We are off to Florida

[ugh]

Well we sold the house in Ct and I have 6 full carboys in different stages of aging..I thought for the move I would just use gallon jugs and then when I get there I would just move them back into the carboys and let them do their thing until they are ready to bottle..I am a bit concerned about the ride 1500 miles but I am thinking that if I keep them in the AC they should be fine..Just in case for some reason it doesn't all fit in the passenger area i wonder if it would be OK in the covered bed of the pickup.. We plan on driving straight through..Any thoughts ?

 

[jeepingchick]

oh man, good luck! ive got no input on the travel storage, hopefully somone else will!

 

[BettyJ]

If you are set on transferring the wine, one suggestion is to transport the containers in large coolers in the back of the truck. This will enable you to control the temperature and protect from sunlight.

I would, however, try to maintain the wine in the carboys and simply cover them. When I moved recently, I just temporarily replaced the air locks with stoppers until settled (you could do this when loading and unloading, but use the airlocks for the trip time to avoid any explosive upsets). You could even place the carboys in coolers for a cooling water bath (I use this method all the time for managing temperatures).

Safe travels and good luck with your move!

 

[Dufresne11]

Yikes... good luck, are they plastic carboys by any chance? If they are glass ... well I won't state the obvious.... be careful and safe driving

 

[Runningwolf]

Well first off, I don't believe degassing will be an issue when you get to your destination. If possible I personally would keep them in the carboys surrounded by cardboard and blankets. Perhaps you could build a temporary box with dividers for the bed of your truck and pad them with moving blankets. They are inexpensive at harbor Freight if you don't have any. This way you could even leave the air locks on. With that long of a drive I would rather have the space in the truck for snacks and other things and leave the wine in the bed secured.

 

[ugh]

I had planned on putting it all in gallon jugs for transport then back in the carboys when I get to the new house..

 

[NSwiner]

Just my opinion but I would do like Dan suggested .You can buy rigid insulation that would protect and help with temp control to put under & over the wine .

 

[Green Mountains]

This is gonna take "splash racking" to a whole new level.

 

[non-grapenut]

We Florida wine makers welcome you with open arms. Maybe I will see you out and about picking elderberries/flowers, blackberries, red clover, bilberries, blueberries, muscadine and more!

 

[ugh]

I did find out where to get juice..Now if I can find out where to get Chilean juice
Oh and thanks for the welcome.

 

[UglyBhamGuy]

To what part of Florida are you moving?

 

[ugh]

Port Saint Lucie

 

[JohnT]

Just a suggestion (not tring to be cute) but why not blow you inventory on the "going away party"? You can always buy more kits when you get settled.

 

[myakkagldwngr]

Welcome to the wonderful state of Hurricanes and Lovebugs!
Port St. Lucie, that's the Atlantic side if I remember correctly isn't it.
I'm about 35 miles from the Gulf just SouthEast of the Tampa area.
Were starting to get a pretty good showing of Whyno's here in Fl.

 

[ugh]

Yes the east coast is where I will be. I was there not long ago and there were gozillions of love bugs, But I am told they don't last long and they were just about done when I came back north.. Do you have a source for fresh must ?

 

[Dugger]

Have you considered bottling them? I moved a couple of years ago and bottled everything first so I could keep them in the air-conditioned cab of the truck I rented - I had about 16 boxes as I recall. It was easier and safer than moving carboys.

 

[myakkagldwngr]

No, I haven't really looked around for any. Times are bad, I'm concentrating on free berries from the side of the road.
And you're right, lovebug season doesn't last long, but their effects sure do. Just watch for all the cars with speckled paint from where it's been eaten off by those lovely little buggers.
Plan on them to be here in May and September.

 

[ugh]

Yes I did consider bottling it but then the guy who was supposed to get me the gallon jugs last Friday said they would not be in until this Tuesday afternoon. I am moving the wine and a whole bunch of stuff Thursday. Not alot of time to get it bottled. I may just end up moving it in the carboys in the back seat. They will fit there it is just a question of how much they will splash around and if they will leak. It seems as though I will have to hope for the best and go with moving them in the carboys. I have the boxes they came in so I think if I tape the bung real good I will be fine. I am crossing my fingers ! The standard routine for love bug season when I was there last was wash the front of the truck at the end of the day before we put it in the garage lol. Welcome to Florida. A small price to pay for paridise !!

 

[myakkagldwngr]

You should try a big swarm of them on a motorcycle!!!
I sure am happy mine has a windshield.

 

[ugh]

No thanks..Being in the truck is quite enough. I thought about being on a bike during lovebug season and then I thought again. Besides people drive so fast and crazy there I find it way too dangerous. I'll stick with the pickup