# LONG night of winemaking!



## MedPretzel (Jul 2, 2005)

Woohoo!


I'm currently waiting for my beet wine to be filtered, so I thought I'd get to the computer instead of waiting in front of it.







It was a long night of winemaking. Well, wine-racking and organizing. I racked peach, Cab Franc, pumpkin, marigold. Afterwards, I stirred the beegeesus out of the cab franc, pumpkin and apple. Before filtering the beet wine, I stirred and stirred and stirred. When all is said and done, I should be able to bottle (next week maybe, maybe the week after that) about 105 bottles!!!





















I'll let you know if I'm still alive after that!


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## Hippie (Jul 2, 2005)

Wow! You go girl! How is the peach?


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## MedPretzel (Jul 3, 2005)

I hate it. But I still have hope. It's been in the carboy since about february, so I hope it starts looking clearer soon. I want to free up some carboys. The taste is very young, almost like green wood, if I had ever tasted it.(but I haven't) The peach smell is definitely there, but it's a lot fainter than I had originally had. That makes me sad. I had a handful of oak chippies in there for about a month, and I took them out yesterday. 


All in all, I think this one shows promise. A lot better than the sauerkraut/cabbage wine I made 2 years ago (still ahven't opened that bottle!).


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## MedPretzel (Jul 20, 2005)

I added sparkeloid to the peach yesterday. I hope that it will be clearing sooner than on its own.





If not, I still have that packet of SUPERKLEER waiting. I'm so impatient!


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## MedPretzel (Jul 22, 2005)

Well, I've started 2 more 5 gallon batches today, and one 3 gallon batch. I need to get the freezer ready for the fall "harvest!" 


I started my lilac wine - 5 gallons of it. Yay!


Hard Lemonade - we'll see how the fermentation kicks in. 


And I started my "Everything in the freezer and basement must be made MUST" wine. It contains:
<UL>
<LI>Chrysanthemums (frozen) 
<LI>Rose Hips (dried) 
<LI>Hibiscus (dried) 
<LI>Elderberries (dried) 
<LI>Lavender (dried)</LI>[/list]


We will see how that one turns out. The smell is sure interesting, I have to say!!!! I just thought I'd throw everything together and see what happens. 12 pounds of sugar, 72B yeast for both batches. Both are 5 gallons. 


Well, just thought I'd keep you all posted. 


Martina*Edited by: MedPretzel *


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## Hippie (Jul 22, 2005)

The Chryroshibeldlav sounds the best!


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## MedPretzel (Jul 22, 2005)

Hahahahahaha! Watch out, you might even get a bottle one day!


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## Hippie (Jul 22, 2005)

Great! I will give them the same patience and TLC as the others.


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## MedPretzel (Jul 23, 2005)

You are nicer to my wines than I am!!!


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## MedPretzel (Jul 29, 2005)

*Update:*





I racked the peach, the marigold and pumpkin wines today. There was some sediment (but not much - the pictures fibbed a little) in all but the pumpkin. The marigold wine is clearing nicely, and the taste is still way hot. The pumpkin turned out to be an extremely sweet wine. The last 2 weeks, it has been shooting off little bubbles, but I think it is probably CO2. 
<UL>
<LI>The peach? Well.... it's clearing a little, and there was some sediment, but very little. It really smelled peachy, and I think it has potential to become a good wine. We will see.</LI>
<LI>The tea wine is just going to have to sit there for a while. I added oak chippies into it last week, so 2 more months in the carboy, and then I don't care, I'm bottling it.



</LI>
<LI>The hard lemonade finally took off. I can't wait til it's finished! I will bottle them only in beer bottles this time. I have a bottle-deficiency again, but the beer ones are plenty. It is in a carboy now, but I left plenty of airspace for the time being. I've made a little more, so I have plenty to top off with when the initial fermentation has died down a little.</LI>
<LI>The Everything MUST is almost at SG 0.990 - not bad! But it's still bubbling away like mad. It's a beautiful dark pink color. I'm excited to see how that one turned out. I put it also into the secondary, and love watching the airlock go crazy!</LI>
<LI>The Lilac wine is just not looking good to me. I'm very disappointed in the color so far. The beautiful purple color of the petals turned a brown color that isn't appropriate to describe here. I just hope the taste is okay. I put it in the carboy today andtopped this one off with some left-over apple wine. (I assume it's going to be the same color or similar at least). </LI>
<LI>My blueberry wine is giving me problems. I used Lalvin 72B-1122 yeast, and it's not starting to ferment. I have checked the SG, which is good (1.100) and have stirred the must quite a bit to oxygenate it. I've currently started a yeast starter for this one, and will hope for the best. I've invested so much money in this one, that it *BETTER* get it's butt in gear and ferment.</LI>[/list]


Well, there's my update.



I will try to post pictures soon.


In the freezer, I've got day lily petals for 5 gallons, Peppermint for 5 gallons, and the chrysanthemums are starting to come into bloom here in Ohio. The rain we've been getting made them grow like the dickens!






Martina


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## MedPretzel (Aug 1, 2005)

Udate again:
<UL>
<LI>Racked blueberry into secondary. Could wait no longer. SG: 1.040. End volume (so much for me being a scientist!): 7.25 gallons.



Hope it doesn't turn out too thin.</LI>
<LI>Pumpkin has died down from whatever ailment it had.</LI>
<LI>Peach is sitting there, just peachy as can be.</LI>
<LI>Chamomile, ditto.</LI>
<LI>Hard lemonade: topped off.</LI>
<LI>Everything MUST: topped off and the fermentation has slowed down tremendously.</LI>
<LI>Lilac: kinda doin' it's thing. Topped off with apple wine. Fermentation is slowing down.</LI>[/list]


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## Hippie (Aug 1, 2005)

That's alot of blueberry wine! If it seems thin in the end, all you can do is sweeten it a little with some juice! Sounds yummy to me! If you sweeten it enough with juice, you could end up with 8 gallons!!! Yee-Haww!!!


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## MedPretzel (Sep 13, 2005)

Update again:
<UL>
<LI>Racked blueberry.SG: 0.990. Tastes hot, but not bad.
<LI>Chamomile, still in carboy. I don't feel like touching it. It has no sediment. I didn't even smell it this time.
<LI>Everything MUSTacked.It tastes pretty good, cleared outvery well,but the smell isa little too much of lavender.




<LI>Lilac: kinda doin' it's thing. Clearing nicely. Racked today, and will see where it goes. It is quite sweet for my tastes, but not bad.</LI>
<LI>Mead Surprise: well, this one is the first mead I've ever made. I got the recipe from another forum, and it tastes a little too much like orange rind for my tastes. And it's still very sweet. I racked this one for the first time today (after about a month!).</LI>
<LI>Chardonnay Kit: racked. It can now bulk age until I'm good and ready (tomorrow?). It's very pretty yellow, and it smells pretty good.</LI>
<LI>Daylily: Just doin' it's thing. Nothing really to mention. Lots of action in the airlock.</LI>[/list]


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## kaizen (Sep 13, 2005)

could you taste the honey through the suprise? on the raspberry I can't taste the honey yet. too harsh.


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## MedPretzel (Sep 13, 2005)

all I taste is sweet.


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## kaizen (Sep 13, 2005)

type of honey? how long has it been in the carboy? add sugar? what? how? when? why?


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## kaizen (Sep 13, 2005)

sorry, I forgot:



where?????


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## kaizen (Sep 13, 2005)

what the where is for i have no idea. it just sounded good.


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## MedPretzel (Sep 14, 2005)

Well, considering this was my first try at a mead, I used the store-bought clover honey - 9 pounds for the 1 gallon batch. It has been in the carboy for about 6 weeks. No sugar was added. It is in the basement (to answer your where question!). Why? I have no idea. Just sounded good.





Orange rinds are in there, and some spices.


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## masta (Sep 14, 2005)

9lbs for a gallon....no wonder it is sweet!






What was your starting specific gravity?


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## MedPretzel (Sep 14, 2005)

Unfortunately, I didn't test it.


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## masta (Sep 14, 2005)

One gallon of honey weighs approximately 12 lbs. Based on 9 lbs of honey (10.6 oz per lb = 95.4 oz) the starting gravity of a 1 gallon batch would be ~1.329 or potential ABV of 45% !


Increasing the total volume to 3 gals would bring the SG down to ~1.11 and potential ABV to 14.85%.


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## MedPretzel (Sep 14, 2005)

Woah, I made a total error....





I put in 4 pounds, not 9. (What the hell was I thinking?) Sorry! I am so sorry for the goof.


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## masta (Sep 14, 2005)

I thought something was wrong...LMAO! 


4 lbs of honey in a gallon would give you a SG of ~1.147 and potential ABV of 20.02%. Even with champagne or similar type yeast it will finish sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.


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## MedPretzel (Sep 14, 2005)

Thanks, masta! I am such a loser!


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## kaizen (Sep 14, 2005)

I was putting 3-4 lbs of honey per gallon. I get a faint honey
taste but it is a very harsh wine to drink. I am hoping that it
really mellows with age, 1-2 years


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## MedPretzel (Sep 24, 2005)

Yay!





I finally used my superkleer today on my lilac wine. It's been at 0.990 all summer, and I thought, what the heck.... It's just not clearing as I had hoped, and I think I am going to filter this one in a new contraption that Bill B. mentioned to me. 


I'm dying to try it out, but just 24 more hours, one racking, and then a week of sitting there, I'll be able to tell you more!





Martina


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## MedPretzel (Oct 21, 2005)

2 new wines to add:





Apple (from concentrate)
and
Purple Basil (fresh frozen, from my sister's farm)





Nothing else is new, just waiting for everything to drop more sediment or clear.






Lilac has been bottled, as well as blueberry. Life has been getting quite hectic around here, so haven't had much time for the wine.



