Hello from dusty Nevada

[lilvixen]

Hi everyone!

I have been obsessively researching and reading about wine making for about a month now, and I started my first WE Trinity Red kit last weekend. Yesterday, I moved it from primary to secondary. I'm following the kit instructions for this first kit, as I've seen recommended, then I'll follow the 90 day extended instructions in the Making Your Wine Kit Shine article. My goal is to limit myself to two kits going at once, but we'll see how that goes.

About me: I'm a full-time software engineer by day and a part-time grad student at night (going for my MS in Finance and hopefully a career change). Those apparently don't keep me busy enough, so I'm now a hobby wine maker. Yep, I'm crazy, and my hubby is excited about the hobby and enabling me. Dangerous combination.

Cheers to new friends and home made wine!

 

[dcbrown73]

Welcome!

You're joining the rest of this winemaking crazy crowd.

 

[Kraffty]

Welcome to WMT, a degree in Finance might come in handy with a hobby like this one.
Mike

 

[heatherd]

Welcome to the hobby and the forum!

If you have any questions, be sure to ask, as the forum members are all very helpful.

 

[bkisel]

Welcome to aboard! Best of luck with your new hobby.

Hey, why don't you get your husband interested in brewing beer?

I started with kits a little over 3 years ago. About 1 1/2 years into the hobby I expanded into making fruit/country wines. Still do a lot of kits but the frugal in me just loves making wine where the wine itself cost less than the cork and bottle.

 

[lilvixen]

Welcome to WMT, a degree in Finance might come in handy with a hobby like this one.
Mike

I already ran the numbers, and while I'm still telling myself that we'll come out ahead by me making wine, the breakeven point keeps moving out when I realize I need this and that and I thought I could get with just that, but...

Welcome to the hobby and the forum!

If you have any questions, be sure to ask, as the forum members are all very helpful.

Thanks! I will definitely ask questions as I go along. So far, I'm in absorption mode, but I want to move to the big kits next, and I see a lot of tweaks - yeast, tannins, bulk aging vs bottle aging, oak spirals, barrels (which I investigated, but realized I don't have the space or the capacity to justify one), etc. I hope with the bigger kits, I can attain a comparable level of wine to the $10-15 bottles that we drink now. Temperature and storage are my biggest hurdles, so I have to be mindful of that in my alterations. But I am willing to wait, and I can tell by the other threads that time is the secret ingredient.

 

[lilvixen]

Welcome to aboard! Best of luck with your new hobby.

Hey, why don't you get your husband interested in brewing beer?

I started with kits a little over 3 years ago. About 1 1/2 years into the hobby I expanded into making fruit/country wines. Still do a lot of kits but the frugal in me just loves masking wine where the wine itself cost less than the cork and bottle.

Hubby's friends tried to get him into brewing in college, but it doesn't interest him. He'll happily drink homemade beer and wine but has desire to make it himself. Probably better for the budget and the space to only have one hobby like this going on

I already told him that I'm commandeering some space in the master closet for wine storage - it's the most stable for temperatures throughout the house.

 

[dcbrown73]

I already ran the numbers, and while I'm still telling myself that we'll come out ahead by me making wine, the breakeven point keeps moving out when I realize I need this and that and I thought I could get with just that, but...

Ha! I have the same issue. Though except for the fact that I expect to collect more carboys, I think I've got most of the big ticket items purchased. At least until I start making wine direct from grapes.

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[lilvixen]

I've been reading threads today about early drinkers and off-tastes and other randomness, and I've been thoroughly scared off from following the 4-week kit instruction timeline. I want a good wine, so I'm moving the WE Trinty Red to the 90 day fermentation timeline.

With a 10L kit and 90 day fermentation, how long should I age in the bottle before trying one? I've read that bottle shock lasts a month (ish?). If I open the first bottle 3 months after bottling (6 months after pitching), can I expect it to be better than, say, a bottle of Barefoot? Or do I need to wait longer?

If it matters, the house temperature during the summer will max at 76*F, and will min at 63*F in the winter - I don't know how much temperature (with some daily variation) affects aging. I know that constant temps are more ideals, but I figure that since I'm not planning 5+ year storage, it's not that bad, right?

I've never had homemade wine, so I have no idea what to expect.

 

[cmason1957]

I am going to take a bit of a contrary opinion. For you first kits, if you are doing this alone, follow the kit instructions to the letter. Wait a month or two, then drink a bottle, wait another month, drink a bottle. Set a few bottles aside and let them bottle age. Will it be the greatest wine you will make, NOPE. Will it be drinkable and you are now hooked on making wine, well I certainly was. This is a fun hobby, relax, enjoy. Save the lengthy waits until you have a bit better clue of what you are doing.

That's my $0.02 for what it is worth.

 

[lilvixen]

Thanks, @cmason1957. I am doing this alone, and I'm trying to walk the line between just doing it to gain experience and doing it well. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the 28 day kit instructions and the 90 day schedule is time; instead of bottling 8 days after clearing and fining, I wait 20 days, then rack and let rest for 7 weeks before bottling.

Newbie impatience and cluelessness vs the do-it-right-the-first-time attitude. I'll likely end up changing my mind daily until I get to the end of the month and have to make a decision.

Thank you, I do appreciate your 2¢!

 

[lilvixen]

I created a Google Calendar for my wine making schedule. I put the in-progress WE WV Trinty Red and CC Showcase Sauvignon Blanc, the on-deck RJS En Primeur Super Tuscan, and a to-be-determined Malbec with 90 day schedules on there. I plan to start the Super Tuscan the first weekend of July and the Malbec in mid-August when I bottle the Trinity Red. I'm really glad I set up the calendar because it shows me that anything beyond this will interfere with the fall semester of grad school. I thought I would be able to start up a kit around Labor Day when I bottle the Sauvignon Blanc, but it's more commitment than I'm willing to take on.

I'm also glad I set up the calendar because I realized that since I'm only bottling two kits at the end of summer, I only need 60 bottles, and the wine rack I bought on Amazon will suffice for now. The Super Tuscan and Malbec will get 3 months of bulk aging before I bottle them in Jan and Feb to finish aging for at least 9 and 3-9 months, respectively, in the bottle.

I'll start up two kits over Christmas break, and they should be pretty low maintenance by the time the spring semester starts. They should move to bulk around spring break and to bottle in June-ish.

I laugh at my planning, but it really does save me stress.

Hooray for wine making! I'm having such a blast, and I'm only 2 weeks in!

 

[lilvixen]

I have been visiting my local wine superstore to investigate varietals I have only heard about on the forums and on wine kit websites - Amarone, Barolo, and Barbera (and their various names).

We tried a Barbera last week, and it was a little light for our taste, but I could see it being in the same style as Beaujolais in terms of dinner pairing.

Today, I looked at Amarone and Barolo. WHOA these are expensive! Now I understand why the kit versions seem so popular. I picked up a Barolo to try with dinner next week. I'll save the splurge on an Amarone for a special occasion.

I also picked up a Barossa Valley Shiraz to try out this week. Syrah/Shiraz wines have been hit and miss with me - some are amazing and others taste like grape juice with a bite - so I wanted to try out that region to know if I'll be adding that to my to-make list.

So far, my want-to-do list includes:
- Argentinian or Chilean Malbec
- Washington Cab Merlot
- Lodi Old Vine Zin
- An Italian Pinot Grigio
- A buttery, oaky Chardonnay (Reserve?)
- GSM or similar
- Pinot Noir

Pure Cab and Merlot will end up on the list at some point, but I want to get a base of our common pairings and flexible blends first before I start going specific.