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I ferment in a 55 degree basement as well. I've had good luck using the reflective windshield sun screens as an insulating blanket. The thicker the padding the better. I just wrap it around (makes about 1.75 laps around the Big Bubbler) and secure it with a couple pieces of duct tape. If you...

I just sent the hotel an email asking to be added to the group. I'll let you know when I hear back from them.

As a counterpoint I will just say that "I have used product X and it really sucked . . . I'll never buy it again!"

I only use the chips in aging occasionally, when I want to preserve the fruit and give just a hint of oak. Typically, I use American oak spirals or Hungarian cubes. I've never tried the Xoakers, but I just looked them up online. $37 per lb seems a bit steep, especially compared to what you...

I stopped at the local HBS last night to pick up a few supplies and grabbed a bag of dark toast oak chips. I have never used dark before, just medium and light. I thought it would be a good addition to the toolkit for some bolder reds. The kid (sorry, but anyone under 25 looks like a kid to...

I've been trying to age the whites 2-4 months in the carboy and then get started drinking them about a month after bottling. A batch tends to have a shelf life of 12 months if it's lucky. I've employed an alternate strategy with a few of the reds. On the 2nd or 3rd racking I go down to 5 gal...

I used to struggle to save every empty I got my hands on. Now that I have many cases of empties cleaned, sorted and stacked it's a heck of a lot easier to let the PIA messy bottles go into the bin. Definitely the simplest process!

Just chiming in with an opinion on the Labelnator. I've used it a few times. I think it works fairly well, better than any other scraper I've tried on wine bottles. However, it's very easy to over shoot on the upward motion and nick the hand holding the neck of the bottle. So far I have yet...

Now that I have a little time and experience under my belt I've been experimenting with parsing out batches into small quantities and blending various kits together, along with employing several of JoesWines techniques. In doing so I am often mixing together wines that are a range of ages from...

I'll go with NCWC . . . I might start a white with an open top for a day or two, but then go to airlock. I generally ferment my whites slow and cold using K1-V1116. So far they have all progressed fine mostly under airlock and even at temps below 60. Reds get the open top treatment until...

Regardless of how many people elect to participate it looks like a nice getaway weekend so we are signed up. I did not attend last year, but the web page for this year's event lists the wine, food and craft vendors from the 2017 event. If anyone else is going we would be glad to meet up at...

In my case we would plan on making it a long weekend so 2 nights is not a problem. For this level of resort, and with the event on site, I don't think the rates are bad. If the vendor list is similar to last year it might take 2 days to see (and taste) it all.

Seeing CMason1957's setup makes me feel less guilty about my volume. Guess it's okay to do some perusing on the Labelpeelers web site.

Johnd, What do you think a reasonable shelf life is for a cork? And what would be the key factors that would cause it to deteriorate? I agree that 4-9 years seems a long time to hold on to them. Just wondering what people think the limit really is.

I will admit that having a cellar with a near ridiculous amount of wine in it does tend to encourage more consumption than is probably good for the body and soul. I can't say that I abide by the "not on a work night" mantra, but we do try to impose reasonable limitations. Definitely agree with...

My basement runs right around 55 also. I do heat things up for fermentation, but I don't worry about the temp for bulk aging. Reds and whites in all sizes from 1L jugs to 6 gal carboys seem to do fine at 55. One thing to watch is the volume level in the carboys as the seasons change. Last...

This is a bit on a tangent, but somewhat related. I recently made a batch of Moscato and reached the desired flavor and sweetness without using the entire F-pac. I hate to waste anything so I mixed the residual of the F-pac with a little simple syrup and nearly an equal volume of plain vodka...

Welcome. Sounds like you are off to a very good start. I share your sentiment that no matter how full the shelves, it just doesn't feel right when the fermenter is empty. Love to see the bubbles and smell that wonderful yeasty fresh wine aroma. I have found this site to be extremely helpful...

Last update on this batch. SG .997 last night at 62 degrees (trying to warm it up a bit before de-gassing). I gave it a mild stir and it was still pushing gas through the airlock, albeit very slowly. It will probably be ready for the next steps this weekend or soon after. Now comes the fun...

Is there a date set for this event or are you still in the preliminary planning stages?