Who wants to help out the new guy?

[bilbo-in-maine]

Hi Sebastian and welcome.

I want to recommend that you consider making one of the Vintner
Reserve kits, specifically the Mezza Luna Red in lieu of or along with one
of the more expensive kits. It is one of the less expensive reds that can
be drunk earlier on and is quite good. If you like you can add more oak as
it ages in the carboy.

Your crawl space sounds like a very good place to age your wine. I do the
same, although mine isn't nicely finished as your's is with concrete floor.
The temperature remains fairly constant in the low to mid forties and the
humidity is always above 70%, and it is always dark. Almost perfect.

Let us know what you end up getting.

Bill

 

[Sebastian]

I gotta say, y'all have been great. I'd be approaching this with much more
trepidation, i think, were it not for your willingness to share your knowledge
and experiences!

 

[OilnH2O]

Welcome Sebastian --


As a fellow "newbie" let me also suggest a kit to follow the directions -- it's amazing how those directions lead to success, and in the middle of doing one thing, the LAST thing you need is to wonder...what to do NEXT!


Second, several folks have suggested "call George" -- you can't go wrong and the best part about this site is George's personal attention -- you'll not get that elsewhere. He wants you to succeed (and the rest of us, but most especially GEORGE!)


Last, as has been said, "clean and sanitize." You'll be glad you did! And, while on still on my first...and second...kit (two going now!) it is just AMAZING what you'll learn by doing that first kit! Next thing you'll know, you TOO will be offering suggestions to new folks -- even though, like me, still a newbie, because you will learn SO MUCH in such a SHORT TIME!

Welllll... I'll be! CHECK THAT Sebastian! I just got "upgraded" to GROUPIE -- almost as good as flying Delta and getting moved up front! (Maybe it was all those kind words -- truthful too! -- about George!)Edited by: OilnH2O

 

[earl]

Sebastian


I am totally new also and have just bottled my 2nd kit. My first kit was a Beaujalois and I may have a few issues with it. My 2nd was a Green apple Reisling that I spiked a bit, and it is fantastic. My point is that if you are new to winemaking make a kit that is easy, and one that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor early. You will learn volumes about Cleaning and Sanitizing, bottling, following directions and patience. I haven't decided on my next one, either a spiked Island mist shiraz or a Pinot Noir.


In a nutshell, don't make something you will have to put away for a few years. Make a wine you can drink this summer and have a great time with.


P.S. --Have Waldo help you with your labels.


earl

 

[Sebastian]

Thanks. I'm going to buy an island mist today (exactly for the reasons
you
mention - we'll want to drink something sooner rather than later), and as
soon as that's done, I'm going to go start on something heavier, perhaps
the
lodi old vine red zin, one of the crusendos, or the barolo...

What do you mean by 'spiking' it? Reaching a higher alcohol level? If so,
is that a factor of which yeast you use? Adding additonal sugars?

I can muddle my way around photoshop - this is a label i made for a
concept
chocolate bar. Would be fun to see some labels y'all come up with!

hmm..attaching the pic to the post didn't go so well. lemme try linking it
to
another server instead...<a href="http://home.ptd.net/~scottdj/1.jpg" target="_blank">rio
caribe label</a>Edited by: Sebastian

 

[Waldo]

Spiking = Additional sugar added to increase alcohol content


I just did a Green Apple Riesling and added an additional 4 lbs sugar.

 

[Sebastian]

Ok, started the mixed berry zin kit. I've added what I should (what does
Bentonite do?) to the primary fermenter (the large plastic bucket, bear
with me, still learning the lingo here), and the directions say to cover it
and let it sit for 5-7 days. Question - the lid on the bucket has a small
hole in it with a rubber gasket around it (presumably to make a tight seal
for something to be inserted). When i cover it and let it sit, do i need to
insert anything into this hole, or leave the hole open to the air? If left
open to the air, how susceptible is the mix to ambient yeasts and moulds
(i'm going to be storing this in my basement, i assume there's a fair
amount of Y/M down there even though it's largely a finished
basement)....

