Hello from the heartland

[Mike93YJ]

My girlfriend and I both enjoy wine. About a month ago, we went to a local winery with my Mom, stepdad and great aunt for a wine tasting. The winery let us taste it right out of their tank. It was very interesting. Afterwards, my girlfriend asked about making our own wine. I was interested also, so I started researching.
We bought a starter kit and got some cranberry going. As soon as it came out of the primary, we got a batch of Skeeter Pee going.
My Mom and stepdad have volunteered as test tasters! I'm really looking forward to enjoying the Skeeter Pee and sharing it with friends at the lake this summer .
Yesterday we started remodelling our basement. We're putting in kitchen-type cabinets and a sink. We have talked of taking up the carpet and putting tiles or lineolum down, to clean up spills easier. It will be so nice to have a place to make wine! Our first batch was on the dining room table.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Welcome to the wine making having a blast forum! It's a great and fun hobby and glad you were able to find some wine tasters, they can be difficult to procure

Give yourself a little room to expand as this hobby takes over your life. It's a blast!

 

[Runningwolf]

Welcome to the forum. Holy Moley your not wasting any time. You're going to love it and it only gets better and bigger.

 

[Julie]

Hi Mike

Welcome to winemakingtalk.

 

[robie]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have the bug, alright. My suggestion on your basement, put in one large sink, instead of a divided one.

 

[jtstar]

Welcome don't forget the wine racks while your remodeling your going to need them

 

[Flem]

Welcome to the forum. I can attest---it's addicting. 18 gallons since January 7th. 12 more within the next month. Good Luck!!!

 

[winemaker_3352]

Welcome aboard!!!

 

[Tom]

My girlfriend and I both enjoy wine. About a month ago, we went to a local winery with my Mom, stepdad and great aunt for a wine tasting. The winery let us taste it right out of their tank. It was very interesting. Afterwards, my girlfriend asked about making our own wine. I was interested also, so I started researching.
We bought a starter kit and got some cranberry going. As soon as it came out of the primary, we got a batch of Skeeter Pee going.
My Mom and stepdad have volunteered as test tasters! I'm really looking forward to enjoying the Skeeter Pee and sharing it with friends at the lake this summer .
Yesterday we started remodelling our basement. We're putting in kitchen-type cabinets and a sink. We have talked of taking up the carpet and putting tiles or lineolum down, to clean up spills easier. It will be so nice to have a place to make wine! Our first batch was on the dining room table.

Welcome to a great OBSESSION. This will soom take over you life and home..

 

[Brian]

Welcome to a great hobby and forum.. We have alot of fun here and gald you could join us. If you have any questions ask away.. It is better to ask a question than und up with a bad batch...

 

[Mike93YJ]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have the bug, alright. My suggestion on your basement, put in one large sink, instead of a divided one.

We've been looking at utility tub type sinks, your advice sure helped us decide. My girlfriend thinks we need to get one made of plastic stuff, because of the glass carboys and breakage. I think stainless steel would work as good, and might be easier to clean, no chance of sctarches for little bugs to hide in. No idea what the price difference could be, we might not be able to afford stainless. Any advice?

Flem said: Welcome to the forum. I can attest---it's addicting. 18 gallons since January 7th. 12 more within the next month. Good Luck!!!

You're ahead of us! But we've only been going about a week and a half, 10 gals. fermenting, waiting for bananas to ripen, and then we'll get another gallon in a primary!

 

[Wade E]

Pretty soon youll be buying a pump and filter set up from me the way your going!!! heheheh Pretty much like me, it has taken over my whole basement between the wine and beer making!

 

[Minnesotamaker]

I have a stainless table and sink. I haven't broken a carboy yet (knock on wood).

It's great that your mom and step-dad are willing to be taste testers, but what you really need to do is recruit them to scrape labels off bottles. That can become a pretty big project during the first few years of expansion.

 

[Arne]

Welcome to the forum. Label scraping, yuk. but it helps keep the cost down if you can find some used bottles. Good luck with your venture and get another vat of skeeter pee going. It has a poof factor. You will find out when yours gets done. lol. Arne.

 

[Mike93YJ]

It's great that your mom and step-dad are willing to be taste testers, but what you really need to do is recruit them to scrape labels off bottles.

Label scraping, yuk. but it helps keep the cost down if you can find some used bottles. Good luck with your venture and get another vat of skeeter pee going. It has a poof factor. You will find out when yours gets done. lol. Arne.

They've volunteered to taste, and are saving bottles (with the labels removed), and 'loaned' us a carboy. I hate to ask them to scrape labels off more bottles.

I just read about SP made with slurry from wine with a jam base. Maybe that will be our next SP donor. Does the SP slurry have to come from a 5 gal. batch, or would slurry from a 1 gal. work???

BTW: There's an auction coming up on 3/26 here locally, and they have wine making equipment and bottles!! There's no way I'm gonna miss it!!!

 

[Minnesotamaker]

They've volunteered to taste, and are saving bottles (with the labels removed), and 'loaned' us a carboy. I hate to ask them to scrape labels off more bottles.

I just read about SP made with slurry from wine with a jam base. Maybe that will be our next SP donor. Does the SP slurry have to come from a 5 gal. batch, or would slurry from a 1 gal. work???

BTW: There's an auction coming up on 3/26 here locally, and they have wine making equipment and bottles!! There's no way I'm gonna miss it!!!

Normally, you'll get a bigger slurry from a bigger batch, but the one gallon could work. The other thing I've done when I didn't have a slurry is to start the one gallon batch of whatever, and then when it's about half way done, use the whole thing as your slurry and then shoot for a 6 gallon batch.