Finally got something in bottles!!

[NashChic]

I'm so excited about bottling my first batch! Just wanted to share with you guys. I know it wouldn't have turned out so great if I hadn't learned so much along the way from the experienced people on this forum!

It's Apple Pie Cider & it tastes great. I plan to surprise my friends and family at Christmas. They have no idea I've been dabbling in winemaking ;-)

Here are a couple of pics of the finished product... labels & all...









I'll be bottling my first kit in the next couple of days (WE Coastal White). The samples I've had are promising. I also have a batch of DangerDave's Dragon Blood Skeeter Pee clearing. Can't wait to sweeten that and start enjoying =)

Happy winemaking to all!!

 

[Pumpkinman]

Congrats! It looks great! Nice label too!

 

[joeswine]

you've only just begone

OH I REMEMBER MY FIRST ONE AS WELL,THAT WAS MANY BOTTLES AGO...NICE LOOKING PACKAGE GOOD BALANCE.

 

[Wade E]

Did anyone tell you that you need to send all mods and admin a bottle of your first batch? LOL looks great, now make sure you let a few bottles of everything you make age nicely before drinking it all so you can see what all your work can really turn into! So many people drink all their wine before its ever truly matured! Despite what the manufacturers say about these wines only lasting about 8 months in the bottle most especially high end kits dont even start getting good until then.

 

[cohenhouse77]

Congratulations! They look fantastic. Definitely do not hand out the wine if you think that it should age first. No matter how much you tell people that it would be better to let it sit for 6 or 8 months, it will be gone by the end of the week.

I am very fascinated by the apple pie cider. Sometime if you do not mind, would you share what you did to create this? Recipe?

 

[BobF]

Congrats! Looks very good. The labels are awesome. I like the b&w with just a bit of color. That's the style I will likely do if/when I get around to labeling.

 

[Boatboy24]

Very nice looking batch. Congratulations.

 

[olusteebus]

All your friends will enjoy that classy gift.

 

[Tom_S]

Definitely do not hand out the wine if you think that it should age first. No matter how much you tell people that it would be better to let it sit for 6 or 8 months, it will be gone by the end of the week.

This is why I age my wine before giving it as gifts. That way it will be ready to drink and people won't think I make bad wine when they drink a young one. Not to mention the fact that most people will probably store wine upright on a shelf if they don't drink it right away.

 

[vernsgal]

Congrats! they look great. I can still remember bottling my 1st. It is exciting. I recommend to try what Wade said, and "try" to save a few bottles ,for at least a year.

 

[cohenhouse77]

Yeah, I thought about putting an addendum on my labels. Something like: BEST IF AFTER JULY 2013

When you have friends come over and see what you're doing, it's hard not to let them just have a bottle though.

 

[ffemt128]

Looks great. I like the labels. I managed to save 1 bottle of my first batch for 2 years. I have one bottle of my second batch that will be 3 years old on Christmas this year which is when we will be opening it.

 

[NashChic]

Thanks everybody!

For anyone interested, the Apple Pie Cider recipe is southlake333's that I found on a search...



Edited to add: For the cider, I used Trader Joe's organic unfiltered apple juice (cider) instead of the concentrate. I also added 1 can of apple juice concentrate to the cinnamon mixture when I backsweetened.

Many of you have mentioned aging & I have a couple questions about that. I know those of you who are more advanced usually test to know how much meta is present/needed (is that SO2?). I'm not quite there yet, so how do I know how long I can safely age my wine? I'm also using #8 corks which I understand should only be used for less that 2 years.

Also, I don't have a cellar or anything temp controlled... just my unfinished basement. I think the temp down there right now is around 63F. It'll probably drop a little as it gets cooler and of course rise next summer. I know this isn't ideal, so how do I figure this into my aging plans?

Thanks again

 

[DirtyDawg10]

Looks awesome! Nice Job!!