Hello from my Igloo to yours

[BMac]

Hey all, just wanted to say hi from Eastern Canada (PEI).
I finally decided to start winemaking as a hobby. My wife and I really enjoy having company over for a few drinks from time to time. I figured winemaking would be a fantastic way to have some fun.

 

[Julie]

Welcome BMac,

What wines have you made? I think you are going to enjoy it here.

 

[jeepingchick]

welcome to the board

 

[rodo]

Welcome to the forum BMac.

 

[NSwiner]

Welcome BMac . What part of PEI are you from ? Like Julie said what wines are you making ? Incase you haven't noticed we're a nosey bunch here lol .

 

[Leanne]

Hello and welcome. This is a really friendly site. Jump in and enjoy.

 

[BMac]

Thanks for the welcomes.
I'm from Charlottetown PEI.

To answer your question. I have never made wine before. So this is 100% new to me. My father-in-law made some "Vina del Vida Chilean Savignon Blanc" for my wedding last year and for cheap wine kit everyone really liked it. To get 25 bottles of decent wine for $60 was a great deal. So I decided to try it out myself.

I purchased a basic starter kit and picked up "Heritage Estates Sauvignon Blanc". It was the cheapest wine kit, so for a first timer, I just wanna learn the ropes on an inexpensive kits incase something happens (fingers crossed)

My wife and I are really big fans of Sauvignon Blanc's, Pinot Grigio's and Chenin Blanc's. I'm starting to venture into red. Pinot Noir's, Malbec's and some Merlot and Shiraz/Cabernet's that I've tried I really enjoy.

I look forward to my time here and getting to know the in's and out's of this hobby

Good Day all,

Brad

 

[Maestro]

Welcome to the forums BMac!

 

[NSwiner]

Well you sure have come to the right place for a beginner .They were so helpful to me so far & I just started last Oct.

 

[Runningwolf]

Welcome aboard!

 

[xanxer82]

Welcome aboard!

 

[Dugger]

Welcome to a great forum, BMac, and a great hobby - lots of friendly people and good advice here.
Speaking of advice, you do realize that you're perpetuating that old "igloo" myth, don't you!!
Good to see another Maritimer on here.
.. Doug

 

[robie]

Well, you figured right. This hobby is lots of fun and very rewarding.
Welcome to the forum.

Ask away!!!

 

[Wade E]

Welcome BMac, The whites you re making will be early drinkers but once you get a feel for it and it is actually very easy as youll see you should get a few reds going because they need much more time to age. The first things that come to mind about watching for is to do a real good job degassing your wine at a temp of 75* so that the C02 comes out easier and to leave it in the carboy longer then the instructions say cause even after using a fining agent some more sediment will fall out and you dont want that in your bottles. Glad to have you aboard and ask any questions you have, thats why we are here!

 

[marly]

hello from a fellow pei wine maker.this site is very helpful and informative.

 

[arcticsid]

Good to have you here Brad, don't feel shy. Everyone in here is happy to help with any questions you may have.

 

[Wade E]

Now thers a guy with a real igloo!

 

[BMac]

Welcome BMac, The whites you re making will be early drinkers but once you get a feel for it and it is actually very easy as youll see you should get a few reds going because they need much more time to age. The first things that come to mind about watching for is to do a real good job degassing your wine at a temp of 75* so that the C02 comes out easier and to leave it in the carboy longer then the instructions say cause even after using a fining agent some more sediment will fall out and you dont want that in your bottles. Glad to have you aboard and ask any questions you have, thats why we are here!

Thanks for the info Wade. Quick question. Since I racked from the primary to secondary a few days ago, should I degas every couple of days? or just let the CO2 escape on its own?

 

[Wade E]

If its truly done fermenting (verified by checking the gravity a few days in a row with no change) then you can start the degasing. Do you have a drill mounted stirrer or a spoon? If you have the drill mounted stirrer then short bursts forward and reverse will do the trick pretty good. If using a spoon or something like that then it is advisableto do this over a few days like you stated. Make sure your wine is right at about 75* or your degassing attempts wont do much.