic men in there but Will and Robot is missing from LIS.


----------



## grapeman

ibglowin said:


> OK, you win 2 more bottles of "steak marinade"!


----------



## Runningwolf

Mike that is really neat. This is where I got my humidor. If you go to the site and check their combo tab you get the humidor and a pile of cigars. Very reasonable.


http://www.thompsoncigar.com/home.jsp


----------



## ibglowin

My SWMBO is just going to love you guys for showing me that site!


----------



## Goodfella

The best customer service and deals in the cigar business is tampahumidor.com. The guys name is Mike, He is the "George" of the cigar biz. IMO


----------



## Runningwolf

Ok all this cigar talk made me run out and pick up a half dozen for my humidor. I really don't smoke much but enjoy one once in a while sitting around our fire on the patio with a glass of wine.


----------



## Goodfella

Amen to that Dan!!!


----------



## ibglowin

I am the same way, love one with a nice Port or Cognac or if you like go to Vegas, you know what ever happens...........


----------



## Goodfella

Going to Vegas next week..... YEEEAAAAHHHH


----------



## rrawhide

morn' Mike

Just finished re-reading this thread.

Wow, what a progression - lots of fun there.

What's beyond 'obsession'? That's what I am, I guess!!

Great job.

rrawhide


----------



## ibglowin

Thanks Rick!

And now grapes as well....... yep, hooked pretty darned good I would say. I will post picks of my new toddlers this weekend. Last night I got them all on drip.


----------



## ibglowin

Christmas 2010 at the Château!


----------



## rrawhide

Mike


You are just wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to cool.


Merry Christmas buddy


rick


----------



## Tom

Now thats [email protected]@L !


----------



## ibglowin

Thanks guys!






Perhaps a snap for the Christmas card for this year!

It took 18 months but I finally have plenty of wine to give away as Xmas presents!


----------



## Runningwolf

Really cool Mike!


----------



## Scott B

LOOKS GREAT!!!


----------



## grapeman

Over the top!


----------



## fivebk

Am I on your christmas list??????????





BOB


----------



## ibglowin

That depends. 

Have you been good!


----------



## fivebk

Real GOOD!!!!!!

BOB


----------



## AlFulchino

guess i wont be on that list


----------



## grapeman

My wife say's I am real good, but then she is slightly biased.


----------



## ibglowin

You been bad huh!







Al Fulchino said:


> guess i wont be on that list


----------



## rrawhide

I wannnnnna be on Al's, Rich's, Waldo's, Mike's and everyone else's list too!!!!


Then we would have to come out to the hills here and have a winefest!!


rick


----------



## Runningwolf

I'm with Rick. I want to be on everyone's list also. I have been real good, at being bad.


----------



## Wade E

Oh dont worry Dan, youre on our list alright!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Runningwolf

Wade said:


> Oh dont worry Dan, youre on our list alright!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
















Why did I know that was coming?


----------



## ibglowin

Got the winery/cellar rearranged today to make room for the $95 Craigslist wine rack
















All 3 pieces are screwed together with wood screws and then I have the whole thing anchored to the wall with about 7 plastic zip anchors. Seems pretty solid.

Now to get some hanging tags so I can find stuff more easily.

Best $95 Wine Rack I have ever seen!


----------



## Goodfella

I agree!!!


Sweet racks.... $95 bucks.... WOW!!!


----------



## AlFulchino

might fine!


----------



## grapeman

I think the shipping address was mixed up. I was expecting that thing at my place today for my Birthday, and they sent it to you. Well Shalzbott!


----------



## Runningwolf

Totally awesome. your moving on up to the west side!


----------



## rrawhide

_*S W E E T !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*_</font>


----------



## ibglowin

*The Winery is definitely more fun to hang out in now!**
**




**
*Normally I am pretty good about avoiding impulse buys at Costco, but this was an amazing deal. Picked up this 32" LED backlit LCD 720p HDTV for only $219 at Costco. This was a fantastic bargain for sure. The is a Hannspree branded but the panel is obviously made by Samsung and has a glass front bevel and base, 5 HDMI inputs, built in PVR capability if you plug in a USB drive it will record over the air HDTV directly to the USB drive. I rerouted and split some cables in the attic and now I have OTA HDTV from ABQ as well as all my Dish Network channels and of course a computer all in one nice package. I added an AppleTV as well and now have additional access to all my Movies and TV shows on my media server in the house (now at a whopping 5T of space!)
Lets have a little contest and see if anyone can figure out what movie this quick snapshot is from!





Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha! I may never have to leave the man cave, oh I guess I still need some food!


