# Making Wine



## geocorn (Jul 10, 2004)

How long have you been making wine?


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## Hippie (Jul 10, 2004)

Right at 5 years for me.


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## carverwood (Jul 13, 2004)

It's been3 years for me now.


Dan Myers


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## AAASTINKIE (Mar 1, 2005)

3 weeks but I'm almost an expert, my son made some 3 months ago, I bought all the equiptment and ingredeints, got the recipe off the internet, but he says it's his wine cause he made it.




So this time I'm doing the work too!!


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## MedPretzel (Mar 1, 2005)

I've been making wine for about 1.5 years now. And I LOVE IT!


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## Hippie (Mar 1, 2005)

It says I cannot vote! This must be an old one. 5+ years.


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## masta (Mar 1, 2005)

Sorry bout that folks....settings have been changed so you can vote in polls and create new ones.


that dang Viking Wench distracted me again!






*Edited by: masta *


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## Richacla (Mar 1, 2005)

I have only made 300 bottles in the last 15 months. I am surprised that they have come out so drinkable. I have noticed that when I open a bottle at night that I have a high instance of evaporation.


If I leave the bottle open and on the counter there is always less in the bottle when I go back. I tryied putting the cork back in and that did not slow it down. I even tried putting the Vacumn corks in and it stilldisappears. 


I think I have noticed that the evaporation rate is highest when my wife, daughter and son in law (or any other family member close or distant) are in the house.


If anyone has a similar experience please let me know what you do to slow it down.


Richacla


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## Hippie (Mar 1, 2005)

Yes, I have also experienced that disappearing act. Usuallywhen one or more of the wife's lush friends are over. She won't touch it. Not sweet enough for her.


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## Texas Rose' (Mar 2, 2005)

I have been making wine for less than a year. I have made two country wines and a kit. I enjoy making them, but mine dissappear too,especially when my father-in-law and brothers-in-law show up! Happens a lot when we pay quarterly taxes, too!! So, I guess I will just keep on making them, I don't like empty bottles, they seems so lonely!


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## masta (Mar 2, 2005)

I have been making wine for about 4 years and beer for 3 and juststarted my first batch of mead this year.


The goal now to take it to the next level and refine the process to produce a wine worthy of a medal in competition!


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## MedPretzel (Mar 3, 2005)

I am a little hesitant to try mead. The "scraping of the scum" is a little scary to me. I'm worried that I wouldn't do it well enough. Is there a particular honey you would suggest that is less "scummy?"


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## masta (Mar 3, 2005)

I am not sure what you mean by "scraping of the scum" but I will guess it is the scum you get when heating up honey?


I did lots of research including buying the complete meadmaker by Ken Schramm and decided to go with the no heat method. Why pay good money for honey if you going to heat it up and lose some of the great aroma and taste!


I used Tupelo Honey which is unique because of the composition of the sugar it does not crystallize! I chose it for my mead because I am making a traditionalmead and wanted something very floral. It is in the secondary now with some vanilla beans.


Only time will tell how this will come out in the end!*Edited by: masta *


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## Bert (Mar 4, 2005)

I have been making wine for a little over two years.The kits are nice and they disappear pretty fast. I like the fruit wines and try to improve on them. The meads have got me really excited. Have three batches in bottles ageing and two more in carboys. Samples have been great, finding it hard to let the bottles age.



I just keep looking for ways to improve my wine.


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## masta (Mar 4, 2005)

Sounds great Bert...what type of mead do you have working?


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## Bert (Mar 4, 2005)

The two in carboys are from honey I got from a beekeeper who works part time for the farm. The first one I boiled the water and honey and added Alspice to it. I liked the samples so much I started another one, but just heated the honey and water to 150 degrees for 20 min. and added Alspice.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 4, 2005)

Can anyone post a really, really simple recipe? I think I might make a gallon (or 3?)!!





Martina


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## masta (Mar 4, 2005)

Martina,


The Mead Masters reside here...tons of info and another forum to post on!


http://www.gotmead.com/smf/index.php


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## Hippie (Mar 4, 2005)

Thank you for the link, Scott.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 7, 2005)

Wow! That is a great link, Scott! Thanks so much! I am definitely going to try some!

















Martina


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## Hippie (Mar 9, 2005)

Good luck on your mead, Martina. I have yet to taste one I like.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 9, 2005)

It will be a while before I can start the mead. Sorry. I was hoping earlier too.