Unfortunately. I have been diligently picking mums, and I'm up to about 7 gallons now. I feel quite empty, since this is the first year I'm not making marigold wine. I will probably pick some Catawba up this week from a local vineyard. I guess 2005 is the year of the grape at QuiToBee Cellars.






Daylily is starting to clear, as is Rosemary-Nutmeg. The latter will be quite brilliant if it keeps on clearing as it is.


I have a lot of squash. I wonder if squash wine is something worth making?!?!?


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## Waldo (Oct 22, 2005)

Hey Martina what does the Rosemary-Nutmeg taste like? 


I can't imagine squash wine but you never know, it may turn out to be a kick b..tt wine.


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## MedPretzel (Oct 22, 2005)

It's hard to say what it tastes like at the beginning stage. All I can say, it smells like winter!!!



Makes you think of being curled up on the couch with a good book and the fireplace glowing.





I will keep you posted, though!


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## MedPretzel (Oct 26, 2005)

Racked Niagara











And the concord. Don't worry, I've topped up (before I get reprimanded again).


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## MedPretzel (Nov 16, 2005)

Update: GYM wine. It's in the fermentor...


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## MedPretzel (Nov 16, 2005)

Update on the Niagara











Basil:














Passionflower:











Looks like i need to rack pretty soon.....





And Rose-Hip:














See? I remembered the camera today.


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## peterCooper (Nov 16, 2005)

I'd say the passionflower is about to dump a whole lot of lees soon.
Nice colors.



*Edited by: peterCooper *


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## Waldo (Nov 17, 2005)

Very Nice Martina


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## MedPretzel (Nov 17, 2005)

thanks pC and Waldo!





Yes, actually all of them are about ready to be racked. But I have to admit, it looks a lot "worse" on the pics than in real life. There's not so much goo at the bottom, it seems. When I looked at the pics on my PC, I was surprised and made the trek to the basement to check.









Again, thanks for the comments. Always nice to hear!


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## bilbo-in-maine (Nov 17, 2005)

Martina, Your photos are as inspiring as always. You make so many 
different types of non-fruit recipes that I can't help wondering whether 
you are concerned about and do anything regarding acid levels - they 
must vary up and down with the different base ingredients. I know you 
have talked about needing to be better acquainted with the topic in other 
threads. Have you gotten a leg up on it yet, and anything to share?


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## MedPretzel (Nov 17, 2005)

Thanks bilbo!



It's people like *you all* who inspire *me*. 


You are correct in that I know nothing about pH.



Unfortunately, my computer-program I use(d) to document the wine process shut down and never restarted for me. All my notes up until recently are down the tubes. Luckily, I try to (when I remember) write stuff down as I go along, but sometimes I forget or neglect to do so. DOH! 


This is the way I do my acid levels. I by no means want to suggest that this is a good way, but it is the way I do it. My wines turned out well for me, but in the local fair, the main problem with them (why they didn't place higher) was said that it was a too-low acid content. I'm trying some things differently this year, but we will see.


I usually add 1-2 tsp acid blend per gallon as a general rule (FOR ME), depending on what I am making. In other words, I wing it. If I think a wine could be acidic by nature of the things I am using, I adjust more or less downward: For example, my gut feeling about mint wine is that it's a little on the acidic side. I used 1 tsp per gallon. My gut feeling about rosemary-nutmeg? I was unsure, so since I made 1 gallon of it, I put in 1.5 tsp. The same with passionflower. The basil turned out well the last time (placed 2nd at the local fair, AND "real" people liked it) and I used 1 tsp per gallon.


My daylily wine, for example, I used 2 tsp per gallon. It was recommended to use on Jack Keller's website. I tweaked that recipe just a bit (used more Daylilies than he did). Added apple juice instead of grape. The pH of it was on 9/17 (after about 2 weeks of fermentation) was 3.59.... So far, this means not a whole lot to me.






My peach wine, which was bottled at the end of August had 8 tsp of acid blend per 5 gallons: Glenvall's peach recipe. The pH was 4.04... I hate the taste, but I think it doesn't have to do with the pH, but rather that it just needs aging. I don't know for sure, though.


I've read somewhere (sorry, don't know the source) the magical pH is 3.55.....



But you have to balance this out with many other factors, I have read, but am no expert on.


You know what? You've gotten my attention to this pH thing: Let me go downstairs and check out the pH of all of them, and I'll let you know.









Be right back!





M.


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## MedPretzel (Nov 17, 2005)

Thanks for asking me this:


I went down and did some testing....


Here are the pH's of my wines:
<UL>
<LI>First, the Cab Franc (kit wine from George) 3.71 
<LI>Rosemary-Nutmeg: 3.81 - I added a teaspoon of acid, then the pH went down to 3.41!!! 
<LI>Apple: 3.97 
<LI>GYM (currently fermenting with the must) 3.23 
<LI>Niagara: 3.63 
<LI>Mint: 4.01 
<LI>Rosehip: 3.82 
<LI>Passionflower: 4.39 
<LI>Basil: 3.46 
<LI>Concord: 2.81 
<LI>Daylily: 3.81</LI>[/list]


*So, all in all, I think my theory is WRONG*, if 3.55 is the pH one should strive for.



My gut feelings were combined with previous recipes I have seen (Jack Keller's).


I added acid blend to the following wines: 


2.5 tsp to the mint wine, 3 tsp to the rosehip and 4 to the passionflower. I did not test again becausealmost alloverflowed.









A little disheartened,





M.*Edited by: MedPretzel *


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## jobe05 (Nov 17, 2005)

Martina, I'm like you. I don't mind taking readings to put in my notes and I think I'm pleased when they fall within an acceptable range for the wine Im making, but when they don't, for me, Im stuck. How does acid blend take down the PH? I'm not asking to see if you know, I just don't know and anyone can answer, I just haven't read that much on PH and Acid adjustments yet. Most of my scratch wines have either been somewhat drinkable, or they go down the drain and I start over (only once). If you add acid blend to adjust PH, does that now throw the acid level off? 


All interesting stuff, but something I need to know alot more about......


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## jobe05 (Nov 17, 2005)

OH yea... Sorry.......


I really like your wines, very ambitious of you. What is your Niagra made of, fresh grapes or juice?


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## MedPretzel (Nov 17, 2005)

Jobe,


I can tell you this: Acid blend _is_ adding acid. It makes the pH go down. You can see it in my Rosemary-Nutmeg wine. 1 tsp for a 1 gallon carboy makes the pH go down by 0.4 in my case. 


You asked:
"If you add acid blend to adjust pH, does that now throw off the acid level off?"


In my very limited knowledge: yes and no. If your pH is fine (whatever that is), then it will throw it off to a more acidic level. If your pH is too high (meaning your wine does NOT have enough acid) it will correct it and give it that acidic character that wines usually have. At least that is what I have read about it. 


I've only gotten recently into the pH thing, and I'm totally stuck. I haven't gotten a clear answer from anyone about "what's the target pH" when I have asked them. I sort of like my wines, and I just asked my dad if he thought this or the other wine tasted okay, and he said yeah.


I'm also a total dud in SO2... I know nothing about it, and can honestly say that those titrettes are beyond my abilities to use. I just don't get them, and I honestly don't know _how_ to interpret the results. 





Sorry for the wishy-washy answer, but that's all I know. Now you guys know what a limited-knowledged winemaker I am.





P.S. Thanks for the comment.  Niagara and Concord were from fresh juice from a local vineyard here in the area (www.debonne.com). The concord is so acidic (obviously) that my mouth puckered.




*Edited by: MedPretzel *


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## jobe05 (Nov 17, 2005)

I got a box of the titrettes when I first started making scratch wines and like you, I gave up........ either I didn't get it, or or the science is just such with these titrittes that it is just not made to be an exact science. I also have an acid test kit that I can't seem to master. The instructions tell you to put 3cc's in the syringe, but the increments are in ML....... I gave up on it to....


Now my PH test strips.... right up my alley..... dunk it in, wait to dry a little, compair color........ pretty simple........


So much to learn.......... to much to drink......... I love it!


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## PolishWineP (Nov 17, 2005)

I to am an acid/ph failure. Burt usually does all of that. I have worked with him on it and come up with the numbers while he's sitting there and I do the math in my own way. When making scratch wines I try to use good recipes and stick to them and not worry about the acid. I can't do it all and there was a reason I dropped high school chemistry after the 3rd day. It's just not my bag, baby!


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## MedPretzel (Nov 17, 2005)

to your enthusiasm. I just lost mine there for a couple of minutes. Back on track, though.









I got a wonderful Hanna pH tester from George a few months back. Like I said, my wine-computer-program totally bit the dust (something with Java - JAR or something - for you computer savvies), so I've lost my previous results.






(saw this icon and thought yeah, I'd like to punch someone for losing my notes -- never trust a computer program that is free or a beta version -- worked for over a year, and then poof.


















)





Anyhow, I have a computer printout, which the source is unknown to me, who says that "The must for a white wine should ideally start in the pH 3.2-3.4 range. Red musts from pH 3.3 to 3.5. These nubers are pretty arbitrary but in general the pH of your must falls within the ranges indicated, you will have an easier time controlling oxidation, acid balance and bacterial activity."





"Allow 30 seconds for the pH reading" (Mine took longer)


"For various chemistry type reasons, pH 3.55 is considered the magic dividing line between relative safety and more vulnerability to problems of oxidation and/or undesirable bacterial infection."





For what it's worth, I hope this helps. Let me look for another source on SO2... I know someone wrote to me a great answer about it. Couldn't make heads or tails of it. You know what -- I'll post it in a new topic. May stir some discussion up.


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## jobe05 (Nov 17, 2005)

Thanks Martina, that would really help.


