# Busy Saturday Morning............



## jobe05 (Oct 27, 2007)

Got up early this morning because I had a lot to do in the wine room today. I started at 6am with cleaning and delabeling 18 cases of bottles. These have all been cleaned once, we clean them as soon as we get them home, then stack them up and clean them a few cases a night............ but I have been to busy all week to get to these, and I have another shipment to pick up on Monday........

I was almost done when my wife came down and asked when I was going to get to tose other 12 cases.......................

WHAT 12 CASES???????






Apparently, whithout saying anything, when we wash them the first time, she has been putting the ones that she moves for me in a different room than where I store these.................

So I'm not done......................





But I thought I would take a break and make 11 pints of Blueberry Jelly and 16 pints of strawberry jelly. I love Jelly............

Now I have to finish the bottles, Rack the Scuppernong from the fermenter to a carboy and then I have to look at the Blackberry Port. If it's clear, and I can rack it off the lees whithout mishap, I bottle it. I hate bottling this stuff because as some of you know, I use the tall Ballisima bottles that #1 are very tall and then and are hard to do whitout knocking over and #2 it takes so many of them in order to bottle over 14 gallons of Port.

Then I need to rack the strawberry Port off the lees and clear it, even though it's clearing very well the way it is.

Oh well.......... Back to work!


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## lockdude (Oct 27, 2007)

It sounds like you are going to have a busy day.Thats what I should be doing because I have quite a few cases of bottles that need de-labled,and have a few carboys that need to be filtered,and bottled.Then I can make more!hehe


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## NorthernWinos (Oct 27, 2007)

That's a lot of bottles to clean in one day.....You must have some big plans....? 


I think I am running out of bottles when there are about 12 cases left out in the shed that are sorted but not cleaned.... 


Then it seems some empties just 'appear'around the house...those can add up pretty fast...but at least the ones we empty are rinsed and delabeled before going into the boxes.


Where do you all store your boxes of bottles, clean or new arrivals???


Our new arrivals go into an old shed outside...I sort them according to colors and styles and stack the like kind boxes together.


The empty ones that 'appear' in the house get rinsed, sorted and stacked on the treadmill in the sewing room....pretty tacky...but it works for me.*Edited by: Northern Winos *


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## grapeman (Oct 27, 2007)

I have to start collecting bottles again. I think I have just about enough bottles for what is ready to bottle, but not what is starting out. There is about 90 gallons in carboys now from what I started from grapes this autumn, plus a couple boys from kits so I will need about 500 bottles more when I get around to bottling those. It sounds like you are taking lessons from Waldo there Jobe!


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## Waldo (Oct 27, 2007)

I believe he is appleman but he is still "sleeping in" too late to run with me. By the time he got up at 6am I had already been up for over 4 hours and had a batch of Muscadine bottled and labeled, went and had breakfast with a friend and was back home getting a tub of water heated up to clean me some bottles today.


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## lockdude (Oct 27, 2007)

I have an unfinished basement,and the bottles go down there.I have hot and cold,and filtered water down there,and do all my winemaking,brewing,cleaning etc.down there.I did get 2 carboys of wine filtered today.They need degassed somemore,and are ready to bottle.
Its a cranberry,and a concord/cranberry mix with just a little cranberry.
There both from frozen juice but were almost all juice and a little sugar.
lockdude


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## jobe05 (Oct 27, 2007)

OHHhhh Contrare My Good Man........... I said I was "Cleaning" Bottles at 6am........................

I woke up at 5:45! So there!

Almost done! Got the last 2 cases in the sink soaking right now. Racked my Scuppernong to glass and that was it............

Well........ I had a peanut butter and Jelly sandwich with the strawberry Jelly I made. Boy is it good!


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## Wade E (Oct 27, 2007)

Jobe, I think we need a really long racking hose that will run from your house to my house and Ill help you rack that Blackberry Port!


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## Waldo (Oct 27, 2007)

Ohhhh OK jobe.........Youre forgiven then buddy....Here are the fruits of my mornings labors






Note the "sampling" glass








This is all going to a "Razorback" tailgating party


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## jobe05 (Oct 27, 2007)

Good Job........

I like the way your muscadine come out very red in color. Mine came out a lighter rose color.

I still have 55 pounds in the freezer I need to dig out and get a batch going.

Do you know what Variety (name) of Muscadine you use? I don't know if it matters with Muscadine, but it apparently does with Scuppeernong, some have a nice scuppernong flavor and others have None what so ever after fermentation. I need to find what variety makes the good stuff and plant a lot of those.


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## Waldo (Oct 27, 2007)

All of my wine this year was from the Ison variety jobe. They make a really good wine in my opinion. Oh yes, two of my sisters dropped by earlier and brought me a surprise gift ( apron) that they had made for me..........I love it !!!


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## jobe05 (Oct 27, 2007)

I love it Waldo



How perfect!

They did an excellent job on it. Must be nice to know so many talented People................ 

I got all my work done today except for maybe 1 case of bottles left on the bottom of the sink to soak those tough labels off, and Bottling the port. I will need to clean my area up big time before I can bottle in there.

