What do you do with all your wine?

[VegasScott]

I've been reading the wine making guide that Wade put up on here. Obviously, home winemaking is just as it implies... For home use only

When the author refers to the home winemaker vinting batches of wine in 50 gallon drums or 36 gallon garbage cans, i've gotta ask: "What the heck does somebody do with all that wine?

Obviously, you'll drink some, give a few bottles away to friends, but their still would be a lot left over! What do you do with the rest? You can't sell them.



I was just amazed when i read that in the guide. Even though I continued reading, that question remained in my head.

Maybe a better question is what size batches do most of you plan for in your primary fermentations? I'm planning 6 gallon carboy runs.
VegasScott

 

[hobbyiswine]

I guess if you are real thirsty you can make a BIG batch

I think most "normal" size batches are 6 gallon-ish. The kits generally make 6 gallons, a lot of recipes are about 6 gallons, and 30 bottles per batch seems like a reasonable number to drink and share. Plus, then you can make multiple wines and have a nice variety.

One more thing...GO REBELS! I'm a UNLV grad

 

[Sirs]

well to be honest I used to think the same thing but since I've started making bigger batches it seems it goes just as quick as the small ones. I know I made a few batches of 10 gallon and more last year and thought that'll be plenty to drink and some to give away also but I was wrong it goes fairly quick. You'll see..........lol

 

[ibglowin]

I will probably give away almost half of each 6 gallon batch depending on how well it turns out. Some a little more, some a little less. This makes a lot of friends, family, coworkers happy and I get to become a better winemaker in the process as I experiment with new techniques etc. The better the wines get the closer to someday exchanging the bottle for a little $$$ comes.

 

[corntassel]

I give away more than I drink. Farmers with private fishing ponds, People with fruit trees. Local produce manager at grocery storem, All my docters, Resturant owners (for private use only), local auto mechanic, hunting guides, Butcher, bakery at Sams club, bakery at costco and all my friends. It is amazing the aminities you get for a few bottles of wine. I furnish all the wine for our deer lease big feed ( needles to say I don't have to pay for my membership) So you see there is method for my madness of making lots of wine. Costco and sams club for CLEANDED food grade buchets both 3 & 5galon ones

 

[VegasScott]

I give away more than I drink. Farmers with private fishing ponds, People with fruit trees. Local produce manager at grocery storem, All my docters, Resturant owners (for private use only), local auto mechanic, hunting guides, Butcher, bakery at Sams club, bakery at costco and all my friends. It is amazing the aminities you get for a few bottles of wine. I furnish all the wine for our deer lease big feed ( needles to say I don't have to pay for my membership) So you see there is method for my madness of making lots of wine. Costco and sams club for CLEANDED food grade buchets both 3 & 5galon ones

What department at sams and costco do you go to ask for buckets?

VegasScott

 

[wvbrewer]

I too give away more than we drink. Since my wife's surgery she can not tolerate alcohol very much. I really do enjoy making wine though. It's all about doing things the best you can and seeing how it turns out. Also it always good to have a supply on hand during hard times to trade for items you may not be able to get your self. Its always good to be preppared.

 

[VegasScott]

Corntassel,
Not that you'd need something this large, but you can get free 50 gallon plastic drums from your local carwashes. I did it a couple of years ago to make a composter for my gardening projects.

I'll keep it small for now.

VegasScott

 

[Julie]

Corntassel,
Not that you'd need something this large, but you can get free 50 gallon plastic drums from your local carwashes. I did it a couple of years ago to make a composter for my gardening projects.

I'll keep it small for now.

VegasScott

I would caution you about using drums frm your local carwash. What was stored in it and is it good grade?

 

[Runningwolf]

I invite the gang from Pittsburg to my house and end up losing hlaf of it. LMAO Seriously I do give a lot away. In the old days you use to take a bottle of wine with you if you went to a friends house for dinner. Now I take between 3-6 bottles. At home I might drink 2-4 glasses a week.

 

[joebrady]

This past year I made a 6 gal. batch of blackberry (1/2 dry, 1/2 sweet), 6 gal. Peach (1/2 and 1/2 again), and 3 gal. of pear. Made some homemade wine racks/shelves and gave close to half away as Christmas presents and "Thank Yous" to people around the community. (fruit tree owners, people giving me their empty bottles, ect. )

 

[Flem]

What department at sams and costco do you go to ask for buckets?

VegasScott

Just go to the Bakery. That's what I do.

 

[arcticsid]

Gonna go out on a limb here!

Just go to home depot and buy a 5 gallon bucket.

There are lots of discussions in here about food grade vessels.

This IS true, but for your primary ferment the must is only going to be in there for 7 to 10 days or so.

When it comes to the secondary where it will be, or may be for quite some time, absolutely the type of plastic is of extreme importance!

My first ferment bucket was an old detergent bucket. I cleaned the sheet out of it with boiling water, cleaned it again and again.

No residual odors or tastes.

I know I will be yelled at about this, but there are those in here who get a little to concerned about this "primary fermentation vessel" discussion.

What happens tommorrow can be more important than today.

 

[pete1325]

Sometimes the "taboo's" get in the way of the fun.

 

[UBB]

I'm trying to make as much as possible to see if I can make wine good enough that people might want to purchase it one day. So, I've been giving away a lot (we also are big wine drinkers in my family) as well to get as much feedback as possible.

I'll have my first crop of grapes this coming fall so I have a lot to learn between now and then.

 

[Julie]

Again, let me say please use caution when using used plastic buckets. If these buckets had ammonia in them that would have leeched into the plastic. I would not use this for a primary. Getting buckets from a bakery is perfect because they are food grade. You should never use a bucket that is not food grade.

 

[Angelina]

At Home Depot I seen the buckets for 2.90 yesterday...Just say'n and probably the cheapest thing I have in my wine room. I would hate to screw up a 100.00 batch of something good over 2.90

 

[ffemt128]

Drink it and give a heck of alot away. We're constantly taking wine places and also giving to friends to sample for their opinion. It's a learning tool. Other than that I'm trying to build up the cellar so that the wine starts to receive adequate aging. Only been doing this just over 2 years, I have a case or 2 that will be 2 years old in May. Most is only coming up on a year at this point.

 

[robie]

Several of the new, empty paint buckets sold at Lowes and Home Depot are food grade buckets. Like Julie wrote, I would never use buckets, which previously had chemicals stored in them, but the brand new food grade paint buckets as excellent for wine use.

I have gone to Target and Wal-Mart to their bakery departments and gotten nice used buckets. As long as they have had only dough or frostings stored in them, they are fine for wine. Some of them even have rubber gaskets in the lids. Just ask them and they will give you more than you can use. They just throw them away.

I am reluctant to give away much of my own wine, except the Choc Raspberry Port, which I already know most people enjoy. I am concerned that I might not be as objective about the wine's quality as I should be. I have a friend who gets gift bottles of homemade wine from another friend of his. They are so bad he says, "Thank you", then just tosses them out. I would be embarrassed to find out someone tossed my wine, so I pretty much just drink all mine at home.

 

[edv]

I drink it all!
(works out to an average of 365 bottles a year)