Prior to making this I made a wine prep bench in my basement. It's two
levels, and I wager it can hold a dozen of these 6 gallon jobs (plan for the
future, I say!).

 

[Brandst]

You don't NEED to cover it, but for the reasons you mentioned plus flys and all sorts of other no-see-ems, I chose to put my airlock in. I did not fill the airlock with anything just stuck it in to keep out large things and so far no problems. A lot of people just put a towel or other loose item over the primary to keep large particles/insects out.





Steve

 

[OldWino1]

My Mezza Luna Red is great some where between CHianti and Merlot.


My frends like it also. but give it atleast 3 months in the bottle. and as alwaysolder is better.

 

[PolishWineP]

Bentonite will help settle out the lees. (Floaties) When you rack it to a carboy the first time, don't worry about trying to leave all the lees behind. You'll still need some of that in the carboy the 1st time around.


Sealing the lid on the primary fermenter isn't necessary and is actually a bother. It's much harder to open it to take readings, stir it, etc. Sometimes our fermentation gets going so vigorously that it gets messy, so the towel with string and rubberband to hold it on and the loose lid on top help to contain that.

 

[Sebastian]

Thanks everyone. I've got the primary going for about 18 hours now and
there's a thick mat on the surface (looks like the yeast have hydrated and
expanded? reproducing?), and there's some bubbles around the sides of
the primary. Am assuming that's a good sign

Lets talk sanitizing (i never, ever in my life thought i'd bring that sentance
up in regular conversation!)

The Winexpert kit came with a 4 g packet of potassium metabisulfite.
The instructions indicate to dissolve 50 g of it in a gallon of water (i had
purchased an extra bottle of it, and i scaled down the amount i was
making to a 1 liter size. i added 8.5g of my extra to the 4 g that came
with the kit). Why would they only include 4 g of the metabisulphite
powder? Is it something they've over looked on their part, or am I
missing something? I put the left over soln in an airtight container and
stored in the fridge, set to expire in 2 months.

The extra bisulfite powder I have indicates to mix 0.67g / gallon of must
to kill wild yeast, or 2 oz (56g) / gallon as a sanitizer. I took the second
option - what's the first option for?

Also, i essentially just dipped everything in the resulting soln and let it air
dry, or drained and used it right away. Is that sufficient, or is there a
more thorough process for sanitizing I should use in the future (multiple
dippings, stronger soln's, particular rinse cycles, etc)?

 

[masta]

The 4g packet of K-meta that was included in the kit was not for sanitizing equipment. It is added in step #3 to stabilize and protect the wine.


Not a big deal just measure out 4g of the K-meta you have and add it as indicated in the instructions in Step #3.


The firstoption on your K-meta container is used when making fruit wines or wines from fresh grapes. The juice in a wine kit has the correct amount of sulfite added to start.

 

[grapeman]

I can help you out in making a wine rack, but I have to research where I got the plan from. I found a plan design that uses one sheet of plywood(I used oak) to make a rack that holds 96 bottles. It is 4 feet high and 4 feet wide. I made two variations of it to fit spaces I had available. It works great, is easy to build, rugged and looks good too. One rack that hold 112 bottles I made out of oak I ripped, instead of plywood. If I want, I can stain and poly it. I have the plan, but have to research where I found it. I should be able to find the link in the next few days and post it here.

 

[NorthernWinos]

I can help you out in making a wine rack, but I have to research where I got the plan from. I found a plan design that uses one sheet of plywood(I used oak) to make a rack that holds 96 bottles. It is 4 feet high and 4 feet wide. I made two variations of it to fit spaces I had available. It works great, is easy to build, rugged and looks good too. One rack that hold 112 bottles I made out of oak I ripped, instead of plywood. If I want, I can stain and poly it. I have the plan, but have to research where I found it. I should be able to find the link in the next few days and post it here.

