CC's not so fine WINE diary

[CrealCritter]

You need to give that guy some lessons!

That guy needs something...

 

[CrealCritter]

Apple and pear cider wines are done and bottled. 1 gallon gives you 5 750ml wine bottles. Apple tastes like very hard apple cider, 13.6% alcohol by volume but without the fizz. Pear has a interesting aroma of mild vanilla and pears, it also tastes like very hard pear cider at 14.3% alcohol by volume without the fizz.

Not really sure what to call these. They were both ciders and fermented with cider yeast but I finished them off like a wine so I guess they are cider wines.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Those look so good!

 

[wyoDreamer]

Those are for your personal consumption, right? Not made specifically for the party or christmas gifts.
Hope you and your wife enjoy them.
I love how you label them all, very classy for a not-so-fine-wine maker, lol.

 

[CrealCritter]

Those are for your personal consumption, right? Not made specifically for the party or christmas gifts.
Hope you and your wife enjoy them.
I love how you label them all, very classy for a not-so-fine-wine maker, lol.

Yeah... For personal consumption (Wife and I). No need to shrink wrap toppers because I will not be giving away as gifts.

After tasting a bottle of what my neighbor gave me that his friend made, with floaters in the wine. Maybe my wines aren't so bad after all... But mine are not what I would consider fine wine. I need a lot more practice/experimentation first.

I just pulled 6 gallons of sassafras out of cold crash to bottle this weekend. Look at all the lees sediment on the bottom and how clear the wine is. so far I like the flavor of this root wine. Very mild bourbon on the front end, apricot on the back end and it warms your ears going down

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Just out of curiosity - have you been able to figure out what it costs you to make a bottle? (or a batch?)

 

[wyoDreamer]

That Sassafrss sounds divine!
Wish we had scratch and taste monitors, lol. (May be hard to explain to the boss why I am licking the screen though)
I make a Bourbon Peach Cobbler that is pretty good. So I know those tastes go together very well.

 

[CrealCritter]

Just out of curiosity - have you been able to figure out what it costs you to make a bottle? (or a batch?)

Well thinking about it a little.
New wine bottles are $1.00 each
Corks are .15 each
Shrink wrap toppers are .10 each
Sugar is 4.00 for 10lbs Which is close to 5 gallons
Yeast $1.00 a pack good for 5 gallons
Wine base $20.00 to $30.00 for 5 gallons

You need 25 bottles for 5 gallons of wine so $25.00
25 corks so $3.75 for 5 gallons
Shrink wrap tops $2.50 for 5 gallons
Sugar approx $4.00 for 5 lbs
Yeast $1.00
Wine base high side $30.00 5 lbs
Total for 25 bottles = 66.25 / 25 = $2.65 per bottle.

I would consider $2.65 a worst case... Because you can reuse bottles and that knocks $1.00 off each bottle. $30.00 is the high end for fruit wine base. I wanted to use new wine bottles for Christmas presents so they look nice.

I didn't add in labels but i would say they are no more than .15 each with paper and ink.

So let's just say $3.00 a bottle as a absolute worst case. I'm sure if I were doing this as a business I could cut $3.00 in half pretty easily buying in bulk and much better pricing, even with new bottles.

 

[CrealCritter]

That Sassafrss sounds divine!
Wish we had scratch and taste monitors, lol. (May be hard to explain to the boss why I am licking the screen though)
I make a Bourbon Peach Cobbler that is pretty good. So I know those tastes go together very well.

@wyoDreamer
Bourbon peach cobbler??? Where do you live? I gotta try that can you share your recipe please?

What would really set this sassafras wine off, is if I could age it in a white oak barrel made of heartwood for about 6 months. But maybe one day I'll get a oak barrel to play around with.

After wiping the condensation away from the jug. I still can't get over how clear this sassafras wine is. I read on some of the wine making sites that people would have to let sassafras sit for over 6 moths to clear after they stabilized it. Nope just a week cold crash at 34 degrees works just fine. It was a mess before cold crashing.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

So let's just say $3.00 a bottle as a absolute worst case.

That's pretty awesome!