----------



## grapeman

Looks like a great hangout for sure. Just be careful you don't confuse the glowin pee for the skeeter pee


----------



## fiat84

Nice digs. Movie looks like a scene from "A 
Good Year" starring Russel Crowe which was very good. "SideWays" and the even funnier and true "Bottle Shock" are other 
enjoyable wine making movies.


----------



## ibglowin

Good guess! Yep, Its a scene from "A Good Year". I have Sideways and Bottle Shock as well on the server.


----------



## rrawhide

A good year was my vote toooooooooooo!!!


----------



## ibglowin

Good guess for sure!


----------



## uavwmn

Mike, very nice man cave.It is the most unusual man cave I have seen, but very cool.
Got anything in that little oak barrel there next to the TV?






Kathie


----------



## uavwmn

OMG, Lost in Space was one of my ultimate favorite shows as a kid!! I don't think I missed an episode! hahaha


Beautiful cat.


Kathie


----------



## ibglowin

That currently has my CC Showcase Yakima Valley Syrah.



uavwmn said:


> Got anything in that little oak barrel there next to the TV?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kathie


----------



## OilnH2O

Hey Mike -- Que pasa? 



How about a pic of one of those glorious, "almost-as-blue-as-the-Big-Sky-blue" skies with snow on the pinons???


----------



## ibglowin

Ha! I think you guys have just as blue skies as we do. I will see what I can dig up!
On a wine making note I bottled the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot made from fresh grapes from down South in Deming, NM. This was my first foray into making wine from fresh grapes and they turned out quite good. I am very pleased with the flavor profile. The wine is ~18mo old now. I plan on letting age until early Spring/Summer timeframe depending on how the splits taste in a few months. I made two blends. both were 75/25 of the major varietal. The bench trials were impressive. The wine is full of body and loaded with tannin. This ain't no "kit wine" for sure! Now comes a tough decision for next Fall do I head back down to Deming or go back for more Cali grapes? The Cali grapes from this past Fall are going to be in a whole 'nother league of their own I think.


----------



## Runningwolf

Very nice Mike, I like the labels!


----------



## ibglowin

Thanks Dan,
I made this one up myself. Decided to give it a go. Picked up some waterproof laser stock. Not as nice as my usual online label supplier but not bad. Much cheaper to boot!


----------



## grapeman

They look great.


----------



## fivebk

My mouth's watering!!!!I LOVE MERLOTKeep us up to date on these and as always Labels are GREAT !!!

BOB


----------



## Scott B

Good Job Mike. Looks Great.


----------



## ibglowin

Here you go!








OilnH2O said:


> How about a pic of one of those glorious, "almost-as-blue-as-the-Big-Sky-blue" skies with snow on the pinons???


----------



## OilnH2O

Now _THAT'S_ what I'm talkin' about!






...looks like Frijoles Canyon(?)


----------



## Scott B

Nice Back Yard!!!


----------



## ibglowin

Yep, that is Bandelier National Monument about 5 miles down the road from me.


----------



## OilnH2O

Nice backyard!

(I recognized it because looong ago, my wife used to be the chief admin officer there)


----------



## ibglowin

Way cool! Does that mean you guys lived here then?


----------



## ibglowin

Update:
Opened up a split last night of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Our youngest daughter turned 25 yesterday and we had her over for some Ribeye's. It has rested for 2 weeks since bottling and it was absolutely fantastic!
For a first attempt I am VERY pleased. Nailed the oak perfectly. The tannins are well integrated and smooth. Very nice finish that leaves you wanting the next sip. 
I like huge cabs and while this is not huge tannin wise it is certainly 100X better than anything I have made to date. I think I may add some Tannin VR Supra next time at crush to bump it up just a bit more. 
Now I need to try one of those Merlot splits next!


----------



## Scott B

Mike,
Reading this makes my mouth water. Great job!
Scott


----------



## robie

Mike,
Is that the Cab you got from Southern New Mexico?


----------



## ibglowin

Why yes, yes it is! 75% Cab Sauv, 25% Merlot. All from Deming, NM.


----------



## robie

That has to be encouraging for you. Glad it has turned out really nice.


----------



## Wade E

Sweet deal, now hopefully that Merlot is as or near as good.


