The great spill of 2014

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cimbaliw

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Saturday I started a Vivo Italiano Chard according to the joeswine behind the scenes tweak. Tonight while manually partitioning off a delicious apricot cider, I gave the Chard fermenter a slight push, it was on a carboy dolly. I don't know how but that bucket tipped over and covered the floor with chaptalized chard juice. Cathy came down and we got 'er cleaned up in about an hour. It's a bummer but no use crying over that which can not be reclaimed. Life's been too good to me to worry about such first world problems.

BC
 
yuk! I haven't (touch wood),(and no I don't know what that saying means or where it comes from)) had that happen yet, but I know my turn is coming
 
I have two stories that I would like to share...

The mop and glow winery

A number of year ago, I had a really nice young couple that made wine with me. They crushed up their grapes into a carboy (and two gallons) and took it home.

They chose to place the wine on an old pool table in their basement. They had a 4 year old that (several days later) climbed up on the pool table and knocked the carboy off. It crashed onto their basement tile floor. The kid was unharmed, at least from the accident, but I am sure he didn't feel like sitting for a while after his parents got through with him.

Thinking quickly, the wife remembered that she had a brand new mop that was unused. Figuring they had nothing to lose, they mopped it up and squeezed it into their empty carboy that they use for racking. They only lost a gallon through the whole experience and topped it up from one of their gallon jugs.

During the racking process, the wine cleared up nicely. I advised them to give the wine a good shot of k-meta. 8 months later they were shocked that their wine tasted fine.

Feeling better for the experience, they decided to call themselves "The Mop and Glow Winery".


The Dropped Bottle Winery

Yet another person that made wine with me was pressing his wine into some carboys. I had a simple ratchet press that I had bolted to the concrete floor in the detached garage in the place I was living at the time.

He had finished up, and was loading his carboys into his car. When he went to lift on up, he place his hand over a yellow jacket. The little bugger stung him, reflexes kicked in, and he dropped the carboy.

With astonishing speed, the wine spread out all over the garage floor. He became very apologetic saying "so sorry about you floor". "Are you kidding? I am so sorry about your wine" I responded.

Again, seeing the humor in this, he decided to call himself the "Dropped Bottle Winery".



So, a broken bottle has been the traditional source for naming yourself.
Might I suggest "The Slight Push Winery" for you?
 
Thanks for the support friends, I feel like I've gone through a right of passage. John T, the mop story is too much! Thanks for sharing.

Seriously, as I've run the scenario through my head a few times today, I think it's worth sharing that I used a juice bucket pail as my primary. My goal was to ferment to about a 1.010 target then snap the lid down fitted with an airlock. What a nifty low headspace fermenter eh? I also have a companion Pinot Blanco going in the same set up. I'll be a bit more careful not to topple that one around!

BC
 
On the brite side I bet is smells just fantastic down there! Get a chair and a good bottle and set there sharing a drink to take in the aroma. Be glad it wasnt a glass carboy and there is no blood! WVMJ

Saturday I started a Vivo Italiano Chard according to the joeswine behind the scenes tweak. Tonight while manually partitioning off a delicious apricot cider, I gave the Chard fermenter a slight push, it was on a carboy dolly. I don't know how but that bucket tipped over and covered the floor with chaptalized chard juice. Cathy came down and we got 'er cleaned up in about an hour. It's a bummer but no use crying over that which can not be reclaimed. Life's been too good to me to worry about such first world problems.

BC
 
WVMJ you owe me one screen cleaning, I just sprayed shiraz all over my laptop. Too funny!
 
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