Strut10 Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 Bottled my 2009 batches of strawberry and blueberry wine today.................5 gallons each. The blueberry is going to be good. The strawberry is going to be fantastic. They just need to sit around for a while and get happy. The waa-aa-aiting is the hardest part. :clown: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 Sounds great! :wine: I just started a 3 gallon batch of apple cider wine tonight. If you would like the recipe, shoot me a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted October 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 I'm pretty darned happy with the results. And the best part is, the stuff should get better and better over the next 6-8 months. It's darned young, right now. This was my first batch of strawberry. But, from what I've read/heard, strawberry should really not be consumed until it's aged for a year. Will hopefully get some pics of the "finished" product up soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 sounds great. enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambuscher Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Just how long will this stay good?? I've got one bottle of strawberry wine that I made about six years ago. I made it the year that me and my wife got married, and was wanting to save the last bottle till our tenth year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted November 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 Just how long will this stay good?? I've got one bottle of strawberry wine that I made about six years ago. I made it the year that me and my wife got married, and was wanting to save the last bottle till our tenth year. Good question. I've only been doing this for 2 years. So I have no idea how long it'll last if properly stabilized and bottled. Clay probably could tell you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Just how long will this stay good?? I've got one bottle of strawberry wine that I made about six years ago. I made it the year that me and my wife got married, and was wanting to save the last bottle till our tenth year. Good question. I've only been doing this for 2 years. So I have no idea how long it'll last if properly stabilized and bottled. Clay probably could tell you. A lot of it depends on how you have the wine stored. Bottle color, cork quality, is the bottle stored on its side, room temperature, cork dia. & length, amount of sunlight, they all can affect the lifespan of wine. If you bottled in wine bottles with corks, you may want to drink it soon. If the bottle has been stored upright, the cork is likely dried out and your wine is probably bad. You alway hear the stories REALLY, REALLY old 20-30 year old wines but they are rarely any good and they are ALWAYS reds. White wine has a self life of about 6 years. Reds can last 10-12 but after that they take on a strange taste that only certain wine snobs appreciate. Most wines (whites & fruit wines) are drinkable within a month but they do not mature for one year, some reds take two. Some meads can take up to 3 years to mature. Can you tell me how your bottle was stored? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted November 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Clay............ You ever bottle into growlers......1/2 gallon screw-tops with the waxed cardboard cap liner?? Any idea on the shelf life there?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 (edited) Clay............ You ever bottle into growlers......1/2 gallon screw-tops with the waxed cardboard cap liner?? Any idea on the shelf life there?? Actually screw caps are the best way to go. There is talk that in the future most wineries will be going to screw on caps because they are the most dependable. Plus cork is becoming scarce and very expensive. Just make sure that you have a small headspace in the bottle. Most of todays affordable corks just plain stink. Most stores sell agglomerate corks. These are made from little pieces of cork glued together. Having seams these corks can leak over time. Whole, premium cork are the best if you want real cork but you need to morgage the house to afford them. Another option are plastic (synthetic) corks. They are affordable and form a great seal. However you need to own a high dollar Italian floor corker in order to use them. Also synthetics are rough on todays newer cork screws like the Rabbit. I use agglomerate corks because I drink my wine up. I always use #9 size corks. I stay away from #8's. #8 corks are smaller and are made for wines you plan to drink within one year. Use 1-1/2" corks for white wines and 1-3/4" corks for reds. Do I have bottle leak? YEP! But it averages about 1 in 100 bottles unless I get a bad batch of corks. As I said, if you put you wines on their side in a cool, dry, dark place you can get about 6 years out of white & fruit wines and 10-12 years from reds. Remember a wine is fully mature in 1-3 years so saving them for 10 years will not change the taste. Edited November 4, 2009 by RangerClay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted November 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 Good deal. This is the first time I ever tried the "bulk" method. I use corks on my 750's called "Normacorks". I think they are some kind of foam rubber or something. No real cork to them. Look like they should last until the cows come home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 Good deal. This is the first time I ever tried the "bulk" method. I use corks on my 750's called "Normacorks". I think they are some kind of foam rubber or something. No real cork to them. Look like they should last until the cows come home. Norma's are one type of the synthetics that I spoke of and is one of the better brands. Good choice!! Just be careful, some floor corkers may leave a groove in the cork that could allow a leak, especially Portagese corkers. Also be sure to buy #9's. If you ever upgrade to a floor corker, be sure to get one with a brass iris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted November 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 No plans for a floor model here. I'm not planning to ever get into it to that degree. 15-25 gal/year is going to be my limit, I think. Corker I have is just a hand-held job with two handles. Stick the cork in the hole, hold the corker down on the bottle with some pressure and pull the handles down. Slicker'n a whistle for my needs. I think my Norma's are #9's. Not sure. But they seem to work very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambuscher Posted November 7, 2009 Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 Well, from what you are telling me I've got it all covered except I didn't lay the bottle on it's side. Kind of sucks waiting all this time, and then it not be any good. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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