----------



## ibglowin

Ok, had a split of the Merlot last night at dinner. The Merlot just may be better than the Cab Sauv. I know, its hard to believe. The Merlot had some slightly different "tweaks" with acid amounts. The oak is more pronounced, the finish is definitely bolder and longer which is how I like my wines. I had it with some left over Ribeye and it cut through the meat like it was butter. Paired wonderfully and was fantastic all on its own.
These are the first wines that I would actually seriously consider entering into a competition. Not sure I want to part with two bottles though!
The only kit wines I would actually consider are my now almost 3yr old Red Mountain Cab Sauv and CC Showcase Walla Walla Caberlot. 
These are now fantastic wines but they are still not in the same league as these fresh grape wines. The finish is just not anywhere near as long but they are very good. Too bad I only have about 4 bottles left of each......
Decisions, decisions!


----------



## grapeman

That is very good news for you Mike. It is nice when a wine you make all by yourself turns out great. Now to wait until you get your own harvest of grapes and it feels really good to make wine from the ground up.


----------



## ibglowin

Thanks Rich!
Now to see what I can coax out of these Cali grapes I picked up from George this Fall. This week we will be hitting 60 degrees pretty much the whole week so its starting to feel like Spring. We got 5 inches of snow on Sunday morning but it was all melted off by late afternoon. Nice to have the moisture. We will take any and all we can get. I am hoping for an early Spring with no late killing frost like last year!


----------



## grapeman

Yeah we had snow Saturday and yesterday it was 57, today 60 and in the 60s most of the week. I did not appreciate the snow on top of the ice as I did a flip onto my head and just about knocked myself unconscious. I crawled on my hands and knees over to a level spot and staggered to my feet. I have had a headache for 2 days now..................... Today I was able to prune a few rows of vines. It felt great being able to get out and do something even if I felt drunk while doing it!


----------



## ibglowin

Dang! You may have rung your bell for sure! (mild concussion). You need some of those Yaktrax for ice!


----------



## TomK-B

Dang, Appleman, Sounds like you may need to see a doctor.


----------



## Scott

TomK-B said:


> Dang, Appleman, Sounds like you may need to see a doctor.
















Yea what he said


----------



## OilnH2O

Rich, I'll second the suggestion -- those yak-trax are so easy to put on and pull off they are just the ticket for those icy days! And while they may be $15-18 bucks -- as you are lying on the cold snow, pulling yourself along, you'll think they are cheaper than the CT scan....


----------



## shoebiedoo

ibglowin said:


> Dang! You may have rung your bell for sure! (mild concussion). You need some of those Yaktrax for ice!



DUDE those were standard equipment when I live in Anchorage!!!! I think I still have mine


----------



## ibglowin

*2012 Blends!*

I have figured out the blends for bottling my 2012 wines made from fresh grapes via California. This is a small family run vineyard located in Acampo, CA which lies within the Lodi AVA. I made 12 gallons of Cabernet, 12 gallons of Syrah, 12 gallons of Petit Syrah, and 12 gallons of Old Vine Zinfandel.

I came up with 7 different blends based off of commercial blends spotted out in the wild. CA wineries are much more secretive for some reason about their blends whereas WA State wineries are an open book. If you do some digging you can generally find the information you need, you just have to dig.

*2012 Blends*

*Pistolas de Duelo (Dueling Pistols) *

50% Zin
50% Syrah


*El Peso Pesado (The Heavyweight)*

76% Cab Sauv 
14% Syrah 
10% Zin 

*Machete (Machete LOL)*

65% Cab Sauv
15% Syrah
15% Petit Sirah
5% Zin

*El Prisionero (The Prisoner)*

46% Zin
27% Cab Sauv
18% Syrah
9% Petit Sirah

*Saldo (Balance)*

85% Zin
9% Syrah
6% Petit Sirah

_*El Alcaide (The Warden)*_

80% Syrah
20% Cab Sauv

*Las Sobras (The Leftovers)*

61% Petit Sirah
23% Syrah
12% Cab Sauv
4% Zin


----------



## ibglowin

*Let's get ready to rumble!*

2012's are blended. bottled and labeled just in time for 2014's to arrive next week it looks like. Here is a pic of the now motorized crusher! Seems to work well but have not tried it under load. It has a variable speed control. The motor came out of a treadmill so it hopefully will stand up to the load. I will have the old hand crank on standby if it acts up!


----------



## grapeman

Good luck with it and the crush.


----------



## ibglowin

Thanks Rich! Busy time of year. I am picking my Marquette this week. Corot Noir and Noirete are only about 18 Brix so will hold off on them for a while. Good thing I have an extra refrigerator will some cold storage room.

You must be getting close as well. Good luck with your harvest!


----------



## ibglowin

*Crush 2014!*

Looooong day. Started at 8:30AM picking up the grapes in Denver, then loading 900lbs into my Brutes and then driving them back home 430 miles offloading them and then crushing and sulfiting them and letting them sit overnight outdoors. Tomorrow will attack the chemistry and pitch yeast in the afternoon. Newly automated crusher kicked ASK! 

