Did you forget this is a hobby?

[crushday]

“Did you forget this is a hobby?”

This was the question posed by Mrs. B as she watched me clean out 11 carboys left from filling four barrels last week AND watching me take a hydrometer reading on 45+ gallons of wine this afternoon.

Yes, it’s a hobby, I say to reassure her in an attempt to explain why she can no longer park in the garage.

I pontificate and rationalize - “to make good wine takes time, equipment and patience”. The bottle of Chenin/Chardonnay we shared tonight with our shrimp linguini was made nearly three years ago and is just getting good. If you want wine this good, a lot goes into each bottle.

How do you address this question?

 

[Johnd]

“Did you forget this is a hobby?”

This was the question posed by Mrs. B as she watched me clean out 11 carboys left from filling four barrels last week AND watching me take a hydrometer reading on 45+ gallons of wine this afternoon.

Yes, it’s a hobby, is say to reassure her in an attempt to explain why she can no longer park in the garage.

I pontificate and rationalize - “to make good wine takes time, equipment and patience”. The bottle of Chenin/Chardonnay we shared tonight with our shrimp linguini was made nearly three years ago and is just getting good. If you want wine this good, a lot goes into each bottle.

How do you address this question?

View attachment 61443

Easy, just knowing that it’s only labor intensive four times, crush day, press day, barrel day, and bottle day. Figure how much time you really spend on a batch, guess it’ll last 6 years, and calculate how much time you really invest over a 6 year period. It’s not a lot unless you do boatloads of little batches. Been there, done that. The key is to start making in big batches yearly so you don’t always have little batches in different stages to monkey with.

 

[sour_grapes]

How about "Yes, Dear, I did forget! Now, could I interest you in a glass of wine?!"

 

[CDrew]

It's a hobby for sure. And there are many, many months where it needs no input at all. But, right after harvest, and then when racking and bottling, it needs 100% attention. Just the nature of it. Now if you're getting buckets of must off-set from the natural cycle, then you're going to be doing a lot more work.

I figure 4-6 weeks of intense work in September and October. The grapes are ripe when they are. Then a day or 2 in February, and a couple of bottling days whenever. The rest of the days can be spent DRINKING the wine.

 

[1d10t]

I often joke that 'hobbies are my hobby'. I think by definition a hobby is something you obsess over. It is your mental getaway. My wife knows I've always loved science. When looking at some of my instrumentation and gizmos and such she finally started to get it. Plus, I consider this part of it 'food'. That annoys her a little but she can't really refute it.

 

[cmason1957]

My wife and I do most of the work together, so it remains a hobby. We only have 13 carboys going right now. Soon to go up by 6 down by 4.

 

[Ajmassa]

@crushday you should add an ‘s’ to your username

 

[mainshipfred]

I have no place to make wine at home so I make it at work in my shop. I don't think she cares as long as I'm not making it at home.

 

[BernardSmith]

It's not so much a hobby as an obsession, isn't it?

 

[winemaker81]

The key is to start making in big batches yearly so you don’t always have little batches in different stages to monkey with.

@Johnd -- I make little batches so I DO have something to monkey with. I also make big batches because 2 cases of wine is too little.



@BernardSmith -- what is the difference?



My wife hates the smell of fermentation. OTOH, I love it. It's the best smell in the world! So I start a kit every other month or so. I make wine for my niece so I have something to play with that I neither pay for nor store. More fun for me.

My elder son recently purchased a second carboy to make a melomel. His comment to me was, "Dad, you're right, It gets into your blood and you want to keep doing it." Obviously I ruined him. Or set him on the path, depending on your POV.

My younger son more recently said, "I want to try making wine, but I don't know if it's something I want to do, or if it's something I want to help someone else with."

 

[Johnd]

@Johnd -- I make little batches so I DO have something to monkey with. I also make big batches because 2 cases of wine is too little.

That’s the beauty of making wine, everybody gets to do it just how they like!!

 

[pete1325]

I still call it my hobby, my wife calls it my problem.