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## MedPretzel (Nov 17, 2005)

[url]http://www.finevinewines.com/Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8 42&amp;get=last#11711[/url]





The post on SO2


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## MedPretzel (Nov 25, 2005)

Update on the GYM wine. Looks like mud, but there's gonna be TONS of sediment. I just feel it:














It turns out that I had 2.5 gallons of the stuff, where I think about 1/2 of it is going to be sediment. It's so extremely *gritty* - the feel. I haven't tasted it, and the smell is _okay_. I think this will have a very interesting heavy character once it's finished - unusual (in my opinion) for a white, which this will seem to be.


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## bilbo-in-maine (Nov 25, 2005)

yeah, it looks like a big bottle of bentonite....


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## Waldo (Nov 26, 2005)

What do think is the cause Martina? Ever experienced it before?


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## MedPretzel (Nov 26, 2005)

> yeah, it looks like a big bottle of bentonite....




Doesn't it?





> What do think is the cause Martina? Ever experienced it before?




I believe it's the herbs I used. They just throw a lot of sediment I guess. The herbs were simply put through a fine-mesh collander, which probably still let a lot of the smaller particles through. 


This morning when I checked on them, a lot of sediment was already at the bottom. I racked the whole shebang getting all the gunk at the bottom of the primary as well. 


It's not a usual procedure for winemaking, I know, but that's the way I do it. I like to _*see*_ what I'm racking off when it's in the carboy.


I've had that with the Rosemary-Nutmeg wine that I've made from dried herbs as well. It just means a couple of extra rackings, that's all. Nothing to be alarmed about, I think. 


Here's a pic of the rosemary-nutmeg before:











After (it's the vacuvin demo wine)





*Edited by: MedPretzel *


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## MedPretzel (Dec 2, 2005)

Update on the gallon-o-betonite (times 2.5!)!


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## bilbo-in-maine (Dec 2, 2005)

This is fun


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## MedPretzel (Dec 3, 2005)

cleaning out those bottles won't be that much fun! The muck at the bottom isn't going to be pretty, that's for sure.


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## bilbo-in-maine (Dec 3, 2005)

You are an old hand at it, should be a breeze


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## PolishWineP (Dec 4, 2005)

Oh! I just had a fun thought on cleaning! Bring Bert's big air compressor into my garage which is right off the kitchen. Run the hose into the kitchen, put warm water and B-Brite into the carboys and add compressed air! Woo hoo! I think I'd wear a rain coat while doing this!


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## nuke (Dec 4, 2005)

Hi. I am a newbe. Just bottled our first batch of wine. Every thing 
went GREAT. All of Georges stuff worked super. Our first try is a 
concord wine, Grapes from our own vines. Only used half the skins 
so it is a nice blush color. Have plum and apple working now. Just 
had to tell someone.


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## MedPretzel (Dec 4, 2005)

How wonderful, nuke!






We are alwaysglad to hear how things went - good or bad.









Post some pics so we can all drool over your great new wine!





M.


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## bilbo-in-maine (Dec 4, 2005)

Hi Nuke, and welcome

Curious to know your whereabouts, given you can grow your own varietals.

Bill


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## MedPretzel (Dec 16, 2005)

Update: Bottle-o-Betonite wine (GYM):


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## Waldo (Dec 16, 2005)

Martina, what size bung do you use on those Carlo Rossi jugs?


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## MedPretzel (Dec 16, 2005)

If I remember correctly, it's a #6 Bung.


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## Steve (Dec 16, 2005)

I believe that is what I have for mine.


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## bilbo-in-maine (Dec 16, 2005)

A 6 1/2 also works

The Jug-O-Bentonite has cleared up nicely! Can't remember if that was cold 
stabilized.


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## MedPretzel (Dec 17, 2005)

No, it wasn't cold-stabilized. Just plain old cellar (basement) temps: 63ish....


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## MedPretzel (Jan 21, 2006)

Update:


Basil:











Gym - gallon o bentonite:





*Edited by: MedPretzel *


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## MedPretzel (Jan 21, 2006)

Oh yes, and the rose-hip (not a good pic, but oh well)


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## garyd (Jan 21, 2006)

Yikes!! Martina- how do you know what all these things taste like before you make them? Are they any good? Strawberry sounded good; raspberry, cherry, blueberry- sure- but rose hips and basil???



*Edited by: garyd *


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## bilbo-in-maine (Jan 21, 2006)

Do they all have oak, or just gal-o-bentonite? It is beautiful, and I assume 
you already filtered it!


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## pkcook (Jan 21, 2006)

I love the 1.5L (?) jug Martina. Never seen one like that. What a beautiful honey-like color the wine has!


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## MedPretzel (Jan 22, 2006)

GaryD, Rosehips are wonderful. They are so good, and make one of the best fruit wines I've ever had.



It even got a 3rd place at the Geauga County Fair last year and it was said that it would have scored higher with a higher sugar level. (It was too dry for category)Basil gets mixed reviews, but.. I got a 2nd place at the fair last year for my green (normal) basil: "Nice spicey aroma and taste. Slightly bitter." but still got a 2nd....






Of course, there are some I would not recommend making, nor would I make them again.






Bilbo, I recently oaked the gallon-o-bentonite (it's an experiment in heavy, light, and medium toasted american oak). No, it's not filtered, just racked and racked. I will filter soon, I imagine.  It still tastes like poopoo, but I think I might sweeten it up a bit. The taste, however, has gotten a lot milder since I made it. Almost tolerable now. It probably won't be the winner that I had hoped it would be, but it's better than what it was. (Doesn't say much, eh?) If you would drink straw or hay, I think this is what it would taste like.


Pat, thank you for the compliment! Actually, I found that jug in the second-hand store, and thought it was perfect if I ever made a mead. Reminds me of a honeycomb! Too bad the wine in there doesn't taste that good!


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## jcnoren (Jan 22, 2006)

Went looking for rose hip recipe and found some at jack kellars web site. 2 years before this wine is good to drink, I don't think I have much patients. Just to start this wine, one would have to wait until the fall when the rose hips are ready for picking...add on 2 years....long time...





JC


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## MedPretzel (Jan 22, 2006)

Well, I will be honest with you. After a month out of the carboy, the wine was great in my opinion. After 6 months in the bottle, the wine is great too. After a year, also great. Was the greatness greater after a year than it was after a month? Maybe, but not like, "hey this is a totally different wine than at the beginning."


I made a hibiscus at the same time, for example. It tasted absolutely to die for right out of the carboy. After 1 year, I'm not that impressed with it as I was at the beginning.


I think JK offers a buffer-zone to his wines. I usually reduce his "must age for" times by 1/2. He says mum wine tastes good only after a year, but I have to say, 6-9 months is pretty good too.



But, tastes are different, and JK has more of a palate, I am sure, than I do, but that's just me.


Rose hip wine is still something definitely to try. If you don't like it after it's out of the carboy, bottle it and make a new one. See what it's like after 2 years. It's extremely good.





BTW, my rosehip that I entered into the fair was only about 9 months old (from the beginning of fermentation) when we had our fair.









Edit: I also made my rose-hip wines out of dried rosehips from www.oldtimeherbs.com. They are very reasonable in pricing and shipping, and they have quite high quality supplies. It's best to buy more than one ingredient, however. My mother recently ordered elderberries from there, and paid just about the same price for shipping for 1 pound of elderberries as she did for 1 pound of dried red clover, 2 pounds of rosehips and 1 pound of hibiscus flowers (which were all shipped together).








*Edited by: MedPretzel *


----------



## jcnoren (Jan 22, 2006)

I live in Alberta, our provincal flower is the wild rose, they grow in abundance and most everywhere. I automatically figured the rose hips used would befrom the wild rose.....sitting here it just dawned on me you could also use the rose hips from (planted roses bushes). Curious did you use "wild rose hips or commercially planted rose hips"?//


JC


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## MedPretzel (Jan 23, 2006)

Most definitely you can use them. 





I don't know what I used, to be quite honest. I got them at the link listed above, and they were dried. My gramma used fresh ones all the time, though. You can even make some very good tea out of them.


----------



## jcnoren (Jan 23, 2006)

Wild rose hip tea is exactly how I was first introduced to them. High in Vit C., very strong flavor. Which is why I curious about the "kind" you used. This summer I am going picken.



Now that the concept of rose hip wine was suggested.


JC


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## MedPretzel (Jun 15, 2006)

Wow, long time no update on my long nights of winemaking. Probably becasue there haven't been too many of them lately.









I am currently making some interesting wines, but all are in the bulk-aging stages.





<LI>Apple wine - Started October 05 - not clearing.



</LI>
<LI>Purple basil - Started October 05 - something terribly wrong.</LI>
<LI>Juniper- started December 28 - starting to clear --- slowly</LI>
<LI>Red-Clovertop - started Jan 16 - not clearing</LI>
<LI>Sage - started Jan 19 - clearing nicely



</LI>
<LI>Canned Plum - Started 2/19 - murky</LI>
<LI>Squash-Caraway - Started 2/11 - clearing slowly but surely</LI>
<LI>Caribbean Port - started 3/30 - smells good!</LI>
<LI>Basil-Dill - started 4/20 - looks disgusting still</LI>
<LI>Hibiscus/Clover - started 4/20 - shows promise, but not done yet.</LI>
<LI>Wine Kit - Valpollicella - started 5/30ish... Never can go wrong!</LI>
<LI>Some sort of "throw-everything-together" wine with Mums and Elderberries. Should make for an interesting one.</LI>
<LI>Chickweed - 1 gallon - started some time in May, I think. Looks gross.</LI>
<LI>Dandelion - 1 gallon - also started some time in May. Looks like murky pee-water, but smells really good.</LI>


So, they are all in the "bulking" phase. All carboys are used up, no more airlocks to say, "well, maybe I could squeeze in another batch" and no signs of clearing. I am toying with the idea of putting sparkelloid in everything, but then I might just wait it out. Mum-season is only 2-3 months away! Plus, I have to get some carboys empty for the fall harvest. I plan to go to the local winery and get some niagara grape juice again. That one is one I would suggest people make over and over again.






