Hello. My name is Dave, I'm 28, and I'm a Web developer from Rhode Island. I'm a new winemaker and am completely hooked! I enjoy all types of wine but have developed into narrowing down my favorites to a handful of reds including cabernet sauvignon, franc, grenache, syrah, and zinfandel. OK, maybe I didn't narrow it down too much.
My love of wine really started while vacationing to Vermont where we often visited Boyden Valley in Cambridge. It's a picturesque vineyard and they make some excellent wine. My family vacations in Vermont every year and we always we stop by, often a few times in the week we're up there. I should also mention I'm of Italian descent so I'm sure that had a hand in the wine passion
I started making wine last year with help from my neighbor Luke who has quite a few medals and has been making wine for over 20 years. I showed interest and he was happy to show me the ropes and also bring my wife and I to some American Wine Society gatherings. Luke's wine is some of the best I've had, and he quite often blends a handful of varietals into pure perfection.
I first started with a pinot gris kit and we added some chardonnay and lightly oaked it. It turned out great and everyone was looking for more so I knew what I had to do! I bought a second kit, Brunello (sangiovese grape) and with Lukes guidance have had that going for a few months. As Luke said, I need to build up an inventory, and I had been wanting get some fresh juice for awhile so now I'm on to Chilean carmenere and viognier. 6 gallons of each from Mosti Mondiale. It's about done fermenting and I wanted to join in here and get active in the community and because like most new winemakers I have questions!
It's more that I'm worried about this batch since Luke helped me with the others much more. I fermented them at his house and really did everything there since he was setup and had all the gear.
I'm 8 days into fermentation and the carmenere is at S.G. 1.002 and I'm not sure if I should transfer to a carboy or do MLF in the pail? I have mlf yeast and nutrients to add.
I'm also nervous that for fermentation I left the cover open and it's been open without airlock the whole time. Luke taught me to leave the cover loose and it will be fine. But I'm not sure if I left it too open and whether I need to close it yet?
The other issue is equipment. I have a 6gal must and 5gal carboy so have to get a 1gallon setup quick for capacity.
Luckily the white took longer to start and it's not done fermenting and at 1.042 SG.
My love of wine really started while vacationing to Vermont where we often visited Boyden Valley in Cambridge. It's a picturesque vineyard and they make some excellent wine. My family vacations in Vermont every year and we always we stop by, often a few times in the week we're up there. I should also mention I'm of Italian descent so I'm sure that had a hand in the wine passion
I started making wine last year with help from my neighbor Luke who has quite a few medals and has been making wine for over 20 years. I showed interest and he was happy to show me the ropes and also bring my wife and I to some American Wine Society gatherings. Luke's wine is some of the best I've had, and he quite often blends a handful of varietals into pure perfection.
I first started with a pinot gris kit and we added some chardonnay and lightly oaked it. It turned out great and everyone was looking for more so I knew what I had to do! I bought a second kit, Brunello (sangiovese grape) and with Lukes guidance have had that going for a few months. As Luke said, I need to build up an inventory, and I had been wanting get some fresh juice for awhile so now I'm on to Chilean carmenere and viognier. 6 gallons of each from Mosti Mondiale. It's about done fermenting and I wanted to join in here and get active in the community and because like most new winemakers I have questions!
It's more that I'm worried about this batch since Luke helped me with the others much more. I fermented them at his house and really did everything there since he was setup and had all the gear.
I'm 8 days into fermentation and the carmenere is at S.G. 1.002 and I'm not sure if I should transfer to a carboy or do MLF in the pail? I have mlf yeast and nutrients to add.
I'm also nervous that for fermentation I left the cover open and it's been open without airlock the whole time. Luke taught me to leave the cover loose and it will be fine. But I'm not sure if I left it too open and whether I need to close it yet?
The other issue is equipment. I have a 6gal must and 5gal carboy so have to get a 1gallon setup quick for capacity.
Luckily the white took longer to start and it's not done fermenting and at 1.042 SG.