I am pooped!


----------



## rhoffart

Very nice ... I know you must be tired.


----------



## ibglowin

Each year I switch it up just a bit.

*2012 I made:*

2 Carboys Cab Sauvignon
2 Carboys Petit Syrah
2 Carboys Old Vine Zin
2 Carboys Syrah

*2013 I made:*

2 Carboys Cab Sauvignon
2 Carboys Merlot
2 Carboys Old Vine Zin
2 Carboys Sangiovese

*2014 will make:*

3 Carboys Cab Sauvignon
2 Carboys Merlot
2 Carboys Old Vine Zin
1 Carboy Syrah

Everything will go into blends!


----------



## rhoffart

Just curious, out of the 8 carboys ... how many different finished wine types? How big is each blend in bottles? I'm thinking next year I may try something similar on a smaller scale.


----------



## ibglowin

On the 2012's I took one carboy of the Petit Syrah and turned it into a Port. It has not been bottled yet but getting close, maybe this Winter. I didn't adjust the brix on that one and let it ferment out to almost 16% ABV I ended up with about 7.5 gallons after fortifying and adding in 2 cans of Alexanders Zinfandel Concentrate for backsweetening. No Sorbate as they went through MLF but the 19% ABV will keep anything from starting back up. 

That leaves 7 carboys and I blended up 7 different wines. I listed the blends and ratios about two pages back on this thread. Each is a totally different wine. I always end up with leftovers and I throw them into a blend. The blends can be crazy but both years I have done this that blend of "leftovers" has made an amazing wine.

So I end up with 31 bottles per blend. Its work for sure but I think it produces a better wine. It also allows you to take a wine with a not so great pH and bring it down into something much better as far as aging etc. I tend to have some wines end up in the 3.8 range and when blended with a 3.5 range you get a nice ~3.65 range wine.


----------



## ibglowin

I ended up adjusting chemistry from 10:00AM until about 8:00PM. Being a chemist by trade I tend to keep trying to "dial it in" just a little better……. So lots of pH testing, lots of adding acidulated water to get the brix down from 27.5 to 24 then lots of TA testing and retesting of pH. pH always slides back up after a few hours. Lots of buffering due to Potassium leaching out of the grape/skins slowly over the day after you crush. So I hit them all with some acid and water. Work my way through all 8 brutes. Then go back to the first one. Recheck pH, and do an initial TA, add another dose of acid, recheck pH, recheck TA. Sometimes another dose of acid is required sometimes not. It takes about 5 mins to let the pH meter stabilize after you have rinsed it off in order to really get a good stable reading. Slow process but it works well. 

I was too tired to pitch yeast after that so let them sit in the winery over night and I will pitch yeast tonight. That process is slow in itself doing it one at a time and having to wait. Takes about 30min per Brute to pitch yeast so 4 hour process. Checked all Brutes this AM and all are quiet so sulfite is doing its job.

Have to come back to work just to rest up from the weekend!


----------



## grapeman

For the yeast, I take a half dozen pint jars and start them all within minutes. When they are ready you just add them one at a time to the fermenter. Goes much quicker.


----------



## ibglowin

I have been thinking I should swtiching from Serial to Parallel processing for sometime. My brain and keeping track of all the different yeast(s) I use for each varietal has me worried about keep them all straight!


----------



## grapeman

Just use a bit of tape to ID each jar with the varietal and yeast and maybe the ID of the fermenter. When ready, you know where it goes and what to write down. You should see my winery right now if you think those few brutes is confusing.


----------



## ibglowin

I did a whole 4 at a time tonight! Much faster. Actually took a break and had a quick dinner then did the other 4. I use a different yeast for each brute and then blend the same varietals together later on trying to get some unique qualities from each yeast to add to the mix. This year I used BDX, D254, BM4X4, RP15, SYR. All were humming along after rehydrating and adding some "crack" must to the rehydration mixture.


----------



## ibglowin

*Results of a Crush! 2014*

864lbs Total

25 Gallons of Cab Sauv
16 Gallons of Merlot
16 Gallons of Zinfandel
8 Gallons of Syrah
-----
65 Gallons total


----------



## rhoffart

Very nice Mike!

Love that last pic ... kinda looks like a prepper


----------



## OilnH2O

You should see it if he turned 180* and took the picture in THAT direction!!!


----------



## ibglowin

Perfect day to press. Cloudy and 50 degrees this AM and stayed cool all day until I was finished then the sun came out as I was washing and hosing everything down. One pooped winemaker tonight!


