Want to make my own wine, husband skeptical. Help me convince him!

[Double Daylo]

I can't recommend making the dragons blood highly enough. It is a very cheap to make(around a dollar a bottle), very quick to make(start to bottle in around a month) and quick to drink(drinkable right away but improves greatly in a month to a couple months). I make a ton of this stuff(I am now up to 15 gallon batches) and it is a great zin style wine that is fruity and extremely easy to drink. It for me(like so many others on here) is one of the wines that is enjoyed and wanted by many of my family. I bring it to every holiday for everyone to drink and they are blown away by how delicious something I made in my basement tastes. I have been asked by many to buy cases from me.

It is a great start and way to learn and move into other wines. I make all fruit wines and they are another great way to learn. Grape wines can get complex and expensive, but once you know what you are doing worth it.

Making wine isn't just about the cost being cheaper or more expensive as everyone has said. I get the most satisfaction from the same thing you mentioned. I personally made it. I am able to drink it. It is without a doubt my favorite hobby out of the many I have. Just be careful, its very addictive! I have almost 300 bottles in my cellar, another 300 in brew, and my basement is mostly filled with wine stuff haha.

As for making the hubby get on your side. What does wine do to women that all men enjoy? You will now be drinking alot more wine which in turn....I am sure you see where I am going with this lol.

 

[Tnuscan]

Hi!
I noticed gardening is also your hobby. Gardening really goes well with wine making. I just put 50 pounds of strawberries in the freezer. Looks as if I may triple that amount easy. I have 5 different varieties of blueberries ( 60 bushes ). Blackberry, raspberry etc... homegrown, homemade wine. Just about as cheap as you can get. Hint, hint.

 

[JohnT]

. He thinks that all of the time and costly ingredients it takes to make wine is ridiculous when I can just go buy a $7 bottle of Barefoot from the store and be done.

That is like saying that all of the time and costs it takes to visit Disney World is ridiculous when I can just go and see it on google earth.

Not the same thing. In both cases you are missing out on the experience.

 

[Johnd]

I have a thought to interject here.

Instead of you trying to prove to him your hobby is going to save money, do a financial analysis of his favorite hobby. If it's like most hobbies, even if it's not a break even proposition, the pleasure we acquire comes from our personal satisfaction (I've never been satisfied with my golfing, so it's not a hobby any more). I'm not saying that personal satisfaction should be gratified at any cost, but if it's in line with your financial capabilities, then the cost is irrelevant.

Winemaking does not have to be an expensive hobby. I personally believe strongly that I can easily produce, from a $110 kit, 30 bottles of wine that are hands down way better than any $4 bottle of store bought wine, and I don't need a lot of expensive equipment to do it with. A bucket, a clear hose, a plastic carboy, a long spoon, a hydrometer, and some patience is all you really have to have.

Granted, lots of the accessories make it easier, but you can make and bottle wine without them. I choose to have lots of toys in my winemaking because I can, but I don't need them to produce the wine. You can do the same.

 

[Jericurl]

So I'm browsing winemaking kits on amazon (completely overwhelmed, by the way) and getting excited about this whole idea when hubs pipes up and says it doesn't sound worth it. He thinks that all of the time and costly ingredients it takes to make wine is ridiculous when I can just go buy a $7 bottle of Barefoot from the store and be done.

This way lies madness.

Starting from a defensive position and having to justify why you wanting to do something isn't ridiculous?
No thanks.

"Hey, I'm going to start making wine. An investment of less than $200 will get me a very decent start. Don't aggravate me and maybe I will pour you a glass of something nice in 6 weeks or so."

As far as what you need:

Large container for your primary vessel (food grade bucket)

Large container for your secondary vessel (plastic or glass depending on budget)

Drilled stopper to fit secondary vessel and an airlock

hydrometer

auto-siphon and hose, for racking

bottles

corks

sanitizer

hand or floor corker

That's the bare bones basic to make wine and get it bottled.

You can buy an easy kit. The advantage there is to have all the ingredients you need as well as very clear steps on when and how to proceed. There are some fairly inexpensive ones (when looking at cost vs cost of 30 commercial bottles) and a lot are ready fairly quickly as well.

Or you can use fruit from your garden, a farmers market, or your grocery store.

 

[dcbrown73]

I have a thought to interject here.

Instead of you trying to prove to him your hobby is going to save money, do a financial analysis of his favorite hobby.

