Logging and Documenting

[winemaker81]

Last year after an update I lost all my data

This is a critical point, and a reason to avoid a lot of software. If it doesn't allow exporting the data to a readable format (text, HTML, XML, etc.), avoid it.

 

[Denden5136]

A simple back up drive is less than $50. iCloud, if you choose, is free up to 8GB. I've worked in IT most of my life, if you put data in your machine, it's best to back it up.

 

[Fruitwine22]

For my winemaking I downloaded a free worksheet from Winemakers academy and laminated it to reuse with every batch. Also i use a free app from my iPhone App Store (ABV Calculator) orangish in color to plan the ABV of my wine, since the app features a beginning and ending ABV calculating the final ABV for you. My record keeping consists of racking dates as well as clarifying times and final numbers. It works great.

 

[Fruitwine22]

The link to the form I like to use is Here
I also use small dollar store stick on labels on my bottles to write abv as well as date bottled down.

 

[ChuckD]

I find most of the apps, programs, and forms I looked at are specifically geared to grape wine. I also don’t like them separating the racking, clarifying, and aging. From my novice viewpoint the entire time in a secondary is one period of time where all three occur together and it is more linear that way.

I started on a spreadsheet last night that had multiple wines of a type on one sheet with ingredients, additions, fermentation, and aging in the columns. It quickly got real unwieldy. I’m thinking of transposing it so the fields are by row. I may need one spreadsheet for each type of wine with a batch on each sheet like others here have done

 

[Fruitwine22]

You are correct about the grape wine and the log above. Reds are what I’m currently trying to improve so the link provided is what I’d been using since I’ve started aging my reds over oak.

for all of my other wines it’s just a spiral notebook, hydrometer and the app pictured. I use the app go help control the final ABV. I've found that no more than 12% in my fruit wines works best.

I would be curious to see what the final spreadsheet looks like, it sounds like a great idea. Being a mechanic I'm spreadsheet challenged

 

[winemaker81]

I started on a spreadsheet last night that had multiple wines of a type on one sheet with ingredients, additions, fermentation, and aging in the columns. It quickly got real unwieldy. I’m thinking of transposing it so the fields are by row. I may need one spreadsheet for each type of wine with a batch on each sheet like others here have done

Spreadsheets are not the best tool for this job, as they are more suited to tabular data. For a complete record, one worksheet per batch may be best.

IME, a database is a much better tool for the job.

My site is WordPress, and the log posts are 4 sections: Preamble (including pictures of labels), Ingredients, Method, and Notes.

 

[Raptor99]

A spreadsheet is a simple form of a database. But a relational database allows different tables that are related to one another, e.g. recipes, ingredients, batches, etc. For example, you could have a yeast table with the details about each yeast. On recipes you could have a dropdown to select the yeast from your list, with a link to all the yeast properties. Something like that is difficult to do in a spreadsheet.

@winemaker81 I like the level of detail you have on your WordPress site, and how you use Categories and Tags to organize your posts. I do WordPress development, so the solution I have in mind is a WordPress plugin specifically designed for making wine/mead/cider. The process for beer brewing is quite different, and there are already quite a few sites and tools for that, so I will leave that alone.

 

[winemaker81]

A spreadsheet is a simple form of a database.

True, although it works best with information that's identical in format. I tried this, but ran into the problem of variation in number and type of the ingredients, so the pages tend to be very wide and full of empty cells. I found it too unwieldy to contain all the information I want, and still be readable.

I'm glad you like the site format -- it took several iterations and experimentation to get it right. The individual posts mimic my notebook, as it seemed like the best way to organize the information.

I'm going to get technical, so anyone who doesn't understand program may want to stop reading -- unless you have insomnia. If you do, keep reading as this will probably put you to sleep!

. . .

I tried several WordPress plugins a few years ago, and all were disappointing. They either didn't do what I needed, or were more trouble than maintaining a web page, or both. I do WordPress development for myself, so my plugin development experience is close to zero, but I have doubts this is the best platform for it.

The development part of my day job is C#, JavaScript, Winforms, ASP, SQL Server/Oracle/DB2 -- I see a typical DB-drive web page as being a better choice, with a entry form that enables entry of a variable number of ingredients, actions, and notes. PHP/My SQL is a good candidate as well, but I haven't gotten around to learning enough PHP beyond what I need for my sites, which is more CSS work than anything.

If you want to bounce anything off me, my email is winemaker81, at the very common gmail.

 

[ChuckD]

True, although it works best with information that's identical in format. I tried this, but ran into the problem of variation in number and type of the ingredients, so the pages tend to be very wide and full of empty cells. I found it too unwieldy to contain all the information I want, and still be readable.

I'm glad you like the site format -- it took several iterations and experimentation to get it right. The individual posts mimic my notebook, as it seemed like the best way to organize the information.

I'm going to get technical, so anyone who doesn't understand program may want to stop reading -- unless you have insomnia. If you do, keep reading as this will probably put you to sleep!

. . .

