Help the new guy

[Goodfella]

Hey everybody,


I got all my starter supplies ready.... Now I am ordering a really good kit to start out with.


Now.... I need help figuring out how to store the wine while it ages. (1-2 years).


I lookedat some of the built in cellars that people from this forum has built. They are beautiful. For now I just need a way to store 50-60 bottles. I read that refrigerators and small wine coolers fluctuate in temp. to often.


I hope someone can give me some suggestions.


Thanks...


Joel

 

[Tom]

You are talking about 5 cases. We need to know some things from you. Where are you? Do you hace a basement (cellar)? Is it damp? etc. Then we can help you.

What are you making that you want to age for 2-3 years?

 

[Goodfella]

I live in Utah.


The room is part of the house, So it is a fairly stable temp. It is not a basement, But it is about 71 degrees. I know i need to be about 55-65.


The first kit I am doing is MM Barolo.


I will be donig a couple more shortly after. (hopefully)

 

[Tom]

I would look for a wine cooler then. My kids got me one from Home Depot a 55 bottle one. Ask around as many others have one. Borolo is a good wine to age. You getting the all juice?

 

[Wade E]

A wine cooler would be nice but if you have a stable temp and can keep them in the dark instead of sunlight beating on them then you should be alright. Stable temps are very important with no sunlight or florescent lights either and little to no vibrations. 55* temps are optimum but not all of us can afford that nor want to spend that kind of money if we could. Luckily I have a very cool basement or my wine would be in trouble.

 

[Goodfella]

I am going with the MM Meglioli.


I will try to keep it out of light. Eventually I will need to convert a room into a cellar!!! Something tells me this will be addictive.

 

[Tom]

I am going with the MM Meglioli.


I will try to keep it out of light. Eventually I will need to convert a room into a cellar!!! Something tells me this will be addictive.

NAH!
It's not addictive! It becomes an obsession!

 

[Goodfella]

I don't believe you, about it being an obsession.... Maybe your 934th post will prove me wrong!!!!

 

[Tom]

Start believing! LOL

Scroll down to my pictures

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http://www.finevinewines.com//Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7925&PN=2

 

[Wade E]

Please dont look at my post # or the link below!!!!!!!!!!

My Link

 

[Trubador]

Please dont look at my post # or the link below!!!!!!!!!!

My Link

great website Wade!

I was looking at your fruit wine recipe's. I have never made one, but if I did, I think I'd start with a Plum wine. My wife has had this type of wine at japanese restaurants and always loves them. I have yet to try one.

The one you have listed, did it turn out well? What is the best time of year to buy plums? And where would you suggest buying them? General supermarket, A&P, Stop and Shop type place? I live in Brewster, NY, not too far from you.

- Trub

 

[Wade E]

I would get them fresh from a farmers market or Orchard as Super Market fruits are just lacking flavor and the sugar as they are picked earlier to get to your grocery store and usually never ripen to the point of a nice fresh plum or any other fruit I.M.O. Having said that mine came out pretty good using grocery store but Im possitive it would be awesome using a better fruit.

 

[smurfe]

Stable temps are more important than optimal temps. your wine will age faster and may not develop some of the "delicate" notes but unless you are a true snob, it really won't matter.


My whole point of replying here other than to say welcome aboard is the "I want to cellar about 50 bottles for a year or two. I just want to say "Yeah right"!

I said the same thing. I didn't even like wine when I started. I made it for my wife. I developed a taste real fast and before you knew it, I had over 1000 bottles everywhere. I have had to take off making winefor over a year just to reduce stock.


I just made another batch after a long time as the wife has a taste for Pinot Grigio and what I had ran out and she is spending $20.00 a bottle at a rate of around 4 bottles a week.


My problem here is I love dry red wines, the wife don't like them. She likes dry to off dry whites and stuff like White Zin. I don't like those. I will now just make her stuff like Pinot Grigio and the occasional fruit wine and make loads of beer for me. She likes beer to as I have got her converted to liking good beers that aren't made by Bud, Miller, or Coors.

 

[Tom]

Smurfe,
You started just like me and my wife only liked the sweeter ones. NOW, loves the red and white DRY wines. Now that our doughter drinks my wiine I need to make 1,000 a year just to keep up. We avg 2 bottles a day. the rest is drunk at my wine club and when we go to a BYOW restuarent and ...

 

[vcasey]

We go through maybe 2 bottles a week. That's why I'm making a lot of meads now since they take much longer to age. Hubby even stopped making beer to reduce his stock a bit.
I wish we had BYOW places around here.