I man I would hate that. Winemaking is BY FAR my least expensive hobby haha.

 

[Spikedlemon]

I man I would hate that. Winemaking is BY FAR my least expensive hobby haha.

Ditto.

The missus is actually fine w making wine as a hobby. She figures that wine is a consumable so as long as it's drinkable that it's not about the money - more about the space it takes up.

 

[Spikedlemon]

If you want to dip your toes in: there are 4L kits that need no equipment whatsoever.

http://www.miniwinepak.com/

Made a chardonnay that the missus really enjoyed.

 

[sour_grapes]

I have a thought to interject here.

That happened to me once. It passed.

(I know, I know -- all of you out there in WMT-land WISH that this were the case... )

 

[SPR]

If I were you I would start with a high end kit like Winexpert Selection as they are very good tasting and easy to make. You get what you pay for and you don't want to get put off if you make something nasty. The Eclipse range are excellent but even more expensive but worth every penny.
All depends on what you like/can afford etc but good luck

 

[corinth]

want to make my own wine

Jericurl:thank you for your comments!!!"This way lies madness.

Starting from a defensive position and having to justify why you wanting to do something isn't ridiculous?
No thanks.

"Hey, I'm going to start making wine. An investment of less than $200 will get me a very decent start. Don't aggravate me and maybe I will pour you a glass of something nice in 6 weeks or so."

Thank you Jericurl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am having a real difficult time with your hubbies perspective.
Does he have any hobbies? Are all of his hobbies totally acceptable to you and did they cost $ 7 dollars? I do not mean for you both to get into a verbal confrontation but he isn't exactly negotiating If"He thinks that all of the time and costly ingredients it takes to make wine is ridiculous when I can just go buy a $7 bottle of Barefoot from the store and be done. "
Corinth
ps:vacuumpumpman is a good person to talk to

 

[JohnT]

A number of years back, I wrote an article that pretty sums up why home winemaking is dear to me..

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/Get-The-Most-Out-Of-It.html

 

[dcbrown73]

A number of years back, I wrote an article that pretty sums up why home winemaking is dear to me..

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/Get-The-Most-Out-Of-It.html

Great article! Thanks for sharing that.

 

[JohnT]

Here are a couple more!
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40799&highlight=Crush

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46563&highlight=Crush

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51102&highlight=Crush

 

[Zintrigue]

As for making the hubby get on your side. What does wine do to women that all men enjoy? You will now be drinking alot more wine which in turn....I am sure you see where I am going with this lol.

I'm a mom of three. At the end of the day, I'm asleep on the couch with an empty glass of wine hanging out of my hand. Haha

Hi!
I noticed gardening is also your hobby. Gardening really goes well with wine making. I just put 50 pounds of strawberries in the freezer. Looks as if I may triple that amount easy. I have 5 different varieties of blueberries ( 60 bushes ). Blackberry, raspberry etc... homegrown, homemade wine. Just about as cheap as you can get. Hint, hint.

Oh gosh I wish. I live in the mountains, so gardening space is minimal at best, and I use it for veggies. I have some blueberries and strawberries, but nowhere near that amount. I have 1/3 an acre and only a small percentage of that is rocking the 8-foot fence I need to keep deer out. One day I'm buying a house with orchard space and a wine cellar. I hope.

I have a thought to interject here.

Winemaking does not have to be an expensive hobby. I personally believe strongly that I can easily produce, from a $110 kit, 30 bottles of wine that are hands down way better than any $4 bottle of store bought wine, and I don't need a lot of expensive equipment to do it with. A bucket, a clear hose, a plastic carboy, a long spoon, a hydrometer, and some patience is all you really have to have.

I wanted to go the simple route like that and then upgrade slowly, but looking at all those wine kits online makes my head spin with stuff I can't even name. I saw this video online and it looked so simple and attainable.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zglgFHAPg7E[/ame]
But then these kits sell all this weird stuff and there's all these other additives to consider. Oy.

"Hey, I'm going to start making wine. An investment of less than $200 will get me a very decent start. Don't aggravate me and maybe I will pour you a glass of something nice in 6 weeks or so."

That made me laugh. Don't get me wrong, Hubs is a very wonderful guy who gives me anything I ask for and more. If I insisted that winemaking as going to start happening whether he liked it or not, he wouldn't argue, but I would not be a very respectful partner. This is what I love about our relationship, neither ever insists because we make sure the other is 100% on board with all endeavors in life. And since he's a very logical man (one of the many things I love about him!), I figured cost effectiveness might be a logical way to get him on board.