----------



## ibglowin

Hardware taken home over the Fall and Winter.  :>


----------



## Kraffty

Damn! Way to go Mike, Congratulations.
Mike


----------



## ibglowin

Thanks! Like they say at the casino. You can't win if you don't play! LOL


----------



## grapeman

Very nice Mike. Lot's of good wines there.


----------



## JohnT

Congrats Mike!


----------



## ibglowin

Filtered, blended like wines fermented with different yeast strains from 2013! 

Always 2 years to bottling for me. Today I pressed the "Easy Button" as I had the perfect storm for just 2 dramatically different wines from this vintage. I had 12G of Sangiovese, 12G of Cabernet Sauvignon, 12G of Merlot and 12G of Old Vine Zinfandel from my supplier in Lodi, CA. 

Things just so happen to work out perfectly if I made 24G of Super Tuscan wine (50% Sangiovese, 25% Cab Sauv, 25% Merlot) as well as 24G of "Menage à Trois" clone wine comprised of (50% Zin, 25% Cab Sauv, 25% Merlot). 

So now I will have lots of wine to go with Pizza, or Italian foods as well as lots of nice wine to go with things cooked on the grill.

I usually try and come up with 6-7 blends each year but this was just too good to pass up especially with harvest coming up fast, I needed to move fast to get things bottled in time to free up carboys for the 2015 Crush.

Now to get busy cleaning up about 22 cases of bottles!


----------



## sour_grapes

Those sound like really nice blends. Now you have _also_ simplified your life when it comes to choosing a quaff on any given night! Sounds wonderful.


----------



## ibglowin

Checked pH's last night. The Super Tuscan was 3.54 and the Menage à Trois blend came in at 3.75. The Zin always seems to have a high(er) pH that doesn't like to budge very much even with hefty doses of tartaric. Now just need to do SO2 test and adjust levels.

Oh and clean those 22 cases of bottles this week…….


----------



## ibglowin

On Saturday I ran A/O SO2 analysis and topped up the levels with KMETA. With the grapes for 2015 potentially arriving as early as September 5th I went into full bottling production mode on Sunday. 

Started around noon and finished up around 8:00PM. Bottled 21 cases (252 bottles) or 49 gallons of wine all together. 

Dragging like a rock this AM feel like a walking wine Zombie and the only way I am moving is with lots of Advil and Caffeine. But it sure feels good to have the 2013's blends in the bottle, 8 carboys empty and ready for 2015 CRUSH!


----------



## ibglowin

*Crush 2015!*

So I took off Friday from work and left around 9:30AM headed for Denver and the Lodi grapes that awaited me on Saturday. I always take the "back way" and go up a more direct but less traveled road that actually ends up being shorter in the long run. It can be pretty desolate out on the Taos Plateau. Like no cell phone service desolate. In fact it looks like this.......






My chosen route takes me through Antonito, CO which is really not much more than a wide spot in the road and is known for the turn around spot for the "Cumbres and Toltec" Narrow Gauge Railroad that winds through Northern NM and Southern CO.






I was just sorta zoned out listening to some tunes on the iPod when out of the blue I hear what sounds like a jet airplane engine coming out of nowhere this passes me going I would say 120 MPH....






It was a Lamborghini and what the heck he was doing out in the middle of nowhere I will never know, he left me in the dust in like 5 seconds LOL....

Anyways the rest of the drive up was rather uneventful compared to those 15 seconds. The Denver traffic starts in Colorado Springs about 40 miles south if you can believe that. They built a bedroom community about halfway between the two cities called "Castle Rock" that got sorta famous for a PGA golf tournament that uses the crazy modified stabelford scoring system (points). That town has blown up over the last 10 years and before long there will be no distinction between Denver and Colorado Springs, just solid housing, people and of course traffic. There is probably more people in Denver alone than all of New Mexico. Last year I made the mistake of hitting Denver around 4:30PM on a Friday and it took me about an hour sitting in stop and go traffic to get to my hotel which was only about 13 miles away. Much better this year as I left several hours earlier and hit Denver around 3:00PM. Only about 40 mins LOL

So the club that I work with is called the Pinot Garagio Wine Club. They lease the back of an older strip center in Lakewood, CO a suburb of Denver. Truck was to arrive at 9:00AM, I got there about 8:15AM as last year he got there early. The driver arrived about 8:45 and there was probably 50 club members there ready to go. They use a forklift and a pallet jack to get the pallets of grapes off loaded and moved into the winery where they start attacking them immediately. 

Of course my order (half pallet) was one of the last ones to be unloaded at the very front of the refer truck. There were about 4 orders that were not billed to the club but individuals like me who take them back home and crush them.

