When you like to make wine, more than you can consume

[jgmann67]

I’m still trying to figure my scale out. I’m running low on properly aged wines, with about 350 bottles and 8 carboys aging.

I thought I need to make 150-200 bottles a year. Now I’m thinking... maybe 250 is more like it.

I have a Seville rack and could use another - use them for aging in the bottle. Then, put them out in the wine closet (holds about 500) for consumption. Least that’s the plan, subject to modification.

 

[ceeaton]

Hmmm. Inventory time...

Guestimating 170+ bottles aging (most 24 months+), 90 gallons to bottle (~450 standard bottles). I think I'm good since my wife and I are only averaging about 3 bottles a month. Guess I had better use better quality corks in the future when bottling. Only have made two fruit based wines and one kit since this summer. I'm gravitating back to beer drinking/making. I think gravity is winning.

 

[bkisel]

My hobby has caught up with me. I’m looking at 180 gallons (900 bottles) of wine in my wine box that will be bottled next year. I have friends and family that will be taking 300 or so bottles, but that still leaves too much wine. Fortunately I can store this much wine, but still too much.

I have no choice but to downshift next year, but I have so much wine making I’d like to do! I’m going to scale my winemaking, maybe I’ll buy a few 15 gallon Spiedels instead of using 60 gallon barrels. Do project carboys vs buying a macro bins of grapes.

I think~10 batches (6 gal/23 L) a year now keeps me at level where production approximately equals consumption and gifting.

 

[Kraffty]

Hmmm. Inventory time...

Guestimating 170+ bottles aging (most 24 months+), 90 gallons to bottle (~450 standard bottles). I think I'm good since my wife and I are only averaging about 3 bottles a month. Guess I had better use better quality corks in the future when bottling. Only have made two fruit based wines and one kit since this summer. I'm gravitating back to beer drinking/making. I think gravity is winning.

Whoa, gravity is working against me
And gravity wants to bring me down
Oh, twice as much ain't twice as good
And can't sustain like one half could
It's wanting more that's gonna send me to my knees

.......John Mayer feels your pain

 

[Boatboy24]

Whoa, gravity is working against me
And gravity wants to bring me down
Oh, twice as much ain't twice as good
And can't sustain like one half could
It's wanting more that's gonna send me to my knees

.......John Mayer feels your pain

Good song...

 

[ceeaton]

Whoa, gravity is working against me
And gravity wants to bring me down
Oh, twice as much ain't twice as good
And can't sustain like one half could
It's wanting more that's gonna send me to my knees

.......John Mayer feels your pain

Nice. I talk in song lyrics to one of my workmates, that was very well played! My workmate and I grew up in about the same time period, so we can usually complete the lyric that the other starts.

 

[askins3097]

My hobby has caught up with me. I’m looking at 180 gallons (900 bottles) of wine in my wine box that will be bottled next year. I have friends and family that will be taking 300 or so bottles, but that still leaves too much wine. Fortunately I can store this much wine, but still too much.

I have no choice but to downshift next year, but I have so much wine making I’d like to do! I’m going to scale my winemaking, maybe I’ll buy a few 15 gallon Spiedels instead of using 60 gallon barrels. Do project carboys vs buying a macro bins of grapes.

In the past I would make a lot of wine for two years then drastically scale back or stop the third year to get caught up.

My present situation is scaling up, big time. Three years ago my wife and I decided we were going to build our house so I stopped making wine that year and we just about cleaned everything out in our little duplex basement winery. I didn’t want to have to move bulk wine or bottles. Now we’re going on our second year in our new house. I have a room in the basement for a dedicated wine cellar and production is up to full capabilities lol. I’ll be going hard for the next year or two, then it’ll probably be back to two on, one off.

 

[bstnh1]

Agree wholeheartedly. I made a lot my first few years, trying to build a backlog. I just about had the backlog that I want but 1) my consumption/sharing increased and 2) even though I have older wines to drink, my younger ones are MUCH better. I have to fight with myself to go through the older stuff because I know the younger ones are still on the 'upslope' WRT quality.

That's the problem I run into. I usually have about 350 bottles on the shelf, many in the bottle for 4 or 5 years. Works well for the reds, but we drink mostly whites. By the time I get to the last few bottles, the whites in particular, are on the downslope! Like you, I tend to avoid them at that point which just makes matters worse!

 

[joeswine]

When you've done this hobby for a couple of decades the phrase Less is More has real meaning.

Yet the adventures of learning and growing through trial and error as well as competition has it's own rewards.
No regrets.slowed down but still making for others a little for myself.

 

[CabEnthusiast]

900 bottles of wine is a lot of wine.

 

[NorCal]

I think I have a really bad plan for 2019. I want to do 15 gallons white, 15 gallons red.

I have two full French 60 barrels that I’ll be bottling. I’ll be retiring one barrel for sure. I really want to do Mourvèdre next year and I want to do 90 gallons of it; 30 gallons rose Saignee method, watered back and aciduated, with the resulting 60 gallons a full bodied, incredible flavored Mourvedre.

Since I only want the 15 gallons of the red and none of the rose, I need to find takers for the other 30 cases. Not sure the family and friend circle can absorb that many.

 

[Boatboy24]

I think I have a really bad plan for 2019. I want to do 15 gallons white, 15 gallons red.

I have two full French 60 barrels that I’ll be bottling. I’ll be retiring one barrel for sure. I really want to do Mourvèdre next year and I want to do 90 gallons of it; 30 gallons rose Saignee method, watered back and aciduated, with the resulting 60 gallons a full bodied, incredible flavored Mourvedre.

Since I only want the 15 gallons of the red and none of the rose, I need to find takers for the other 30 cases. Not sure the family and friend circle can absorb that many.

Do you ship?

 

[SethF]

Tom, We got our Seville wine racks directly from Seville a few years ago. At that time it was cheaper to buy direct even with shipping from I believe Calif. I also bought extra shelving and cut them down and added them to the top for a total of 8 shelves high. Going to add oak pieces to front of posts and sides and top for a Oak Wine Rack look with metal shelves. Roy

Can you please clarify what you did with the Seville rack? I have one, and was planning on adding 2 more at some point.

 

[FTC Wines]

Seth, What we did was buy 4 Seville racks. Only had room for 3 side by side so... This was planned, I cut the 4th rack into 3rds with a 4” cut off wheel in a angle grinder. Then found some 1/2” cpvc water pipe in the garage that fit perfectly inside the Seville posts. Drilling holes in the Back side of the posts I screwed the post to the plastic pipe. Now the racks are 10 shelves high ilo the standard 6. They are screwed securely to the wall. I am adding oak facing to the racks, clamped one piece in place so you could get the idea. See pic, if you have more questions please ask. Roy

 

[SethF]

Well done!

Thank you.

 

[FTC Wines]

Seth, guess I can’t count or remember lol, the shelving is 8 rows high, Not 10! Like stated. Roy