Cellar Craft May be in over my head?!?

[wineh]

Most of the kit wines i've had are good or even better than store wines. The RJ Premier Amarone I would consider a $40-50 bottle of wine.

Wow, wine must be expensive where you live.

Also you can almost always make a cheaper kit better by augmenting and tweaking the process. Whether adding in additional fruit, fortifying with a high quality brandy (port), extending the aging, introducing MLF, Cold stabilizing, etc. So many options!

Any time i've had a "bad" kit, its been my error in the making - or a friends error.

Do you mean like doing malolactic fermentation on a kit? Very bad thing to do.
Sorry.

 

[Dino466]

Jaggz - the only problem with making wine - is that after the first couple of batches - all you want to do is make more. I use to have 1 or 2 store bought wines around - now I have hundreds of bottles of home made wines around. Some days that is not a good things and with the kits you picked you should have 90 bottles of outstanding wine.

 

[Jaggz]

Thanks Dino - I'm feeling better about them all aging through the summer, even without a cellar - I'm guessing we'll try them out for the first time somewhere around the fall and see how they handled the Texas summer!

 

[jimmyjames23]

I would take precaution and at least buy a used mini bar fridge. Wine does not like heat.

 

[Jaggz]

I would take precaution and at least buy a used mini bar fridge. Wine does not like heat.

I think in theory - that would be the best...however with 4 carboys full right now...I'm not sure that would address the problem. I'm not even sure I could get 4 carboys in a full-size refrigerator?!?

 

[Dino466]

I am not that experienced in wine making (2 years) but from what I read, keeping them in the carboy would be best (temp more constant with the larger volume of a carboy). Live in Canada stuck out here in the Atlantic. So my basement is usually 65-68 in the winter and 68-70 in the summer. We don't usually get real cold in the winter or super hot in the summer because of the ocean currents. I don't know if you could set up a "cool room" or old freezer chest and change out the thermostat (I ain't that handy but others on the website are) check out the storage section - I know in Halifax they have self storage units for wine but I don't know the cost or what they hold (bottle or carboys). Just some thoughts.

 

[jimmyjames23]

Then I guess you have a dilemma.

Your wine will age too quickly and not provide the maximum potential. If you bulk age at that temperature you will most definitely encounter MLF. I'm not sure if that's bad with a kit or not. In my wines it is essential. But I do it at around 57 degrees. Slowly...in a barrel.
Besides you can always bottle age your kit wine.
You can fit 300 bottles in a refrigerator if you remove the shelves.
Considering what you have already spent on your wine are you ready to take a risk just when you're about to reap your rewards?

 

[Jaggz]

If I were to bottle soon - would this solve my dilemma? Can I just place this in a coat closet?

 

[TonyP]

If I were to bottle soon - would this solve my dilemma? Yes Can I just place this in a coat closet? Maybe or maybe not. These units operate with compressors that typically require ventilation. A dedicated closet or one with ventilation (say keeping the door open) should be fine.

I hope this helps.

 

[Jaggz]

I was thinking in a large coat closet under the stairs...it doesn't have any ventilation, other than the 1" gap under the door. From the website about that unit....

"Built-In Versatility:
The unit is front venting, which allows it to be built-in with zero clearance necessary on the sides and back of the unit for that flush look. It also has finished sides and top for free standing applications. The unit can be ordered with the hinge on the right or the left, making it a perfect fit no matter what your needs."

 

[GaDawg]

You should also look into converting the closet into a wine cellar.You can probably add a cooling unit and insulation to a closet for less than the price of a cooling wine fridge.

 

[Jaggz]

I would love to - but it's smack in the middle of the house - with no a/c vents - no electrical...its tough trying to find an economical solution to feeding my wine addictions! It's looking more and more like I'll just have to stick it out this summer with four carboys full - aging - and hoping that the heat won't destroy them

 

[RickC]

Jaggz, I live in your area with exactly your storage location so understand your concern. I have been making higher end kits for several years now and am noticing them heading downhill after about 3 years. So good news is we can make wines even our conditions, just don't expect long term stability. I start drinking high end kits at 18-24 months and hope to have them finished by 3 years. I recently bought a 144 bottle wine storage unit at Costco and am going to try it in the garage. 60-90 is recommended ambient temp so am hoping for the best. Good luck and keep making your wine.

 

[tonyt]

Jaggz, take a breath and relax. Bottle at least one of your kits and taste it in 6 weeks or so. Mind you it will only get better from there. Ignore any chemical or off taste for now, that is often referred to as kit taste or KT on this forum. If you notice any KT (many of us don't) it almost always subsides completely after a year. So in 6 weeks you and your wife will have a pretty good idea if you like your kit wine or not. That is the time to consider long term storage and many of the above ideas are good ones. You live in Dallas and I live in Beaumont, so I know your house has AC. Can you store bottled wine in your house rather than in the basement just until you decide it y'all like the kit wine? Then before the real heat of summer you can make arrangements in your cellar. You could add one of those through-the-wall AC units just to keep the room close to 72 if the walls are insulated. BTW you have three excellent kits started, if y'all don't like them I'll come take them off your hands.

 

[terroirdejeroir]

I think in theory - that would be the best...however with 4 carboys full right now...I'm not sure that would address the problem. I'm not even sure I could get 4 carboys in a full-size refrigerator?!?

Get a used chest freezer on craigslist and a thermostat. My 12 cu. ft. holds 120 bottles easily.