# You know you're a winemaker when....



## Horkalugi (Dec 6, 2009)

You buy commercial wine according to how easily the label comes off.


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## Wade E (Dec 6, 2009)

Now thats good!!!!!!!!!


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## cpfan (Dec 6, 2009)

For me, it's often the shape of the bottle, and cork finish vs screw cap.


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## Green Mountains (Dec 6, 2009)

Oak Leaf....dirt cheap, not bad especially the Cab Sauv and the labels almost fall off in water.


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## mmadmikes1 (Dec 6, 2009)

Green Mountains said:


> Oak Leaf....dirt cheap, not bad especially the Cab Sauv and the labels almost fall off in water.


I buy it to top off and the labels come off. Damn we all think alot alike


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## Tom (Dec 6, 2009)

I buy Whites for the clear bottles. I never have enough clear


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## Hillbilly Bill (Dec 6, 2009)

I buy the 4l Carlo Rossi for the glass jug.


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## Wade E (Dec 6, 2009)

When you buy a commercial wine and say "Man my worst is better then this swill".


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## Horkalugi (Dec 6, 2009)

Watching your airlock is more entertaining than watching reality shows.


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## Hillbilly Bill (Dec 6, 2009)

Green Mountains said:


> Oak Leaf....dirt cheap, not bad especially the Cab Sauv and the labels almost fall off in water.



We can get 3 bottles of "Five Oaks" wine for $9.99 here. Is that the brand you are referring to... I haven't tried it... yet.
HB


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## CellaredGnome (Dec 6, 2009)

Here Lately I have been using my parents and neighbor to supply my bottles. I have become very fond of a bottle my neighbor provides me that is frosted like an arbor mist bottle but requires a cork instead of a cap. The reason is that with the Avery label software I use I am able to create semitransparent labels that look great on the bottle.


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## Green Mountains (Dec 6, 2009)

Hillbilly Bill said:


> We can get 3 bottles of "Five Oaks" wine for $9.99 here. Is that the brand you are referring to... I haven't tried it... yet.
> HB



I've seen 5 Oaks but Oak Leaf is available at Wal-Mart in NH for 2.97 a pop. And DAMN it's not that bad.


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## Horkalugi (Dec 6, 2009)

When someone shouts "NICE LEGS!", you look at the inside of your wine glass.


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## Becks the Elder (Dec 7, 2009)

you start eyeing up the empties at a diner party, wondering if the host would let you have them if you asked nicely (and if your misses would forgive you if you did).


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## Runningwolf (Dec 7, 2009)

You go to the wine store and spend your time looking at wine labels for new ideas for your own labels.


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## xanxer82 (Dec 7, 2009)

Hillbilly Bill said:


> I buy the 4l Carlo Rossi for the glass jug.



I did that too.

I also look for corked bottles instead of screw cap and easily removed labels.


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## vvolf34 (Dec 7, 2009)

You watch a NatGeo show about the footprint you make on Earth in a lifetime and they show 942 bottles of wine and you wish you could collect them up or wonder what they did with all those bottles.


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## kiljoy (Dec 7, 2009)

When you forget your wife’s birthday, but can tell the exact vintage date of your first bottle.


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## Horkalugi (Dec 7, 2009)

Then, you know you're a chronic winemaker!! Yikes!!

Your daughter's name is Chablis and son's name is Merlot.


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## cbw (Dec 7, 2009)

*You know you are a winemaker when ...*

When your wife tells you "no more wine kits for awhile," you fire up the old computer to pick out two more wine kits you know she will love ... confident that her saying "no" really means "yes, yes, order some grape skin kits honey." 

You know she wants them as much as you do.


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## Hillbilly Bill (Dec 7, 2009)

cbw said:


> When your wife tells you "no more wine kits for awhile," you fire up the old computer to pick out two more wine kits you know she will love ... confident that her saying "no" really means "yes, yes, order some grape skin kits honey."
> 
> You know she wants them as much as you do.



Let us know which two kits you decide to go with... I want to try a kit with skins too and am curious to see which ones you pick.
HB


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## Horkalugi (Dec 8, 2009)

When your Christmas "must have" list is really a Must have list.