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## Hippie (Mar 10, 2005)

Oh, you will get around to it, I have a very long list of wines I want to get around to making.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 10, 2005)

Do tell!!





I hope chrysanthemum is on the list!


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## Hippie (Mar 10, 2005)

Uh, I could never do flower wines as well as you. I wanna do a pear, chardonnay style, for one.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 11, 2005)

I have a feeling you simply would not want to waste a carboy for mum wine. I can understand that, since your wines (muscadine in particular) are so fancy. 


I would like to do pear. I can see it now, "A Partridge in a Pear Tree Wine" and have the Partridge family on the label. Wouldn't that be just groovy?


I did peach (btw, turning out to be quite good), and my new obsession is going to be....... MAYBE.... blueberry wine. I hope to go to a U-Pick place this spring. But that's a long ways away. I still have a little stevia (for 1 gallon of stevia wine).... I still have enough mums for a 5 gallon wine... And I think I also have marigolds in the deep freezer somewhere. Yikes, I have to get that out of there soon!


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## AAASTINKIE (Mar 14, 2005)

med, did you ever taste blueberry wine, I haven't but I would like to make some with wild blueberrys, and I might try some strawberry wine end of june is when we pick here, I was thinking of trying to put some banana's in the stawberry, any thoughts on that?


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## MedPretzel (Mar 14, 2005)

Do a search of the forum and you will find I posted it elsewhere. I don't want to abuse the forum for frivolous posts. 





But no, I have never tasted blueberry. It is one I hope to do soon.


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## Hippie (Mar 14, 2005)

Yes, Martina, sounds quite groovy indeed. I will also be making blueberry wine sometime this year, so says a friend who has in-laws in Louisiana with blueberry bushes. He gets half my batches when he supplies the fruit such as wild blackberry and peach that he has both of.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 14, 2005)

Do you mash up the blueberries? I'm sorry, I have not looked it up yet in my book, but I imagine that you would have to do so.


Would you make it a heavier wine?


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## Hippie (Mar 14, 2005)

Yes, freeze for about a month, then thaw completely and mash. No, I would not use more than 3 pounds to a gallon (of finished wine desired)because of the acid.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 15, 2005)

Thank you again -- you are a huge help, as always.


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## Hippie (Mar 15, 2005)

Sure, what else would I do all night? My job?


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## MedPretzel (Mar 19, 2005)

That is a thought.


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## Hippie (Mar 19, 2005)

Oh. Ain't you something. I deserved that.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 19, 2005)

I meant it in jest, dear one.


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## Hippie (Mar 20, 2005)

How quaint. So did I. Surely you jest?


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## MedPretzel (Mar 20, 2005)

Well, now I'm getting confused. Am I jesting that I'm jesting?


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## Hippie (Mar 20, 2005)

Well that was easy.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 20, 2005)

Yeah, I know... I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer.


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## Hippie (Mar 20, 2005)

Then get sharpened. All the other knives are doing it.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 21, 2005)

I'm working on it.


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## Hippie (Mar 21, 2005)

Martina, you have been making wine long enough to have all the confidence of anyone else. Relax. Have fun. Your wines are great!


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## MedPretzel (Mar 21, 2005)

Thank you, Glenvall. You guys here give me lots of confidence.


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## Hippie (Mar 21, 2005)

That's good. Go with what you know, Grasshopper.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 21, 2005)

Thank you, cricket.


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## Hippie (Mar 21, 2005)

chirp chirp chirp


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## Berrywine (Mar 27, 2005)

I have been making winefor myself for about 2 yrs. Helped with my uncle's wine for a few years before that. It's totally different between mine and his.






berry *Edited by: Berrywine *


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## Hippie (Mar 27, 2005)

Hi Berry. Welcome t the forum!


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## Berrywine (Mar 27, 2005)

Thanks Country Wine. Glad to be here. By the way, just wondering what your avatar is there.


berry*Edited by: Berrywine *


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## Hippie (Mar 27, 2005)

Scuppernong wine bottled just the other day.


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## Berrywine (Mar 28, 2005)

I see there is some that didn't make it to the bottle.






berry


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## Hippie (Mar 28, 2005)

There is always some that don't make it into a bottle.






I believe in tasting as often as possible.


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