Well, just thought I'd keep you updated. Sorry - there's nothing really exciting going on.


----------



## grapeman (Jun 15, 2006)

Martina,


I see you do a fair number of herb wines. In your vast experience have you ever made or heard of anybody making catnip wine? I've had catnip tea as a remedy a lot when I was young and it really was pretty good. Any ideas how to make wine with it? It grows as a weed aroung here - if I can keep the cats out of it.


Richard


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## Waldo (Jun 15, 2006)

And I would be interested in seeing your Caribbean Port recipe


----------



## MedPretzel (Jun 15, 2006)

appleman said:


> Martina,
> 
> 
> I see you do a fair number of herb wines. In your vast experience have you ever made or heard of anybody making catnip wine? I've had catnip tea as a remedy a lot when I was young and it really was pretty good. Any ideas how to make wine with it? It grows as a weed aroung here - if I can keep the cats out of it.
> ...







Well, I have never made it, but................





My general herb recipe (for 1 gallon) would be:
<UL>
<LI>2 quarts of loosely packed fresh catnip leaves</LI>
<LI>2 pounds sugar (so that SG is 1.080 or so)</LI>
<LI>water to 1 gallon</LI>
<LI>2 tsp acid blend</LI>
<LI>1 tsp pectic enzyme</LI>
<LI>1 tsp nutrient</LI>
<LI>1 tsp energizer</LI>
<LI>1 packet of yeast</LI>[/list]


Proceed as normal - i.e. boil the water, pour over leaves. Wait til it cools, add pectic enzyme. Let it sit overnight, add the rest. Transfer to glass at about 1.040. Rack when there's about a half an inch of sediment, after 2 or 3 rackings, add a can of white grape concentrate. Sweeten to taste, don't forget to stabilize and campden and so on.









Oh yes, if it's a winner wine? Send me a bottle!





Now for the caribbean port: It's not done, but here it goes:
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Name of Wine: [/I]<?amespace prefix = st1 ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficearttags" /><st1lace><st1laceName><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Caribbean[/I]</st1laceName><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> [/I]<st1lace><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Port[/I]</st1lace></st1lace><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />[/I]
ID: 06-06
Started: <st1ate Year="2006" Day="30" Month="3">3/30/2006</st1ate>
Amount: ~ 1 gallon 
Starting SG: 1.120
Potential alcohol:
Yeast strain: Lalvin

<UL>
<LI>
<DIV =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Fruit/concentrate: 1 # frozen blueberries (weighed when frozen), 6 oz. dried hibiscus, 2 cups light Malt</LI>
<LI>
<DIV =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Sugar: 1 ¾ pounds</LI>
<LI>
<DIV =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Water to: 3 quarts</LI>
<LI>
<DIV =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Acid blend: 2 tsp</LI>
<LI>
<DIV =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Pectic Enzyme: ½ tsp</LI>
<LI>
<DIV =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Tannin: -/-</LI>
<LI>
<DIV =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Yeast nutrient: -/-</LI>
<LI>
<DIV =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Yeast energizer: ½ tsp</LI>[/list]


On this one, I'll add some high-potency stuff, according to Mr. Keller's blueberry port recipe.





If you make it, and make any changes, let me know. This is my first try at port.









M.*Edited by: MedPretzel *


----------



## grapeman (Jun 15, 2006)

That sounds like a winner to me! I'll have to wait a little while for the "nip" to get a little bigger. I may try one batch with fresh leaves and one with dried. That's what we would use for the tea. Don't see why the tea wouldn't work as the base. When it's done I'll need to remember where my inspiration came from. When you say you want a bottle is that 375,750,1500 ml, or gallon?







Thanks


----------



## linda0210 (Jun 15, 2006)

MedPretzel said:


> My general herb recipe (for 1 gallon) would be:
> <ul>
> [*]2 quarts of loosely packed fresh catnip leaves
> [*]2 pounds sugar (so that SG is 1.080 or so)
> ...





MedPretzel



When you add the concentrate back in , does it start fermentating again?


----------



## MedPretzel (Jun 16, 2006)

No..... 


That's why it should be stabilized before you add it. At least that's how I do it. It gives you a slightly sweet wine, which, for most herb wines, is an almost neededthing.


&amp; Yes......


if you decide to add the concentrate at the beginning, you can most certainly have fermentation. It just wouldn't give a sweetness to the end result. If you do not stabilize, you would get refermentation as well.


----------



## MedPretzel (Jun 19, 2006)

Update on some wines:





Racked the apple again... Cleared up okay using sparkelloid.


Racked the plum again... Still looks "eh..."





Had a lot of foaming on them both, so I splashed, and splashed and splashed (some got on the floor.



) but looking better.


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## linda0210 (Jun 19, 2006)

MedPretzel said:


> No.....
> 
> 
> That's why it should be stabilized before you add it. At least
> ...





so stabilize it first, wait and then add the juice and stabilize again?


----------



## paubin (Jun 19, 2006)

Linda, once you stabilize your wine you dont have to stabilize again.
Although its a good idea to continue to let the wine bulk age under an
airlock for a while just in case fermentation does start up again which
is pretty unlikely.


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## MedPretzel (Jun 25, 2006)

Well, I've been in the clearing phase of my wines... still.





They're all set at 0.990, and just not clearing, it seems. The chickweed and sage are pretty clear, but still throwing a fine dust of sediment. I will have to do some racking soon, but don't know when.


The hibiscus-clovertop wine is coming along nicely. The plum tasted thin to me, as did the sage wine. The juniper is nice, But I'll have to sweeten it up majorly before bottling. I'm drinking one from 2004, and it's very sweet, but good.


My caribbean port is sort of stuck at 1.030, but I think this is normal. Or? I've never made port before, so it might be something not quite right.





The dandelion wine just looks gross. Yech!


Well, I'll try to post some pictures soon. Sorry if I've been slacking a little.


----------



## Dean (Jun 28, 2006)

Martina, from my experience, ports typically finish between 1.030 and 1.020 of residual sugar, so I think your port will be just fine! I also find that the sweeter the port, the earlier you can drink it! However, the sweeter the port, the better it gets over time as well!


----------



## OldWino1 (Jun 30, 2006)

Yall are out there with these types of wine. I am so boring with
the kit grape wine. Well at least it tastes great also.


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## MedPretzel (Jul 6, 2006)

Here's a picture. After the picture, I topped up the beer, exchanged the red stuff out of the airlocks, and finished the wine.















*Edited by: MedPretzel *


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## PolishWineP (Jul 6, 2006)

Mmmmmm.....


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## MedPretzel (Jul 19, 2006)

Well, I _might_ be bottling the applewine tonight.






I will try to get some pictures posted if I can.


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## MedPretzel (Jul 30, 2006)

Well, I haven't been doing too much wine _per se_.... But I thought I'd throw you out a couple of pictures of what's been happening to me the last few days. 


I'm Martina, Master of the Mold and Mildew.






As some of you may know, I have an 80 year old house with an old coal cellar. I have my winemaking laboratory there, and much to my dismay, I found a whole lot of animals living down there which weren't yeast and were not cats.



So, believe it or not, I have spent 3 solid days "demoldifying" my basement, andtrying to make it easier to clean for next year's round of humidity.




This is the new setup.








I got rid of all the cardboard wine boxes (well, almost all of them), and put them into the 18-gallon sterilite containers you see on the wall. Although I found a ton of mildew on everything around my wine-lab, there was nothing, nada, zilch in those containers. I bought 8 more of them at Target (were on sale for 3.99), and put all my wine and empty bottles in them. 


This is what I got rid of.








So, yes and no, I haven't been doing much wine lately, but I've been down in the wine-lab for a good part of the week. I just hope that it will be done for at least this year. We've been having such ... humid and moist weather (more rain than usual - a couple of towns over had flooding last week), that it's been a real bear to deal with. 


I put all my wine-supplies in a plastic see-thru container as well. 12 quart-see-through kind. I now just have to flip open the lid and everything is in one spot. The empty primaries are hanging from the ceiling with bicycle hooks. The dehumidifier is now running 6 hours a day, as opposed to 4.


Here's another view:








Yes, and those are still the kitty-litter pails. One has holes drilled in the bottom and is now functioning as a "carboy-drainer-holder" and one has all my empty and fileld beer bottles.


For the curious: an 18 gallon container holds approximately 10 gallons worth of wine. They weigh about 65-70 pounds when full with wine bottles, so it's still pretty easy to lift, pull away from the wall, etc. I have them now set up about 3 inches away from the wall, and about 6-7 inches apart. No more than 1 on top of another, because the walls of the lowest one can't take the weight. But this way, they seem to be fine. And trust me, it seems to be effective against mildew.






Oh yes, I bottled my apple wine tonight. I tipped one of the bottles over and it ran all over the wine area, so it's triple clean there now.



Again. So, that explains why there are no pictures of the bottling process. I got sick and tired of that damn mop.


----------



## Waldo (Jul 31, 2006)

Martina, do you keep any fans running in the area. One of those on the stand that rotates would help a bunch in keeping trh mildew down. Another thing that would really help if you felt really industrious would be to paint the walls with Kilz. Having an area that largeto mewould be worth the struggle with mold/mildew


----------



## masta (Jul 31, 2006)

Wow that was a lot of work and I know what it is like to get mold all over everything since it happened to me a few years ago in my fermentation area. This year has really been tough here in the NE since we have had lots of rain and many hot and humid days also.


I had to switch to an air conditioner in the basement after I built the wine cellar since the cooling unitfor the cellar vents into the basement. I must keep the temp down below 80 degrees in the basement so the cooling unit in the wine cellar will work properly. The dehumidifier works great to remove moisture from the air but really generates a lot of heat.


