2012 accomplishments

[hobbyiswine]

Started this thread as a start to 2013 and list some accomplishments of myself from 2012. Feel free to post your accomplishments or revelations from 2012 as well!

First a big THANKS to all those that have helped me on the forum this year. To say i couldn't have done it without this forum is an understatement to say the least. I started my first kit 12/21/11 and bottled (probably too quickly) in January 2012. Since then i have become a hopeless addict to winemaking!

I started 24 separate batches totalling about 106 gallons. I liked some better than others but happy to say only one batch was a total failure and went down the toilet. I now have 3 fermenters, 5 carboys and a mini fridge dedicated to cold stabilization. I entered my first competition and won 4 medals. And i did this all while only breaking one hydrometer (reminds me i should buy a spare) and not going broke! I have had a lot of fun and made a lot of friends happy with the fruits of my labor!

Looking forward to improving my wines in 2013 with the help of this forum. Happy 2013 to all!

 

[wineon4]

Nice thread,

I found this site this fall after searching for wine info, this is truly the best forum I belong to.. I made 20 batches this year for around 100 gallon. Most were fruit wines from natural fruit I picked or had been given to me. I too have given many bottles away to dear friends and family, probably too many LOL. I too entered my first competion and won 2 medals for the 2 wines I have submitted ,the 2 bottles in my avatar. I had a wine tasting event at my home this past Saturday to celebrate my son being home for his first Christmas in 4 years (he is is the Army and spent the last 4 Christmas away 2 of which were in in Iraq) and a AWS judge was in attendance and he advised me to enter 4 more of my wines in the next local competion this spring. We opened several bottles of all my wines and my guests stayed well beyond the end of the party. I can say that after this party my stock of empty bottles grew. My son returned today to his base in Seattle Wa. and took a case of wine with him. He opened a bottle and proposed to his Girlfriend so my wine was a part of of me getting my second daugther in law. I have a bucket list to make in 2013 and will be getting started on it next week. I do have 15 gallon of banana going now. Oh well my glass is empty and needs filled.

Happy New year to all
Dean

 

[olusteebus]

I started in May of 2012 so I have not accomplished much. After 2 inexpensive kits, I next made a strawberry and a peach. I am disappointed in the Strawberry. I get the impression that good strawberry may be hard to make. I don't know.

In all this time, I have built a pretty good wine making area in my two houses, one in Alabama and one in Florida. The Alabama one is in a dirt floor cellar That seems to stay 60 to 67 all year long. The one in Florida is in a garage which we converted to a tv room with tools and storage. I need something better there.

I made a great Skeeter Pee. Bottled a pretty good Chardonnay and Zinfadel. Screwed up 12 gallons of Muscadine with too much Kmeta. Hopefully it will improve after racking and ageing.

I made a cabernet/blackberry combo which stuck on me. Gonna make a cab from a cheap kit and combine.

I guess, all in all, I learned quite a bit in this short period. Now for some more successful wine making. I am now learning to test better and have bought a PH meter.

 

[Stressbaby]

Nice thread!

I started in March of 2012 with a goal of producing wines from fruit and flowers grown in my greenhouse and on my property. I have bottled guava, carambola (starfruit), and hibscus, and they are good. In secondaries, hibiscus-ginger, calamondin, Persian lime, Plumeria, highbush cranberry, pumpkin, beautyberry, plumeria, crabapple, lemongrass-ginger, and various batches and variations of persimmon. All appear to be coming along nicely except for the persimmons.

Next year, I will try for lilac, abelia, pandan-lemongrass, sugar apple, banana, black haw, tangerine, and more guava, lime, and carambola. Not sure I will get enough fruit for sugar apple or black haw, we'll see. I'm particularly excited about trying the abelia (A. mosanensis) which I intend to make along the lines of a lilac recipe. I'll start collecting and freezing jaboticaba and acerola, though I'm certain I won't get enough for a gallon this year.

This forum has been great, thanks to all who participate.

 

[DirtyDawg10]

I started up this hobby in April of 2012 and have made five six gallon batches so far. They keep getting better which is a sign I'm going in the right direction. I couldn't have done it without the great people on this site. I'm looking forward to new adventures in 2013!

 

[invizable]

I only finished a few batches this year but I started taking enology courses through VESTA with high hopes of a career change (very long term goal).
Before the end of the year I did get my frozen chardonnay from M&M started.

Frozen Gewurtz from M&M and AJ Masters Pinot Grigio from George C are on their way and we have a trip to Sonoma planned for this April so 2013 should be a great wine year!

 

[olusteebus]

I have also learned I am going to pretty much stick to Skeeter Pee in leiu of fruit wines until I get a little better.

I do love, and others love, my only skeeter pee/blackberry wine.

 

[Winofarmer]

While on vacation in July I stayed a week with my best friend and helped him bottle (and sample) 30 gallons of his home brews.I had him help me get the equipment I needed to get started.

So since July I have bottled:

5 gallon White Zin from concentrate
1 gallon Welchs Niagara/Concord frozen concentrate
1 gallon Welchs Apple/Kiwi Strawberry frozen concentrate
3 gallon Riesling? from fresh picked white grapes of unknown name
2 gallon 30 Day Wine Concord frozen concentrate
3 gallon Dragon Blood

15 Gallons Bottled


Bulk Aging:

5 Gallon Welchs Blush frozen concentrate
5 Gallon Mango frozen Mango Chunks

In Fermenter:
6 Gallon Dragon Blood

In Freezer:

50 lbs Pears
45 lbs White Grapes

I'm liking this new Hobby!!!!

 

[Sammyk]

Will be leaving the hobby

I started in the fall of of 2011. Have made about 200 gallons with a lot of trial and errors.

We started storing one gallon carboys under the house because there is no other place. My plan was to age in the carboys.

This past fall I bought an all in one pump, floor corker, corks and then recently 2 wine racks from Sams Club that hold 168 bottles each.

I will be selling all of my wine equipment towards the end of this year. We plan to fully retire, and down size our home and travel.

We are only allowed 8 oz of wine a day and it just does not make sense to give about 3/4 of the wine away and ship to our families in 3 different states - some who are ingrates and won't pay shipping to get the empty bottles back to me. Sheesh it cost me a lot more to ship cases of full bottles then for them to pay shipping to return the bottles.

It has been a fun learning experience even though I suppose I am a pain in the a** here to the forum with endless questions.

 

[Runningwolf]

Sammy, I understand where you're coming from but you are not a PITA. What a shame to turn around and sell everything you just bought. On the other hand can I tell you about a few other things I think you should buy before year end (Just give me first dibs on purchasing it)LOL. Good luck on your future travel plans and we will look forward to pictures. You can't just dissapppear.

 

[bakervinyard]

I found this forum in April. I was making a few kits a year. After reading different threads I started to gain more confidence and I realized I was an addict. I now have 5 kits going and I bought my first all juice buckets this fall. I'm looking forward to the new year to expand my knowledge even more. Bakervinyard

 

[Sammyk]

I never intended to get so involved, I just wanted to make wine back in 2011 from muscadines late that fall. We had more then our share of eating the bumper crop.

It has been fun, I have learned a lot and I accomplished what I wanted to do and that was learn something new.

Other then a few cases of 375 ml and corks, I am done buying. There are a couple more wines I want to make and then I will be finished. I have cases and cases of 1-gallon carboys I plan to sell fairly soon, once I have time to get them all in one place and count them. I am guessing I have 100 or more of them. I have "S" airlocks and plastic caps with the plastic inner seal, I forgot what they are called now to go with each carboy.

The rest of the items I will list here and then on Craigslist some time later this year.