On Apr 25, 10:00 pm, Erroll Ozgencil > wrote:
> > I was curious if anyone had experiences with making very small batch
> > wine, if such a practice exists. I have 2 vines newly planted in my
>
> Like you, I'm growing grapes in my backyard. I pulled in my first
> harvest last year, and it tipped the scales at 4lb. How's that for a
> small batch? You've *really* got to want to make wine to make a batch
> that small, and I did - 500 ml (give or take) of finished wine is
> aging in a beer bottle as we speak.
>
> Normally my small batches are 1-gallon, and for batches of that size I
> would recommend an assortment of smaller containers. Half-gallon jugs
> and wine bottles come in handy when you've got to rack a 1-gallon jug
> and don't have anything to top it off with. So do half-bottles. Heck,
> I even overpaid for a six-pack of coca cola in those little 8oz glass
> bottles, and I don't even drink coke anymore. You'll need lots of #2
> bungs, drilled and solid, to go with them. You can put the siphon hose
> into a pint or quart sized glass measuring cup during racking,
> temporarily, while you're switching from the half-gallon jug to the
> wine bottle.
>
> Once you've got wine in a wine bottle or smaller bottle, be careful
> about racking out of it, because weight of the liquid in the bottle
> helps to keep it steady. As the liquid is siphoned out, the bottle
> becomes more and more sensitive to little pushes and pulls (like that
> ever so slight tug on the siphon hose while all your attention is on
> the receiving container). If you don't have a helper, or something you
> can clamp it to, you might just want to decant instead of siphoning.
>
> With small batches, it becomes more important to save the lees/slurry.
> Let it settle in a small bottle until you get clear wine on top, then
> decant. It's often best to combine the lees of several batches so you
> can fill a container to the top.
>
> Errollwww.washingtonwinemaker.com

Hey that's great advice!
I've never made any wine before, so I figure if I can master the
small batch, making more will be easier, and good excuse to plant more
vines in a few select sunny locations in yard. And I guess I *really*
do want to try this.

For 4lb, how many vines do you have and how are they planted? I'd
guess one in a container.

I bookmarked your blog, so perhaps be in touch after my first harvest.

thanks again.