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## vvolf34 (Dec 8, 2009)

When your Christmas list includes 2-5 gal, 3-3 gal carboys, set of metal measuring spoons from 1/8 tsp to 1 tbl.


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## DageonYar (Dec 8, 2009)

... when you take time out of your busy work schedule to catch up on winemakingtalk.com forum posts


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## kiljoy (Dec 8, 2009)

On the 5th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me. Five Caaarboyyys.

This could be fun. I htink I'll start a thread...


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## Horkalugi (Dec 8, 2009)

kiljoy said:


> On the 5th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me. Five Caaarboyyys.
> 
> This could be fun. I htink I'll start a thread...



Do it!! You make up verse 1 and I bet you'll have a full song by the end of the day.


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## Horkalugi (Dec 8, 2009)

When you can say, "nice rack" and not get your face slapped.


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## xanxer82 (Dec 8, 2009)

Horkalugi said:


> When you can say, "nice rack" and not get your face slapped.



I do that a lot while shopping with Kat. She laughs about it.


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## Wade E (Dec 8, 2009)

When the kids cant take a bath!!!!!!!!!!


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## Hillbilly Bill (Dec 8, 2009)

How long did it take you to empty those bottles... a week? 
HB


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## Zoogie (Dec 9, 2009)

When you look at that tub of bottles with envy i....Santa you reading?
Mary aka Zoogie


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## xanxer82 (Dec 9, 2009)

Zoogie said:


> When you look at that tub of bottles with envy i....Santa you reading?
> Mary aka Zoogie



Only be envious AFTER the labels have been removed and the bottles are clean.


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## Midwest Vintner (Dec 9, 2009)

when you move into the country and ask the neighbors what they grow......

....then ask, "if they have extra"..................

....................then ask, "if they like wine"................

..............................................then ask, "maybe we could do a trade?" lol

300th post!


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## Hillbilly Bill (Dec 9, 2009)

Midwest Vintner said:


> when you move into the country and ask the neighbors what they grow......
> 
> ....then ask, "if they have extra"..................
> 
> ...


 
MV... come visit me in my cabin on the hill and I'll let you ask my neighbors up in the holler what they grow... only I'll be standing a good 20 feet from you when you ask... 

By the way... here's to your 300th post... 
HB


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## Runningwolf (Dec 9, 2009)

Midwest Vintner said:


> when you move into the country and ask the neighbors what they grow......
> 
> ....then ask, "if they have extra"..................
> 
> ...



Congrats on the 300th


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## Snowbird (Dec 9, 2009)

when your wife cannot use the freezer cause' there's nothing but muscadine' packed in there.


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## deboard (Dec 9, 2009)

I do that to a point. I have a favorite kentucky wine from Turning Point Vineyards (Cabernet Franc), that is great, but the labels seem to be held on by super glue. So I always hesitate to buy it. But in the end I always pick up a bottle if I see it. Otherwise I do note brands by how easily their labels come off. Alice White is always fairly easy. I had a french table wine the other night whose label came off with just a 5 minute soak in hot water. Front and back were just floating when I came back. It's a pity the wine was terrible, or I'd buy again.


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## Horkalugi (Dec 11, 2009)

When you fart and blame the airlock.


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## Wade E (Dec 11, 2009)

OK then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Midwest Vintner (Dec 11, 2009)

Runningwolf said:


> Congrats on the 300th



it was a momentous occasion in which i will now drink a bottle to celebrate! 

you know you are a wine maker when you drink a store bought bottle of any wine to try and think, "why did i waste that money, i could have bought some more sugar or maybe some more k-meta."

...you know your a wine maker when you think almost all sweet wines were failures! (not making fun of some that like sweet wines)


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## Hillbilly Bill (Dec 11, 2009)

Horkalugi said:


> When you fart and blame the airlock.


 
Hork, I can't believe you said that... I always blame the dog... works for me.


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## Horkalugi (Dec 11, 2009)

Hillbilly Bill said:


> Hork, I can't believe you said that... I always blame the dog... works for me.



