Black Cherry Melomel

[RkyMtnWine]

sounds good to me Wade... when I order that it looks like everthing I would need is in the kit.... can you think of anything else I should add to it. I see it makes 6 gallons. So I would need a 6+ gallon primary and 6 gallon secondary..... and lotsa bottlesEdited by: RkyMtnWine

 

[Wade E]

You should have a 7.9 gallon primary bucket for doing any kits and a 6 gallon carboy or 5+1 gallon jug which will be more work when you have to add stuff as youll have to transfer to bucket to mix all in correctly then rack back to glass but can be done to save money as well as use 2 smaller primary buckets but again you will have to deal with dividing up the ingredients.

 

[grapeman]

The 7.9 gallon bucket will work for about 90% of the kits out there. Just get one and unless you get a kit that others warn about, you should be good.


Now as far as those two kits, I can speak for the Mosti Renaissance Amarone - it is about as good as you are going to get in a wine that you can start drinking in a few months and will peak in a year. The other one is no more sweet- both being a sweetness of 1- and needs 6 months to be drinkable. It also doesn't peak for 2-3 years. I would go with the Amarone myself, but that's just me speaking (because I love that batch).


If you are going to learn to like wine and develop a taste for it, you can't go wrong with learning on this one. You won't mistake it for a cheap jug wine!

 

[RkyMtnWine]

I have a 5 gal carboy... and lots of gallon jugs. Think my pail is 6 1/2.. will have to get a larger one. Try to catch George on my order but I think he was sending it out today. Cheap jug of wine? you mean like the Thunderbird experience I had. Well... good reviews on both of those wines. Think my choice then would be the Amarone. I am looking for something to let sit for a while. Thanks guys

 

[RkyMtnWine]

side note... Wife and I are planning another trip to the NE next fall.. spending about a week... would be fun to hook up for short visits with everyone up there.

 

[vcasey]

I can speak for the Mosti Renaissance Amarone as well. I aged it for 6 months in the carboy and a year in the bottle and it is one of the best to date. However I did ferment it in a 10 gallon container and am very glad I did because we had 8 inches of foam. If you search through the site you will find a lot of discussion on the wine - all positive.
VPC

 

[Wade E]

Ill be here!

 

[grapeman]

Cheap jug of wine? you mean like the Thunderbird experience I had.

That was my thinking on the matter! Go with a decent wine! As you can tell, I am partial to the Mosti Kits (Wade really likes Cellar Craft because he has done a lot of them and has learned what is good). The point is, start with a good kit that won't break your bank. Learn which ones are good to you. Forget making them specifically for others. Let them enjoy the ones you like, not the other way around. They will gladly accept any of them as gifts.

 

[Wade E]

I make the RJS but you get the point and do make what you or your lovely wife wants and not anyone else unless they are paying for the kit!

 

[grapeman]

I make the RJS but you get the point and do make what you or your lovely wife wants and not anyone else unless they are paying for the kit!

That's right! I'm always mixing those two up! I should know by now! Thanks Wade for clearing that up

 

[RkyMtnWine]

Hey... I do have a silly observation on wine kits. You guys have been in this hobby for quite a while... When you order those they come with everything.. yeast, clarifier, ect. Most home winemakers have all those goodies.. Can you order just the grape concentrate and go from there?

 

[gaudet]

I found this place that sells grape juices

http://www.walkersfruitbasket.com/pail_price.htm

 

[RkyMtnWine]

Thanks Gaudet.. I was just curious on that... at this stage of the game I will order the kits from George... certainly has its advantages.. with directions. Maybe some day..... if my wines survive taste tests I will go that route.

 

[K&GB]

Fermentation is very vigorous this morning with some large bubbles accompanying the fizz. Almost like it's boiling. Took a look at the floating thermometer I just got from George and it read almost 90 degrees F

I've never monitored actual fermentation temp with a floating thermometer before. Should I be concerned?

 

[NorthernWinos]

How is yours and Gina's day going????

Glad you have your Melomel to look after while you are home looking after Gina....

 

[K&GB]

Going fine, thanks. Getting organized with all the medical bill statementsand insurance correspondence. Catching up on house work. Took Gina to a crafts store this morning to get her out of the house into the beautiful weather. She's dozing on the couch while I grill brats for lunch.


The melomel's kind of on auto-pilot. I was concerned about the temp this morning, but I moved it out of the pantry into the kitchen, turned on the ceiling fan and gave it a stir. I just checked it again and it's down to 85 degrees.

 

[K&GB]

Some lunchtime pics...


Brats on the grill.

Brats in the plates.

To go with lunch, I think I'll open a bottle of the Romance Red, which is officially 1 year old, finally!It's okay to drink wine with lunch whenyou're on leave, right?

Check the wine clock... yep definitely time for wine.

Careful to observe the warning signs...

Okay! Looks like we're go for brats, red wine, and a nap...

 

[grapeman]

Good thing you only had one bottle of wine with that next to last sign warning!

 

[K&GB]

Found a thick head of foam on top this morning. SG 1.012 temp 85 degrees. Gave it a good stir, put the lid on tight and attached an airlock.

Interesting how much heat this baby is generating. The indoor temp is 75 degrees. The fermentation pattern seems backwards too. I'm used to seeing the head of foam on top as the first sign of fermentation, followed by a steady fizzing. This was just the opposite, fizz first, and then the foam on top. And the 71B sure burned through this batch in a hurry.

 

[Wade E]

Looks cool!