Affording the Habit...

[ttimmer]

I am enjoying my new hobby and am enjoying "sharing" with others. How do you afford the habit? I know the wine can't be sold, but I thought about taking ingredient donations so I can afford to take care of the multitudes that say - "I want a bottle"

What do you do?

 

[cpfan]

Tammy:

I used to drink wine occasionally at $10 (or more per bottle). After I started making wine, I drank wine more regularly, and sometimes shared with friends/family (fortunately I don't have a lot of friends or a large family). So I made $300 worth of wine (sorta) out of a $100 kit. As long as I kept a dozen bottles, I was ahead of the game.

OTOH, folks who wanted a bottle of wine, and didn't provide any positives to my life (even if it was just being helpful sometime or other), probably got told that "none is ready to drink", "I'm running low", "bottles, no bottles", or some other probably fictitious story.

Steve

 

[Julie]

Tammy:

I used to drink wine occasionally at $10 (or more per bottle). After I started making wine, I drank wine more regularly, and sometimes shared with friends/family (fortunately I don't have a lot of friends or a large family). So I made $300 worth of wine (sorta) out of a $100 kit. As long as I kept a dozen bottles, I was ahead of the game.

OTOH, folks who wanted a bottle of wine, and didn't provide any positives to my life (even if it was just being helpful sometime or other), probably got told that "none is ready to drink", "I'm running low", "bottles, no bottles", or some other probably fictitious story.

Steve

LOL, Steve I am going to remember those excuses. Normally I just make skeeter pee and give that away to my family. To be honest they won't know the difference between that and a good quality wine.

 

[jdmyers]

Are you saying sp isnt good quality

I cant be poolside without it

 

[Sammyk]

We don't have family or close friends here except a grown daughter who lives 2 hours away. I was shipping to family in MI. 4 750ml bottles Fed Ex was $20.00 with my business discount.

I just out and out said no more shipping, it is too expensive especially when they bulked at shipping the empties back - for a fraction of the cost.

So now my brother stop by here in NC in May and Nov as he travels to his winter home from MI to FL. I send a couple of cases with him when he returns to MI in May.

I told family if you want to chip in on the shipping from here that is different. Amazing no one wanted to pay part of the shipping.

So now I make smaller batches and do not give as much away.

Sometimes one just has to be honest.
My brother on the other hand bought a kit and had it shipped to me. I will keep 10 to 15 bottles in exchange for making it for him. He will take the rest home to MI in May.
I expect he will want to buy more kits in May and pick them up in November.
I do send a couple of bottles to each for their birthday but that is about it.

 

[cohenhouse77]

I have received a few hundred dollars from friends who wanted to contribute to my ingredients and empty bottles. I saw absolutely nothing wrong with that. After all, what are they buying me? Frozen fruit? Lemon concentrate? Those are my favorite presents! Now I have extra ingredients in my freezer that I can use to make everyone more wine! I still give wine out to people that don't give me anything, but some of my friends, the really good ones, feel obligated to help pitch in to pay for my expenses. That is different than buying my wine from me.

 

[Sammyk]

About SP, we loved it but could not drink it because of acid reflux so I gave away 3 batches (18 gallons as I recall). Not something I would ever make again. Family all loved it but I am not making again just to give away.

 

[cohenhouse77]

I know I make my with only 1 bottle of lemon. I've also just experimented with canned frozen lemonade but haven't tried it for early enough to tell you how good it is. There are ways around the acid reflux, including adjusting your acid levels. I know this takes more time and potentially cold stabilization which defeats the purpose of it being a fast drinker, but if you like the flavor then there you go.

 

[dangerdave]

I just love making wine! My wife loves wine, her parents love wine, my parents love wine, her adult children love wine, her friends love wine, my friends love wine. I have made, consumed, and/or given away nearly 1300 bottles of wine in the past year and a half. Thankfully, most of those folks love the cheap sweet wines like my Dragon Blood, which I crank out at around a dollar a bottle. They are also very good at returning the bottles---which is the most expensive part.

I just can't help it! I love them all, and they love me and my wine! They drink, they smile, I beam! Priceless! Most of the hobbies I have had in my life have been rewarding solely to me. This hobby is for everyone!