I had several (very nice) club members offer to help me load up my pallet into the back of the Expedition. I left the rear seat at home and brought up a nice big tarp and several nice heavy blankets to cover the grapes for the 325 mile trip home. The "truck" as I call it also has a rear AC system with lots of vents and it blows cold. 

We started filling the rear of the truck with the middle seat up and I thought that my order (24 lugs) should fit nicely in the back but all of a sudden it was full and there was more lugs left to load on it. OK plan "B", fold the front seat down flat and start stacking in front. Well the lugs kept coming and filled up the rest of the front area, we lowered the height down a bit to keep things from toppling over and I just went wow to myself that took more room than I thought it would.

I covered up the grapes with the rest of the tarp and then topped it all with blankets. Got the load secured so it would not move in case I had to stop quickly with some tie downs and said thank you to the guys and waved goodbye.

My route takes me over La Vita pass so there is a steep long climb up to ~9500ft EL and the truck (which has 103K mikes on it) chugged on up it but sure seemed to downshift more than it did last year.






I pulled into the house around 3:30PM on Saturday and SWMBO and I started to unload the lugs one by one onto the driveway which faces North and is shaded that time of day and cool. As we pulled them out I stacked them by varietal and started looking at the stacks and counting them and only then did I have the sinking feeling of oh........sh!t......... I have too many lugs of Cab Sauv, too many lugs of Zinfandel, too many lugs of Petit Sirah.....

The club members had accidentally grabbed the order on a small pallet next to mine as well and just kept loading them onto my truck! No wonder I ran out of room, no wonder the truck was straining going up the pass.....

I had 6 extra lugs or 216 more pounds. My heart sank as I was just sick at what happened and how whomever must be feeling and wondering where the heck his grapes were. I immediately called the Vineyard owner and started in with my story and apologizing and asking what we could do when he laughed and said "So you got them!" He said "I put those on at the last minute for my son and he called this morning and said he just was not going to have time to mess with them". I started to breath a sigh of relief when he also said he was just going to give them to the club for free but I could have them just as well, he just didn't want them to go to waste. I told him fear not, I will turn those grapes into wine. I asked him if I could pay him for them and he said no, send me a few bottles someday so I can see how they turned out. I thanked him and told him I would.


So I ended up with a total of 1080lbs of grapes or 30 lugs instead of my usual 24. My order was for 9 lugs of Cab Sauv, 6 lugs of Zin, 3 lugs of Syrah, 3 lugs of Petit Syrah, and 3 lugs of Grenache. The 6 free lugs were 3 Lugs of Zin, 2 lugs of Cab Sauv and 1 lug of Petit Syrah.

Luckily I did have 2 extra 20G rectangular Brutes that I use for crushing into. I ended up putting 3 lugs into each of my 8 20G Brutes and then 3 lugs of Zin into one of the rectangular Brutes and then combining the last 3 lugs into the last Brute. 

Luckily I also had extra yeast and nutrients. I can't just get in the car and drive to a LHBS, they don't sell much wine stuff and the only yeast would be EC1118 for sure.

It took SWMBO (and I), 4 hours from setup to cleanup and put away to crush the almost 1100lbs of grapes with the treadmill motor crusher but again it worked like a charm and ground it out in no time flat. it really is nice to have all the right equipment. So glad to have the crusher stand as well. I even had enough empty carboys to handle it all. May have to buy some gallon jugs for the extra gallon I always seem to have on each primary.

So here are the pics! I had to move things into the garage as the winery just would not hold 10 primaries. Its also warmer in there as the winery is held at 65 for all the finished wine. I guess this officially makes me a bonafied "Garagista"! LOL


I worked on chemistry all day yesterday. Was too tired to pitch the yeast until this morning. Got all yeast rehydrated and bubbling away as of tonight.

Even I am thinking thats a lot of juice!


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## ibglowin

Here are a few more pics. The last cluster was a cluster of Grenache. Overall the numbers were good, different from last year, actually more acid and lower pH than normal for Lodi, CA fruit. Brix are still crazy high so I always water back with acidulated water. Bring them down to 14.0 -14.5% ABV.

Last night I opened one of my 2012 El Prisonero blends (Orin Swift Prisoner clone) and it was just spectacular. That wine was made from the first fruit I ever sourced from this Vineyard. Good things are coming down the pipeline!


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## sour_grapes

I just love a happy ending!!  Glad you are able to accommodate your unintentional bonus haul!


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## grapeman

Glad it all turned out well and was nothing to whine about. The poor guy nust have been crushed at his loss.


