The fermenting/drinking equilibrium

[myakkagldwngr]

I know that those who make a lot of wine during the year, and also enjoy drinking the fruit of their labors have to have a general rule of thumb.
What do you need to ferment to be able to enjoy a sample of the finished product and still save the majority of it to age.
If you do a 6 gallon carboy a week, you could sample 5 bottles, then still have over 20 bottles to age.
See what I mean.
I'm about the only one who is drinking my wine now. The SIL will sample it occasionally, but mainly likes store bought grape. So I could get by with maybe on every two weeks.

 

[smurfe]

In the beginning it is tough. It don't really matter how much you make cause it needs to age a bit to be any good. After a year or so you don't have that problem. I really had to cut down as I had around a thousand bottles of wine. I have only made 3-4 batches the past year. I have made a ton of beer though.

 

[Tom]

The thing is to remember when you 1st get started the 3 "P's".
Patience
Patience
Patience
You cant expect to get a wine cellar collection like alot of us the 1st year. To start There are the "quick" fermentation kits. That will give you something to drink while you start more. Get more carboye as if you only have one you cant do much in a year. Most of us have many 9I have 30+) so we can do multiple batches.
If you have fresh juice available get 5 or so buckets.

 

[Luc]

I make a lot of wines that are early drinkable.

Examples are apple-peach from store bought-juice, dandelion-strawberry, plain strawberry and elderflower. They can all be consumed right after bottling.
I presume they can get better by aging so I put a few bottles away for testing. However the majority is consumed as soon as it is bottled. These are all 30 liter (8 gallon) batches. If you make a few of these you will get through the time you will have to wait for the rest to age.

Luc

 

[Midwest Vintner]

I make a lot of wines that are early drinkable.
-plain strawberry

agreed.

it will age and get better, but not a whole lot. i've had 2 year old strawberry and it probably peaked sometime early after the first year. makes a pretty good wine, but you have to get alot of #'s to make it have a good flavor.

 

[St Allie]

I make a lot of cider .. it's ready to drink earlier, can be bottled in plastic pet bottles.. plus it being lower in alcohol, you don't get sozzled as quick.

I really only got back into this in december.. since then I have approx 400 filled bottles, 40 gallons bulk storing and 19 gallons fermenting at present.

I had an orchards worth of fruit going to waste, so had to be pretty full steam ahead. Have now got 4 primaries free and making grapefruit/lemon wine for the next few weeks til the plums are ripe mid december.

My main problem now is that I have bulkstored wines ready to bottle and no bottles to put them in.

Allie

 

[mmadmikes1]

Allie, I am so lucky with Bottles, Washington State doesnt have a recycling and deposit law. The dumpster at Itaian reastuants are great. I never have a bottle problem. More often I have a carboy problem

 

[St Allie]

I bought a stack of plastic 2 and 3 gallon waterbottles cheaply ( about 50 cents each if memory serves).. and am successfully storing fruit wines in those with no appreciable change in taste over a 3 month period. Most say not to store wine in plastic for 3 months or longer.. so am trying to get them bottled by the 3 month cut off point.

I know this is a controversial topic however.. I didn't really have any choice with glass carboys costing $80 new here.

Allie

 

[Wade E]

Yep, carboys are the problem here usually also. I get 1 maybe 2 a year and am getting to the point where I wont need anymore. Im really the only drinker here with the exception of my wife who likes my sparkling crab apple and now Im doing a sparkling raspberry also. I switch back between beer and wine also so that helps build the wine cellar also. I have just around 880 bottles on shelves, 38 gallons bulk aging, 6 gallons just started and will soon be loaded with pomace to make some 2nd run wines. I make way more then I drink so give some away to friends and family.

 

[mmadmikes1]

I bought a stack of plastic 2 and 3 gallon waterbottles cheaply ( about 50 cents each if memory serves).. and am successfully storing fruit wines in those with no appreciable change in taste over a 3 month period. Most say not to store wine in plastic for 3 months or longer.. so am trying to get them bottled by the 3 month cut off point.

I know this is a controversial topic however.. I didn't really have any choice with glass carboys costing $80 new here.

Allie

OUCHi paid $26 for last new ones

 

[Tom]

BUTT, on Allie's behalf look where she lives. Everything needs to be shipped "down under".
BTW that's a good price.

 

[myakkagldwngr]

The local store we have here that sells supplies has glass carboys for about $45.00 each for 6 gallons.
When I check the online stores it figures about the same when you add in shipping. And not only that but in today's E-world, helping the local mom and pop shop can't hurt. So when I can, I'll get a few more.
I guess that St. Allie and us here in Florida are like the shop in the movie "Oh Brother were art thou",,,, A geographic oddity. Two weeks from everywhere.

 

[arcticsid]

My local homebrew shop here is asking $45/us for a 5 gallon carboy. So it sounds like thats about the going rate. Midwest Supply offers them for $33/US and then of course the shipping. So I can definitely relate to shipping things to the end of the road. I am fortunate though, the owners of the homebrew shop here are people I have known for over 20 yrs. I showed them the midwest supply catalog and they agreed that if they were to be able to come close to their price they would do it for me. Pretty swell offer, I can still get the things I need and keep the money in the "family" and support our local economy. Not only that, what they don't carry they are happy to order for me. I guess if you are going to brew/make your own one of the best friends you can have not only come from this forum, but from the owners of the homebrew shop as well .
Troy

 

[kiljoy]

Don't forget NZ uses a dollar, but the exchange rate applies. I plugged $80NZD into an online converter and came up with $59.97 USD. Still a little pricey.

I got my 6 gallon for free at a recycling center I was doing work at in Canada. They were going to throw it away.

 

[Madriver Wines]

The local store Wine Works has 5 gallon carboys for $27.95, 3 gal are $21.95 and I believe the 6 gallon are $33.95 No shipping!!

 

[St Allie]

Don't forget NZ uses a dollar, but the exchange rate applies. I plugged $80NZD into an online converter and came up with $59.97 USD. Still a little pricey.

I got my 6 gallon for free at a recycling center I was doing work at in Canada. They were going to throw it away.

our recycling centre sells stuff off.. but I haven't seen any glass carboys there at all..

I keep an eye on my local ebay too.. I managed to get a 27 litre carboy recently for $30 NZD.. I believe it was an ex electricity carboy from when they used to ship acid over in them.. It had been used for wine making by its previous owner too..

so a good buy... but a lot of people watch for cheap carboys on the ebay site now so not much sells there for less than $50 lately.

Allie