SBRanch - Wine room improvements

[SB Ranch]

It's a slow process but the wine room is coming together. Naomi had the great idea to relocate the washer & dryer and I quickly agreed. So the wash room will be relocated behind the master bathroom and TV room (more electrical and plumbing). The 66" stainless steel sink will be on order before summer 2008 if all goes financially well.


A few years ago I converted a dirty storage room into a pantry. This year it will be converted into a wine storage room with all the environmental controls necessary. This may be summer 2009...





This area was an outside porch at one time then was converted into a wash room with a utility closet. About 6 years ago I relocated the water heater into the garage and remodeled the entire room. Walls were ripped out and resurfaced the ceiling and walls. Ripped out all closets and cabinets leaving areas of of no tile.

Bought this the other day. Normally was $3200 Bran new but had some dents so was reduced to $350.00. This will replace the washer & dryer as soon as I build the new washroom.


Just installed two sets of florescent lights in this room. It had one dim light from the start.


Had to get a label holder. The labels would fall on the floor and were getting messed up.


Now the wood truck was a great back saver. No we just roll the wine to where we need it.


In the back you can see the old utility closet that was converted into a pantry and now will be a wine closet with the proper controls.


Recently picked up the power bottle filler, looking forward to it working well. The filter is also a great tool that we also use for carboy transfers.
We added the three way valve so we do not have to remove fittings when going from filtering to transferring.



Wine room / pantry. I'll be working on this as time permits. Not sure how to make partitions and not take up alot of shelf space... Any ideas?

Here is a link tomore pictures. http://www.carrolltoncycling.org/PhotoAlbums/WINE/Edited by: SBRanch

 

[Waldo]

Very nice setup SB..Needs a couple of oveflow and volcano splotches on the ceiling, floors and walls and it will be just right man

Edited by: Waldo

 

[dfwwino]

So this is the former laundry room with a pantry? I am very impressed how you managed to convince Naomi to allot that much space to winemaking. What is the green wine in the glass?

 

[NorthernWinos]

Nice room....Very impressive.


Like how you have the carboys on a trolly....and the label dispenser....

As for the green drink...? Don't think it would be 'The Green Fairy'...maybe.....? Crème de Menthe....boy that has my interest too.

 

[SB Ranch]

Naomi likes to make me happy

and she really likes drinkingthe wine. If I have a hobby at home she knows where I am at all times...


Bob, my wine making partner nearly has a fit every time he comes over to work. Since we share the costs his $$ amount grows. So every new piece of equipment hurts the wallet. I'm an equipment junkie.


Well here's the deal on the green drink...




** To Be Continued **Edited by: SBRanch

 

[Steve]

Looks great!!! Who makes your labels?

 

[SB Ranch]

[email protected]Contact Rick Brown, he'll hook you up.

 

[Wade E]

Great job SBR!

 

[Steve]

Thanks...

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

Well here's the deal on the green drink...




** To Be Continued **

Must be Dallas , J.R Ewing Jr

 

[SB Ranch]

** Continued **


OUR NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBORS are world travelers. Whenever we run into them, they have just returned from someplace like Venice or Beirut. It seems as if nothing ever fazes them. But when we saw them in the hallway a few weeks ago, they were just back from Portugal and dying to ask us a question. Eyes wide, they said, "Have you ever had green wine?"





As a matter of fact, we have. Vinho Verde — green wine — from Portugal is one of the world's most delightful summer whites. There is some debate on the origin of its name. Portuguese wine officials attribute it to the lush, green region in which Vinho Verde is grown; others say it's called "green" because the grapes are picked early. The most common story treats the name as instructional: This wine is meant to be drunk young and fresh. On the other hand, Vinho Verde does sometimes have a slight green tint — though that might be the power of suggestion. Heck, it could be called green wine because it's a cash machine for vintners, who sometimes train the vines to grow high above the ground so they can plant other crops underneath. What matters is that the wine is lovely. It also tends to be quite inexpensive and is increasingly available throughout the U.S. What more could you ask for?


Portugal, long synonymous with port, and more recently known for simple roses such as Mateus and Lancers, is one of the many new hot spots for good-value wines. A close look in your wine store will likely uncover a whole new selection of Portuguese reds. The names might be unfamiliar — grapes such as touriga nacional and bastardo — but the wines are special: quite earthy, sometimes with tastes of chocolate and plums. At a time when too many wines around the world have a similar taste, these reds remain distinctive, with a definite sense of place.


The surge in Portuguese wines has ushered in a higher profile for Vinho Verde, and it's about time. Made in a specific zone in northwest Portugal, Vinho Verde can come from a cornucopia of grapes, the most important being alvarinho. If that sounds vaguely familiar, it's the same grape as Spain's albarino, which has also gained prominence recently thanks to mounting interest in Spanish wines. But this is a great example of how different settings and different visions can create very different wines. Albarino tends to be a wine of some weight, with chewy tastes of peaches and other fleshy fruits. Vinho Verde, made just next door, comes across as light and spritzy, with great acids and ephemeral hints of citrus. Because it's so dry and airy and often has an alcohol level of around 9% (versus 12% for many wines), it's great on sunny days.


Since Vinho Verde should be drunk immediately, it often isn't vintage-dated. But you can make sure you're getting a young, fresh one by examining the Vinho Verde seal on the back, which will bear, in small type, the year in which the wine was certified by the Vinho Verde commission. That should be a pretty good indication of its youth. In fact, here's something fun, at least for wine geeks like us: If you go to the official Vinho Verde site, you can find specific information on particular wines, such as the actual bottling date. Visit www.vinhoverde.pt/en/default.asp. On the left side of the Web page, click on "bottle history" and follow the directions. Very cool.


Bargain-hunters take note: The most common Vinho Verdes on shelves, such as Casal Garcia and Famega, cost around $6 or less.


Now, of course, this being wine, it couldn't be that simple, and it's not. First, there is red Vinho Verde — that's right: red green wine — but it's rarely exported. In addition, some wines from the Vinho Verde region might be called alvarinho, which will tell you that the wine is generally going to be bigger and more serious than the simple, easy Vinho Verdes you will see most often. Not only that, but a few high-end Vinho Verdes — sometimes with both "Vinho Verde" and "alvarinho" on the label — are making their way into the U.S. It must be a struggle for the distributors — why would anyone pay almost $30 for a wine that they're accustomed to buying for $6? — but if you do come across one on the shelf of a merchant you trust, it's probably worth the risk. A small-production wine we saw recently, Palacio da Brejoeira, was among the most delicious wines we've tasted this year — all the more special because, at such a high price, it probably isn't easy being green.
** fiction **

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

There was a little discussion on Vino Verde some time back, I may have to look into those two kits (Red and White) Maybe this week.