Appleman...Welcome to the Forum....
is this the Site you were looking up for the plans on the 96 bottle rack???....it looks like a good one to me, as long as your handy with some equipment.
http://hometown.aol.ca/bperez/winerack/Wine_Rack_Plan.pdf
Appleman...do you grow apples????

 

[grapeman]

Yes, that's the one!! Easy to build and sturdy. I use pan head screws after gluing and pin-nailing. Takes about 6-8 hours to build. I'll post some pictures when I have time.


Yes, I have my own small orchard- about 125 trees- 15 varieties. I'm located in the Champlain Valley of NYS near Plattsburgh and Peru. I also have a few grape vines and am going to start a small vineyard with about 400 vines this spring. I'm getting some vines started and going to start 250 from cuttings in our greenhouses in a couple weeks for spring planting.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Yes, that's the one!! Easy to build and sturdy. I use pan head screws after gluing and pin-nailing. Takes about 6-8 hours to build. I'll post some pictures when I have time.


Yes, I have my own small orchard- about 125 trees- 15 varieties. I'm located in the Champlain Valley of NYS near Plattsburgh and Peru. I also have a few grape vines and am going to start a small vineyard with about 400 vines this spring. I'm getting some vines started and going to start 250 from cuttings in our greenhouses in a couple weeks for spring planting.

Sounds like you have it under control...going to be picking your brains about growing stuff.
I have ordered small fruit trees from St. Lawrence Nursery
http://www.sln.potsdam.ny.us/
Have had good luck with their stuff.... hard to find hardy varieties for up here in Northern MN, so was happy to find a source from a Zone 3 nursery.Local places sell stuff that has been grown further south, and ask a premium price.....
Going to be having major spring fever for the next few weeks, this is the time of the year that gets tough on people who like to dig in the dirt and still have snow on the frozen sod.....but...time will pass.
Take photos of your enterprises...at all stages of growth...share with us your ventures....

Do you crush your apples and sell juice, or sell apples???Do you make wine with your apples??? Our favorite wine is ***Sparkling Apple***..the specialty of this house. Going to dégorge 30 bottles any day and mix up another batch tomorrow....love those apples.

Just tasted the first bottle of our Hard Apple Cider, made it carbonated in beer bottles...it's going to be great given a few more weeks to carbonate....will be a great summer drink.

Keep us posted on your vineyard too....Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[OilnH2O]

Hey NW!


While those plans say "plywood" it appears from the pic's that the material is MDF -- is it?

 

[NorthernWinos]

Hey NW!


While those plans say "plywood" it appears from the pic's that the material is MDF -- is it?

I don't know, I would like to have one of those racks, looks like they wouldn't take up much space, and holds many bottles...imagine you could just use little boards too, but boards might split when drilled.

 

[redwineleo]

I built that rack about 6 months ago. I used MDF since the rack is in my basement where nobody sees it. If you want to paint it, MDF will work fine. If you want to stain it and make it look nice I'd suggest hardwood. I'm not a carpenter, but I built it in about 3 or 4 hours on a Saturday afternoon. Will probably build another one soon, as this hobby is addictive (making wine, that is) and I'm out of rack space.

 

[grapeman]

NW


First, I've built two of the racks, one from 3/4" Oak Plywood and one fromI ripped the oak boards I milled into 3/4" strips. I drilled and used panhead screws (pocket screws). They both work well, but I have more confidence in the solid oak- the plywood bows slightly uner the weight.


Secondly, I grow the apples mainly for my use , but sell some on the family roadside stand. I press cider in the fall season and could sell some locally for wine, but I don't market for fresh cider to drink since NYS now forces you to pasteurize or put in preservatives. I'd be glad to share info on the apples as time permits. I am familiar with St. Lawrence Nurseries. They are over in Potsdam-two hours west of here. My brother buys blueberries and apples fom them and swears by them. I could shareinfo on hardy varieties, but we are borderline zone 4/5 here in the valley.


More to follow in a new post later.


Richard