topping off a carboy with beads...
 

I have read that some people like to use beads (or other foreign
objects) for topping off rather than having top-off wine. I looked at
buying plastic balls and also glass beads, and my best price so far has
been around $7 for about 50ml worth of beads. - which isn't a lot of
volume.
Any suggestions.

Marc

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

I found glass marbles to be the best, but then I got concerned over
metals- and I dont know if they used lead in them or not.

So I'm still uncertain what to use... PET is out.... I think I'm on
steel ballbearings now. But steel is very expensive....

I ended up buying some smaller 1 gallon containers and just calling it
a day.

wrote:
> I have read that some people like to use beads (or other foreign
> objects) for topping off rather than having top-off wine. I looked at
> buying plastic balls and also glass beads, and my best price so far has
> been around $7 for about 50ml worth of beads. - which isn't a lot of
> volume.
> Any suggestions.
>
> Marc

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

> Suggest you also get some 1/2 gallon jars.
> Anything less than that - drink up. Some of the
> best wine I have made has been from odd lots of
> 1/2 and one gallon jugs mixed and then bottled.
> As others have stated in the past, marbles make
> it difficult to rack your wine from the lees that
> is between the marbles. Once you have a good
> supply of glassware, you won't even think twice
> about marbles.

I couldn't agree with that more. I do exactly what Paul does except my
1/2 gallon jars are actually 1.5 liter bottles. I drink everything
smaller than that; winemakers prerogative...

Joe

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

Thanks all.




Joe Sallustio wrote:
> > Suggest you also get some 1/2 gallon jars.
> > Anything less than that - drink up. Some of the
> > best wine I have made has been from odd lots of
> > 1/2 and one gallon jugs mixed and then bottled.
> > As others have stated in the past, marbles make
> > it difficult to rack your wine from the lees that
> > is between the marbles. Once you have a good
> > supply of glassware, you won't even think twice
> > about marbles.
>
> I couldn't agree with that more. I do exactly what Paul does except my
> 1/2 gallon jars are actually 1.5 liter bottles. I drink everything
> smaller than that; winemakers prerogative...
>
> Joe

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

If you use marbles, use glass and be sure they contain not lead or other
metels that might cause a problem.

But -- I do not recommend marbles. They are expensive and they have
drawbacks. Marbles complicate racking greatly. If there is even the least
bit of sediment it will gather on all the marbles and that means that you
can only rack down to an inch or so from the top of the marbles. You cannot
get the wine out of the space between the marbles without disturbing the
sedement. So you have to waste more wine or youhave to pour the remeaining
wine into another smaller carboy and wait for it to settle again.

My suggestion is to use all that money you would spend on marbles and buy
some extra carboys of different sizes so you can put your wine into an
appropriately sized carboy. I have the standard 5 and 6 gallon carboys. I
also have a couple of 3's, 2.5's, a bunch of 1's and some 1/2's.

Ray

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>I have read that some people like to use beads (or other foreign
> objects) for topping off rather than having top-off wine. I looked at
> buying plastic balls and also glass beads, and my best price so far has
> been around $7 for about 50ml worth of beads. - which isn't a lot of
> volume.
> Any suggestions.
>
> Marc
>

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

Another alternative is to use top up wine. Convenience, maximum.
Cost,_nothing_ !!


> wrote in message
ups.com...
>I have read that some people like to use beads (or other foreign
> objects) for topping off rather than having top-off wine. I looked at
> buying plastic balls and also glass beads, and my best price so far has
> been around $7 for about 50ml worth of beads. - which isn't a lot of
> volume.
> Any suggestions.
>
> Marc
>

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

top up wine is free? wow... i'll stop making wine and just get top up
NYUk, NYUK

Gene

frederick ploegman wrote:
> Another alternative is to use top up wine. Convenience, maximum.
> Cost,_nothing_ !!
>
>
> > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>
>>I have read that some people like to use beads (or other foreign
>>objects) for topping off rather than having top-off wine. I looked at
>>buying plastic balls and also glass beads, and my best price so far has
>>been around $7 for about 50ml worth of beads. - which isn't a lot of
>>volume.
>>Any suggestions.
>>
>>Marc
>>
>
>
>

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

I guess it's all in how you look at it. Top up wine doesn't get wasted or
"lost". It becomes part of the new batch and increases the volume of that
new batch. So - Add a bottle of top up wine to a new batch, and get an
extra bottle of wine when the new batch gets bottled !! Nothing lost !!
No cost !!

