WineXpert Rack 'em up!

[cindyjo]

You guys crack me up. I just finished a bottle of Reisling I bought at the store. I hope mine is better

 

[peterCooper]

Of course yours is better.
Anything you make is better $ for $ than anything you buy. Think about it. How many people have to make a profit on your $5 bottle of wine? $1 for the maker, $1 for the distributer, $1 for the retailer and $1 for uncle Sam. There's $1 for the bottle and the ingredients must cost (now let me do the math).... Nothing!!!!!

Of course yours is better. Unfortunately the only way I can verify is if you send me a bottle to test

 

[Wade E]

Unless you spent $40 or more on that bottle and sometimes even the more
expensive bottles of wine aren't that good, yours will be better if you
follow directions. Just the satisfaction of making it yoursef and
getting about 30 bottles of it for the cost of about 4 cheap bottles
makes it better. And it only gets better from here on in!

 

[pkcook]

Cindyjo,


I have my own little corner of the basement. I now have three 6 gallon, one 5 gallon, two 3 gallon, and a hord of 4L and 3L jugs. I started with a 4L jug of cheap wine that I had to hurry and drink so I could make a gallon of peach wine. They will add up before you know it! I keep my carboysin metal shelves (gorillashelves)purchasedfromSam's. I have the space for the carboys, I'm having difficulty finding room for all the bottles of wine I have made this year! Thats a good problem to have

.Edited by: pkcook

 

[dfwwino]

You guys are overwhellming me!! 8 carboys. I am trying to talk hubby into a second one, I cannot imaging 8!!! Where do you find room?? and all those bottles?? I guess you have not fully brainwashed me yet.

CindyJo,


Buyer beware

, you are dealing with a hobby that is very capable of doing far more than brainwashing you. It's like a frog in a kettle. Over 11 years, I went from one five gallon carboy to 2 six gallons, 6 five gallons, 2 three gallons, 16 one gallon jugs,two ten gallon fermenters, one twenty gallon fermenter, and five 7.8 gallon fermenters. I acquired a kegerator with four kegs, built a 7X10X10 wine room with breezaire cooling unit with a storage rack for 800 wines and a storage shelf for the carboys and winemaking material and another 250 empty bottles, planted a 120 grapevines, five row vineyard in my backyard as well as an orchard with six apple trees, two plum trees, two peach trees, three pear trees, an apricot tree and three rows of blackberries. Ten years into this lunacy, I was divorced (can't figure out why). I now have everything but the vineyard, orchardand the wineroomin my two bedroom apartment. That's why I like what Homer Simpson said below. Edited by: dfwwino

 

[NorthernWinos]

dfwwino....That is quite a tale, don't know if I should laugh or cry...hope you got the carboys full and have many wine bottles, full and empty to continue your passion....

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[Wade E]

Oh man where is your old property, I would love to get a hold of that.
That would save me the ten years it took you to do all that. Incredible
!!!

 

[geocorn]

I was up to 15 carboys BEFORE I opened the store. I, too, built a special area for my wine making and built a wine cellar. I try to warn all new customers about the addictive nature of the hobby and I am talking about just the hobby. You would be surprised at the number of customers I have that just make wine for others. They claim they drink very little. They just enjoy making wine.

 

[Wade E]

Did you start this buisness with a small store od did you start over
the internet George. I eventually would like to open a small store here
in Ct. There are only two here as we speak and would like to utilize
this to my advantage as home winemaking is really starting to take off
here.

 

[dfwwino]

Oh man where is your old property, I would love to get a hold of that. That would save me the ten years it took you to do all that. Incredible !!!

Wade,


The property is my former house on a 3 acre lot, currently in possession of my ex. Yes, the notion of starting over again is overwhelming. Luckily, while the ex. continues to occupy the house, she and I have an agreement. I get first dibs at all the produce if I give her half of the wine I make with it. Unfortunately, this year, the weather was unusual and there were no crops for peaches, plumsor apples, but we got the blackberries and grapes. I'm still waiting on the pears. Edited by: dfwwino

 

[Joanie]

You would be surprised at the number of customers I have that just make wine for others. They claim they drink very little. They just enjoy making wine.

I would be one of those people!!! I went to reply to the "How much wine do you drink?" poll and I couldn't! I might average a glass a week if that. I'm glad I'm not the only one! It's not that I don't like wine, I just don't think about drinking it.
Edited by: Joan

 

[Wade E]

dfwwino, I'm sorry to hear about the marriage and this years crops. I'm
glad that all that hard work you did still benefits you though. Just
imagine somebody else bulldozing all that over to gain more hard.

 

[scotty]

You guys are overwhellming me!! 8 carboys. I am trying to talk hubby into a second one, I cannot imaging 8!!! Where do you find room?? and all those bottles?? I guess you have not fully brainwashed me yet.

I am learning a lot from you all and am looking foward to racking to the carboy.

This used to be a spare bedroom

http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d199/slowpoke59ds/wine%20making/

 

[Joanie]

Scotty, that is amazing!!!! This wine thing bit you hard, didn't it? =)

 

[scotty]

Thanks

This is an interesting hobby. I also make wine just to give away

I was trying to drink a 4 ounce glass with my lunch and dinner or just one glass before bedtime but in a few days i just dont enjoy it any more.
BUT
Get me to chinatown somewhere and see my compulsion emerge

The testing and use of chemicals for various adjustments and processes is something that i cant seemto resist.
The worst thing has been finding this website and seein all the interesting and magnificent things that folks are doing.
I have come to the conclusion that i will try to purchase juice from somewhere. There are many wineries in florida and i will attempt to find one that will sell me juice.

Thanks for the reply

Edited by: scotty

 

[sangwitch]

You would be surprised at the number of customers I have that just make wine for others. They claim they drink very little. They just enjoy making wine.

If any of those customers are here in this forum, I'd be happy to help you clear out any overstock you might have. Just PM me for my address!

Edited by: sangwitch

 

[Joanie]

 

[NorthernWinos]

Joan.....your photos have the little RED X </font> problem...I had the same thing the other day posting....
I had to repost them....If your photos have a file name with any symbol....@#$%^ they won't upload, found that out awhile back....
Give it a try again...will be watching for the photos...

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[NorthernWinos]

Scotty....envious of your space....Looks great!!!!

I am just happy to have a spot in the kitchen for fermenting and a few shelves in the root cellar for some bottles of wine....

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[cindyjo]

I am pretty envious of all your setups but I suppose that will come in time. Last night I racked to the carboy as my SG reached the required level. My carboy is under the kitchen table to keep it out of the sun. I think the kithchen is going to be my main prep area except when it gets real hot in the summer. My basement is too cold most of the time, will probably store the filled bottles down there.