SO, How did you get into this? What's the Story?

[Wade E]

You dont owe me anything Rob. But if youy must Id actually prefer some of that Skeeter Pee over the big reds right now. Ive typically got a decent supply of thgose but I have not made the skeeter pee and liked your last Chianti version.

 

[roblloyd]

You got it! I just bought everything to start a batch of blueberry lemon skeeter. I had all the supplies but used the 10lb of sugar this weekend for my kids school fund-raiser. I used it for cotton candy. So later this week I'll have that going.

You dont owe me anything Rob. But if youy must Id actually prefer some of that Skeeter Pee over the big reds right now. Ive typically got a decent supply of thgose but I have not made the skeeter pee and liked your last Chianti version.

 

[SLOweather]

Heh, therein hangs a tale... Better pour yourself a glass and sit back....

We live in the midst of the Central California Coast wine country, but were never really interested. Then 3 years ago this coming Father's Day, our vet held her annual benefit open house. There were a few wineries there offering tastings and cheese pairings. The lady from Saucelito Canyon offered us a 10% off card and invited us to their monthly Sunset Club on the next Thursday. We went and had a great time.

We started looking for other winery events to attend, rather than just "tasting". We went to Sips and Songs at Claiborne and Churchill, Tapas at Tolosa, Twilight Wine and Apps at Harmony Cellars, and other, and of course more Sunset Club.

I suppose Tapas at Tolosa was the second event we tried. That evening we met some sunbirds from AZ who have become very good friends. We even visited them in Mesa last month as a part of our vacation. (You've possibly heard of Snowbirds, those people that move to AZ or FL for the winter to escape the cold and snow of the northern climes. Sunbirds come to SLO from AZ in the summer to escape the heat. there's quite a colony of them from the fourth of July until after Labor Day. Some of them take over otherwise summer-vacant student housing.)

Another Saucilito Canyon event was a benefit for Condor Lookout, which is a refurbished USFS Fire Lookout now used for California Condor research. that led to me getting to place one of my WeatherElement web weather stations on the lookout.

But I digress....

We got more into the wine scene, visited more wineries, and joined a couple 3 wine clubs. We had our 28th anniversary at Harmony Cellars, and our 29th (#29, Let's Drink Some Wine) as a BYOB to share tasting down in our woods.

Now then, last year I had a local contractor do some work for our water company. I jet around the water co. environs on my Kawasaki Mule. Ed (the contractor) and I were chatting on the job site and I mentioned that we sometimes took the Mule up Prefumo Canyon, over the top, and down to See Canyon to one of the popular local apple farms to get apples in the fall. He invited us to go a mile further to his orchard/vineyard to get some better apples, and try his wine, as he has his own vineyard. The next time we met, he brought me a bottle of his syrah, which was really good.

We then made the trek to see them, and took our new pup, Markie along. We now have some more new wine friends, and Markie a new girlfriend, they're little jack Russell Penny. Those two can tear it up for hours on end..

So, the Sunday before last Labor Day, before the Sunbirds left to go back to AZ, we took them wine and apple tasting to Creekside Farms. That was an extraordinary experience, as Ed doesn't have an official tasting room, just the apple stand. But, we got to be one on one with the wine maker himself, got to do vertical tastings of different vintages, got to try his special Port, and even some barrel tastings.

The friendship with them led to placing another WeatherElement station in one of their orchards.

We had to wait until after apple season to invite Edward and Donna and the dogs to our house to thank them for the wine tasting. we had them down in the woods for sausages cooked over the open fir and duh, wine... Ed wander up over the hill to check on the dogs. When he came back, he mentioned that that SW facing slope would be perfect for a couple hundred dry farmed, head trained Zin vines.

Damn him, anyway..... that's all it took....

We racked our first kit yesterday, and the first 25 zin vines (clone 8 on 1103p rootstock) ship today from Sunridge Nurseries.... And I'm rearranging some of the wireless weather stations in my home network to monitor conditions and soil moisture in the new vineyard. Then we'll get the data to the WeatherElement for display on the Internet.

And, the Sunbirds are probably going to rent Ed and Donna's vineyard view cabin for a couple weeks this summer, and we're planning our 30th anniversary this August. The traditional gift for #30 is pearls, so we're thinking the theme might be "Pearls Before Wine".

I told my wife, Katie, that based on my research on how long it takes for the vines to start producing harvestable quantities of grapes, and how long it takes to make and age wine, we could have a couple of vintages of our own wine ready to serve at our 40th.