In fact - Make some top up wine using Sun Country (type) concentrate.
Cost: ~$1(US) per bottle. Use it to top up a high end kit and what you
get back is a bottle worth about $4(US). That way we can have all the
convenience and make a profit too !! ;o) HTH

Frederick


"gene" > wrote in message
. net...
> top up wine is free? wow... i'll stop making wine and just get top up
> NYUk, NYUK
>
> Gene
>
> frederick ploegman wrote:
>> Another alternative is to use top up wine. Convenience, maximum.
>> Cost,_nothing_ !!
>>

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

I just must ask... since I don't know. :*)

So here I buy a $130+ kit to make some really good Cab Sauv (WinExpert
Lodi 11, it's sitting in my garage now not opened yet) - and you are
saying it's ok to use 2 buck Chuck or any old low end wine made from Sun
Country (as long as it's red) to top it up. Somehow my logic screams -
no, don't do it! :*) Doesn't this take a $4 bottle and make it a $3.50
one? (I am only seeking knowledge, please don't take offense by my quest)

Does it really not matter to top up with a couple of bottles (750ml) of
low end, any old red wine to this $130+ kit?

If this is true, I'm gonna save money. Cause now I top up with something
good ($8 to $10 a bottle) when I top up, and of the same exact grape or
type (never do I use Pinot Noir to top up a Shiraz, etc.). I typically
end up with 2 or 3 bottles needing to be added to a kit.

I hear, ya, Frederick, but do others agree with him? Just amazed but
realize I know so little about wine making still.

DAve
p.s. And... Gene, you are a funny man! haha. nice wise crack. loved it.
Nyuk Nyuk

frederick ploegman wrote:
> I guess it's all in how you look at it. Top up wine doesn't get wasted or
> "lost". It becomes part of the new batch and increases the volume of that
> new batch. So - Add a bottle of top up wine to a new batch, and get an
> extra bottle of wine when the new batch gets bottled !! Nothing lost !!
> No cost !!
>
> In fact - Make some top up wine using Sun Country (type) concentrate.
> Cost: ~$1(US) per bottle. Use it to top up a high end kit and what you
> get back is a bottle worth about $4(US). That way we can have all the
> convenience and make a profit too !! ;o) HTH
>
> Frederick
>
>
> "gene" > wrote in message
> . net...
>> top up wine is free? wow... i'll stop making wine and just get top up
>> NYUk, NYUK
>>
>> Gene
>>
>> frederick ploegman wrote:
>>> Another alternative is to use top up wine. Convenience, maximum.
>>> Cost,_nothing_ !!
>>>
>
>

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

Dave Allison wrote:

> I just must ask... since I don't know. :*)
>
> So here I buy a $130+ kit to make some really
> good Cab Sauv (WinExpert Lodi 11, it's sitting
> in my garage now not opened yet) - and you are
> saying it's ok to use 2 buck Chuck or any old
> low end wine made from Sun Country (as long as
> it's red) to top it up. Somehow my logic screams
> - no, don't do it! :*) Doesn't this take a $4
> bottle and make it a $3.50 one? (I am only
> seeking knowledge, please don't take offense by
> my quest)
>
> Does it really not matter to top up with a
> couple of bottles (750ml) of low end, any old
> red wine to this $130+ kit?
>
> If this is true, I'm gonna save money. Cause now
> I top up with something good ($8 to $10 a
> bottle) when I top up, and of the same exact
> grape or type (never do I use Pinot Noir to top
> up a Shiraz, etc.). I typically end up with 2 or
> 3 bottles needing to be added to a kit.
>
> I hear, ya, Frederick, but do others agree with
> him? Just amazed but realize I know so little
> about wine making still.
>
> DAve
> p.s. And... Gene, you are a funny man! haha.
> nice wise crack. loved it. Nyuk Nyuk

I generally top up with a wine as good as or
better than what I am topping up. However, in my
opinion, Two Buck Chuck is not bad wine. Have
you tried it? If not, you may be surprised.
Cost and quality often are not directly related
when it comes to wine. When I buy wine in a
store (which is seldom), the first thing I look
at is the price. I then look at the date. (I
often buy the youngest) Unless the liquor store
or where ever you buy from has ideal storage
conditions, you are wasting your money buying
expensive wine.

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

> wrote:
> I found glass marbles to be the best, but then I got concerned over
> metals- and I dont know if they used lead in them or not.
>
> So I'm still uncertain what to use... PET is out.... I think I'm on
> steel ballbearings now. But steel is very expensive....

