Hello World!

[Brandon M]

Here's introducing myself!

I grew up wishing that someday I'd inherit that beautiful big 5-gallon handblown green-glass carboy wrapped in wicker sitting on Grandma's hearth, and I finally got it. Years later, I finally decided to actually start using it, so in 2022 I bought all the gear I'd need to get started into winemaking.

So far I've completed
- a quart of grape wine from my own front yard (big success of a tiny batch),
- a pint of wineberry wine from my backyard (great stuff, but a micro batch, barely two glasses, was nowhere near enough),
- 3 gallons of watermelon (huge failure of rotting-sneaker-smell spoiled mess; I don't think I'll ever forget that smell),
- one gallon of absolutely delightful Macintosh apple wine (friends said it was as good as anything they'd ever drank), and
- 2 gallons of frost grape (tasted fine but had a nasty foxy smell I don't think will age out, but we'll see).

Right now I'm aging three gallons of wineberry wine (racked the first time last week, and so far, it looks and smells real promising), and just bottled another two gallons of Macintosh apple wine (super hopeful).

This week I just pitched yeast into another gallon of grape wine from the front yard grapevine. (Would have been two gallons but apparently the deer figured out how to reach over the fence ONE NIGHT BEFORE HARVEST. Drat.) It's already down from 20.4 to 2.0 BRIX, in just 36 hours. So a super-hot fermentation, and I'm really hoping it comes out as well as my original attempt.

 

[Brandon M]

At the moment, my challenges are learning ABV calculations and how to really use my measuring tools correctly (refractometer, hydrometer, pH meter). I'm considering purchasing a TA test kit. Just today I figured out that I needed to correct my refractometer readings for alcohol, which explains why I never got SG readings below about 1.030 in my previous fermentations. Going back and revisiting my tracking spreadsheet, I can see that they actually DID ferment to completion, which explains why I always had to backsweeten even when the SG/sugars looked very high on my refractometer.

I also am discovering that my collection of bottles - four 1 gal carboys and the single 5 gal carboy - are not really sufficient for more than one batch at a time. And I'm also learning that I need a fair variety of equipment to handle the rather random amounts that you get out of "found fruit." Without wasting juice, it's tough to ensure things are topped off properly and still fit properly into the next bottles. So I'm incrementally figuring out these things.

 

[ChuckD]

At the moment, my challenges are learning ABV calculations and how to really use my measuring tools correctly (refractometer, hydrometer, pH meter). I'm considering purchasing a TA test kit. Just today I figured out that I needed to correct my refractometer readings for alcohol, which explains why I never got SG readings below about 1.030 in my previous fermentations. Going back and revisiting my tracking spreadsheet, I can see that they actually DID ferment to completion, which explains why I always had to backsweeten even when the SG/sugars looked very high on my refractometer.

I also am discovering that my collection of bottles - four 1 gal carboys and the single 5 gal carboy - are not really sufficient for more than one batch at a time. And I'm also learning that I need a fair variety of equipment to handle the rather random amounts that you get out of "found fruit." Without wasting juice, it's tough to ensure things are topped off properly and still fit properly into the next bottles. So I'm incrementally figuring out these things.

Sounds like you’re off to a great start. Carboys for winemakers are
Like clamps to woodworkers… you can never have too many! I generally make 5 to 6 gallon batches but I still have several (each) of 3, 1, and 1/2 gallon carboys.

You can also top up with a similar or light tasting wine.

 

[Ohio Bob]

Welcome to WMT! Sounds like your hooked just like most of us.

 

[winemaker81]

Welcome to WMT!

You need a lot of containers of various sizes for secondary storage, plus many wine bottles. Be forewarned the carboys breed like rabbits.

 

[Brandon M]

Sounds like you’re off to a great start. Carboys for winemakers are
Like clamps to woodworkers… you can never have too many! I generally make 5 to 6 gallon batches but I still have several (each) of 3, 1, and 1/2 gallon carboys.

You can also top up with a similar or light tasting wine.

Yeah... but somehow the purist in me rebels at the idea of "contaminating" my wine from fruit I grew and picked with some commercial product. Yeah, I know, that's silly, but...

 

[winemaker81]

Yeah... but somehow the purist in me rebels at the idea of "contaminating" my wine from fruit I grew and picked with some commercial product. Yeah, I know, that's silly, but...

You may come to the point where everything is "ingredients".

Last year we tried an experiment -- we added the pomace from a batch of Grenache to one Merlot kit, and the pomace from Tempranillo to another. The results are quite pleasing. This year we're buying 2 Sangiovese juice buckets to add to pomace from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. I don't have as much storage room as I have ideas for experiments .....

 

[BigDaveK]

Welcome to WMT!
Yup, you're hooked. Don't try to fight it, you can't win!

 

[David Violante]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome to WMT! You seem to be well underway.

 

[Rice_Guy]

welcome to WMT, there are a number of folks in the DC area. I have grandkids in Arlington, hope to meet.

* A basic wine goes from an open pot to a four liter bottle to a 3.78 liter to maybe a jug with some marbles (polyethylene balls). The stuff is found about as easily as fruit.
* Remember the watermelon smell and resulting flavor. Your description is a low YAN wine, ,,, investigate TOSNA nutrition.
* How is your freezer? There is lots of neighborhood fruit. I wind up adding 5% crabapple to most things to produce long flavor notes. I also readily mix high pH with low pH to naturally reach pH. AND a pH meter is a useful tool.

 

[Jovimaple]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[Bizzidy]

Nice meeting you. Sounds like you taken the dive! I just joined a couple days ago. This should be a great place to learn.

 

[fermenter]

Welcome Brandon. This place is a RIOT.