Wino from NE Oklahoma

After visiting a local vineyard/winery in OK ...the wife and i talked and thought it would be fun to try ... I think i may have discovered a new hobby. If any of it turns out tasting alright ... i'll even have the full support of my wife.

After a few weeks of internet research and finding a local 'brew/winemaking store' I am now the proud owner of a kit and have started my first batch of Eclipse Sonoma Chardonnay.

I think i'll enjoy that its not a super-intense and time consuming hobby ... but it stinks that it takes SOO long for the stuff to get good (thats why i started with a white)

I plan to stick with kits for a while ... not sure how much the budget will allow me to keep starting new batches ... we'll see. We enjoy the dryer whites (Chard) and probably like reds better (Cabs, Merlots, blends) - I'm always interested in kit suggestions.

Look forward to learning more and hopefully to a successful first batch!

Best of luck to you on your first batch! I find that wine making/mead making is such a rewarding hobby! If you have any questions along the way we would be happy to provide input. I'm fairly new to the community and it seems as though if you ask anything there will always be a positive helpful response.

Enjoy!

Welcome to WMT! Yes, I agree, it is frustrating that it takes so long to see any results. Good luck in your winemaking and in laying off drinking the fruits of your labors too early!

I have that very kit sitting at my feet waiting to make. I'm expecting some Chardonel juice in the near future, so I figured I'd wait until that was done and the temperature fell a little in my basement. I'll be interested to hear your comments as you make that kit, so please share.

Welcome to WMT!

So I sorbated, kmetta'd, and degassed with a drill. Then added the chitosan and degassed again. Went smoothly until a small volcano erupted and overran the carboy a bit. Im not sure I got 2 mins x2 ... But I plan to bulk age this chard kit for at least 3 months ... I'm really hoping to bulk age 6 months. My biggest fear is making sure I'm sanitized with every tool I'm using.

Having you equipment clean is important, but you do have a low pH and high alcohol on your side. I come from the beer side where if you look at your carboy cross eyed you will get some sort of an infection, so I tend to overdo the cleaning. It doesn't hurt to make sure everything is really clean. It will never make your wine have an issue. But being lax in your cleaning routine can rear its ugly head just when you least expect it.