 

[bakervinyard]

I'll tell you how I afford the habit. For Christmas the wifey gave me a chardonnay kit. She knows I prefer reds, lol. Seriously I just buy what I want. Last year I made about 15-18 kits. My 2 kids are in their mid 20's and enjoy my wines. My mother in law likes my Merlot but likes to add water to it, I make lower end kits for her, lol. Extended family is another story. My sisters enjoy my wines. I always bring wines to their houses. My brothers in law are another story. 1 brother in law is a wine "snob" he doesn't drink homemade wine, more for eveyone else.Another brother in law has wine cellars in his 3 houses, but always enjoys my wine. Everybody returns the empty bottles for refills. Bakervinyard

 

[DaveL]

We don't have family or close friends here except a grown daughter who lives 2 hours away. I was shipping to family in MI. 4 750ml bottles Fed Ex was $20.00 with my business discount.

I just out and out said no more shipping, it is too expensive especially when they bulked at shipping the empties back - for a fraction of the cost.

So now my brother stop by here in NC in May and Nov as he travels to his winter home from MI to FL. I send a couple of cases with him when he returns to MI in May.

I told family if you want to chip in on the shipping from here that is different. Amazing no one wanted to pay part of the shipping.

So now I make smaller batches and do not give as much away.

Sometimes one just has to be honest.
My brother on the other hand bought a kit and had it shipped to me. I will keep 10 to 15 bottles in exchange for making it for him. He will take the rest home to MI in May.
I expect he will want to buy more kits in May and pick them up in November.
I do send a couple of bottles to each for their birthday but that is about it.

Wait a minute, Your brother can afford to summer in florida in a second house but can't chip up $20 for shipping? well maybe thats why he can afford a second house I guess.

 

[Sammyk]

DaveL he winters in FL, just for the record. Yes he is pretty tight. That is why I told him "you buy the kit and I will make it for you and keep 10 to 15 bottles".

We all know those who "want" but only if it is free.

 

[novalou]

I am enjoying my new hobby and am enjoying "sharing" with others. How do you afford the habit? I know the wine can't be sold, but I thought about taking ingredient donations so I can afford to take care of the multitudes that say - "I want a bottle"

What do you do?

I find free bottles. Check restaurants, wine stores that serve samples and your friends and family that drink wine to save you bottles.

Also, u-pick grapes are cheap. This past fall Concord grapes were $0.20 per pound. That worked out to a buck a bottle.

 

[reefman]

We don't have family or close friends here except a grown daughter who lives 2 hours away..

SammyK,
My duaghter lives about 30 minutes from you over by Lake Norman....I'll send her right over to pickup a few cases.....hahaha

 

[reefman]

Also, u-pick grapes are cheap. This past fall Concord grapes were $0.20 per pound. That worked out to a buck a bottle.

I wish I could find $0.20/lb grapes. Our local Orchard has Concord "upick" for $2.00/lb.

 

[Sammyk]

reefman Is she a wine maker? There is a nice LHBS that I go to in Mooresville, about a 30 minute drive from us. There is another one closer but we don't like the owner.

 

[Sammyk]

We can pick them local for .50 a pound if we do not have enough of our own. They have several different varieties.

 

[Wiccan_Lager]

I know that my dad keeps a jar in his wine room. When he has a few bucks in in pocket, he throws it in there. If he buys $500 of grapes in a year and has put in 300 through out the year, it doesn't feel so painful. I think I am going to do that once my wine gets into bottles in a few months.

 

[reefman]

reefman Is she a wine maker? There is a nice LHBS that I go to in Mooresville, about a 30 minute drive from us. There is another one closer but we don't like the owner.

Is that the one in the same center as Wal-Mart?

Unfortunitly she's not a maker, and she doesn't even drink wine. Her neighbors make wine, and when I come down to visit I swap bottles with the neighbors.
Next time I visit, I'll drop you a note ahead of time. Maybe we can get together.
Last trip in November, we went to Biltmore for the day.

 

[reefman]

We can pick them local for .50 a pound if we do not have enough of our own. They have several different varieties.

I'm going to do a better search for u-pick grapes this fall. I would love to find some Muscadine grapes. I buy Muscadine wine by the case we like it so much. Duplin is my favorite.