Tomorrow: Got to get some wines boxed up and ready for shipment to JW, Waldo and wildridge and thats it! THE REST OF THE WEEKEND IS MINE!...............

To Mow the lawn, trim the beds, pull the dead plants out of the garden and trim around the yard with the weed wacker........................

Man I can't wait to go back to work on Monday...................... sigh.............

*Edited by: jobe05 *


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## Wade E (Oct 27, 2007)

I love it Waldo!



That Muscadine does look awesome!


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## grapeman (Oct 27, 2007)

Now you need them to embroider that on your shirts for the drivers of your delivery trucks for The Cat's Meow Winery. They did a really nice job on it and you do a great job on the wine!


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## Wade E (Oct 27, 2007)

I hear ya there you 2, I have 7 cases to clean and delabel tomorrow and rack 2 wines to bulk age plus deleaf the yard and clean the gutters. Then i have to start working on a few more racks for the wine cellar so i can call that complete and start our bedroom down there cause the wife is starting to get on my case. I dont blame her though as all Ive been doing lately is wine. Ive been holding off on the basement bedroom as Im at a point where I have never been before. i have to remove 2 small cellar pop in windows and expand the holes as they just dont make windows that fit those small holes anymore. I have to rent a Hilti demo drill to open it up more as I dont think a demo saw will be able to work as the concrete walls are approx 10" thick. Then i have to reframe the holes and figure out a way to do it so as that I ca pretty it up to be able to paint it with the new slider basement windows and Im not looking forward to chartering this unknown territory.


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## jobe05 (Oct 27, 2007)

Wade: I had to do the same thing to an old house that I had in NY. The basement walls were the old cobblestone and mortar over block, about a foot thick. I used a regular 7 1/4 inch circular saw, cut bot inside then outside (drill a pilot hole in the corners to mark were you are), then chisled it out. The center of the wall wasn't pretty, but it didn't need to be. Push news paper down into the block as far as you can push it, then fill the rest with concrete. The gives you a nice sill for anchoring the window, and sealing it. It's a messy job no matter what.

When you get good at though come on down, I have got to put in a couple of full size windows and a set of french doors, all going through a block on brick wall............ and they stood the block off the brick about 3 inches............... I don't know why.......... 

I have been putting that project off for a few years now.......

Edit: Oh yea, in order for your room to be "Classified" as a room, square footage, it must have a window (exit) and the window must e big enough to fit through, size will vary by jurisdiction, so you may want to check with a real estate person............ or you local inspector.......... I would ask the realitor..........

*Edited by: jobe05 *


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## Wade E (Oct 27, 2007)

Pretty much what Im going to do with the wall except im not doing any cutting on the inside as i dont want the dust in there. Imtired of clening up that from having my basement done and dont want to go through it again but Ill be definitely doing some chiseling. Sigh!


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## jobe05 (Oct 27, 2007)

You could drape plastic from the ceiling to make your self a small room ( now you'll be the boy in a plastic bubble). Then hook your wet vac up so the hose is inside the room sucking the air out from the bottom, while air comes in from the top (around the rafters). Works pretty well for me when cutting or sandblasting things like painted fireplaces. You still need a mask of some sort.................. And I don't mean holloween mask!


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## Wade E (Oct 28, 2007)

I got the window installed but thats it. I will be doing some bottles tonight and some tomorrow and and rack the Port to glass and hopefullt sneak in the lawn also.


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## Waldo (Oct 28, 2007)

I have kinda taken over Kat's greenhouse for the time being to do all my bottle cleaning. Works great for me until I get a better solution.




















Oh by the way jobe, those pictures were taken around 4am "sleepy head"


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## NorthernWinos (Oct 28, 2007)

Looks like your making some 'shine' or something in there...Out there in the middle of the night....fire going...water...etc...Your neighbors must be curious...


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## Wade E (Oct 28, 2007)

Me thinks the lovely wife has said enough wine, now get out!


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## jobe05 (Oct 28, 2007)

Waldo said:


> Oh by the way jobe, those pictures were taken around 4am "sleepy head"



If you only Knew..........................

I slept in this morning till noon.......



You already had a full day in by the time I got up this morning. But in all fairness, I was awake at 4 this morning...................... I just don't care to mention what I was doing.....





Rest assured, it wasn't washing bottles...............

Although that is one of our Euphemisms.











I like your setup, very handy for washing bottles but not for wine making. If I get to the point where I need that much just for washing bottles........... I'm gonna re-think this hobby.

Got a lot done today also. I had it with that darn gallon of cherry wine on my bench so I sweetened it back a bit. While I was heating the water for te sugar, I saw the plastic lemon in the fridge, so I gave it a squeeze into the sugar water, not in a scientific way, In a pretty crappy way, Kinda like there, Take that! Any ways, mixed it all up and it taste's pretty good now, I was surprised. So it's off my bench.

Racked my blackberry wine and my strawberry Port and cleaned my room up a lot.

Got all the stuff I needed to get out to JW, Wildridge and Waldo boxed up, just waiting for everyones addresses as yesterday in my haste to get a lot done, I also emptied out my inbox........... so I'll need to get everyones addresses again. I'm cutting and pasting them in a notepad file on my desktop for future reference if no one minds me doing that.

