Wine Makers Are Shy?

[vinny]

If one want's real photos of other's wine making setup, maybe not a bad idea to play fair and have an avatar or your real self before asking for real photos from others.... Just saying.

I appreciate you trying to keep all things fair, but you have misinterpreted the point of my original post.

The other post I mentioned was asking for suggestions and ideas, or things people feel are must haves. I wasn't asking anyone to share there spaces in either post. I was just pointing out the fact that winemakers don't share their set ups as readily as most hobbyists.

If you type in reloading benches you get page after page of peoples set ups. Yes, there's more than one image of peoples wine areas, but they are massively scarce in comparison. It is interesting because from a reloading bench you can tell what caliber rifle someone has, you can get an idea of how many guns they have, and you can guess at their ideals and political stance based on the amount of components they have. Governments are making moves to take people right of ownership away.. Yet it's the wine makers keeping their hobby hush hush.

Wine, all you get is the flavors people enjoy. Whether they are neat or a slob . Perhaps it is an indication that, like myself, people who make wine are more do it yourselfers, more self sufficient, more apt to set up their homes to suit their needs, and are inherently more private.

Maybe we're too busy drinking.. Maybe we just don't want people to know we have wine reserves and expect us to share. I dunno, I just found it interesting.

 

[vinny]

I plan to replace the laundry sink with this one. It is deeper and larger and will accommodate carboys and bottles better. The grid on the bottom will prevent me from destroying it.
And this faucet so I can use bottle washing and wand attachments and still rinse things with the sprayer.



Usually a quick search will lead to all kinds of simple ideas to make things easier, but is seems, as mentioned in the title, wine makers are shy?

 

[vinny]

After that, it got complicated. Really complicated (I live in Hungary, and the rules here are silly. Really, really silly). And showing what I do can get even more complicated.

Are you restricted on the amount you can make? Or are there regulations dictating how you make it, where, how much you can store, where you store it, etc?

 

[winemaker81]

I can not report for anyone here but me. But, through the grape vine (pun intended), I do have some confirmation: if one is married, and your wine room is not perfectly tidy, and I admit mine never is (it is sanitary, but never tidy enough to the ever loving wife ... because there is this and that here and there), then the wife may say "You are not going to post that photo online are you???".

I 'spose I'm a fortunate one, as my wife stays out of my winemaking area. Once in a while she wants to mop, but I wipe the floor often enough that it's not really necessary. However, when she does want to mop, I get stuff off the floor and let her do her thing.

Mrs WM81 worries about "clean", and since my area is always clean, even if it's not tidy, she's cool with it. I have no complaints!

 

[Obbnw]

I think a lot of us just don't have a room..

Pictures of my ferments would be pictures of buckets in the garage or on my basement floor. Aging takes place under a bench against the basement wall with a blanket over it. (It stayed a shockingly consistent 59 even though the room is heated), racking at the laundry sink, bottling at the laundry sink. Just not much to see....

Now if you want pictures of my "vineyard" I could bore you with hundreds ; )

 

[Jovimaple]

My winemaking areas consist of my kitchen and a counter in the laundry room. The bottled wine is stored in the basement utility room. The kitchen sink is much deeper than the laundry room sink, so buckets, bottles, carboys, and all the other equipment gets cleaned in the kitchen. Most anything over 3 gallons gets mixed together on the laundry room counter so I don't have to be lifting heavy carboys (or more realistically, get hubby to carry heavy carboys for me).

A wine making area downstairs is on the wish list but we have a rotting deck being replaced this year with a big patio, and an old fence needs replacing within the next couple years. Any basement projects are on hold until those 2 big outside projects are done and paid for.

I do appreciate others sharing their setups as I dream about what I want to do when we can move forward with those plans.

 

[BigDaveK]

Putting together a new batch takes so little time that I can't justify a dedicated area, unfortunately. Storage for bottles and bulk aging is my priority.

However....
Being and avid gardener I have 3 sitting areas and each has a permanent bottle and glass holder. And this year I'll be drinking my own wine!!

