I made wine!!! Now a bottling question...

[LouisCKpasteur]

Thanks for the welcome, Trevor7! I am *hoping* to have the will-power to open only a couple of bottles a month, so it lasts a while and some have time to age. Plus, I will be able to taste how it ages over time.

And I have 2 other kits already in the works: an Australian GSM started June 23 and an Island Mist started June 26. Plus another GSM in the closet and a Whisky Barrel Cab/Merlot on preorder. Hehehe. I am definitely hooked and trying to get the pipeline loaded.

I would definitely age the Aussie GSM. My own inclination is to make something that drinks well earlier so I can leave the other stuff alone. The Gerwurztraminer probably fits that bill. My kit drinking go to is Vieux Chateau du Roi for reds so I can leave stuff like the Nebbiolo (and the Aussie GSM) alone for months and months wthout even being tempted.

 

[jgmann67]

I'm going against the majority of folks here as my first kit is still fresh in my mind.
You've followed directions, now is not the time to start experimenting. Go ahead and start bottling. Number 9 corks do provide a better seal but with your hand corker they will be a bit more difficult to insert. "Try" to avoid the desire to sample "just one more bottle". My first kit was down to ~6 bottles at the end of the three month wait period - the time when I first should have started sampling. Don't wait to start that next kit as you will need to keep the storage area filled with wine that YOU made and then you will have enough to drink your wines that have aged gracefully.
And finally, CONGRATULATIONS! Welcome to the team!

It’s a temptation that is hard to resist... the urge to get your wine in to the bottle and start drinking. But, directions are just a guide. Wine goes in the bottle when it’s ready, not when you’re ready.

I always ask myself the same questions:

Is it completely cleared?

Is it completely degassed?

Does it taste pretty much how I’d like it to taste?

If the answer to all three is “yes,” bottle at your leisure.

If the answer to any of the three is “no,” - I rack it, dose it, degas it and wait three more months. If it’s missing something, I try to figure out what it is and adjust accordingly.

Repeat the process until the answer to all three is “yes.” Then bottle.

Another suggestion - think about buying some 375ml bottles. Great for tasters.

 

[DIYer]

I would definitely age the Aussie GSM. My own inclination is to make something that drinks well earlier so I can leave the other stuff alone. The Gerwurztraminer probably fits that bill. My kit drinking go to is Vieux Chateau du Roi for reds so I can leave stuff like the Nebbiolo (and the Aussie GSM) alone for months and months wthout even being tempted.

Yes, that's exactly my goal--some early, some aging. I bought the 2 GSM kits thinking I could start drinking one relatively early (3-6 months) and let the other go 12+ months. I've seen a few mentions of that VCdR now--I may have to try that one too. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Kantuckid]

A magarita when shaken vigorously does the whoosh too-is that C02 or just air?

 

[pete1325]

REGARDING FLOOR CORKERS, TRY YOUR LOCAL BREW SHOP, MINE RENTS FLOOR CORKERS, i RENTED SEVERAL TYPES BEFORE BUYING MINE.

 

[GaDawg]

I know this is an old thread, but a #8 cork is great for Island Mist kits. Easy in easy out and you are not going to age them more that a few days...lol