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## Boatboy24

Very nice, Mike! 6 free lugs! Awesome!!


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## ibglowin

Another "bonus" this year was the fact the Vineyard owner is purchasing new lugs for next season and he said he didn't want the old lugs back! Usually I have to transfer everything into my Brutes for transport home. So now I am also the proud owner of 30 (still) pretty nice collapsable lugs!  They break down and fold completely flat. I was going to recycle them but I think I will hold on to them. Perhaps I will use them for harvesting my own fruit here at the house (like 5-6 of them LOL) or perhaps I can use them next year for a quick dump from one lug into another doing a reverse flip or something. IDK. Too nice to just toss though!


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## wineforfun

Mike,
Ok, here come the newbie grape questions.
I notice on some of the clusters what appears to be "smashed" or damaged grapes. What do you do with those, discard them?
Also, in your last picture of the single cluster, I notice some lighter grapes mixed with the darker ones. Do you use those also? Why are they lighter, not as ripe?
And finally, what drives the brix up so high, leaving on the vine too long?

As you can tell, I am not a grape guy but would love to dabble with them someday. 
Good to know about those in Denver as my son lives in Winter Park.


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## ibglowin

The smashed grapes come from being loaded into lugs and stacking the lugs on top of each other. No way around it. Do you toss them, heck no, just think of it as starting the crushing process a little early! The only thing you would toss are any clusters that are dried up completly, slight raisining is OK, any moldy clusters you would toss as well.

So that last cluster is a cluster of Grenache. This is the first time for me to work with that grape and that is pretty typical for that varietal, it is sorta unique in that aspect. It has high acid and low tannin. Not sure if I will blend it all with Syrah and Petit Syrah or bottle some as a varietal wine.

High brix is very typical of Lodi, CA fruit. They have very warm weather and have had some really hot streaks with periods over 100 degrees. Also lack of water (drought) will of course concentrate the sugars making for a high brix as well. It is quite typical to have some fruit in the 27,28 Brix range. Unless you want to make a port without the need to add Brandy you need to water it back with acidulated water in order to get it down to ~24 brix. Also you are better off using a refractometer with high brix grapes than a hydrometer, the must is just too thick to try and get a reading.



wineforfun said:


> Mike,
> Ok, here come the newbie grape questions.
> I notice on some of the clusters what appears to be "smashed" or damaged grapes. What do you do with those, discard them?
> Also, in your last picture of the single cluster, I notice some lighter grapes mixed with the darker ones. Do you use those also? Why are they lighter, not as ripe?
> And finally, what drives the brix up so high, leaving on the vine too long?
> 
> As you can tell, I am not a grape guy but would love to dabble with them someday.
> Good to know about those in Denver as my son lives in Winter Park.


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## wineforfun

Thanks for the insight.


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## Steve_M

Mike,
Bonus on the additional lugs!
Just curious what were your numbers in terms of Brix, Ph and TA?

Thanks,

Steve


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## joeswine

*chateau michaelena*

great pics mike beautiful ride to there and even better ride back.


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## ibglowin

Most Brix were high 26 to almost 29 on one! Cab Sauv, Zin, TA all in the 0.6-0.7 range. pH in the 3.5 to 3.6 range. Added some acid water to bring the brix down.

Brix on Syrah and Petit Sirah was weird, only around 24 which is low, usually in the 26-28. TA was 0.6-0.7 range pH was ~3.5.

The Grenache was 23.6 brix and 3.45 on the pH. I am gonna let that one ride and see where it lands as the TA was 0.6.



Steve_M said:


> Mike,
> Bonus on the additional lugs!
> Just curious what were your numbers in terms of Brix, Ph and TA?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Steve


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## ibglowin

As of this AM everybody seems to be off to the races with nice smells and really nice caps! 

The RP15 I am using on all the Zin was slow to get going. Somehow when I ordered supplies I was not thinking and only ordered a single package of yeast for each primary. The rule is 1gm per gallon of must so I really needed around 11-12 gms per primary. The packets I used were from Morewine and they contain 8gms each so about 3-4gms low on each primary. The slower than normal takeoff was because of the smaller amount of yeast used, took an extra day really to get really going. Must temps are all 74F this morning. This is the first time to try and ferment in one of the 20G rectangular Brutes. Little worried about the lack of headspace compared to the 20G round Brutes. Hoping the different shape makes up for what seems to be a much smaller headspace. Guess we shall see! 

I also ordered a 10G Brute (white) with lid as well as another 20G rectangular Brute (white with lid) yesterday from Amazon. 