I tried several WordPress plugins a few years ago, and all were disappointing. They either didn't do what I needed, or were more trouble than maintaining a web page, or both. I do WordPress development for myself, so my plugin development experience is close to zero, but I have doubts this is the best platform for it.

The development part of my day job is C#, JavaScript, Winforms, ASP, SQL Server/Oracle/DB2 -- I see a typical DB-drive web page as being a better choice, with a entry form that enables entry of a variable number of ingredients, actions, and notes. PHP/My SQL is a good candidate as well, but I haven't gotten around to learning enough PHP beyond what I need for my sites, which is more CSS work than anything.

If you want to bounce anything off me, my email is winemaker81, at the very common gmail.

No no, I’ll power through..

 

[Raptor99]

I tried several WordPress plugins a few years ago, and all were disappointing. They either didn't do what I needed, or were more trouble than maintaining a web page, or both. I do WordPress development for myself, so my plugin development experience is close to zero, but I have doubts this is the best platform for it.

The development part of my day job is C#, JavaScript, Winforms, ASP, SQL Server/Oracle/DB2 -- I see a typical DB-drive web page as being a better choice, with a entry form that enables entry of a variable number of ingredients, actions, and notes. PHP/My SQL is a good candidate as well, but I haven't gotten around to learning enough PHP beyond what I need for my sites, which is more CSS work than anything.

If you want to bounce anything off me, my email is winemaker81, at the very common gmail.

Thanks for your input. It's always great to meet another WP developer. I agree with you about the drawbacks of using WordPress, but on the plus site it is widely available and has a lot of user friendly features built in. Much of my professional work is focused on getting WP to do things that it doesn't do natively with custom plugins. WP is based on PHP/MySQL, so I work with them every day.

 

[live4artwine]

I actually have a winemaking journal that I use to notate every batch. I keep records from the beginning of my joujrney.

 

[geo55kc]

My friend and I (he's the chief, I'm the lieutenant), have been also been struggling with this issue. Keeping track of everything you should, and then keeping track of your keeping-track stuff, always a challenge. I also looked at some public offerings and was underwhelmed. So, taking what little I learned after 20+ years with IBM, I am writing my own application. Data sits on a database in the cloud, so we can both access it from our own devices. The challenge, as it is for any user application, is how to translate the manual stuff we do to record relevant data into a UI and process that makes sense. Attaching a couple of screenshots for perusal.

 

[winemaker81]

So, taking what little I learned after 20+ years with IBM, I am writing my own application.

Overall, looks like a good start. I assume that since you only make grapes/juice, there's no interest in expanding for fruit and kit wines?

You might add to the batch screen, things such as price per unit, in case you want to later run statistical reports.

 

[geo55kc]

Since I do this in my spare time, which is all my time, the only restrictions are self-imposed. We have done mead in the past, so at some point I'll probably expand on what I capture. Some of the statistical values I can calculate with the source numbers, and I will have an export function in spreadsheet format so we can massage and analyze later. I'm thinking that maybe, I could have some on this forum agree to install and work with the application, so see how easy it is to break, and how it could be improved.

 

[MarcOlivetti]

I am using EnoFile (Home Wine Making App | EnoFile by Brew Ventures) to keep track of batches and every detail. It will allow you to track each aspect, ingredient, and reading you care to track. It also interacts with your calendar app to keep you on track with reminders. I’m enjoying it, but being new to this adventure, I still like to see what others are using.

 

[geo55kc]

So what do you like about EnoFile? I can guarantee my offering will never interact with calendars or other apps, but I do want it to be actually useful, so knowing the good features of other solutions is always helpful.

 

[MarcOlivetti]

I like it! Having to input each step on each batch allowed me to learn the process and each component within each step. You can be as detailed as you wish.

I like how you can set reminders inside & outside each step (by creating a new step) that reminds me to “after 5 days, to give the Carboy a twist (without lifting) to allow any sediment stuck to the walls of the Carboy to drop” (3.6 of Step 3 Day 15 - Clearing) in WE Kit instructions.

You can invite others to make tasting comments after bottling, and several other options. It saves completed batches so you can go back and see what you did with an earlier batch, so you can repeat or avoid what didn’t do/like. You can add component costs (and even order replacements) along with cork & bottle costs to calculate final cost per bottle

I still wish they had a way to export, but it’s on their list of future upgrades.

 

[Mekpdue]

I haven’t found my documentation stride yet, so handwritten notes in a small repurposed wine tasting log book that Ohiowinesvip sent me, some notes on kit instructions, and then I put most notes in an Excel spreadsheet I keep adding too.

Putting this in the cloud is a good idea to view wherever I am, and I should do this…one day (yeah, onedrive sync). I did download EnoFile a couple of months back but haven’t yet played with it. Hearing that they did an upgrade and lost clients data isn’t reassuring (hello, data backup calling).

 

[Rice_Guy]

twenty years ago everything went into a bound lab note book.

today 2 “three ring binders”,,, one binder for any active work which is in a carboy,, another binder for any bottled/ finished batch stapled together with any judging results or feedback from the vinters club