New jersey winemakers talk

[JohnT]

LOL.. A man can't just sit idle.. LOL..

We used to get this really deep, dark honey. I guess it is because we lived "in the woods" and there was a big variety of nectar for the bees to collect.

It was sweet, dark, and (IMHO) the best honey I ever tasted. Forget maple syrup, we put honey on our pancakes.

I have been wanting to get back into it, except that the wine takes up most of my free time (I am still working for $$$ and watching the government take it all away in taxes.. LOL).

How bad is this "colony collapse disorder" I keep hearing about?

 

[alan1985]

Just found this forum and am fairly new to wine making. I currently have a WE Pinot Noir and a Riesling in bulk aging, a WE LE Barbera in secondary and a Dragon's Blood with a 4 berry mix bubbling away about 2 days in. I'm really excited to get into wine making and have fallen down the rabbit hole. So far I use Brewer's Apprentice as my LHBS as I'm located in south Middlesex County.

Glad to meet everyone and I look forward to learning more as I go.

 

[JohnT]

Welcome to the forum Alan. Stay close and feel free to ask any questions you might have or seek and advice you require. There are a host of folks here that would like nothing more than to help you...

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

HI Alan1985 welcome to the forum. I make lots of beer at BrewAp and get some of my supplies there too. You seem to have a lot of wine started.

 

[alan1985]

I do have a bunch in process. We plan on aging everything a minimum of a year and most closer to two. We know we will end up drinking some so the plan is to make a kit every month or so until we have 5 or 6 bulk aging/bottled.

Our plan is actually to start with kits for about 6 months and then graduate to frozen must (any advice or tips or places to buy would be appreciated). The Dragons Blood is something that intrigued us and is hopefully a good way to keep us from drinking the kits before they are properly aged.

BrewAp has been invaluable to us and we've found ourselves there 3 weekends in a row picking up supplies and things we missed.

Thanks everyone for the welcome and nice meeting you as well.

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

I do have a bunch in process. We plan on aging everything a minimum of a year and most closer to two. We know we will end up drinking some so the plan is to make a kit every month or so until we have 5 or 6 bulk aging/bottled.

Our plan is actually to start with kits for about 6 months and then graduate to frozen must (any advice or tips or places to buy would be appreciated). The Dragons Blood is something that intrigued us and is hopefully a good way to keep us from drinking the kits before they are properly aged.

BrewAp has been invaluable to us and we've found ourselves there 3 weekends in a row picking up supplies and things we missed.

Thanks everyone for the welcome and nice meeting you as well.

Hi again, To answer your question. I buy my grapes from Corrado's up in Clifton. Some of us buy grapes down in South Jersey near Vineland, Hamonton or Philly. I used to buy the grape up in Clifton and have them press it for me. We just didn't like the resultant wine as it seemed very thin almost a dark thin Rosé. They need the skin in the game. So I went back to using Grandpa's old and true methods, brought the grapes home, destemmed & crushed them, primary fermented in an open tank, punching them down every morning and evening. A week later drew off the first run, then pressed the must lightly. Did the secondary in bubblered glass or plastic vessels then aged in small oak barrels. Bottled it then drank a much better wine. Recently decided to try some of the Tweaked cheap wine kit ideas posted on this board to see how it will come out. Check http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51904
I wonder how creative it will be? Might as well use those empty carboys and vessels instead of leaving them empty waiting for next September's crush.

We've been frequenting Brewers Apprentice since I first got a gift certificate back in the 1990's when they were in Freehold down the street and across from the Shoprite. Now they are in that big facility on 33. JoEllen has always been a good resource for information and supplies. We've made many batches of beer there besides getting last minute supplies.

 

[Morris]

Anyone ordered their spring grapes or mosto?

 

[JohnT]

Not yet, but I will soon.

 

[Morris]

Just ordered Chianti (based on last year was excellent), Cabernet Sauvignon, Camenere, Merlot and Syrah...for blending..Should be fun.

 

[JohnT]

Just ordered Chianti (based on last year was excellent), Cabernet Sauvignon, Camenere, Merlot and Syrah...for blending..Should be fun.

If this is your first time doing Chilean, I would offer two things to remember..

1) The grapes come in half-lugs. In other words, the crates that the grapes come in weight 18 pounds and NOT 36.

2) If you look at the price of the Chilean ($26 for a half lug, $52 for a full lug), and compare to the price of the California grapes (usually $30 to $40 a full lug), you might be shocked.

3) Yup, Chilean costs more but the QUALITY is amazing and (IMHO) well worth the extra money.

 

[Morris]

JohnT, thanks for replying. No this is not my first time, i have purchased for about 10 years from Gino Pinto. Looking forward to a another great year!

 

[JohnT]

Ok Morris.

I figured that even though you may have been doing this for a while, a first timer may read the post and find the info useful.

johnT.

 

[nephils]

NJ here. I'm very new to winemaking and also grape growing. My first wine (from a kit) is currently bulk ageing for the last 10 months. I'm about to rack it again and take a taste. I'd definitely like to get more involved in the discussion here...so much to learn.

 

[Morris]

nephils, welcome to the group. Good luck on your firsst wine...take pictures and let us know how it taste....where are you in NJ?

 

[joeswine]

Welcome NJ, anything you want to know about kit making I can help with pics and process.

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

NJ here. I'm very new to winemaking and also grape growing. My first wine (from a kit) is currently bulk ageing for the last 10 months. I'm about to rack it again and take a taste. I'd definitely like to get more involved in the discussion here...so much to learn.

Welcome to the NJ group Nephils. I am in Ocean County, the Atlantic Coastal Plain Terroir. I am sure you will find lots of help on this board.
Bill

 

[nephils]

nephils, welcome to the group. Good luck on your firsst wine...take pictures and let us know how it taste....where are you in NJ?

Thanks! I'm in South Jersey...Atlantic/Camden County border...also in the Outer Coastal Plain. It's a great area for wine and grape growing.

 

[JCGruv187]

Hello all, saw the thread and had to check it out. I currently live in PA (close to NJ), but I am from NJ so I hope that I am still welcomed lol. I'm pretty new to wine making with only 3 kits and 1 pail of fresh juice under my belt. Currently I have a WE Barolo bulk aging and my pail of Sangiovese is still under the airlock. I didn't do anything to the pail as I am trying the old school method of putting the fresh juice in a carboy and leaving it sit for months, racking every few months. I started it in Sept when my supplier got the juice in. Any ideas when I can drink some? My plan is to use the Sang as more of an everyday table wine.

 

[JohnT]

I currently live in PA (close to NJ), but I am from NJ so I hope that I am still welcomed lol.

Well that all depends... You aren't an eagles fan are you??

(and yes, I spelled it with a lower case 'e').. LOL

You can actually drink your wine anytime before, during, or after fermentation and you will not get sick and die.

The real question here is when is the best time to drink your wine. This is a matter of opinion. Some will say "as soon as it clears up", while others are big believers in ageing wine anywhere from 6 months to several years.

Taste your wine every so often (making sure to top your wine off each time) and decide for yourself!

 

[sour_grapes]

Well that all depends... You aren't an eagles fan are you??

(and yes, I spelled it with a lower case 'e').. LOL

John, check the spelling. Many of us natives spell it "iggles."