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[Horton Bay]

Hello everyone,
just lost my Father-in-law in March of this year, the last time he was able to make it downstairs, he brought me to his wine room. He said this is good wine , this is good wine, then the last thirty gallons, he said you have to do something with this. I am the new owner of 100 gallons of homemade wine, in 5 gallon car boys. He new what he was doing, coming from SanMarino When he was 16, passed at 86. I haven’t taken any measurements yet but the one batch , is lacking in everything, I will take appropriate tests and post if any of you can help me out with a remedy, thank you

 

[BigDaveK]

Sorry about your loss. It's never easy.

Welcome to WMT!
I think it's wonderful for you to take care of his legacy. This is a good place for help, ideas, suggestions and so many will be glad to help. Any/all information you have on his wine would make things easier.

 

[Horton Bay]

Sorry about your loss. It's never easy.

Welcome to WMT!
I think it's wonderful for you to take care of his legacy. This is a good place for help, ideas, suggestions and so many will be glad to help. Any/all information you have on his wine would make things easier.

I will be going over on Thursday, I will take Brix and specific gravity measurements. It is a grape wine from his vineyard, 9 rows 75 feet long, varying varieties, but the one he used for table wine is a grape akin to what California white raisins are made. The name escapes me, but old trees, I just finished cleaning up the trimmings from earlier this spring. I live in Northern Michigan

 

[Rice_Guy]

Welcome to Wine Making Talk, it is hard to fill a parent’s shoes.

* wine is a traditional preservative system. The flavor might not be the best but there is extremely low risk of food poisoning.
* labels are important, I currently rubber band a card on the neck of every carboy so I have ingredient/ numbers/ notes/ flavor observations that stay with the wine. To help you we will need the info a carboy label has.
* the most important thing for good wine is limited air exposure. Ethyl alcohol oxidizes to acetaldehyde. At low levels it adds interest, more produces a burn/ sharpness in the back of the throat like apricot flavor, high levels have a nutty sherry like flavor
* wine is traditional, there are a lot of ways to make it.

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[Jovimaple]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[NorCal]

Welcome, sorry for your loss. In addition to the tests, give each carboy a sniff and a taste. That will tell you a lot about their condition. I would also give them a 50ppm dose of SO2, to make sure they are up to date.

 

[winemaker81]

@Horton Bay, welcome to WMT, and sorry for your loss. Your entry into WMT is far from a happy one, but on the plus side, this group is VERY beginner friendly and you'll find you have a home here.

First -- what do you know about winemaking (I'm guessing zero) and what do you know about wine in general? Do not feel shy about saying "nothing", as it tells us what we need to teach you.

Do you have records for the wines suddenly thrust into your care? That will help us figure out how to advise you.

Take a deep breath and relax. You have nothing that this group has not dealt with before.

 

[Shurt1073]

Welcome to WMT ... in 4hr you are already getting great advice from many people who care. I'm sorry for your loss and hang in there!