If you want to dip your toes in: there are 4L kits that need no equipment whatsoever.

http://www.miniwinepak.com/

Made a chardonnay that the missus really enjoyed.

Oh, very nice, thank you. I have a 4L demijohn sitting in my pantry, sinfully empty as we speak. I'll check this out.

If I were you I would start with a high end kit like Winexpert Selection as they are very good tasting and easy to make. You get what you pay for and you don't want to get put off if you make something nasty. The Eclipse range are excellent but even more expensive but worth every penny.
All depends on what you like/can afford etc but good luck

I can't do whites, so I'll be looking for a red. After the dragon's blood, of course. I agree, better to make something worthwhile and be motivated to keep on, rather than a lame product that discourages a newbie such as myself.

Okay, on to page four now.

 

[Zintrigue]

Jericurl:thank you for your comments!!!"This way lies madness.

Starting from a defensive position and having to justify why you wanting to do something isn't ridiculous?
No thanks.

"Hey, I'm going to start making wine. An investment of less than $200 will get me a very decent start. Don't aggravate me and maybe I will pour you a glass of something nice in 6 weeks or so."

Thank you Jericurl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am having a real difficult time with your hubbies perspective.
Does he have any hobbies? Are all of his hobbies totally acceptable to you and did they cost $ 7 dollars? I do not mean for you both to get into a verbal confrontation but he isn't exactly negotiating If"He thinks that all of the time and costly ingredients it takes to make wine is ridiculous when I can just go buy a $7 bottle of Barefoot from the store and be done. "
Corinth
ps:vacuumpumpman is a good person to talk to

I might end up picking his brain, it's just that I'm too shy to call.

A number of years back, I wrote an article that pretty sums up why home winemaking is dear to me..

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/Get-The-Most-Out-Of-It.html

I'll definitely give this a read, thank you.

 

[sour_grapes]

As for making the hubby get on your side. What does wine do to women that all men enjoy? You will now be drinking alot more wine which in turn....I am sure you see where I am going with this lol.

I'm a mom of three.

Ahh, already played that card, I see!

 

[PhilDarby]

There are lots of usefull benefits of making your own wine.

1). it teaches you patience.

2). if money is tight it teaches you how to be creative with what you have available as well as the other way around.

3). you can share you product with friends, or drink it alone, with the satisfaction you crafted it.

4). you can have a drink mostly whenever you want some, without going to the shops.

5). Its a great way to tweak you wine to suit your own needs.

6). you can make wine from almost all flowers fruits or vegetables amongst other things, depending what mood takes you.

7). you can even create your own flavour which cant be bought in the shops.

8). you can spend as much or as little as you want making wine, but, can still get enjoyment from making it.

On top of that is the hobby aspect and all that entails, such as giving you something to do if you get bored etc plus the increased knowledge and fun, basically if you enjoy wine its almost the perfect hobby.

 

[Noontime]

So many great ideas and opinions (and some bad ones as well), so I thought I'd share my 2 cents.

For the first time I completely recommend getting a kit since they have all the ingredients you need, as well as instructions. You will still have questions as you go along, but having a minimum bit of info to guide you the first time is the best way to go to familiarize yourself with the process.

I wouldn't buy a kit from Amazon the first time... I would buy a medium price to higher price kit from the best known manufacturers like Wine Expert, RJS, or Cellar craft. The idea of trying to convince your husband aside, you'll want your first one to be pretty good so you stay passionate about it as well. There are cheaper kits that can make good wine, but for the first one I would look for something bigger than a 10 liter kit, preferably an 18 liter (less concentrate).

Schedule your consumption so you still have a few bottles in a year. You can certainly drink and enjoy young wine, but they really don't integrate and become a grown up wine till about a year. You will absolutely want to drink them too soon (EVERYONE does), so try to schedule one or two a month, so you can really see the full potential after a year (or 2 if you're incredibly patient).

Have fun!!!!!!

 

[dcbrown73]

I agree with Noontime. I would go with a higher end kit to start. Takes a lot of the guess work out the first time around and providing something doesn't go seriously wrong. You should end up with a good wine. If your first wine is terrible, you most likely will be less incline to try again.

Besides, using the kit will teach you a lot for the second go around. Especially when you start to make non-kit wines like the Dragon's Blood. (DB is my 3rd attempt at wine making, the first two are kits)