First batch bottled: Thanks for the help!

[KenS]

My son was home for the weekend with a friend, so I had some help in moving things around, cleanup, etc., so took the opportunity to bottle my first batch of wine. It's a CC Old Vine Zin, a 5 week kit that I stretched out to 10 weeks.

Some things I learned from this forum that surely helped:

• Patience (ok, 10 weeks isn't very long, but better than I would have done)
• Wine isn't as fragile as one might think. I learned not to worry too much about ruining something.
• Allinone wine pump - can't imagine being without it
• Lots of opinions about stirring, airlocks, topping up, etc. helped me form my own opinions
• Bottle cleaning, sanitation advice, etc.
• the importance of avoiding oxidation throughout the process
• Label info (avery 5164)
• How to apply the shrink wraps on the bottles (boiling water)
• Patience
• Patience (had to make sure I listed that 3 times)

Thanks for the help everybody!
Now it's time for more patience, as I let this continue to age in the bottles. So far, it tastes quite nice for a young wine.

 

[TouronVineyards]

Look great, enjoy!

 

[Flem]

Congratulations, Ken! It looks great. I remember the feeling of accomplishment you get, when you bottle that first wine. Actually, I feel it with with every batch.

 

[chevs15]

Congrats! Looks great!

 

[chevs15]

I just noticed the type of wine. I have the same one in a carboy right now! How does it taste? I'm going to try to hold off bottling for another couple months.

 

[KenS]

I just noticed the type of wine. I have the same one in a carboy right now! How does it taste? I'm going to try to hold off bottling for another couple months.

It tastes better than I expected, but pretty one-dimensional. I was fearful that it would be watered down, but that is not the case. I think the grape pack with this kit really helped it have more body. When I compare it to a commercial Zin, the color is very close, but the flavor clearly needs more time to develop.

I'm sure we'll dip into a few bottles over the next few months, just because of the novelty of it. But I'm very confident that some will make it to the 1 and 2 year mark. We have lots of other wine, so no urgency for this.

 

[DirtyDawg10]

Very nice! Congrats!

 

[REDBOATNY]

Nice job! great labels.

 

[jswordy]

Very nice labels, color coordinated with the wraps. It looks professional and great! Now for your second act...

 

[KenS]

Very nice labels, color coordinated with the wraps. It looks professional and great! Now for your second act...

2nd act finished secondary yesterday, and started clearing... WE Limited Edition South African Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon. Already tastes quite good, and it will be ready to drink sooner than the zin. Thinking of adding orange zest, just to try something different with the kit. Thoughts?

 

[pioneergirl]

Congratulations! I would like to do this one some day too. I would like to hear how the taste of it develops as you drink it. Love the labels and overall appearance of the bottle. Very attractive. I will take to heart your short list note, as I just ordered labels today for the first kit ever that I bottled last night. I will likely put "foil" wraps on them too; but just have not gotten that far. You are very forward thinking about saving some for a year or two; my will power is not that strong (I am cringing on the thought that I should wait 2 months due to bottle shock!).

 

[KenS]

Congratulations! I would like to do this one some day too. I would like to hear how the taste of it develops as you drink it. Love the labels and overall appearance of the bottle. Very attractive. I will take to heart your short list note, as I just ordered labels today for the first kit ever that I bottled last night. I will likely put "foil" wraps on them too; but just have not gotten that far. You are very forward thinking about saving some for a year or two; my will power is not that strong (I am cringing on the thought that I should wait 2 months due to bottle shock!).

To me, that's what so great about 30 bottles! We actually opened one last night and really enjoyed it. No doubt it's still too young, and I wouldn't share it with guests yet, but now I have a good baseline to see how it develops. If we were to drink one bottle per month, it will last us 2 1/2 years (ok, I'll probably gift a few bottles so we'll spread it out a bit further). We have about 175 bottles of other wine to keep us busy, and I will continue to add to our collection over the coming weeks and months. So we don't have to be "strong" to let some of this age

 

[astebbi1]

Good stuff ken that looks really legit!! I might be on my way to your level but you're on your way to greatness!!

 

[robie]

To me, that's what so great about 30 bottles! We actually opened one last night and really enjoyed it. No doubt it's still too young, and I wouldn't share it with guests yet, but now I have a good baseline to see how it develops. If we were to drink one bottle per month, it will last us 2 1/2 years (ok, I'll probably gift a few bottles so we'll spread it out a bit further). We have about 175 bottles of other wine to keep us busy, and I will continue to add to our collection over the coming weeks and months. So we don't have to be "strong" to let some of this age

That's sort of why I like to bottle about 6 or 8 of the 350ml bottles. I can open them early just to get a taste, but not go through a whole 750 ml bottle. By the time they are all gone, the wine is starting to come around more. I don't feel some much like I am wasting a full bottle too early.

 

[KenS]

That's sort of why I like to bottle about 6 or 8 of the 350ml bottles. I can open them early just to get a taste, but not go through a whole 750 ml bottle. By the time they are all gone, the wine is starting to come around more. I don't feel some much like I am wasting a full bottle too early.

Great idea; I will definitely do that next time!

One question: as you can see in the photo, I have 1 liter that I put into a brand new oak barrel (after conditioning it). Given the small size of the barrel, how long should I leave it there before either bottling or drinking it? Any idea?