WineXpert Eclipse Forza

[Johnd]

I'll pull a bottle to take to work and ship from there. (That is if it is okay with @Johnd)

And John, this is a scientific experiment, so it isn't considered wine-o-cide.

Call it a scientific experiment if you will, I just recall you wishing you could get some age on your wine, I'm just trying to do my part, LOL!

Truth be told, I have a hard time staying out of mine once they get bottled, so I made a commitment to myself, other than whites and early drinking type wines, I don't bottle for a year. By the end of the summer, I'll finally start bottling some of my good stuff, Forza being one of the first.

I've been making due with early drinkers and wine club shipments from wineries I visited in Napa, not to shabby of an existence!

 

[ceeaton]

Call it a scientific experiment if you will, I just recall you wishing you could get some age on your wine, I'm just trying to do my part, LOL!

Truth be told, I have a hard time staying out of mine once they get bottled, so I made a commitment to myself, other than whites and early drinking type wines, I don't bottle for a year. By the end of the summer, I'll finally start bottling some of my good stuff, Forza being one of the first.

I've been making due with early drinkers and wine club shipments from wineries I visited in Napa, not to shabby of an existence!

Hey John, I've got eight out of eleven 375's left in the sanctuary. That's pretty good for me! In a few years hopefully I'll be able to have eleven out of eleven at this point.

I think I've thrown in the towel on early bottling and will try and leave any reds to age over one winter so I can harvest those valuable wine diamonds. Just means my carboy farm will have to expand!

 

[jgmann67]

I thought wine shipments in the PRP had to go through the State Store system first so they could extract their "pound of flesh" .

There's a big difference between giving a gift and selling a bottle of wine. It's the latter that will get you in trouble with The Chairman of the PRP. They'll send the Booze Patrol (PLCE) to confiscate your hooch and drag you away if you're selling.

 

[Johnd]

Hey John, I've got eight out of eleven 375's left in the sanctuary. That's pretty good for me! In a few years hopefully I'll be able to have eleven out of eleven at this point.

I think I've thrown in the towel on early bottling and will try and leave any reds to age over one winter so I can harvest those valuable wine diamonds. Just means my carboy farm will have to expand!

My carboy / barrel farm is up to 14/3, respectively, all bulk aging wine. Yesterday, I started the process of pulling a building permit for my wine cellar addition, that will ease the carboy / barrel pressure in the dining room. Quite excited about getting it going.

 

[ceeaton]

Yesterday, I started the process of pulling a building permit for my wine cellar addition, that will ease the carboy / barrel pressure in the dining room. Quite excited about getting it going.

In your area does it have to be an above ground cellar because of ground water issues or can it be and underground cellar?

 

[Johnd]

In your area does it have to be an above ground cellar because of ground water issues or can it be and underground cellar?

Above ground, well insulated, with a refrigeration / humidity control system. A hole in the ground is a pond.

 

[ceeaton]

Above ground, well insulated, with a refrigeration / humidity control system. A hole in the ground is a pond.

By the look of the weather in your neck of the woods, maybe you should just build it on a barge so it can float when it rains too much.

 

[Johnd]

By the look of the weather in your neck of the woods, maybe you should just build it on a barge so it can float when it rains too much.

Yeah, kinda feeling the same right now, it's right on top of me. Better days are ahead.

 

[ceeaton]

Yeah, kinda feeling the same right now, it's right on top of me. Better days are ahead.

I've heard of places in your area approaching 20 inches of rain, that's just nuts. Hope it blows on out of there before it does too much damage. They said global warming wouldn't necessarily produce higher temperatures in any particular area, but it would result in weather extremes. Sounds like you are enduring one of those extremes right now. Good luck. My wife and I are praying things work out for you and your family.

 

[Johnd]

I've heard of places in your area approaching 20 inches of rain, that's just nuts. Hope it blows on out of there before it does too much damage. They said global warming wouldn't necessarily produce higher temperatures in any particular area, but it would result in weather extremes. Sounds like you are enduring one of those extremes right now. Good luck. My wife and I are praying things work out for you and your family.

Appreciate the thoughts, all will be fine. We're quite accustomed and prepared for rainwater here, much more so than other places that don't get much rain. In '93, we had 24+ inches in two days, big problem there. 8-10" over a few days, in most places, is just inconvenient. I don't live close to the lake or the river, on purpose. BTW, I'm not a global warming believer........

 

[ceeaton]

BTW, I'm not a global warming believer........

I'm not necessarily convinced what we see now isn't part of a normal cycle, whatever anyones definition of "normal" is. Just know that good old Elliot Abrams taught that global warming, if it does exist, will express itself in weather extremes, not necessarily elevated temps in any particular place.

Edit: Sorry, I've diverted this thread to non-Forza discussions. Back to the Forza...guess I could open one and comment on that very young wine taste....

 

[Johnd]

I'm not necessarily convinced what we see now isn't part of a normal cycle, whatever anyones definition of "normal" is. Just know that good old Elliot Abrams taught that global warming, if it does exist, will express itself in weather extremes, not necessarily elevated temps in any particular place.

Edit: Sorry, I've diverted this thread to non-Forza discussions. Back to the Forza...guess I could open one and comment on that very young wine taste....

Agreed, back to Forza.

 

[Brian55]

Agreed, back to Forza.

In Forza related news. Ours tasted quite promising when sampled during racking prior to stabilization a few days ago (3/7/16)

 

[jgmann67]

One week and counting till I rack'n'dose for its next 3 month nap. Will taste mine then.

 

[Johnd]

I was looking around my wine farm last nite, carboy and barrel storage is getting to be a bit of a problem inside my home. I've committed to aging a year before bottling, it doesn't look like I'm physically able to store much more than I have right now. With a few preorders and some frozen must scheduled to arrive in the next 2 months, I'm going to have to do some bottling. Forza looks to be first on the list at about 8 months old, several others the same age. Plenty of room for several 30 bottle batches in my refrigerated cellars, that should relieve my problem until I get my big cellar built.

 

[ibglowin]

You know about the Sam's Club Wine Racks?

I was looking around my wine farm last nite, carboy and barrel storage is getting to be a bit of a problem inside my home.

 

[Johnd]

You know about the Sam's Club Wine Racks?

I do, but the area I'm storing in is my sun room, really, my kitchen, dining and sun room are one big room, with the sun room windows looking out over the back of my property, swimming pool, etc. Carboys and barrels on the ground are not too terribly obtrusive, but going vertical is just going to add insult to injury. Right now I have two rows of 7 carboys against the wall, plus three barrels double stacked, adding another row would block the walking path. Unfortunately, I'm just out of room until the cellar is built. I'm waiting on my building permit to be approved, but even then, it'll be several months before that relief will be on line.

 

[jgmann67]

Got an ounce or so out of the carboy tonight. Degassed nicely. It's settled down very nicely. I don't get much oak at all - sour cherry mostly. Wonder if I should add some finishing tannin when I rack next week.

 

[Steve_M]

Finally!
After months of waiting I am happy to say this morning I started this kit!
After reading this thread I am so looking forward to September 15,2017.
Will keep updating the process. I have followed directions with the one exceptions of leaving out the EC118 just pitching RC-212.

Steve

 

[scram]

Good for you! Congratulations Steve Keep us posted on your progress!