I have probably 200+ pounds of cold hardy grapes still hanging on the vine that need to be picked! Everything will be here on Thursday. 

Gotta love that Amazon Prime membership! Home Depot would have been higher plus would not arrive until next week unless you paid a steep price for expedited shipping


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## ibglowin

We got 6 Primaries pressed off today only 4 more left!  

The Cab Sauv is always slow and the last to go for some reason. Used D254, BM4x4, BDX and have all four Primaries with nice big caps still today. Probably make it till Wednesday or so I would guess. 

Pressed off 3 Primaries of Zin, one Primary of Petit Sirah, one Primary of Syrah, and....... my Primary of GRENACHE!  It already smells wonderful and taste wonderful for one week old wine.


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## ColemanM

Do you have a picture of the press? Looks like the beginning to a great cellar of wine!!


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## ibglowin

LOL The cellar is full! Not sure where the heck I will put this! Its good to have friends with basements......


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## Boatboy24

ibglowin said:


> LOL The cellar is full! Not sure where the heck I will put this! Its good to have friends with basements......



I have a basement!!


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## geek

Really cool pics...


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## ibglowin

LOL I need a close basement! I might need to keep an eye on the stock.... 


I always am taking wine to family in TX, MO, CA, WA. Thank you SWA for still allowing two free checked bags as I alway take advantage and am lugging 6-12 bottles through the airport it seems. Its nice to have plenty during the holidays to give, parties to go to, and amateur contest to enter.

I still may need a bigger winery after this year! I am for sure looking at either a new 30 or 40L Vadai. Those extra 6 Lugs are just what I needed to keep it full as well as the other Vadai's for the next year.

Looks like I will press off the last four tomorrow after work. I had hoped to make it till Friday so I could sleep in but 3 out of 4 are looking thin on the cap so it may be a long evening tomorrow.


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## ibglowin

You get some MLB! and you get some MLB! and you also get some MLB!

Everybody gets some MLB!!!!!!!!!


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## geek

Mike, how many glasses did you just drink ...LOL [emoji3][emoji3]


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## ibglowin

Just so darn happy to be seeing the light of day!


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## geek

Good enthusiasm...keep it up [emoji41]


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## ibglowin

How does this keep happening? 

Going on my 3rd bag of 1000 custom corks from Lafitte! Beautiful branding as usual!


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## Boatboy24

Last time I ordered, they split my 1,000 corks into two bags.


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## ibglowin

Always been one big ol bag for me. Price has been the same now for like 5 years.


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## Johnd

Just got my first bag of 1000, looking forward to cracking into it.


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## Double Daylo

ibglowin said:


> Always been one big ol bag for me. Price has been the same now for like 5 years.



If you don't mind me asking what you paid? I have been seeing people have been paying 110 and I just bought them at 140. Not sure if they just had a price increase?


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## ibglowin

$120 for 1000 plus shipping. I paid my setup branding fee years ago so no extra charge for the printing.


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## Johnd

Photo of the most recent pricing from Lafitte:


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## Double Daylo

Thanks for the picture/info.

Strange some people are getting better pricing.


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## Boatboy24

I'll be interested to see what I pay when I order my next 1,000 in another month or two.


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## Johnd

That pricing is from a month ago. I don't know if there was an increase or not.....


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## ibglowin

I seem to recall my first order was like $0.11 each then second order was $0.12 each and third was held at $0.12 as well.

You could be given a better price for being a customer for a longer period of time. New customer will be given current price.



Double Daylo said:


> Thanks for the picture/info.
> 
> Strange some people are getting better pricing.


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## ibglowin

Well I guess Fall is "officially" here in the Cellar/Winery! 

First real cool front blew through yesterday and this morning we got down to 33F just before dawn.


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## ceeaton

ibglowin said:


> Well I guess Fall is "officially" here in the Cellar/Winery!
> 
> First real cool front blew through yesterday and this morning we got down to 33F just before dawn.



Nice. Is 66*F the high it got there in the summer (in the cellar that is)?


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## ibglowin

Yea, I have a small window unit that keeps it around ~65F in the Summer other than that it stays in the low 50's for the rest of the year. Many months its a perfect 55F. I added a foot of insulation in the attic years ago and that has really helped out to keep temps pretty stable out there. Humidity could be a little higher but this is a high altitude desert so we are usually pretty dry most of the year.



ceeaton said:


> Nice. Is 66*F the high it got there in the summer (in the cellar that is)?


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## geek

Wow that’s real low temp


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## ibglowin

You might be looking at the Humidity reading. 

Temp is on the bottom smaller readout.



geek said:


> Wow that’s real low temp


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