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## jobe05 (Oct 28, 2007)

wade said:


> Me thinks the lovely wife has said enough wine, now get out!



So does that mean the apron his sister made him really wasn't an apron, it a an Arkansas Winter Coat!


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## Wade E (Oct 28, 2007)

I thinks it is a straight jacket and Waldo has it on backwards!


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## jobe05 (Oct 28, 2007)

wade said:


> I thinks it is a straight jacket and Waldo has it on backwards!



Then that would be an Arkansas evening Jacket.............

Morning Jacket...................

Midday Jacket................................

and bathrobe......





I have a right to pick on Arkansians, My sister is one...........

Lives near Rogers somewhere, and yes......... She works at Wal-Mart!


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## Wade E (Oct 28, 2007)

"Okay I just finished de labeling 3 1/2 cases and cleaning them. Ill do the other 1/2 tomorrow.

*Edited by: wade *


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## JWMINNESOTA (Oct 28, 2007)

Looking mighty fine there Waldo....isnt everyone up and at it by at least4:00 A.M.? Best part of the day!


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## Wade E (Oct 29, 2007)

Got the lawn done, the other 3 1/2 cases of bottles de labeled and cleaned, and 3 batches racked.


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## jobe05 (Oct 29, 2007)

wade said:


> Got the lawn done, the other 3 1/2 cases of bottles de labeled and cleaned, and 3 batches racked.



THE LAWN........






































I knew there was something else I was suppose to do........


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## Wade E (Oct 29, 2007)

Were getting a lot of leaves here so I have to do it every week so it dont get to much for the bagging mower. It makes life much easier. I hated raking when I was a kid doing our lawn. Now i just run it over with the rider and blow the real heavy ares into the woods with the leaf blower.


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## Waldo (Oct 30, 2007)

I mulch mine and let them let them lay where they fell.. Provides good nutrient to the soil*Edited by: Waldo *


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## JWMINNESOTA (Nov 24, 2007)

Arkansas runs wild, upsets No. 1 LSU 

I think I know how they accomplished this feat...


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## Waldo (Nov 25, 2007)

Dang it jw.........You have given the "secret weapon" away. That was one helluva ball game. It was one of those that no matter who won..It was a good game.


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## grapeman (Nov 25, 2007)

Waldo said:


> Dang it jw.........You have given the "secret weapon" away. That was one helluva ball game. It was one of those that no matter who won..It was a good game.




But isn't it always just aLITTLE BITbetter when your team wins?


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## jobe05 (Dec 29, 2007)

Well I finally got the Scuppernong to it last step before I bottle it.....

I have let this one go slow so that I could take advantage of the cooler weather out side to cold stabilize and clear it. It has been out side now for a couple of weeks and has cleared well and dropped a lot of "wine diamonds" so it is a lot less acidic that the others that I have made.






I have sweetened it back and now just letting it sit so I know re-fermentation won't take place....._






_I Also had a lot of help from my little Buddy.......







And the label that I'll be using for this 18 gallon batch:







*Edited by: jobe05 *


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## Wade E (Dec 29, 2007)

Well!!!!! Dont leave us hangin man, how the heck does it taste compaered to the last batch!


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## jobe05 (Dec 29, 2007)

Tastes Great! Because I cold stabilized, it isn't as acidic as before, but it has a great Scuppernong flavor, like a piece of heaven........ or that front porch........ Very drinkable right now, but I have been making this one since August..... so it has bulk aged a few months waiting for a cold snap here in the south. So far it's been a mild winter. A couple of weeks ago I tilled my garden up and may plant a couple of rows of broccoli rob tomorrow......... maybe get the garlic in, and do a row of spinach.....


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## Wade E (Dec 29, 2007)

Oh sure, rub in the weather why dont you!


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## NorthernWinos (Dec 29, 2007)

Geez...planting your garden.....I hate you!!!






We have been having very mild weather too...It never got above freezing [32*F] during the month of December...well..I saw 32* once on the car thermometer when it was sleeting, but it didn't last long. We get into the 20*s [F] during the day and in the teens during the night.....along with these 'mild' temperatures we get clouds...gray dreary clouds...I know I could never live on the West Coast again...too gloomy....give me some crisp clear weather. This stagnant airmass has brought us pollution....usually we have the cleanest, crispest air in the nation....now we have a haze over our small cities from burning fossil fuels....


Life goes on.


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## jobe05 (Dec 29, 2007)

It was 62 here today. We have had one night that was below freezing. Everyday it's in the 50's, and 40's at night, once in a while it will get into the 30's at night, but not freezing............. Had Thunderstorms rumbling through here yesterday. We still need the rain so thats a good thing. I'll try a few cold hardy plants and see what they do.


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## uavwmn (Jan 3, 2008)

Jobe, I am so blessed. My wine drinking co-workers soak the labels off for me before I get them!!


Of course, all co-workers receive full bottles of wine also. So, it works out well in the end. haha


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## joeswine (Jan 4, 2008)

SEE you not only can keep the white stuff,but the cold and sleet also ,I'am a very giving person as you can tell


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