Totally hooked…

[Cosyden]

Curiosity got the best of me last week resulting in me starting my first country wine, a gooseberry with last years fruit out of the freezer.
This week I’ve found myself constantly thumbing though recipes, diligently keeping the house at the right temperature, accidentally buying all the sugar and frozen fruit in the local supermarket with no real plan of what to do with it and today, I bought another 18 demijohns.
Tonight I’ve put a bucket of rhubarb and sugar together, lifted the bag of fermented fruit out of the gooseberry, checked the SG, had a sip and ate the fruit. Oh my Christ that hit the spot!
Once the gooseberry is ready to be transferred to a demijohn I’m planning to do 5 gallon of mixed berry / Dragonblood in the big bucket. I’ve also got a 5 gallon plastic fermenter with a 4” screw top which should do perfect as a primary for an oak leaf wine. The oak are just flushing here so I’ll give it a week or so before I go picking.
Does this hobby catch everyone this way? If only I was this productive at work!

 

[BigDaveK]

Oh, Lordy.....
I started last October with 2 1-gallon batches of apple wine. Two months later I had 13 1-gallon batches of various fruits from the yard. Since then I've added 3 and 5 gallon carboys and my list of wines to try this year is currently at 33. And that doesn't include mead..

Seems like I now average about 5 days between racking one batch and starting another. To answer your question, I don't think this wonderful hobby catches everyone this way....just the special people.

 

[Jovimaple]

$5 says @BigDaveK is now looking up oak leaf wine recipes . . .

 

[BigDaveK]

$5 says @BigDaveK is now looking up oak leaf wine recipes . . .

Only $5?
On the property I have chinkapin oak, chestnut oak, shingle oak, northern red oak, pin oak, white oak, burr oak and 2 others I can't positively identify. Which do I use? I've read you can also use leaves from grape, bramble, maple, beech, lime, birch and walnut. I've also read black walnut is one of the best - which I have!

Oak leaf wine needs around 4 qts of leaves, black walnut 1 qt. Unfortunately, after a lengthy bulk aging it is advised to bottle age for at least 18 months. Yikes.

This year I'll concentrate on fruits and vegetables. Next year I'll do leaf and dirt and belly button lint.

 

[winemaker81]

Only $5?

Finding someone to bet that you're not looking at recipes is tough -- gotta be a newbie who hasn't been exposed to you!

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

I‘ve got wine fermenting with nowhere to rack into secondary. I get anxious not having a must to stir. I’m seriously thinking of setting up shop when I go visit my daughter in June. She would love making her own cab sauv.

 

[winemaker81]

I‘ve got wine fermenting with nowhere to rack into secondary.

It's critical to keep reality in mind. Gotta have room (both containers and storage space) for secondary's, and it's even more important to have bottles and storage space for finished wine. Aging wine takes up a lot of space.

I've got at least 22 cases (maybe 25+) in the bottle, and another 50+ gallons in primary or secondary .....

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

It's critical to keep reality in mind. Gotta have room (both containers and storage space) for secondary's, and it's even more important to have bottles and storage space for finished wine. Aging wine takes up a lot of space.

I've got at least 22 cases (maybe 25+) in the bottle, and another 50+ gallons in primary or secondary .....

Yeah it’s just the containers I need right now. At least I know where to get them. I’ve got bottles and friends supplying more in trade for finished product.

 

[BigDaveK]

It's critical to keep reality in mind. Gotta have room (both containers and storage space) for secondary's, and it's even more important to have bottles and storage space for finished wine. Aging wine takes up a lot of space.

I've got at least 22 cases (maybe 25+) in the bottle, and another 50+ gallons in primary or secondary .....

You got that right! I have room for about 120 more bottles. FORCING myself to slow down with new ferments. The wire racks I have (and love) are now stupid crazy expensive so I guess I'll be building something.

 

[vinny]

Does this hobby catch everyone this way?

It seems to hit those of us that just throw something in the primary cause it was in the freezer the hardest.

I decided to make a Raspeberry from berries in the freezer in January. I've since made a Triple Berry, Skeeter Pee, Welches white, Dragons Blood, Malt lemonade, Shiraz, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, and a Diablo Rojo. I have fruit in the freezer. 70kg of sugar. I have a plan to do a carrot wine pretty quick and I have 7 empty carboys, and by golly I'm gonna do something about that!

Welcome!

Many here say they are still holding jobs and manage to present themselves as respectable adults for the most part. There is hope.

 

[vinny]

and belly button lint.

That'll be a slow harvest, better get on it!

 

[BigDaveK]

That'll be a slow harvest, better get on it!

You got that right. It's not sold in stores - not even in Asian stores, and they have everything!

 

[vinny]

I've got at least 22 cases (maybe 25+) in the bottle, and another 50+ gallons in primary or secondary

Ladies and gentlemen... We have a winner!

Someone get this man a trophy! At least a plaque.... or something resembling a big check.

 

[vinny]

Oh, and there was that time I designed my own logo for my labels. A TOTALLY normal thing to do in the third week of wine making.

None of the neighbors have noticed anything out of the ordinary, but I do live in the woods....

 

[vinny]

You got that right. It's not sold in stores - not even in Asian stores, and they have everything!

Personally I think it's overpriced, but in a pinch?

https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/selling-my-collection-of-belly-button-lint.139718/

 

[winemaker81]

Ladies and gentlemen... We have a winner!

Someone get this man a trophy! At least a plaque.... or something resembling a big check.

Thanks for the vote, but I'm a medium producer, 60 to 80 gallons per year. Some folks on this forum make single batches as large as my total production.

Not that it's a competition or anything. Folks make what they do, it's all cool.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Thanks for the vote, but I'm a medium producer, 60 to 80 gallons per year. Some folks on this forum make single batches as large as my total production.

Not that it's a competition or anything. Folks make what they do, it's all cool.

But how many of you make coconut water wine ?

 

[BigDaveK]

But how many of you make coconut water wine ?

I've been keeping track. Let me double check my math - okay, uh, so far I have one.

 

[vinny]

Thanks for the vote, but I'm a medium producer, 60 to 80 gallons per year. Some folks on this forum make single batches as large as my total production.

Not that it's a competition or anything. Folks make what they do, it's all cool.

It's funny, it sounds like a lot, but thinking about it. It's 10-15 carboys a year. I'm cresting the 3 month mark and I'm at 30 gallons so far. AND... if I were to be completely honest, I really haven't been dedicating myself for the last month.

 

[vinny]

But how many of you make coconut water wine ?

You forgot the part where he mentioned it's NOT a competition.