<<snip>>
> So as I've been doing my thing with the wine kit, I've often had thoughts of
> a table that would make things easier for the person without lots of space.
> In my mind, my fictional winemaking table has higher shelf for placing the
> primary for ease of siphoning, a groove for it to fit into to make it
> unlikely to tip. A lower shelf for the carboy to sit on with a groove too,
> maybe even something bottles would fit into once you're ready to start
> bottling, to keep them steady. Even a storage area to put your stuff when
> you're not using it. All of this would fit in a standard closet.
>
> Surely I'm not the first person to think of this. Is there such a thing as a
> table for this purpose? Or do I have to build my own?

KD -
I don't recall ever seeing / hearing about a
specially-constructed table for stuff like this. I think just about
any kind of table or workbench with a work surface from 30" to 36"
off the floor should be fine, provided it's strong enough to support
full pails / carboys, and wouldn't be damaged by the occasional drip
or spill.

I don't think you'd want a higher shelf for siphoning - it would
be harder to lift full containers onto, and the top of said containers
would be inconveniently far off the ground, I think, considering that
you'd need to insert the siphoning wand into the top of the carboy.
You could put the siphoning tubing in first, but then it's a little
more clumsy, hoisting the full carboy up if it has tubing dangling
down from it. And if you are trying to be careful and not disturb the
sediment on the bottom of the carboy, you don't want the siphoning
wand flopping around inside the carboy as you are lifiting it up . . .

Floor corkers do a pretty good job holding the bottles still during
corking - you may not have one now, but you'll probably want one
pretty soon, if you get hooked.

As for storing all of the required stuff in a standard closet -- I
guess I don't know what a standard closet is, but I know my winemaking
stuff would never fit into any closet in any house I've ever lived in.
Winemaking really should be done in a space like a basement or
utility room - some place with non-carpeted floor, where the odd spill
won't do any permanent damage before you can mop it up.

Personally, I'd recommend you take another look at the basement.
Unless the inside temp is significantly below freezing in the winter
(which is unusual for basements) you should be able to find a workable
approach. Winemaking supply outlets will be glad to sell you electric
heating belts for keeping the "must" warm enough for the yeast to
function properly. Cold really isn't a problem for aging, once the
active fermentation phase is complete, so long as the wine doesn't
freeze solid (not good for the carboy!). There's bound to be a way to
combine some insulation and maybe a space heater or two to create a
suitable environment.

I guess that's why there isn't a big demand for such a table at the
moment. But if it makes sense to you, go for it. Sounds like a good
husband project.

Happy fermenting --
Doug