If I knew then ...

BobF · Oct 28, 2011

What was money wasted on along the way?

1. Vinometer
2. pH test strips
3. Double-lever corker
4. One gallon 'carboys' (a few are handy)
5. Auto syphons

What would I have purchased up front?

1. Floor corker
2. pH meter
3. Vacuum pump for racking/degassing
4. More 3 gallon and 6 gallon carboys

cpfan · Oct 28, 2011

BobF said:
What was money wasted on along the way?

1. Vinometer
2. pH test strips
3. Double-lever corker
4. One gallon 'carboys' (a few are handy)
5. Auto syphons

In my opinion...
1. definite waste
2. no idea - not needed for kits
3. waste for most winemakers
4. variety of sizes is always useful
5. I LOVE THE AUTO-SIPHON. Wouldn't be without it.

BobF said:
What would I have purchased up front?

1. Floor corker
2. pH meter
3. Vacuum pump for racking/degassing
4. More 3 gallon and 6 gallon carboys

1. Definitely
2. I don't have a need for this
3. I don't have a need for this
4. Always need more carboys in the beginning.

Steve

JohnT · Oct 28, 2011

BobF said:
What was money wasted on along the way?

1. Vinometer
2. pH test strips
3. Double-lever corker
4. One gallon 'carboys' (a few are handy)
5. Auto syphons

1. I have used this. as long as the correct temp is maintained, I have found these to be accurate enough. Even so, it is only $5

2. Never used them. I figure that they are not that accurate. I prefer PH meter or TA kit.

3) I started using one of these, but i have to say that going the extra $50 or so is well worth it. I still use mine when I need to draw a bottle out of the tanks for competition

4) Yup, Agreed, a bit of a waste (sepecially since you get get just about all you want from your local recycling center ... for FREE!

5) never use this. I used my egnolmatic filler or my parastaltic pump for racking.

BobF said:
What would I have purchased up front?

1. Floor corker
2. pH meter
3. Vacuum pump for racking/degassing
4. More 3 gallon and 6 gallon carboys

1. Yup. The one I have must have corked over 100k bottles over the years. They are indestructable!

2. Yup. Perhaps the most accurate in judging the PH level of your wine.

3. Pumps are very handy! you will wonder exactly how you got by without one.

4. yup, if you need them. What other choice do you have?

robie · Oct 28, 2011

All good points.

For me personally, it would have been hard to justify a vacuum pump and a floor corker right out of the gate.
I am glad I finally got mine, but I would never have bought them up front. Some of us have to go a little slower where the money is concerned.

Man, if you have gallon jugs you think are a waste, send them to me (and their screw top caps, too). Nah, I use lots of them for various reasons. I use 3 to store my bulk sanitizers and cleaner. Sometimes I experiment by splitting a kit into 1 one-gallon jug and 1 five gallon carboy, but of course that is not a requirement.

I think a 6 gallon oak barrel is absolutely necessary. It makes all the difference in the world for the final wine, especially for red kit wines. That is just me, though.

JohnT · Oct 28, 2011

Robie,

Agreed, one needs to size up their hobby.

I started 25 years ago with 3 or 4 carboys. Each carboy had to have 2 1 gallon jugs (for topping and tasting).

I moved to DJs about 20 years ago and STILL needed the gallon jugs.

About 15 years ago, I tried my first VC Tank. At that point, I had my whole family wanting to make wine and had no problem filling the tank up. NO MORE GALLON JUGS!!!! When I switch to the tanks, I had about 20 or 30 of these buggers laying around. Was glad to get rid of them and reclaim my floor/counter space.

Too bad I did not know you then.

robie · Oct 28, 2011

I have 13 carboys, 4 - 7.9 gallon fermenter buckets, and several 1-gallon jugs. I have one 6 gallon wine barrel, but would like to get one more, maybe a bigger one, since it will be for wine from fresh, not kits. I figure that is about as big as I will ever get. That's already bigger than my wife likes it.

I won't be making many more red kits, if any, but I still will do some of the whites from kit. I will do some fresh each Fall, and maybe some Chilean in the spring. That's about all I will do on my own.

As many of you already know, I have gotten really interested in Norton grapes, so I might just be making a trip to Missouri next Fall for a few hundred pounds of those babies. I am intrigued by the idea of a high acid, high PH grape that has to be handled carefully so it doesn't produce a foxy taste (a taste which I really, really don't like!!!)... What more challenge do I need than that????

I know Nortons aren't the only grapes with such challenges, Grapeman was writing about some of his a few days ago. Of course I see him a true pro; I'm sure he deals with these extremes all the time. Me? I am... just having fun.

Runningwolf · Oct 28, 2011

BobF said:
What was money wasted on along the way?

1. Vinometer
2. pH test strips
3. Double-lever corker
4. One gallon 'carboys' (a few are handy)
5. Auto syphons

I agree with 1-2-3
I have a lot of gallon jugs and use them for topping up. I would love to have a fifty gallon vc tank (i was checking them out today but no way)
I have three sizes of auto siphons and would not be with out any of them except the one gallon one.
What would I have purchased up front?

1. Floor corker
2. pH meter
3. Vacuum pump for racking/degassing
4. More 3 gallon and 6 gallon carboys

Good choices

Brian · Oct 30, 2011

I also wasted my money on these items :slp

1. Vinometer
2. Double-lever corker
3. One gallon 'carboys' (a few are handy.. I have way to many)
4. Auto syphons (I don't use them with my vacume pump)
5. Brake bleeder for degassing
6. wine whip for degassing

What would I have purchased up front? :db

1. Floor corker
2. pH meter
3. Vacuum pump for racking/degassing
4. More 3 gallon 5 and 6 gallon carboys

Loren · Oct 30, 2011

Yep forget the double lever corker and especially the auto siphon, guess I am old fashioned on the siphon, but a floor corker is the only way to go. Loren

SpoiledRotten · Oct 31, 2011

I'm hoping Santa is bringing me a floor corker this year. The two handed model seems to be slipping over the bulges in the top of the bottles more now than when it was new. Seems as though the plastic grippers are tapering so they just aren't holding very well. Gets really frustrating by the time you've corked 50 or 60 bottles. Yep... Santa, I've been a real good boy this year, so please bring me a floor corker!

SpoiledRotten · Oct 31, 2011

Oh, and "If I knew then what I know now, I'd have been more careful with my body"!

Rocky · Oct 31, 2011

I think my most useless peice of equipment that I bought was the bottle filling wand. Allowing for the volume taken up by the material in the wand and then filling to the proper level takes a lot more time than just closing and opening a pinchcock on the tubing.

I would also only buy 15 liter and above kits and always have a grape pack on reds or use raisins.

I am sure there are many others, but these come immediately to mind.

If I knew then ...

Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:

BobF

Senior Member

cpfan

Senior Member

JohnT

Senior Member

robie

Senior Member

JohnT

Senior Member

robie

Senior Member

Runningwolf

Senior Member

Brian

I love this obsession

Loren

Senior Member

SpoiledRotten

Senior Member

SpoiledRotten

Senior Member

Rocky

Chronologically Gifted Member

Similar threads

Latest posts