WineXpert First batch of Wine started

[vezePilot]

In a thread in Introductions several members gave me lots of good advice in getting started in Wine making. So I have started a 1 gallon kit of California Moscato. I will probably use a few of my re-purposed green glass beer bottles for this first batch, and other small batches of probly a Cab Sauv and a Pinot. I'm also substituting Biofine (10ml/5 gallons) in place of the Chitosan that came in the kit.

At Quirky's Homebrew Supply in Denver I picked up a few necessary items:
- PBW and Star San for cleaning & sanitizing (years ago I used diluted bleach, but these are better)
- Two gallon plastic Fermenter and a one gallon wide-mouth glass Carboy, a syringe for the Biofine
- A Dozen 750ml Claret/Bordeaux wine bottles and Moscato labels
- A couple more Airlocks, Stars & Stripes crown caps, spray bottle and Premium Corks

I have everything else; my first use of my Hydrometer in years produced an S.G. of 1.070 before I added the yeast ... right in the middle of the range.
And I now have the motivation to also start brewing my beer again, "Standard Reference" light ale ... but in the Fall when it's cooler weather.
The neat thing about Wine making is that I don't have to build a fire (Bayou Burner or high-tech kitchen stove.)

I'm excited and happy to be doing this again.

 

[vezePilot]

I bought a bunch more stuff required, this time from my preferred store, The Bald Brewer in Longmont, CO.

Another 1 gallon Carboy, two 6 gallon Carboys, another 6 gallon plastic bucket fermenter, Wine Thief, other accessories. And a 6 gallon WineXpert Kit for Chile Cabernet Sauvignon. Which I started today. Also another dozen 750ml bottles.

 

[Jovimaple]

I bought a bunch more stuff required, this time from my preferred store, The Bald Brewer in Longmont, CO.

Another 1 gallon Carboy, two 6 gallon Carboys, another 6 gallon plastic bucket fermenter, Wine Thief, other accessories. And a 6 gallon WineXpert Kit for Chile Cabernet Sauvignon. Which I started today. Also another dozen 750ml bottles.

So far I have gotten "just one more carboy and that will be enough" about 4 times now since I started making wine in December. I really am mostly done buying stuff except ingredients. I hope!

 

[vezePilot]

My 1 gallon WE Moscato fermenter/airlock does not smell very good. Started on the 4th, I'm concerned that something is wrong.

In 67 five-gallon batches of beer over six years I never had any infections nor losses due to lack of cleanliness. My 6 gallon Chile Cab kit started just yesterday smells great-- the Cabernet juice is very tasty. The big Cab fermenter is also bubbling very rapidly: continuous bubbles at more than 1 per second. I will need to do forensics if the Moscato does not turn out well.

 

[winemaker81]

My 1 gallon WE Moscato fermenter/airlock does not smell very good. Started on the 4th, I'm concerned that something is wrong.

Describe the smell as best you can. What is the SG?

Keep in mind that early in the process, wine smells nothing like wine. During fermentation beer smells more like beer than wine smells like wine.

 

[vezePilot]

My wife is better at this ... she says it smells like dusty, musty, dried prunes with a hint of really over-ripe fruit. I used to smoke cigarettes, so I cannot discern odors quite as well yet. Thank you for asking and helping with this.

 

[winemaker81]

Thank you for asking and helping with this.

I hope I can help. At this point, I have no suggestion other then to keep going with the process. You can always toss it, later, if it has gone bad.

If you have cleaned and sanitized all equipment, it's hard to go wrong with a kit. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

 

[vezePilot]

Yesterday was the day per instructions to check the SG, rack to a glass carboy, do the degassing and to start the clearing for my 1 gallon batch of Moscato. It seems there is nothing wrong, and my wife agrees it smells like cider. Today I added the Reserve bag of juice and BioFine.

In a coupla more days I can move the 6 gallon kit of Cabernet to a carboy. This is still easier than making beer.

edit: Oh, also ... the SG of the Moscato was 0.9945 which is apparently just fine as it is less than 0.996 shown in the instructions.

 

[vezePilot]

Six months ago I had a plan to motivate me to clean up & organize my garage: which was to order a Kit Flintlock Rifle. I would need the workbench space for this effort and decided this would be a good way to get it done. The kit is rather expensive ... the plan did not happen.

But now my garage is all straightened up. The big workbench is cleared off, the table as well ... because there are THREE fermenters working and lots of new brewing equipment and cleaning solutions. My sweet wife even helped during two weekends to cleanup the garage.

The one-gallon Moscato kit is moving along in a small carboy; the 6-gallon Cabernet was racked to a carboy today; and I brewed a 5 gallon batch of my light Ale "Standard Reference" yesterday evening, which is bubbling along nicely today.

So these actually save money, of course, instead of spending more on something frivolous. Like a very fine, authentic Kibler Flintlock.

https://kiblerslongrifles.com/pages/customer-photos

 

[joeswine]

one gallon kits can be fun and rewarding inter mixing with normal size kits,

 

[joeswine]

Phase #2..

 

[joeswine]

phase #3........

 

[vezePilot]

Wow, lots of great photos of stuff I'm doing now, and more that I'll get to soon. Those finished bottles look so great.

Read back: " ... hot straight and normal." Roger that, thanks!

 

[vezePilot]

I bottled the one gallon kit of Moscato this morning-- Wow this really turned out well. So I just got back from buying a 6 gallon kit of the same from The Bald Brewer in Longmont. And I can rack the 6 gallons of Cabernet to a 2nd carboy on the 20th, to bottle that on the 22nd or so. Can't wait!

 

[vezePilot]

And of course a "new winemaker" has to work through how to store a number of bottles. It seems I may have 30 bottles of Cabernet, and 30 bottles of Moscato, in the next two weeks or so. There are shelves in our pantry where I have kept Eight cases of bottled homebrew Ale. Only have two cases there now, so I built these simple racks for wine bottles. The racks fit in the same space as a large box for bottled beer, holding ten wine bottles each. It took most all of last week to make six of these from scrap wood that I already had:

 

[Khristyjeff]

And of course a "new winemaker" has to work through how to store a number of bottles. It seems I may have 30 bottles of Cabernet, and 30 bottles of Moscato, in the next two weeks or so. There are shelves in our pantry where I have kept Eight cases of bottled homebrew Ale. Only have two cases there now, so I built these simple racks for wine bottles. The racks fit in the same space as a large box for bottled beer, holding ten wine bottles each. It took most all of last week to make six of these from scrap wood that I already had:

View attachment 77527

There's no better use for scrap wood, IMHO. Looks good. Glad you're having fun with this hobby.