 

[NorCal]

Here is my wine work area, inside a barn. There is clean well water right outside the barn. The wine box provides the cool storage.

 

[vinny]

Here is my wine work area, inside a barn. There is clean well water right outside the barn. The wine box provides the cool storage.View attachment 88526
View attachment 88525

Very cool...

That's a perfect example of the interesting ideas I was trying to find.

literally an insulated cabinet with an AC unit connected to a controller to regulate temps?

I have about half that space. I set up a cheap cabinet and reinforced all the shelves with light steel do support some weight. I've already outgrown it and my carboys are mostly under my bench.

My sink has arrived, I still need to get a new counter top. Long weekend though. Might just happen sooner than later.

 

[NorCal]

Very cool...

That's a perfect example of the interesting ideas I was trying to find.

literally an insulated cabinet with an AC unit connected to a controller to regulate temps?

I have about half that space. I set up a cheap cabinet and reinforced all the shelves with light steel do support some weight. I've already outgrown it and my carboys are mostly under my bench.

My sink has arrived, I still need to get a new counter top. Long weekend though. Might just happen sooner than later.

Here is the link to the build of the WINE BOX...8 years ago! You nailed it, an insulated box with a standard window AC unit with a $10 ebay controller to turn it on/off.

 

[vinny]

Here is the link to the build of the WINE BOX...8 years ago! You nailed it, an insulated box with a standard window AC unit with a $10 ebay controller to turn it on/off.

Neat project. I have logged it in the memory banks for future use. First I need better wine, then more space.

Pretty cool you got featured, too.

And a significant space increase over the years! The barn must have been a nice upgrade from the garage.

 

[Arne]

Here is the link to the build of the WINE BOX...8 years ago! You nailed it, an insulated box with a standard window AC unit with a $10 ebay controller to turn it on/off.

That has been 8 years ago? Knew it was before covid, but just didn't think it was that long ago we were watching you build it. Still looks great, lots nicer than the spot I have. Arne.

 

[Chuck E]

My wine making area is half the laundry room.

 

[meridaen]

My wine making area is a pop-up winery in my garage. 3 folding Lifetime tables, the garage sink for hot and cold water, the driveway for washing up and the fan blowing to dry everything when it's clean. It actually works fine for my production scale of 50-90 gallons per year.

You have almost perfectly described my set up

 

[justsgm]

I make my wine in a converted Carriage House. We have a small club of about anywhere from 20 to 24 people here in NJ that make wine as a good for personal consumption. Here is an article that the Edible Jersey Magazine just did which featured us. May your glass always be half full.

https://ediblejersey.ediblecommunities.com/drink/continuing-legacy-home-winemaking

 

[Flufnagel]

I make my wine in a converted Carriage House. We have a small club of about anywhere from 20 to 24 people here in NJ that make wine as a good for personal consumption. Here is an article that the Edible Jersey Magazine just did which featured us. May your glass always be half full.

https://ediblejersey.ediblecommunities.com/drink/continuing-legacy-home-winemaking

What a great article about a wonderful ethnic and community tradition. Thank you for sharing it! As a fellow north Jersey winemaker who developed the interest entirely without any family influence, I am definitely jealous!

Here’s my DIY press on its inaugural run in my humble basement workroom just this week. I’m making a Zinfandel/Barbera blend and Merlot. Grapes were procured from Corrado’s in Clifton.

Salute!

 

[justsgm]

What a great article about a wonderful ethnic and community tradition. Thank you for sharing it! As a fellow north Jersey winemaker who developed the interest entirely without any family influence, I am definitely jealous!

Here’s my DIY press on its inaugural run in my humble basement workroom just this week. I’m making a Zinfandel/Barbera blend and Merlot. Grapes were procured from Corrado’s in Clifton.

Salute!

View attachment 92935
View attachment 92936

Thanks. Nice set up. Where in North Jersey?

 

[Flufnagel]

Thanks. Nice set up. Where in North Jersey?

I am in Franklin Lakes, NW Bergen County. True north!