I make wine in my garage (have a 3-car garage), but the primary fermenters are in the shed outside the house. These are then transfered to secondary fermenters inside the garage. My operation is composed of 3 cabinets that are 24" wide, 24" deep and 7 ft high.

Here's where my secondary fermenters are located:



Aging and Racking goes in another cabinet at the level where it is easy to do. I also use this cabinet when filling individual bottles, thus you see some tubes there. On the left is the calamondin wine after it was racked off this morning, you can still see some bubbles that doesn't burst easily, and are strong indicative of full-bodied wine. On the right is my Fuyu Persimmon wine, 2005 crop, and have added cinnamon sticks wine, still bulk aging. At the back right is my blueberry, cranberry concord wine, waiting to be racked off. At the back left is pineapple - chardonnay wine. The pineapple chardonnay wine's other batch was a hit in the wedding of our friend.


After bottling and giving most of them away, I get 1 to 3 bottles from a batch, depending on how good those wines are, and then they are archived here in my Chambers of Secrets! You can see I have about 48 kinds of fruit wines. Some I have not sealed, as sometimes I sneak out and enjoy them. I'm running out of space in my cellar, so some of them are stored in wine cases, like those you see labeled as blueberry, cranberry, and Cabernet S.



Here's more of those private reserves.

Looks great Joe, thanks for sharing. Makes me want to get more started with juice I have in freezer. Been over 2 yrs now and I only made the 5 gal batch of elderberry which I started 1 yr ago. I think it's about ready to bottle & I will send you one when my arm is able to help cork them.
I keep that on the kitchen floor, and bottles go in my 96 bottle rack in basement. There are a LOT of empty spaces in there -- I would GLADLY put some of yours in there!!!!!!
I use a paper grocery bag with a hole cut out in bottom, then turn it upside down over carboy to keep light off. I'm jealous of all the kinds you have. Wish I had some of your recipes too. Can't imagine making wine w/out sulfites.

Thanks Patty!

I have more than 200 bottles stored currently. Many more are stored in gallon containers, have about 50 gallons, each separate type. Only about 20% of my wines are sulfited.

When you happen to be in Northern California, I will fetch you up from the airport and have you taste and select from my wines. You bring only what you like as the airlines would allow!

The only elderberry wine that I made is from dried fruits. And I want to wait for elderberries from you because I don't want to "force" your hand. Get well first is more important than wine making. I pray for your quick recovery.


Joe

Thanks Joe, My Mom was living in Redding,Ca 'till she past away in '03. Would've been great to stop & visit Benny & you on way to visit her. (geez, I still miss her so much)
Last time, Elderberry wine knocked me & everyone who had some, on our butts! Tasted so good & went down like kool-ade. Couldn't taste the alcohol.
This time, I added a little wild grape juice (about 1 cup) & toasted oak chips as experiment. Wild grapes are all over the place here. I should pick a bunch for you next Sept - Oct. I couldfreeze them in big zip-lock & ship.
Hey, I brought fish home from Mx that I caught there (Dolphin/mahi mahi - I LUV fishing) in a zip lock with water inside, & frozen. It was still frozen when I got home!
Wild grape is very high acid so no acid blend for that one. They are a lot of work to pick as they are so small...& so are elderberries. After picking bunches, I picked them all off the branches & sorted which is time consuming. Needs longer time for wine to age too.
The elderberry grows here,but I don't know where. I bought a gallon of juice concentrate at a wine/beer supply store here. So, if you like the elderberry, and can't find where to buy juice, let me know.
Pineapple chardonnay??!! Sounds good, but I can't imagine the taste!
You have me baffled w/ all the diff. kinds you make!
I will ask a neighbor to help lift the carboy on my countertop so I can rack wine soon. It will be ready to bottle in month.
What do you use for primary fermentor? I use a 12 gallon clear storage bin w/ lid & marked the gal. lines w/ marker.

Pouts Joe , I had to Pass up on a Whole Wine System for 50.00


IM still kicken myself in the you know what 3 5g glass Jugs 2 20g Glass jugs then the Bib boy I wont venture to gurss what it was in gallons but man i could of made some wine beer ?


had Everything . Neighbor sold it at his Garage sell after asking me for 300.00

Plus all the contraptions enough to Brew 8 different things at once .

Slap me Please . he didnt have any recirpes though and I did make the Meade wine Its going to be awesome ready now for Xmas Tammy

I used to make a lot of beer and some wine-- when I had some great fruit trees in NC. I made my beer in a diaper pail--with a plastic garbage bag inside. We floated a hydrometer in the beer and bottled it active when it had about 1.5% sugar left. No need for an airlock since we never let the beer yeast finish the sugar. I could only make beer in the winter when it was cold in my utility room, but I made some good lagers.

Skeet