Yesterday we wiped down all the wood surfaces in the fermentation room with a chlorine based cleaner to remove a slight film of mold that had started.


----------



## MedPretzel (Jul 31, 2006)

Waldo said:


> Martina, do you keep any fans running in the area. One of those on the stand that rotates would help a bunch in keeping trh mildew down. Another thing that would really help if you felt really industrious would be to paint the walls with Kilz. Having an area that largeto mewould be worth the struggle with mold/mildew








Yes, we have a couple of fans going down there constantly, the dehumidifier going (now) 6 hours a day, and we painted the walls with Kilz before we put the off-white paint on it.


But, like I said, it's an old coal cellar. I think I'm just going to have to accept that fact, make cleanup as easy as possible for next year, and hope that we have a somewhat drier summer.








Martina


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## Dean (Jul 31, 2006)

Wow, I resolve to no longer complain about humidity on the west coast anymore! I thought we had mold problems here with 6 months of rain, but it's nowhere near what you east coasters and mid-westers have to go through. Eep!


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## NorthernWinos (Jul 31, 2006)

Martina...is there a reason you only run your dehumidifier only 6 hours a day????We run ours 24/7, it seems it runs a lot at first when we first set it up, but then once it gets caught up on some of the moisture it runs less.
We have a walkout basement and haven't had any rain to speak of, [terribly dry here]but think it gets the moisture just out of the humid air. I have it sitting over a floor drain and just take the drip pan out and it drips into the floor drain. Had another unit that had a place in the drip pan you could run a piece of garden hose to a floor drain that worked good too.
Dehumidifiers really take the moisture out of a moist area....but think you should maybe run it more, would mean more emptying the pan, but worth it...

[]


----------



## Wade E (Jul 31, 2006)

Wow, thats quite a wine set up there and alot of wine in carboys. Impressed!


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## MedPretzel (Jul 31, 2006)

Northern Winos said:


> Martina...is there a reason you only run your dehumidifier only 6 hours a day????We run ours 24/7, it seems it runs a lot at first when we first set it up, but then once it gets caught up on some of the moisture it runs less.
> We have a walkout basement and haven't had any rain to speak of, [terribly dry here]but think it gets the moisture just out of the humid air. I have it sitting over a floor drain and just take the drip pan out and it drips into the floor drain. Had another unit that had a place in the drip pan you could run a piece of garden hose to a floor drain that worked good too.
> Dehumidifiers really take the moisture out of a moist area....but think you should maybe run it more, would mean more emptying the pan, but worth it...




Yes, well, the reason I run it only 6 hours a day because of electric costs. But, I think I'm going to run it more often... 


I let my dehumidifier also drain right down the drain. It's very helpful not to have to constantly think about it. 


Thanks for the compliments - I have entered about 10 wines into our county fair again this year. Hopefully I'll be doing better than last year.


----------



## jobe05 (Aug 1, 2006)

Martina:


My daughter just baught a house that had been sitting up closed for about a year. When they went in for the first time, there was mold in all the basement and in many places upstairs. They hired a contractor who came in (for $22,000) and repainted everything adding a mold inhibitor that you can buy at any paint store. They also used this inhibitor on a wet rag (with gloves on) and wiped down doors, trim and other woodwork. He said as long as it stays on the wood, or other surfaces, it would work against the mold coming back. You may want to try that in you basement.


And yes, they did more than paint for $22 grand, there was a lot of demolition in the basement that they had to do.


----------



## pkcook (Aug 1, 2006)

Martina,


Do you have a sump system in your basement (I'm guessing no since you have a really old house)? When I bought my house in Dayton, I had negative grade on all four side of my house and the sump pump ran all the time. I filled in around the the foundation of the houseallowing all runoff to flow away from the foundationand put in underground extensions on all five of my downspouts from my roof runoff. This has cured my damp basement problem completely! During rainy times I would have standing water around my foundation walls. With this simple fix, all water flows away from the house and the gutters from the roof drain into the underground extensions that deposit the water 10 feet away from the foundation. Just a thought.


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## MedPretzel (Aug 2, 2006)

Jobe, 


If you could get me the name of the stuff, I would be greatly appreciative. It sounds like they have a great house (I love old houses with all their quirks), which is very nice to hear. I'm in love with this house, especially since no woodwork was ever touched in the process of living here. For 30 years, there was the same owner, who never even as much put a nail in the wall (let alone update anything, but thank God for that). 


pk,


No, no sump system. I wish. It's an old cellar with single-pane windows (next on the list to update, but we're both really in a double-bind situation on that one), and we dry-locked and everything when we redid the basement. We were just going for "quick, clean, and nice" and we have learned that we goofed. The concrete walls are just too porous for the paint. For the windows, though, we love them. They are oversized for today's standards, and we would have to get custom-made windows (6 of them) if we want to keep (and we do) the windows in that size. As old as the cellar is, it's very bright. Unusual to say the least. But, we're going totry some new stuff out this winter (insulation) to see if that helps in the wintertime. 


Other than that, our ceiling is now falling down (old plaster ceiling) in the basement. Maybe the ceiling will be the next big project. :S


M.


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## jobe05 (Aug 3, 2006)

Martina:


I'm going out of town for a long weekend, but I will find out what it is they used as soon as I get back.


I too love older homes, older victorians in the north and older farm houses in the south. Fortunately, for my daughter, the house the bought was only 2 years old and is a big, very nice house that they got for less than half the value.


Have a good weekend all.


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## MedPretzel (Aug 8, 2006)

Well, I finally got my act together and got myself registered (ahem, at the last minute) for the annual county fair. I will be entering in the following wines:


Daylily
Marigold (yellow)
Pumpkin
Niagara (from fresh grapes/grape juice)
Cab Franc
Chardonnay
Ancient Orange Mead
American Wheat Beer(thanks Frank)




My "husband" is entering in the following:
Chrysanthemum
Marigold (orange)
Rose-Hip


The county fair is in September (Labor Day weekend). I'm getting antsy!


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## MedPretzel (Aug 8, 2006)

Oh darn, 




I just bottled my juniper wine, and it is excellent!


Semi-dry, and very.... warm! Not as in hot, but it gives me the feeling of sitting in front of the fireplace at christmastime and enjoying a glass. 


My husband thought it tasted like mandarins, and if you knew what it was, you'd taste a little bit of that "gin-ness" out of it.


But just a hint.


I think this will be a wonderful holiday gift to the few people who actually drink wine and that I know. (The rest are either pregnant, or probably going to be -- again....) 


M.


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## MedPretzel (Aug 12, 2006)

racked the port, the dandelion and the chickweed. The port is SO good, the dandelion was good too, and the chickweed? Well... _Earthy_.


----------



## Waldo (Aug 13, 2006)

Port


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## jojo (Aug 18, 2006)

seeking recipe for juniper wine 


as an accompaniment to venison


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## MedPretzel (Aug 19, 2006)

*****************************



Search for Juniper


Here's what Jack Keller had to say about it:


"I certainly _loved_ the Juniper. It was the best-balanced wine I tasted at WineFest, and that includes the several wines I tasted at Boordy Vineyards. True, it was a bit sweet, but it sure did satisfy."


WOAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## jojo (Aug 19, 2006)

Thanks Martina






I got a hold of 4 ounces today at the vitamin/herb store.I am all over this!


I've used them in venison recipes. The flavor and aroma is great.*Edited by: jojo *


----------



## MedPretzel (Aug 19, 2006)

No problem. 


The only thing is: is that you have to tell me how it turns out.


----------



## jojo (Aug 19, 2006)

Delightfully pungent. I love this smell. The must is cooling off now. I followed the recipe to the letter. I am curious about the full teaspoon of tannin. I've never used so much before butam not worried.


----------



## MedPretzel (Aug 21, 2006)

The tannin is what I used. I know it's a lot, but it's what I used. 


Trust me, it's a good one.





M.


Oh, BTW, I bottled the plum today. *Edited by: MedPretzel *


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## Waldo (Aug 21, 2006)

MArtina. Is your plum really tangy?


----------



## MedPretzel (Aug 22, 2006)

I don't know, I have to say.... I think it's rather bland, with a *hint* of "bite" to it. I simply do not understand this wine. I think something is missing, but it might be a factor that is missing in my palate. My husband thinks it's great. It's very young, but for being a young wine, it tastes quite mature.


Tangy is something i probably wouldn't use to describe the wine.






Did you make one that's tangy? 


I have to say, I used canned plums in water. I probably didn't use enough, but who knows. Perhaps fresh plums would make a bit more "tangier" (try figuring out how to spell THAT!) wine???


M.


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## Funky Fish (Aug 23, 2006)

M, Jack Keller'sright - your juniper was definitely the best wine there!



While some of your other wines were quite pleasant, I could have taken a bottle of the juniper and sipped away all night!


----------



## NorthernWinos (Aug 23, 2006)

Here is a Site with words to describe your wines...other than 'good' and 'great' and.....

http://www.bcawa.ca/winemaking/words.htm


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## MedPretzel (Aug 23, 2006)

Thanks Psy--- uh--- funky (or as I say, Funkayyyyy!)!


I appreciate the comments on it. It's amazing how something you never thought would get so much attention actually did!


Woah!


M.


----------



## Waldo (Aug 23, 2006)

MedPretzel said:


> I don't know, I have to say.... I think it's rather bland, with a *hint* of "bite" to it. I simply do not understand this wine. I think something is missing, but it might be a factor that is missing in my palate. My husband thinks it's great. It's very young, but for being a young wine, it tastes quite mature.
> 
> 
> Tangy is something i probably wouldn't use to describe the wine.
> ...




