To the guys that know there stuff...

[Juggernaut]

How long did it take you to be able to know how to adjust a wine to your liking?

 

[GreginND]

Still learning after 15 years!

 

[Turock]

It took us many years. Mostly because there was no internet, and little info for home winemakers. PLUS--you couldn't find a mentor. Someone , with experience and some good knowledge, to help you to understand the process better.

With forums and all the good books and good suppliers like MoreWine, there are many people around to help educate you.

For us, it wasn't about the adjusting of wine as it was learning better techniques.

Are you having specific issues? If you're having trouble wrapping your head around something, let us know. We're always happy to help.

 

[jamesngalveston]

I guess turock, you are my mentor, because i have learned lots from your post and answers you have given to others questions....
I now use bentontie post ferment and break up my nutrient in thirds, which both are better than the way I was doing before...Thanks...
Did not mean to hijack the thread....

 

[WAG]

I've been making kits for 3 yrs. I'll say the Internet helps and especially this forum. I look back on my posts, and there have been some patient, informative folks here. Depends on how much you wanna learn. Sometimes I live for this, sometimes I'm too busy. It is a lot of fun learning.
I wanna know more about nutrient. Do you use it with every kit, or are you talking about true homemade wine?

 

[jamesngalveston]

I just saw you live at lake bistineau...i have pulled so many big bass and crappie from that lake , use to fish it bout 2 times a month...

nutrient: i do not make kits, but i use it in every batch of my fruit wine.
yeast needs it as much as it needs air.

 

[WAG]

I used to fish. I build cabinets and am very busy. Plus, I like to work. I get to enjoy my "wine therapy" in the evening. Someday soon I wanna try a true homemade batch of wine of port.

 

[Turock]

James---Thank you for the kind words

 

[JohnT]

I agree with greg, it is a never-ending process.

Think of this way, you may want to use a ton of basil in your tomato sauce, but you can reach a point where you rather have oregano. In short, there is not perfect wine and it is all about the journey.

Take my advise and taste a lot of different wines. Get to the point where you have a clear picture of what you would like to end up with, then research a way to get there. This forum is a GREAT place to start.

Also, what I found to be a big help is visiting small wineries and actually talking to the winemakers there. This is a great way to see the dicisions made and the ultimate effect on the end product.

 

[jamesngalveston]

Turock, you are very welcome...
Wag, my blackberry port is my favorite, (maybe), i have made so many fruit wines there all my favorite...

 

[Turock]

I'll tell you one way to learn better winemaking---enter your wines in your local county fair if they have wine judging. Because we had no one to tell us how good---or bad---our wines were, we started going to the fair so that a disinterested 3rd party could judge what we were doing. All these judges were from the Ohio State Wine Guild and really knew their stuff. We learned alot from them because we'd stick around after judging and talk with them. They gave us many tips that helped us get a better understanding of technique. After all, ALL of them are winemakers themselves and entering competitions for medals--not just ribbons. It was a great experience for a couple of newbie winemakers.

 

[jamesngalveston]

good advice, i would like a third party opinion, that was not family are friend.

not sure if we have contest like that here, these people drink everything up....no even sure any would make it to the table.

 

[BernardSmith]

My guess is that many of the folk who own or work in the local home brewing and wine making store are likely to be fairly experienced hobbyists too. I certainly ask the professional opinion of the owner of the store in my town. And what about organizing a club of local home brewers and wine makers. I guess my point is that you don't need the subjectivity of competitions to get a better handle on what you are doing right and what you might do to make your wines even better.

 

[Tess]

My wine supply store is small and he is also a wine maker. Sells his own wines there. He is a very good at giving advise. Im glad I found him

 

[JohnT]

I'll tell you one way to learn better winemaking---enter your wines in your local county fair if they have wine judging. Because we had no one to tell us how good---or bad---our wines were, we started going to the fair so that a disinterested 3rd party could judge what we were doing. All these judges were from the Ohio State Wine Guild and really knew their stuff. We learned alot from them because we'd stick around after judging and talk with them. They gave us many tips that helped us get a better understanding of technique. After all, ALL of them are winemakers themselves and entering competitions for medals--not just ribbons. It was a great experience for a couple of newbie winemakers.

Good suggestion, but I would add my two cents..

Have your wine judged by those that are qualified. I know that at my state's fair, the judging panel was made up of folks that were not experienced in wine and were just looking to get hammered. The wine entries sat out in the hot august sun for hours before tasting and no tasting notes or scores were given back, which really put me off.

Send your wine to worthy judges (like AWS, Indy, Winemaker Mag, etc). They use the UC Davis scoring system, have qualified judges, and always send back the tasing notes.

 

[jamesngalveston]

I get winemaker mag, i will look into it..thanks for the tip..