WineXpert New wine maker with a question

[ScubaDon]

I live in North Carolina, Go Blue Devils! I was given a wine making kit for Christmas. The following Wednesday (12/27) Istarted my first batch a RJ Spagnols - Vino del vida - Pinot Blanco. Today is day 9 in the primary fermenter and it is bubbing right along and staying at 72 - 74 degrees. Can't wait to rack it tomorrow and check it out. I will take pictures and try to post them for those that would like to see.


My question is how to store the bottles once the wine has been bottled? The instructions call for 60 degress or less for 2 -3 months. I could store them in the guest room closet and turn off the vent in the bed roombut still not sure that in 3 months it will remain below 60 in there. It was like 72 here today and spring is just around the corner.


How do you store your wine and keep it below 60?


Look forward to hearing from you,


Don

 

[ScubaDon]

I would also like to hear from you about your tricks and tips when corking the bottles. I have hear of people wetting them others boiling them and one guy told me that he pushes them in by hand, dry!


A friend at work was told how to make wine by an old man that lives near him. He put 12 cans of grape juice in 3 gallons of water and added yeast. after about 3 weeks laterhe bottled it. Everyday when he gets home from work a cork or two has popped out and the wine is on the floor. What a mess!!!

 

[Wade E]

Welcome to the friendliest forum out there. Scuba, thats funny because
I was just inquiring about the Vida Del Vino kits today as I have not
tried these 9 litre kits as of yet. As far as bottle aging, keeping
them at 60 or below is great if you can but more important than that is
keeping them at a stable temp and free from vibration and light
especially with reds. Do you have a basement as temps are the most
stable in a basement. Other than that a closet with no vent would be
the best. Take a thermometer and place it in a few places around the
house and try to find the most stable temp with the lowest temp. and
this will be your best bet.

 

[smurfe]

Welcome Don. The 60 degree thing is ideal conditions for storing wine but many don't have that luxury. I store mine in my wine rack in my dining room. It is around 65-68 degrees year round there. Don't stress over it too much. At warmer temperatures the wine will age faster than ideal.


For corking a quick rinse in a sanitizing solutionis all that is needed for the modern corks most use today. Do not boil them. It will actually break them down. Don't try to push them in by hand. Use a corker. The floor corkers work the best.


The wine you describe the old man made sounds like it was not degassed before bottling and had CO2 gas which pushed the corks out. It acts like carbonation.If you take a look through the Cork forum here you will have many of your questions answered there.


Smurfe

 

[ScubaDon]

Thanks Wade. It is nice to find a friendly place where we can get good advice. I don't have a basement but I do have a crawl space about 4 foot high under my house. Just afraid that we might still get a day or two of below freezing weather before spring. I guess it would not be good for the bottles of wine to be allowed to freeze. Is the alcohol content going to behigh enough to keep it from freezing?


DonEdited by: ScubaDon

 

[oneram]

Welcome. Although I'm very new in the Wine making department. And there and MANY good folks in this forum that could help with any question. The Corker I use that came with my Kit From George and the Fine Wine Store was Item 4039. I corked my fisrt set of Bottles about 3 weeks ago and it was really easy using this Coker, I did not even mess one up. Look under On line catalog on the Home page under Cokers. Its recommended and A few of my Buddies also use this same one. Enjoy

 

[PolishWineP]

Tell us more about your crawl space. It it enclosed? If so, by wood or concrete? Is it dry? Put a thermometer in there and check out your temps.
We've done it all as faras corking. Bert used to want them boiled, then just soaked in hot water, then soaked in sanitizer and this last time we bottled the corks went from the bag to the corker. We haven't had a bottle go bad on us yet.

 

[ScubaDon]

The crawl space is brick with vents about every 10 feet. Theyare closed during the winter. I will take your advise and check out the temp under the house in order to find out what is going on under there. I could build an enclosure or room under there in order to keep the super cold out. I think I could use 4 X 8 sheets of styrofoam and cut to pressure fit in order to make the walls with one side that can bepull one away to get to the wine.


You got me thinking!


Thanks for the tip about the corking section. I spent the last 2 hours reading the review in there. So now I need to buy a floor corker? never enough toys for the boys!Edited by: ScubaDon

 

[sangwitch]

Welcome ScubaDon! Sounds like the ol' man with the juice wine isn't stabilizing it before bottling and fermentation inside the bottle is causing C02 to be produced and popping the corks out.


I have no additional adviceon the temps. I'm in the same boat as you, but with no crawlspace. If I turn down the heat I'll be messing with the batches still in fermentation. Keep us updated on what you figure out.
As for corks, I made a humidor for them. If you read the corking section you probably saw the posts on those? I think Waldo introduced me to that idea. Also, you probably read how the corks have a coating on them and so should be handled as little as possible. I pour my corks from the bag to the humidor and they get touched only once when they move from there to the corker. I used to soak them, but no longer.


Not only will you "need" a floor corker, but possibly a 2nd job and/or mortgage to pay for additional toys!

 

[PolishWineP]

Now Sang, don't go scaring Dan.

We may spend money on making wine and the great tools that go with it, but, we're very popular people at this point. We are always welcome at dinner because we'll bring the wine!

And if you skip going out on the town once in a while, there's your $ for new toys! And yes, Dan, the floor corker is the way to go.

 

[JohnnyK68]

I have the same problem as far as temps go. What I have found is that a the closet in my bathroom is a triple door closet, with doors top to bottom. The lowest door we dont use for anythng and it seems to stay 65-70 in there. Im going to store wine in there I figured out I coould fit about 70 bottles in there. I also plan on buying at least a 40 bottle wine cooler for long storage of a few bottles of everything I make. When I have that full I will know its time to drink a few of those, and that I have also become quite the wino!

 

[smurfe]

If you want to build a cellar to optimal conditions, here is an article to read to see how it is done.


http://www.wineracksamerica.com/WineCellar/index.html


Smurfe

 

[bmorosco]

60 is the magic number...As you rumble around this site you will find that there are several options for storing you wine...Good luck...

 

[ScubaDon]

 

[ScubaDon]

 

[Wade E]

Very nice Scooby!

 

[ScubaDon]

 

[Wade E]

Is that the Ocean floor in the background?

 

[rgecaprock]

Hello, and Welcome ScubaDon and oneram!!!!!


Ramona

 

[ScubaDon]

Hey Wade,
we are from bayou country in south Mississippi. The painting on our wall is of the old home place in the bayou. It is no longer there thanks to Katrina.


I have more pictures to post but had some computer problems and going to try again.