Perhaps "Tart" might be the word I am seeking...NAW!!! I'm sticking with tangy


----------



## MedPretzel (Aug 24, 2006)

yep, mine sure ain't tangy. Maybe with time, but since I just bottled it, it's sort of hard to tell. How much tannin did you use?


----------



## Waldo (Aug 24, 2006)

Did not use any *Edited by: Waldo *


----------



## MedPretzel (Aug 24, 2006)

hmmm, I think it's the fresh ones. I don't think mine had peels on them. Maybe there's something in them that makes it tangy.


----------



## jojo (Aug 24, 2006)

*stir stir stir*


*sniff*


----------



## PolishWineP (Aug 25, 2006)

I would think the peels would add quite a bit. My parents always used home grown w/skins. The one thing I often don't like about plums as plums is the skin.



Toss them in!


----------



## MedPretzel (Aug 30, 2006)

Hmmm, I am at a loss tonight. Today was the judging of wines at our county fair.........


I stayed all evening to witness the winetasting. I wanted to see how it is done, what the comments are (and luckily there was a judge-in-training, so they were talking about certain aspects that probably wouldn't arise otherwise), etc, etc.


Well, lo and behold, I got 3 3rd places from 126 wines entered.


Am I happy? Yes, sort of. Am I disappointed? Yes, sort of too.


Juniper was a last-minute change, due to the comments I received at another competition. It didn't receive any awards. In fact, the judge said, "It tastes like a pine tree!" (He didn't know it was mine)


My marigold (liquid sunshine) was deemed undrinkable due to too high sulfite levels. Can you believe it, they used that wine to tell the judge in training about how match-sticks taste. The guy drank like 3 glasses of water afterwards.



It's the same wine that got an honorable mention at another competition. 


My Cab Franc (kit) received a 3rd place. Thank you Geo!!!! It was bought at the FineVineWines store online. Last year it didn't place. So, to all you kit winers, it really does make a difference to age. 
My 1st place mum wine of 2 years ago didn't place at all. They thought it "tasted like someone's leftover herbs." Oh boy. I felt sick to my stomach after hearing that one!!! 


My pumpkin wine won a 3rd. I didn't hear the comments on that one, but I will post it as soon as I know. 


The daylily wine was thought of as mediocre. No placing.


The Niagara wine, which was mentioned at the other competitionas being "medicinal" won a 3rd place. Go figure. I almost took it out of the judging because of the comment. That one floored me, because I didn't think it tasted that great either. This is the wine that I freaked out aboutwhen I didcold stabilization last year. 


My beer didn't place. Sorry Stinkie. I tried. My dad liked it, though, and that is more than enough for me. I loved it too. So did the better half.


Neither did my ancient orange mead. Out of the 4 wines, I didn't receive anything for it (only 1st, 2nd and 3rds were given).


No clue as to the rose-hip, but I doubt it won anything. I would have known. Which is a bummer. I LOVE that wine.




The last was the Chardonnay. I didn't win anything on that one either.


So, I guess my question is: How do I interpret the completely opposing results from the different judges from different competitions? If one says, "the best-balanced wine I tasted in the whole competition" and the other says, "Tastes like a pine tree," who or what do I believe? Is wine-judging that subjective? I thought it was more objective than most people think. THese totally conflicting comments on some of my wines is very puzzling and saddening. I don't know where I stand at all. Maybe "knowing less is better?" I did pH changes on the one, did sweetening on the other, etc, etc. The other one I'm puzzled about is the Niagara. Totally different opinions.... Medicinal to 3rd place. What a range. Okay, maybe we have exceptional wines here in Geauga county as compared to the national competition, but.......... What the heck?


I am quite confused at the moment, and a little down. However, I keep telling myself, 3 3rds out of 126 wines ain't bad.






You never stop learning.






M.


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## Dean (Aug 31, 2006)

Martina, what were the qualifications of the judges? Were they certified? At the very least, did they have a Sommelier certificate? Seems to me from some of the comments that they were not qualified, nor certifed as wine tasters.

I would put much more stock into your peers from the previous judging!


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## sangwitch (Aug 31, 2006)

Martina, don't sweat it. You did great! Don't let some opinions get you down. I would love to get three 3rd place finishes out of that many entries


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## MedPretzel (Aug 31, 2006)

Well, the judges were from the Northern Ohio Wine Guild (or Northeastern Ohio Wine Guild.... I don't have th info here at the moment)....


The one lady I spoke to said that they have club meetings every 4th thursday of the month. And one of the judges is nationally known... But that's all I know.


I was pretty surprised. Tomorrow is my "fair day." I'm going to go there and maybe get some more info. 


Thanks for the words of encouragement, I know it's not bad, it's just not as good as I wanted it to be or hoped it to be.


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## Wade E (Aug 31, 2006)

Dont fret Martina, it just goes to show you how peoples tastes vary.
The next show you go to you will probably take 1st and 2nd. Not
everyone that tastes wine can taste wine.


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## dfwwino (Sep 7, 2006)

Martina, did I read correctly that YOU entered 126 wines, or were 126 total wines entered by all participants? If its the former, you ought to get a medal for that. 


My experience with county fair winecompetition judges is that the judging is very inconsistent, as opposed to national winemaking competitions. For example, the judges may be unfamiliar or have little experience with country wines. They may be solely used to vinefera grape wines. Many judges are just local celebrities or newspaper wine critics. The best I'd take from a competition is feedback on any flaws found in the wine, such as your Marigold. I'd probably pop open another bottle of Marigold and see what the free SO2 level is in the wine, smell it and see if you agree with the flaw detected. Other flaws include unbalanced wine. Aside from flaws, judging country wines can be very subjective. For example, some might like beet wine while others might find it disgusting. That has nothing to do with the quality of the wine. I thought it was very admirable of you to subject yourself to so much judging, and even listening to criticism of your wine. While I'm sure it probably left your ego battered and bruised, you probably gained a great deal of knowledge from watching the judging. In wine competitions, your wine has to stand out, be unique,without being too flashy to be inconsistent with the style. You can submit several high quality wines, but you are likely up against many that taste very similar for that style. *Edited by: dfwwino *


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## Waldo (Sep 7, 2006)

I think dfwwino hit the nail on the head Martina..Be not discouraged my friend


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## MedPretzel (Sep 7, 2006)

Wow, thanks Shyster, and Waldo!


I have gotten over the initial shock of the comments made, but I see the experience as both of you do. My premiums paid for everyday entrance to the fair, and then some. I gave my sister my entrance ticket (she lives about 2 minutes away), and she could go in everyday and enjoy her time off. That was reason enough to enter.


The judging was great, actually. I learned a lot, and will test my wines with a different "nose" now. However, I still feel, and everyone who tasted my juniper wine will agree: It does *NOT* taste like a pine tree. The Chard kit I entered in was lacking acid. I'll go with that. But the Rose-hip was hot, yet oxidized? Not at all. The wine was aged a year and smooth. The color was true to the initial color (see post on how I store my wines), and very leggy. The Cab Franc blew me away, though. I got "excellently stored and aged. Taste exquisite. More depth desired" and got a 3rd. Oh well. The mum wine I entered didn't place, but got a comment, "Lingering taste, slightly floral, needs more acid" Holy cow, I thought it was way acidic!


I learned a lot, and the comments made (written) are much less harmless than the verbal comments made at the actual wine-tasting.


The judges were from the Northeast Ohio Wine Guild, and were probably very well-adept in grape/vinifera wines, but in country wines, they were lacking. I believe next year I will stick to "establishment" non-grape wines, including peach, blueberry and probably something along the lines of "normal." Alhtough I feel that one should be exposed and enjoy and assess a good lilac or a good juniper wine. However, I know that my wines are quite unusual and not everyone's taste, I feel with proper testing and tasting techniques, it should be appreciated, and not mentioned as "drinking a pine tree."


That is my biggest problem with many of the judging categories on the whole. Although, I'm most certain that I am one of very few people who make "Chrysanthemum petal" or "Lilac flower" or "Rosemary-Nutmeg" or "Squash-Caraway" or "Marigold petal" or even "Lavender bloom" wine, but I think there should be a category for "Non-grape, non-fruit" wines. Although veggies and herbs/petals would be in this category, there would be a difference. Yes, Strawberry is a great wine, but so is Juniper. But if you would know it's juniper and not oh, let's say, apple, you might have a different feel for it. My wines went up against everything that is "non-grape." That means, strawberry, blueberry, peach, boysenberry, and so many other "normal" fruits, that I think it's almost an injustice to my wines that they were placed in the same category. It's like saying "Grape juice" versus "every other juice you could imagine."


I know I'm rambling on, but it's a little pet peeve I have. I was low on acid again this year (in general) but high on sulfite. The marigold was a burnt match, and the rest were I guess tolerable.


The mead (Ancient Orange) was "off" and did not place.


BTW, Stinkie, the beer *DID* place!!!! And a second at that!!! Woohoo! Maybe I should get into beer instead of wine. 


Just an update. I'm still kind of down, but more puzzled than stunned now, and enjoy the benefits of having "award winning wines." However, I think I'll be more establishment next year and enter only boring, uh, "conventional"wines.


M. 


BTW, the marigold *did* have the burnt match smell when I opened the beer-bottle of it. But now the question arises; Did I smell it because I heard the comment, or because it was really there?


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## pkcook (Sep 7, 2006)

Martina,


Congrats on the awards! I think you did outstanding for the amount of wines entered. 


I still believe the only real critic you have to please with your wine is yourself (or your spouse



). I know an award from a professional wine judge would be an honor, but if you like your wine, it is GOLD medal wine!