 

[Arne]

Many many years ago, I heard about the Welches, some sugar, a pk of yeast gallon jug and a balloon. Made some then, wasn't good, but I was in the Navy and didn't have much money. Just before payday, it got a lot better. Next time was probably 10 years later. We found some chokecherry bushes and I had come across a recipe. Kinda like what we do now, threw everything in a crock and let er sit for a while. Shortly thereafter, we drank it. Still really wasn't good but we tried to say it was. Didn't know you could throw a little sugar in to sweeten after it was done. It probably wouldn't of been too bad that way. Fast forward a ways, a few years ago our little cherry tree went balistic. Kathy got all the pie cherries she wanted and rather than waste them I got this wine making idea. Instead of trying to find the old recipe I had used, I played on the net for a while and jumped in feet first. Once I got started as happens to a lot of us, things got a little out of hand, but hoping some of the fruit trees make it this spring. They are all flowering, but we will find out in a couple of months. Take care all, Arne.

 

[astebbi1]

Awesome thread had to share..
I got started purely just to save some cash, "5ltr of wine for $12!?!? I'm sure I could make it myself for at least half the price.." I did some research and it turns out people do just that so I knew I could get into it.. Developed into a fun hobby and now I love every aspect of making it (especially the drinking for cheap).. Hah I feel like such a lush with a story like that but hey I'm happy..
Cheers Winos!!

 

[kayaknh11]

So one day a Priest walks into a wine shop....Okay, that's not the whole story....I've always been interested in making wine. 4 years ago I brought my parents to Windsor Onterio to see my Uncle Eddie. And yes, he was a priest. Anyway, while we were there, he told us he had to go bottle his wine. That was all it took. We helped him with his wine and when I got home started making wine and have been doing it ever since. So, I thank or blame my Uncle, depending on how the wine making is going...

 

[Deezil]

Click the Wine Log link in my signature & read the first post



It was August 2009. Did research for a full year & started that thread in August 2010.

 

[dangerdave]

My lovely wife, Johnna, has a bad back, and likes a bit of wine to make her smile. I like that, too---seeing her smile more, that is. We have visited wineries everywhere we go on vacation in various states in the eastern US for many years. We just love good wine. Why it took me so long to realize I could make it myself is anyone's guess. Maybe it was the memory of my mom's cheap---horrible---wine kits from the 1970's that put me off. Then...

In July of 2011, I got tired of spending $12 a bottle for wine (from the grocery store or vineyard) that IMO was substandard. I knew I could make better! I got on line looking for advice and wine supplies. I came across George at FineVineWines, and watched several videos of him making a kit. From his commercial site, I found my way here. I made my first kit last August (2011), and never stopped. I just started my 30th batch yesterday! And every one has been a hit!

Once again, I want to thank all the wonderful folks here who helped me become the winemaker that I am! You know who you are!

 

[tatud4life]

Well, I had never heard of muscadines until 4 years ago. (I know. I'm obsessed with them.) My wife and I found some at a local farmers market. I think we ate about 80 pounds that summer. We had tried growing vegetables, but we are both too busy to check on a garden every day. I started searching the world wide web for alternatives since I do enjoy growing things. I found Ison's and thought I would give them a try. I bought my first vine and planted it. While I was waiting for it to grow, I decided to read a couple of books on winemaking and I visited a couple of wineries. 3 years later, I have 3 vines, 4 blackberries, 4 raspberries, and 4 apple trees. This year I should get my first good crop off of my oldest vine. It should turn into wine this fall.

On a side note, if anyone is in the Gatlinburg, TN area, you need to stop by Sugarland Cellars!!!! They make one spectacular muscadine wine and are extremely friendly. One of their growers/ wine makers Kirk really helped me this year when a bad frost almost wiped out my vines. Extremely nice guy!!!!!

 

[btom2004]

Great thread...I'll share my story.

I remember way back when I was a young child about 7 years old. I had come across this big pickle jar in the cabinet under the sink. It was full of some funny looking red liquid and had this white stuff at the bottom of it. It looked like something from a Sci-Fi movie. My dad walks in and I said "hey dad what is this." He told me it was his home brewed wine. I never knew my dad to even drink, let alone making his own wine. (I wondered if mom knew? But I never asked.) So he opens up the jar, pulls out this stocking squeezes out the liquid; smells the messy looking stuff and goes ahead and pours out a drop or two for a taste test sample. "Yeah" he says and asked if it wanted to try it. No way I said and ran for my life outside to play.

I had no idea that everything in that jar was as it should be. It was juice, yeast, water that was fermenting wine as only wine can be made. I drink beer, other mixed drinks and wine.
I often thought about making my own beer but have never tried.

I have this sister-in law who is a bit religious and likes to consume wine, she calls the miracle of Jesus. "He turned water into wine", she says. (I thought to myself...yeah they call it brewing and laughed...LOL.) Well that did it for me. That coupled with that early childhood exposure to wine making, of my dad's low budget hook-up.

I purchased all the equipment needed and a Merlot Red Wine kit. I just got the wine into the primary fermenter on 05/29/12. As I type I can smell the gas coming out of the air lock. It smells like wine to me...LOL.

When this batch is finished I'll call it, Tom's Jagnom (J.A.G.N.O.M.) Red.

 

[rhythmsteve]

Had a bunch of fruit trees on the property and was tired of eating them, I'd rather drink them