Sorry, too many threads on degassing got the better of me.......


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## arcticsid (Dec 12, 2009)

Mid, don't get to excited, when I reached 1000th I was expecting a all paid trip to Wades cellar! Didn't happen.

Like Buddah said, "expect nothing and you will never be disappointed".

We'll see what happens when I get to the 2000th!

Anyway, you know you are a winemaker when.."your hard core beer drinking friends compliment you on your creation."


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## Tom (Dec 12, 2009)

Troy,
You get ANOTHER reason to "lift" a glass of your "best"
Thats what I got LOL !
Oh yea I DID visit my wine cellar and counted 100+ full cases plus all on 5 wine racks (around 500) dont forget what I have below.. Think I have enough for a while?
YEA I can find MANY reasons to celebrate.


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## arcticsid (Dec 12, 2009)

Yeah Yeah Yeah!!!!! maybe for my 2000th I will get a trip to YOUR cellar, that is IF you have enough! LOL


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## arcticsid (Dec 18, 2009)

....when you start buying sugar in the 50# bags because you realized fruit isn't the only thing you can ferment!


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## Horkalugi (Dec 22, 2009)

When you have purple snowbanks outside the door closest to your winemaking op. (deer snowcones!!)


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## arcticsid (Dec 22, 2009)

I was peeing purple before I ever started making wine. I was pretty shocked when I realized it wasn't the deers, but the orange Moose!!! Go figure!

Troy


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## spleisher (Dec 22, 2009)

When you consider (I'm not admitting anything here) doing the following:

Riding around on a bicycle through your neighborhood at night with a flashlight....

.... with the kid trailer attached....

... with a plastic storage bin in the trailer....

... looking for wine bottles in recycling bins that have been put out for pickup the next day.


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## arcticsid (Dec 22, 2009)

geez Spleish, thats pretty rough! If you do that without wearing the Spiderman outfit, you may not have so many people shooting at you!! ROTF. LOL

Troy


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## spleisher (Dec 22, 2009)

I thought about asking some local restaurants to put some aside for me. Anyone ever try that? Of course there is always the option of buying them, but I refuse to do that.


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## arcticsid (Dec 22, 2009)

Dont buy them!! Follow the thread I started about free bottles.

We can all get what we need. I like you refuse to pay for them!


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## BobF (Dec 22, 2009)

spleisher said:


> I thought about asking some local restaurants to put some aside for me. Anyone ever try that? Of course there is always the option of buying them, but I refuse to do that.


 
Yes, I have the only local restaurant that serves wine saving the bottles for me. I also visit a winery about an hour from here that *sells* empties for $4 a case. They have a bistro that serves lunches, so they have quite a few available.

Just about any winery that does tastings should have empties available.


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## spleisher (Dec 22, 2009)

So as not to hijack this thread, I'm gonna head over to the wine bottle collecting thread and post on the subject over there. I am trying local wineries too, but....


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## Hillbilly Bill (Dec 22, 2009)

spleisher... do you ever find any wine bottles that have a swallow or two left in them?


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## spleisher (Dec 22, 2009)

HA! There you go!

Nothing like dumpster diving for wine bottles.

Those days may be over soon though. I called a local wine store today that does tastings, and then had my wife run by and pick up some bottles. They gave her 3 cases, but they said that their other store, which has a wine bar, will have a lot more.

So, I called over there and they said they'll have a ton for her tomorrow!

Pathetic that this excites me so much.


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## Hillbilly Bill (Dec 22, 2009)

spleisher said:


> HA! There you go!
> 
> Nothing like dumpster diving for wine bottles.
> 
> ...


 
No... it is NOT pathetic... this is a big deal... hell*, *they're not even my bottles *and I'm excited*!


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## spleisher (Dec 22, 2009)

Hillbilly Bill said:


> No... it is NOT pathetic... this is a big deal... hell*, *they're not even my bottles *and I'm excited*!



It's actually kinda fun!


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## dderemiah (Dec 23, 2009)

There is a wine shop/tasting bar down the street from me that I get more bottles than I can use. Life is good when you find a good source.


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