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## dfwwino (Sep 7, 2006)

Martina, 


Again, you area gutsy winemaker for submitting to so much analysis. I think you are catching onto the wine competition idea: nothing too flashy, present a peach, blueberry or other fruit wine, but juniper will be too outlandish for most judges unless you're in a country wine competition. For example, even if my celery wine turns out great, I'd never submit it because the scent of celery would be too unexpected for the average judge. As far as the sulfite question, you can resolve this by following my other post in response to your topic in General Winemaking Questions and test the free sulfites in the Marigold. I recommend Daniel Pambianchi's book, Techniques in Home Winemaking, which discusses sulfite testing at pp. 102-11. You want to keep your sulfite level between 25 and 50 mg/l.Then you'll know whether the power of suggestion has influenced you or whether you oversulfited the wine. While I am not a gadget geek, I think testing sulfites is a very important step because it is the most common flaw I see in homemade wines. Out of concern for spoilage, winemakers add too much sulfite. In my winemaking, I've had only one wine get acebater, which was due to letting the wine sit in a primary exposed to air for over a month while I was in trial. In contrast, I've had probably a half dozen wines oversulfited. If you don't have a PH meter and sufite tester, I'd err on adding less sulfite than recommended. Given that I lost my ph meter and sulfite test kit last year as part of my divorce collateral damage (tossed in the trash), I've only been adding the equivalent of 3 campden tablets per five gallonsas my odds of oversulfting versus contamination and instability are far greater. But I really need to buy another PH meter and sulfite test kit. By the way, the best way to obtain good feedback about your unusual country wines is to join a homewinemaker's group with country winemakers and let them blind test your wine along with others. Too bad George hasn't figured out a way for you to serve us all a taste of that juniper through this internet forum. *Edited by: dfwwino *


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## dfwwino (Sep 7, 2006)

OK, now I'm on my third glass of wine. So please forgive my excess.My two cents is that as a winemaker, we should all listen to others (judges, friends, forum members, etc.), but not believe everything we hear. Take what you hear, and apply it to your winemaking. If it works, you have another tool in your tool chest. If it does not work, reject it and move on. I have read so much material and heard so much advice over the years that is not supported by my personal experiments. For example, we are told to drink a white wine within 1-3 years. I am sitting here right now drinking a 1997 Sauvignon Blanc that is still not over the hill.Commercial wineries don't want us consumers drinking any bad wine that could harm their image, so they are very conservative and give consumers general rules like this. When I first began winemaking, I obsessively worried about all sorts of general rules, like sanitation. I used to get angry when my kids let their cat come near my wine while I was racking. But really, even on the odd chance a cat hair or some dander fell in my wine, what are the odds contamination would occur? Just don't be a slob and clean and sanitize your winemaking vessels. When you make wine from fresh grapes harvested in the vineyard, look at all the ants, spiders, spider webs, wasps and other crud that become part of your must. In fact, when I'm pressing grapes, I'm usually stung by multiple wasps feasting on my grapes. Does the must spoil? No. Likepkcook said, you, the winemaker, are the only real critic. Don't be afraid to take what the rest of us say as mere poppycock unless your independent winemaking experience validates our suggestions. *Edited by: dfwwino *


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## Waldo (Sep 8, 2006)

If it pleases you
It's passed the test
And as Wino said
"Poppycock"
On all the rest


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## Pepere (Sep 8, 2006)

Martina: 


Yield not to the mindless ramblings of critics.



You and you alone are the only person you need please in any endeavor. You have inspried a number of us here to try things like lilac wine and various other country wines and we are all the better for it. 


Maybe the "pine tree" wine drinker will choke on one of those pine needles he is imagining and give up judging. I believe from the support you've received here so far you have many fans of your creative imagination in wine making. You go girl and we will gladly follow. "Grasshopper" has spoken.


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## MedPretzel (Sep 14, 2006)

Well, I haven't updated this post recently: Let me let you in on what's going on with me. **Sigh**
I think I mentioned earlier I bottled the plum and the juniper. The others have to sit at least another week at least, and then I am somewhat free. 


Why?








I'm applying to residency just about everywhere in the United States. I might wind (or wined???) up in your neck of the woods come July 1, 2007, if all goes well. Wish me luck.


I have applied in ND, SD, Idaho, KS, MO, WV, AL, (sorry, AR was not available) TX, OH, PA, MI, WV, MN, VA, CO, and probably a lot of other places. Even Puerto Rico are just some of the places I applied to (hey, if I'm going to be on the highway to hell, it might was well be in a place where they have beaches all year round).


So if anyone by chance happens to know a residency director, please tell them that I would give them about 300 gallons of bottled wine (for starters) if they took me. Some good, some not so good, some.... _different_!






Not only that, but I'm taking an exam next Tuesday and Wednesday. I have been studying for it all summer, and I just hope I'm ready for it. 2-day exam, 9 hours per day, sitting in front of the computer, clicking on A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J or K.... it has been known to go into the double letters too. My nerves are totally frazzled, but some yummy juniper wine helps now and then.


So, my presence here (and advice)has been meager lately, but I just wanted to let everyone know why. It's not that I have given up the forum, winemaking or anything else for that matter. Since medical school, I have learned how to have hobbies again, and it's wonderful. I wouldn't want to quit it for anything ever again. 


Just have taken it down a notch for a while.


BTW, I've picked Chocolate Mint again at my sister's place, got plenty of rose-hips ready to go, and TONS to bottle. George, you'll be hearing from me hopefully soon.


Thanks everyone for the fun times and fun reading in this difficult time for me.




M.


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## Waldo (Sep 14, 2006)

Martina I certainly wish you the best and whoever ends up with you will be very fortunate indeed. I just hate AR wasn't on the list of potential residencies


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## PolishWineP (Sep 14, 2006)

If you end up in our neck of the woods we'll be sure to help you feel welcomed. If you come to North Dakota, as the title of the book goes, "Bring Warm Clothes."


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## pkcook (Sep 14, 2006)

Martina,


Good luck on the exam. I just hope we can keep you here in Ohio, even thought it is up north. Would be nice to see you get something here in the Dayton/Cincy area. At least we could exchange wines every now and again. Keep us posted on your progress.


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## paubin (Sep 14, 2006)

Good luck Martina, I hope you get a nice place for your residency! If you do end up in P.R. just think of all the new and interesting tropical flowers you'll have to experiment with.


Pete


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## MedPretzel (Sep 15, 2006)

PolishWineP said:


> If you end up in our neck of the woods we'll be sure to help you feel welcomed. If you come to North Dakota, as the title of the book goes, "Bring Warm Clothes."




Hahahha, that should be no problem!






Thank you everyone for the kind words. I have applied to many programs in Ohio - we are blessed with having so many great teaching hospitals for such a little state. 




I'd be thrilled to go anywhere, really.


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## masta (Sep 15, 2006)

Good luck Martina and I am sure you will be very successful!


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## Joanie (Sep 15, 2006)

Good luck Martina!!! I'm sure all your hard work will pay off with very high scores!!!! May the exam gods be with you!!!!!


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## NorthernWinos (Sep 15, 2006)

Martina....Hope your exams and transitions go smoothly...life is full of surprises...hope all of yours are good ones...


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## MedPretzel (Sep 15, 2006)

Thanks eveyone, just getting all nervous right now.  And this is only the beginning. 


Thanks again for your kind words! 


I will report back next week. 


M.


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## Wade E (Sep 15, 2006)

You'll have no problem at all! Just hope you can find a nice place big enough to hold all your wines. Maybe you better get *2 *places.


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## MedPretzel (Oct 4, 2006)

Well, I finally got around to sort of go through the list for everyone. Some are listed twice, because I've applied to IM programs and Transitional programs. I took the Radiology ones out because basically I've applied where I also applied to IM/TY.


So far, this is what I've got. I'll try to keep it up-to-date, so you guys know.... 

Just because there's nothing afterwards, doesn't mean I'm still in the running, unfortunately. A lot of programs don't even bother to send a rejection letter.





Well, here it goes:

Exempla St Joseph Hospital Program, Denver, CO
University of Colorado Program, Denver, CO
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Program, Iowa City, IA
University of Washington at VAMC (Boise) Preliminary Program, Boise, ID
Henry Ford Hospital Program, Detroit, MI On hold
St John Hospital and Medical Center Program, Detroit, MI
Forest Park Hospital Program, St Louis, MO
St Louis University Group of Hospitals Program, St Louis, MO
St Luke's Hospital Program, St Louis, MO
St Mary's Health Center Program, St Louis, MO
Washington University/B-JH/SLCH Consortium Program, St Louis, MO
Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center Preliminary Program, New Hyde Park, NY
Akron General Medical Center/NEOUCOM Program, Akron, OH
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Case Western Reserve University (MetroHealth) Preliminary Program, Cleveland, OH
<STRIKE>Case Western Reserve University (St Vincent Charity Hospital/St Luke's Medical Center) Program, Cleveland, OH </STRIKE>REJECTED &amp; DEJECTED
Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program, Cleveland, OH
Good Samaritan Hospital Program, Cincinnati, OH
<STRIKE>Huron Hospital Program, East Cleveland, OH </STRIKE>REJECTED &amp; DEJECTED
Internal Medicine Residency Program, Cleveland, OH
Medical University of Ohio Program, Toledo, OH
Ohio State University Internal Medicine Program, Columbus, OH
Summa Health System (Akron City Hospital)/NEOUCOM Program, Akron, OH
University Hospital/University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Program, Cincinnati, OH
Western Reserve Care System/NEOUCOM Program, Youngstown, OH
Allegheny General Hospital Program, Pittsburgh, PA
<STRIKE>UPMC - Medical Education Program, Pittsburgh, PA </STRIKE>REJECTED &amp; DEJECTED
Internal Medicine Residency Program, Salt Lake City, UT On hold
Carilion Health System Internal Medicine Residency, Roanoke, VA
Eastern Virginia Medical School Program, Norfolk, VA
Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University Program, Richmond, VA
University of Virginia Program, Charlottesville, VA
University of Washington Program, Seattle, WA On hold
Marshall University School of Medicine Program, Huntington, WV
<STRIKE>Birmingham Baptist Medical Centers Program, Birmingham, AL</STRIKE> REJECTED &amp; DEJECTED
Carraway Methodist Medical Center Program, Birmingham, AL
HealthONE Presbyterian-St Luke's Medical Center Program, Denver, CO
<STRIKE>Broadlawns Medical Center Program, Des Moines, IA </STRIKE>REJECTED &amp; DEJECTED
Iowa Methodist Medical Center Program, Des Moines, IA
Ball Memorial Hospital Program, Muncie, IN
Indiana University School of Medicine (Methodist) Program, Indianapolis, IN
St Vincent Hospital and Health Care Center Program, Indianapolis, IN
Henry Ford Hospital Program, Detroit, MI On hold
St John Hospital and Medical Center Program, Detroit, MI
Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center Program, Detroit, MI
<STRIKE>Hennepin County Medical Center Program, Minneapolis, MN </STRIKE>REJECTED &amp; DEJECTED
Forest Park Hospital Program, St Louis, MO
St John's Mercy Medical Center Program, St Louis, MO 
University of North Dakota Program, Fargo, ND
Akron General Medical Center/NEOUCOM Program, Akron, OH
Aultman Hospital/NEOUCOM Program, Canton, OH
Kettering Medical Center Program, Kettering, OH
Mercy Health Partners Program, Toledo, OH
Mount Carmel Program, Columbus, OH
Riverside Methodist Hospital Program, Columbus, OH
St. Elizabeth Heath Center Program, Youngstown, OH
Summa Health System (Akron City Hospital)/NEOUCOM Program, Akron, OH
Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh Program, Pittsburgh, PA
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Program, Pittsburgh, PA
<STRIKE>UPMC - Medical Education Program, Pittsburgh, PA </STRIKE>REJECTED &amp; DEJECTED
Hospital Episcopal San Lucas/Ponce School of Medicine Program, Ponce, PR
Sanford School of Medicine of University of SD Residency Program, Sioux Falls, SD
John Peter Smith Hospital (Tarrant County Hospital District) Program, Fort Worth, TX
The Methodist Hospital (Houston), Houston, TX
UTMB Austin, Austin, TX
Carilion Health System Program, Roanoke, VA
Riverside Regional Medical Center Program, Newport News, VA
West Virginia University Program, Morgantown, WV 
Emory University, Atlanta, GA On hold
The Medical Center Program, Columbus, GA
Christiana Care Health Services Program, Newark, DE
Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital Program, Johnstown, PA
St Barnabas Medical Center Program, Livingston, NJ
Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies/Michigan State University Program, Kalamazoo, MI
Hurley Medical Center/Michigan State University Program, Flint, MI
Grand Rapids Medical Education &amp; Research Center for Health Professions Program, Grand Rapids, MI


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## Wade E (Oct 4, 2006)

Wow thats a heck of a list there.


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## MedPretzel (Oct 4, 2006)

95 x $25 = let'snottalkaboutcreditcards


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## OilnH2O (Oct 6, 2006)

Martina -- good luck with whatever comes your way. The University of Washington programs are said to be excellent -- I notice one in Seattle and at Boise -- both great places to live (think of all those Washington wines!) (My daughter is thinking about medicene and UW is the med school for all kids from Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana)


And I know the St. Louis U (pronounced "Slew") and Wash U programs in St. Louis are said to be excellent too -- at least they were several years ago. 

You know what will happen, don't you? You'll sweat this all out, then you'll get two GREAT opportunities,maybe evenTHREE -- and THEN you will REALLY have a problem!






Best of luck


Dave


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## jobe05 (Oct 6, 2006)

Nothing in North Carolina?



Duke? Wake Forest? Baptist? Moses Cone? With the research park being developed right here in Winston Salem, which when complete will be the largest of it's kind in the world, I would think this would be a prime area for you. And if you hurry.................... You could catch the end of the muscadines and scuppernoggs....... The best time to get them if ya ask me.... But good luck to you in whatever you decide, and where ever you have to end up. But where ever it is, I hope they have good soil for your plants. I'd love to see ya explain to the movers why you "MUST" take that dump truck load of dirt


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## MedPretzel (Oct 8, 2006)

Hahaha, thanks guys. Sorry I've been away for a while. Life has gotten quite hectic around here. Unfortunately, no interviews. I'm freaking out, but at least I'm keeping busy. THe game's not over yet.


Dave, tell your daughter to REALLY think long and hard about going into medicine. You have to be 200% sure that you want to do it before you go into it, otherwise, you'll not stick with it. I was 400% sure when I started, and I'm dwindling down my percentages rapidly. I love medicine, and I think it's a great field, but it certainly can make you a basket case.


NC --&gt; everyone wants to go. I am not competitive enough to make it there. Duke didn't want me for undergrad (only place other than Wm. &amp; Mary that rejected me), so I am now refusing them. Sorry.  I am applying to almost everywhere that is reasonable for me. However, if I don't get an interview by November 1, I'm starting to officially panic and will also apply for.... gulp..... psychiatry. 


Anyway, I appreciate all your support in this ongoing battle for me, and I wanted to explain myself a little about the whole process. It's so nerve-wracking and my poor family is really sweet for putting up with my tenseness. I've been likened to a ticking time-bomb that can go off at any minute. I am a very temperamentful girl, and it's just not a great time. Thank goodness for wine.






My sister also opened up a new business about 2 weeks ago: A super-fancy dog resort. http://www.ultimuttinn.com (I designed the website!) If ever you are in the area with your dog, feel free to send your dog on vacation as well.






This summer I also took the bull by the horns, and am now working with a publisher on a new medical review book. Can you believe it -- not good enough to get an interview, but I'll be a published _medical_ author!!! 


We are supposed to get the "s" word on friday, so I will be picking those mums like crazy tomorrow. 


Thanks guys, you are the greatest!


M.


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## Wade E (Oct 8, 2006)

The heck with the dog, I think I'm going to go there.


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## MedPretzel (Oct 10, 2006)

on open house, we joked with the kids and told them that the UltiMutt Inn also takes children for the weekend. Provided they do some cleanup. 


A lot of them looked at their moms in disbelief, and some of the parents even played along with it. There are twin-beds there too, so if you aren't bigger than a Newfoundland dog, I think you'll fit. 




Provided you clean up.


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## Waldo (Oct 11, 2006)

More info on your book Martina....Medical Review of???????


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## MedPretzel (Oct 13, 2006)

medicine?  no, it's an exam review guide. 








First book in a series of 4...


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## MedPretzel (Feb 17, 2007)

Long night revisited....





Chickweed is bottled, so is dandelion and mum mix (way long overdue - has been bulk aging since ... who knows?)...


Tomorrow I think I'm going to tackle basil-dill and red-clover/elderberry...


Those are each 5 gallons.


Last week I started a chocolate mint wine again, and a pumpkin.


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## rgecaprock (Feb 17, 2007)

Hi Martina,
Been a while, Hope you are doing great!!! I don't know if I will ever get as exotic as you but I started 3 gallons of green tea ginger today. Made it before and it was fantastic.


Are you here for a while?


Good to see ya...............Ramona


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## MedPretzel (Feb 17, 2007)

good to be here, thanks ramona. 


I still have tons of frozen mums in my freezer and I'm trying to make some room for a new batch. Just ordered some beer from George too (of course, only to take it off his hands.  )


life has been quite a roller coaster lately, but i'm still hanging in there. 


The good wine helps. 


a lot.


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## NorthernWinos (Feb 17, 2007)

Nice to see you again...miss you!!!


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## Wade E (Feb 17, 2007)

Hey Girl, been awhile. Have you gotten a new job yet and settled in to a new place ?


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## Waldo (Feb 18, 2007)

Good to see you again my friend


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## PolishWineP (Feb 18, 2007)

Our sister is here for a visit! It's nice to see you, Martina. In fact, I was just thinking about you the other day! Timing is everything!


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## MedPretzel (Feb 19, 2007)

Hello all.  Thanks for the warm welcomes. 


Makes me feel all fuzzy inside (or is it the marigold wine I'm drinking?)!





Well, I'm doing some temp jobs right now, but am still waiting for replies on residency. What a rollercoaster!


Thanks for welcoming me back "home." 


M.


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## grapeman (Feb 19, 2007)

Do you have anything new cooking along there or are you on hold until you find where you are headed. A group of users want to have a group dandelion going on at the same time, comparing notes etc. Did you see that post and what advise do you have for them on recipes?


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## Harry (Feb 19, 2007)

Welcome back Martina 
Speaking of Marigold wine , I made a gallon last year and my wife loves it . She said its the best i had ever made , So i am going to plant a row in garden 3ft wide and about 25ft long just for making wine.I used your recipe so thanks 
Harry


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## MedPretzel (Feb 20, 2007)

Fantabulous on the marigold! It really is a great recipe. I love it as well.


I bottled a dandelion wine of about 10 months of age a couple of nights ago. It is young, but shows promise. I didn't do much of anything with it, but sweetened it up a bit after it was finished. 


I also bottled squash and squash-caraway tonight.  Just one gallon batches each, so no biggie.


This week I need to sweeten dill-basil and hibiscus/clover and clover-elderberry. Then I'll feel good about starting the mum wine again.





Oh yes, right now, if I haven't mentioned it, I've got pumpkin brewing, and ... uh... oh yes, Chocolate Mint.


My purple basil is still giving me heck, so it's going to sit until I decide what to do with it.





M.


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## jobe05 (Feb 20, 2007)

You had to put your Purple Basil in time out............. sigh............


I know the feeling.......... some times ya just gotta to do watcha got to do..........................


It some time hurts me more than it hurts them......................






Good to see you here Martina, enjoying what we all know you love to do, and we love it when your here doing it, salute our friend. I hope all is going well for you.


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