Dumb question about bulk aging

[kyle5434]

I've got a walkout basement. There are no HVAC vents down there, but it doesn't suffer wild temperature swings. In the room where I'm planning to bulk age, the temps tend to hover in the upper 50s in the dead of winter and the mid- upper-70s in the heat of summer, so I'm not overly concerned in that regard.

My question is, where do folks store their carboys? On shelving? A table? On the floor? The floor would obviously be easiest, but should I be concerned about disturbing the sediment when I lift and carry the full carboy to a table for racking/bottling?

 

[sour_grapes]

Many of us keep the carboys on a mover's dolly. Just as easy as on the floor, but easy to move around for racking, etc.

 

[xune]

Almost need to build yourself a whole other kitchen to make wine in. I use the floor, don't have enough counter space to keep them up off the ground.

 

[mainshipfred]

On or near the floor will be cooler as well in the summer. Like sour_grapes I use furniture dollies. If you put wood in the middle you can easily put 3 carboys on one dolly. I put mine in milk crates though and can only get 2 per dolly.

 

[Donatelo]

My cellar is a storm cellar. I have benches all along the walls .The benches are about 20" high and if I could I would store the wine another 10 inches higher. I just don't like storing my wine on the floor. Plus when it comes time to rack them into a clean carboy I don't have to disturb them. Just syphon them there and leave less wine behind.

 

[cgallamo]

I keep them on the floor until I'm ready to rack then lift them up. If I disturb sediment I may let them sit for awhile aloft.

 

[pillswoj]

Keep mine on the bottom shelf of my wine bench about 5 " off the floor, use an AIO pump to rack so no need to lift them.

 

[Scooter68]

Like several have said I keep mine in a similar situation 50's in the winter 70s in summer in a basement with a driveout ramp. (old home) I keep mine on a shelf in front of my wine rack. About 8 inches off the floor. I try to plan ahead and move them to a cart that stands about 30 inches off the floor. I use simple siphon method and try to move the carboys a couple of day ahead of 'racking day' Normally after the first 2-3 serious rackings there is so little sediment that it's just about impossible keep what is there from moving, even when just inserting a racking cane. The AIO might be a great solution for you but you still will have the potential for disturbing the fine fine lees present in the last couple of rackings.

Bottom line, do the best you can and don't look back. This is home-made wine and unless you are going for show quality, true friends and family will understand if now and then a bottle has little bit of dust at the bottom. If they don't then.... "NO WINE FOR YOU!"

 

[mainshipfred]

Bottom line, do the best you can and don't look back. This is home-made wine and unless you are going for show quality, true friends and family will understand if now and then a bottle has little bit of dust at the bottom. If they don't then.... "NO WINE FOR YOU!"[/QUOTE]

You Wine Nazi

 

[Scooter68]

Bottom line, do the best you can and don't look back. This is home-made wine and unless you are going for show quality, true friends and family will understand if now and then a bottle has little bit of dust at the bottom. If they don't then.... "NO WINE FOR YOU!"

You Wine Nazi[/QUOTE]

You are correct Sir! NEXT !

 

[kyle5434]

Thanks, all, for the feedback. I think I'll probably just bulk age on the floor, and plan to move the carboy to the table 2-3 days before racking. In doing other searches on the interwebs, it sounds like as long as the carboy is full, and I use some measure of care, most of the turbulence will be focused in the upper half anyway.

 

[garymc]

This is home-made wine

Not mine! Mine is hand crafted wine.

 

[wildhair]

I keep mine on heavy-duty shelving. When I go to rack - I move it to a bench then let it sit for an hour or so before siphoning it of. Any sediment you may have loosened will settle back pretty quickly.

 

[Stressbaby]

I store my carboys on the floor, but a remnant of carpet underneath has proven helpful. It softens the impact when you set them down and it mitigates the temp changes. I attribute at least one cracked carboy to that concrete floor before getting carpet.

 

[bkisel]

Both the floor and shelving.

 

[wxtrendsguy]

Don't lift carboys,,,take it from someone who has a bad back and owns a winery....use gas CO2 or N2 and push your wine from point A to point B. A few bucks in equipment will make you life so easy trust me.....

 

[Scooter68]

Depending on your commitment to the hobby and your wine making area of the home, there are alternatives to straight out lifting the larger carboys - 5 Gallons or more. One would be to build a simple lifting device on wheels. ( I have a relative who is pretty much bed ridden and depends on a lift device to move her from the bed to a wheelchair.) Devices with mechanical or hydraulic lift made commercially made are probably much higher capacity but I'm certain that with some basic physics and geometry work, one can figure out a home-made lift mechanism that would be semi-portable. Alternatively a few pulleys with medium capacity rope and a standard Carboy net could help. Then a roll-around cart or 4 wheeled caster dolly can be used. I have an old typewriter stand/desk with wheels that I rely on. An AIO would help but sometimes there is just not enough space on the floor or shelves to keep every carboy within easy reach even with an AIO.

 

[bkisel]

My issue is getting the carboy, when ready for bulk aging, form the kitchen/dinning area down into the basement. I've started to hold back one gallon and making two trips down to the basement where I add the 1 gallon back into the carboy. I've been looking for an indoor type hand truck with large wheels to negotiate the basement stair but so far have not found one. All that I've checked out online have smallish wheels.

Something like this but with bigger wheels...

 

[sour_grapes]

My issue is getting the carboy, when ready for bulk aging, form the kitchen/dinning area down into the basement. I've started to hold back one gallon and making two trips down to the basement where I add the 1 gallon back into the carboy. I've been looking for an indoor type hand truck with large wheels to negotiate the basement stair but so far have not found one. All that I've checked out online have smallish wheels.

Something like this but with bigger wheels...

Whaddya think of a dolly with a "stair climbing" belt or the like:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O39FJ2S/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LX63HRI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

or

 

[bkisel]

Whaddya think of a dolly with a "stair climbing" belt or the like:

That six wheeler looks like it would do the trick....

By for now. I'm going to set up a go fund me page.