Just getting started in California

[Coastiejon]

Greetings from California wine country. I live in Petaluma which is right just south of Napa, Sonoma and Dry Creek Valleys. My wife and I enjoy wine tasting and I've made beer for years, so it's a natural transformation to move into wine making. I started my first batch yesterday from a kit a friend got me for Christmas. I have another, more complete kit that my wife got me that I will start this week.

I am in the Coast Guard and will be transferring to Eureka, CA in June where I plan to set up a small winery in the garage. Should be a good time. Once I get the kits down I would like to move into wine making using grapes available from local wineries.

I'm enjoying this forum and getting a lot of knowledge.

Jon

 

[mxsteve625]

Welcome Coastiejohn. This is the place to be for friendly and knowledgable information.

I too started with beer and you are right wine making is a natural transition as you already have the basic equipment. I too started with wine kits and learned on this forum hope to make wine from scratch with fruits and grapes. It is alot of fun and a very addictive hobby.

HAVE FUN

 

[Daisy317]

Welcome to the forum!

There are a lot of people here who know bunches and bunches about the process!

It does help to have a glass or two of wine before coming to post though. We have a bunch of characters around here! Before you know it you'll be drinking our pee!

 

[winemaker_3352]

Welcome aboard!!

 

[Runningwolf]

Welcome to the party!

 

[Julie]

Hi Jon

Welcome to winemakingtalk.

 

[danc]

welcome to the forum, coastiejon. good luck with both your kits.

 

[Coastiejon]

Thank you all for the support. I was a little nervous because one of the kits did not start to ferment for the first 48 hours. I checked the temperature and it was in the low 60's were I had it stored. I moved it upstairs where it's always warmer and it began almost right away. I'm anxious to see the difference between the two kits. I need to rack one this week and the other stays in the primary fermenter for 26 days (according to directions).

Jon

 

[ibglowin]

Yikes! That sounds a bit long to be in Primary! Better check those directions again.

Welcome to the WMT.com forums!

the other stays in the primary fermenter for 26 days (according to directions).

Jon

 

[Runningwolf]

Welcome to the forum!

We have a bunch of characters around here! Before you know it you'll be drinking our pee!

Who the H*ll would you be talking about?

 

[Torch404]

Welcome to the forum lots of good info here. Welcome to Nor Cal. I live just outside Eureka it a great area too live.

 

[ibglowin]

Skeeter Pee I hope.....

Who the H*ll would you be talking about?

 

[Coastiejon]

I took a look at the directions once again, and it did say to leave the wine in the fermenter for 26 days without touching it. The kit was a gift from a buddy that came with a barrel looking fermenter that the hold the entire kit, high quality stuff; so I put it in a 5 gallon fermenter I had. I flashed back to my beer making days a book that I had on ways to improve the beer from a kit. I went with your suggestions and took the wine off the lees and put it into a secondary fermenter, hopefully that will work out better.

Jon

 

[jtstar]

Welcome and it is true the characters on here are a lot of fun

 

[Midwest Vintner]

Welcome!!!

best to go by a hydrometer. a wine maker's best friend. next bests are a pH meter and SO2 tester. lol.

 

[wjdonahue]

Hey Coastiejon...welcome. If you have been making beer for a while, winemaking will add a new word to your vocabulary....PATIENCE. This is the easiest word to understand, and the hardest to put into practice. (laughing)
Hope you like the different mindset winemaking provides.....fighting the temptation, and hiding the corkscrew till it's ready to drink.