Quanities & Equipment How Much at Once?

[walkerstone]

Hi,

I'm just on my first batch but the experience so far has given me a real itch to get creative. It's such a great learning experience and theres still so many dynamics I'm trying to undertand

I really want to experiment and make as many different wines as possible and quite importantly produce enough to see that I have plenty to drink over a long period of time as well as allow to age really well.

Could anyone give me some idea as to a reasonable quantity to make each time, how much is too little and if that will affect my chances of success?
I'm concious that there is always loss during racking but 6 - 12 bottles a batch is surely enough?

My first round has been 25L which I'm expecting to yield 28-30 bottles from (Accurate?) and I'm keen to start on the next run.

Also I hope over the years to employ a 20% rule in that I will stowe away 20% of all produced for a 3 year spell and the rest let see how they last.

As far as equipment I only have:
1 x 25L fermenting bucket
1 x siphon with filter
5 x Demijohns, Airlocks & Bungs

What I'm contemplating doing is getting a chain going where I create a new wine every month (is this realistic?) in which I'll must and ferment about 10-15L in the bucket then shift them over the demi's. Clean the bucket and start on the next batch of 10-15

I could perhaps rack the first batch into the empties (Is this worth while?) or leave them there until bottling and load up the new batch after primary in the bucket (1 month each round I should have the first batch bottled after 60 days? )

I dunno, I'm waffling on a bit but what I'm trying to ask is. What do you think is a reasonable production cycle bearing in mind I want to target producing a backlog of wines with no real constraint on the number of bottles as I can store or give away plenty.

My only real constraint is the cupboard I use to ferment in can only hold about 8 5L bottles or 2 25lt buckets. (It's the only dead stable temp in the house)

Cheers everyone

 

[TouronVineyards]

I make a lot of 1 gallons. I experiment with them until I find something I really enjoy and make 5 gallons of it. I also usually have a 5 gallon kit wine going also. I really enjoy it also, so usually I have about 6-7 1 gallons going and a 5 gallon also.

 

[hvac36]

First welcome to WMT and welcome to the Obsession You can do what works best for you but always remember make sure you have some place to put anything you have fermenting as all wines do not clear as fast as you think or like. I started out with 1 carboy 23L 1 fermentor and the basics. Now I have 5 23L carboys 8 3 gallon carboys and many Fermentor buckets and still adding...

 

[walkerstone]

Thanks folks, I'll keep reading learning experimenting drinking and see where I get in the next year.

 

[Affe]

I just keep socking away $20. Eventually I spend it on something. I'm about ready to spend what I have now on a few more carboys and ingredients for my next venture...

 

[jswordy]

The cycle I am completing now is to produce either 5 or 10 gallons of wine every two weeks. That is not long-term sustainable with my current equipment, but will result in around 120 bottles of 3 varieites of wine from this cycle. I will have to pause soon to clear some of my carboys for a large batch of strawberry around end of May that should produce another 75 bottles. Then I hope to get in one more batch of Welch's concord before I shut 'er down.

My winemaking tails off in summertime, as it is so hot here.

The one thorn in the process is when you wind up with a wine that takes 3 months to clear instead of 2, or something in your fermenting and aging requires more time and backs up your process. That's why it's good to have one more carboy or demijohn than your capacity, for those emergency situations. Then your coming primary fermentation does not become an imposition on current secondaries. That's why an odd number of carboys is a good thing.

 

[walkerstone]

Sound advice folks, jswordy what do you do with so much wine? Is that just to see you through the hotter months? I'm definitely gunna get hold of some spare equipment.

I've heard a lot of people making welches wines, are they only a US company? I'm in the uk, maybe some one knows out a similar one here?

I'm definitely going to try a strawberry next but can anyone recommend a suitable fruit to make a nice dark red? Are only grapes or kits suitable?

Thanks much everyone

Dan