Fermenting Friends ~ wine clubs

[Rice_Guy]

First, let me thank you for posting these pictures and story ..... I love this! What a great opportunity for vintners on all levels to get together and share stories plus drink some wine. Second, for the past few months I've wondered if anyone in my area was making wine or let me rephrase "serious about making wine like I am"? My goal by the end of this year is to start a local club of wine makers and lets see where it takes off from there. I might offer to help get someone started who has been on the edge.

I know that there are wine makers in your area. The question is how to connect with them. ,,, (My favorite store to visit and try unusual stuff as. BMB gasket or Inkbird is Great Fermentations in Indianapolis)
Have you tried putting out flyers/ bookmarks/ a poster at your closest store?

 

[Shurt1073]

I know that there are wine makers in your area. The question is how to connect with them. ,,, (My favorite store to visit and try unusual stuff as. BMB gasket or Inkbird is Great Fermentations in Indianapolis)
Have you tried putting out flyers/ bookmarks/ a poster at your closest store?

We are 3+ hrs from Indy in the southern part of Indiana. I'm 30 min from Kentucky and 30 minutes from Illinois. We have a local wine club you can buy wines from around the country and taste but they do not offer wine making. Thought about joining the wine tasting club but not sure I like enough of those $30-40 bottles of wine to join. Actually, we have a couple liquor stores that offer tastings of hard liquor and wine on certain nights.

Our local wine making supplier is 40 min away and his kits & chemicals have been on the shelves for what I'm guessing is a long time. I want to support them but last year I tried to buy a carboy, and the bottom of all four they had were cracked. uggggg

I'll take your advice and put out some feelers to see if I can get any interest. I'll keep searching for an established local club too.

 

[buzi]

I may have to do that… unfortunately, right now I’m slammed at work and with projects around the homestead.

I think I’ll ask around at a few LHBS’s to see if I’m missing a group or if there might be interest. Perhaps this fall I could help start one.

And thanks for the offer David. I will take you up on that.

I am down in the Kankakee area. I am not sure how close you are. There are a number of "clubs" on the north side of chicago but it just doesn't fit my schedule. I have hosted some crush parties and pressing sessions to try and generate interest. I tend to have lots of interest but not a lot of commitment of folks that want to try winemaking themselves. This is a great community though, and has helped support my hobbie and hone my skill set!

 

[ChuckD]

I am down in the Kankakee area. I am not sure how close you are. There are a number of "clubs" on the north side of chicago but it just doesn't fit my schedule. I have hosted some crush parties and pressing sessions to try and generate interest. I tend to have lots of interest but not a lot of commitment of folks that want to try winemaking themselves. This is a great community though, and has helped support my hobbie and hone my skill set!

I’m about an hour north of Green Bay, so too far. The Fox Valley (Oshkosh to Green Bay) has a very large population and should have enough winemakers.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Fermented Friends (of LaCrosse Wi) did their end of summer party at Blufftop Winery Saturday. It was interesting to get my first impressions on Crimson Pearl and Verona wines and hear details about how the last Italy trip went/ what to expect in the 2024 Italy trip.

October switches back to programs on the second Wednesday of the month.

 

[sour_grapes]

Fermented Friends (of LaCrosse Wi) did their end of summer party at Blufftop Winery Saturday. It was interesting to get my first impressions on Crimson Pearl and Verona wines and hear details about how the last Italy trip went/ what to expect in the 2024 Italy trip.
View attachment 105708
October switches back to programs on the second Wednesday of the month.

Man, you get around! Nice to see.

 

[ChuckD]

It was interesting to get my first impressions on Crimson Pearl and Verona wines

Well?

 

[Rice_Guy]

Well? , , , , Crimson Pearl & Verona

I felt that there should be more soft “grape skin“ tannin (astringent flavor notes). Petite Pearl is still my favorite northern hybrid grape. There were three examples of Petite Pearl there. The version BluffTop sells is sweeter than most but pretty well balanced. .
Chuck, Of interest to you BluffTop has made a maple syrup & lemon summer wine, with a gravity of about 1.061, ,,, it did not have any of the burnt/ smokey notes that the sample I sent up to you has.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Central Wisconsin Amateur WineMakers Club from Marshfield was at the juice pick up today.



They have been meeting for fifty years. . New friends
I also learn that Medford Wisconsin has Rib River Winemakers. ,,, but time for work, ,,, Prairie vinters provides Quality numbers

??? humm a dozen varieties of red California juice in, the gravity looks low this year and pH are running close to 3.7, ,,, humm. Every year is slightly different.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Lucky me @Rice_Guy is a member of the . . . . . . club in Milwaukee.

Missed you at the wine and food Paul.
For those that eat with their eyes a few exquisite photos from Wis Home Vinters;

Wild mushroom with Pinot

Crab with a sparkling from Washington (everything looks prettier if the plate is at 45’

Salmon with Riesling

Some of the membership at this years wine and food at the tech college
SousVide bison with pinot, most tender bison I have ever had

Blackberry with a petite Sirah port ——
and thanking the students in culinary arts

Wow!! ,, one of the annual treats I enjoy at Wisconsin Vinters.

 

[Rice_Guy]

thank you @weaverschmitz for hosting the first club picnic this year. The tasting table had several great local contributions.

 

[GSMChris]

I thought perhaps I’d share about my local club here in the Paso Robles CA.

Founded in 1979, Wines and Steins has 141 members drawn together by an interest in wine and or beer. We have monthly meetings, most with a speaker from the local wine or beer community with a pot luck dinner and an assortment of homemade or commercial beverages. We also have a storage locker with many of the larger/more costly items needed to make beer or wine. There are a variety of other social and educational activities that happen between meetings such as trips to CA wineries, distilleries, or breweries, meet up at music festivals as well as work days at the vineyard at the local fair grounds where we have taken on responsibility for a small demonstration vineyard.

I’ve been involved as the equipment pool manager for the last few years and will be moving to a new role as the cellar master, helping others with their wine making and grape growing efforts. I’ve also been a part of group wine making activities the last three years where members get together to form teams and share in the work and experience of making larger batches of wine.

Definitely a fun and educational group which has helped enormously in my learning process.

 

[winemanden]

Running a group is hard work. I took over as president of an AWS chapter in Rome NY years ago, and started one when I moved to Raleigh. The latter fizzled as I just ran out of steam and didn't have any help.

For anyone starting a club, look for people who can take turns in the leadership role. Unfortunately, they're often difficult to find.

You're right, it is hard work. I was a committee member of our winemaking club right from its beginnings.
I had more than 12 years as treasurer, published a monthly club newspaper, and finished up as Chairman. It was difficult to get new members on the committee, even more difficult to get club members to come forward with ideas for monthly meetings. Hard work! Eventually, after 27 years, the club folded. We were all getting older and younger people had the 'I want it now attitude', and there were fewer and fewer members.
What was good was that we held meetings at a different committee member's house each month. We got through the business as quick as possible, Then out came the best bottles. I've staggered home, gone midnight, on a fair few evenings. Ah well, it was good whilst it lasted.

Just as a matter of interest. I am the only one from the club who is still making wine.