I've spent more time dealing with this problem than it was
worth. My paranoia with ballbearings is one of them cracking
cracking the carboy when it hits the bottom. Don't tell me it
won't happen because I know it shouldn't happen I'm just afraid
it will.

Have you ever seen what a PITA it is to get marbles out of a
carboy?

> I ended up buying some smaller 1 gallon containers and just
> calling it a day.

I make honeywine (Mead) and use 7.5 gallon fermenters and
make 6.5 gallon batches. The overflow goes into a 4 liter
wine jug and is used to top off the carboys. One occasion
a pint of Mead gets replaced with a pint of water.

Dick

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

Dave,
I wouldn't worry about that either, but if I were buying topping wine I
would consider an Australian box wine for topping, like Hardy's. It's
pretty cheap in a box and it's very good wine. Plus it keeps for a
long time in that box. The only problem you would have there is
pilferage...

Seriously, the quality of any drinkable commercial wine is probably
fine. Just don't use anything so bad where they added a % or more of
sugar to make palatable. Even 0.5% sugar can make some awful wines
drinkable, it's amazing how it softens a wine. It's done more than
most people would think, it's a legitimate practice.

Joe

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

Just to add to what's been said - if you're worried about adding
commercial wine to kits, it really only applies to the first time
you're making a kit. Once you have some kit wine, you can keep some
bottles for topping up the next year's kits.

Pp

On Jan 6, 6:27 pm, Dave Allison > wrote:
> I just must ask... since I don't know. :*)
>
> So here I buy a $130+ kit to make some really good Cab Sauv (WinExpert
> Lodi 11, it's sitting in my garage now not opened yet) - and you are
> saying it's ok to use 2 buck Chuck or any old low end wine made from Sun
> Country (as long as it's red) to top it up. Somehow my logic screams -
> no, don't do it! :*) Doesn't this take a $4 bottle and make it a $3.50
> one? (I am only seeking knowledge, please don't take offense by my quest)
>
> Does it really not matter to top up with a couple of bottles (750ml) of
> low end, any old red wine to this $130+ kit?
>
> If this is true, I'm gonna save money. Cause now I top up with something
> good ($8 to $10 a bottle) when I top up, and of the same exact grape or
> type (never do I use Pinot Noir to top up a Shiraz, etc.). I typically
> end up with 2 or 3 bottles needing to be added to a kit.
>
> I hear, ya, Frederick, but do others agree with him? Just amazed but
> realize I know so little about wine making still.
>
> DAve
> p.s. And... Gene, you are a funny man! haha. nice wise crack. loved it.
> Nyuk Nyuk
>
>
>
> frederick ploegman wrote:
> > I guess it's all in how you look at it. Top up wine doesn't get wasted or
> > "lost". It becomes part of the new batch and increases the volume of that
> > new batch. So - Add a bottle of top up wine to a new batch, and get an
> > extra bottle of wine when the new batch gets bottled !! Nothing lost !!
> > No cost !!
>
> > In fact - Make some top up wine using Sun Country (type) concentrate.
> > Cost: ~$1(US) per bottle. Use it to top up a high end kit and what you
> > get back is a bottle worth about $4(US). That way we can have all the
> > convenience and make a profit too !! ;o) HTH
>
> > Frederick
>
> > "gene" > wrote in message
> .net...
> >> top up wine is free? wow... i'll stop making wine and just get top up
> >> NYUk, NYUK
>
> >> Gene
>
> >> frederick ploegman wrote:
> >>> Another alternative is to use top up wine. Convenience, maximum.
> >>> Cost,_nothing_ !!- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

topping off a carboy with beads...
 

Paul E. Lehmann wrote:
> Dave Allison wrote:
>
>
>>I just must ask... since I don't know. :*)
>>
>>So here I buy a $130+ kit to make some really
>>good Cab Sauv (WinExpert Lodi 11, it's sitting
>>in my garage now not opened yet) - and you are
>>saying it's ok to use 2 buck Chuck or any old
>>low end wine made from Sun Country (as long as
>>it's red) to top it up. Somehow my logic screams
>>- no, don't do it! :*) Doesn't this take a $4
>>bottle and make it a $3.50 one? (I am only
>>seeking knowledge, please don't take offense by
>>my quest)
>>
>>Does it really not matter to top up with a
>>couple of bottles (750ml) of low end, any old
>>red wine to this $130+ kit?
>>
>>If this is true, I'm gonna save money. Cause now
>>I top up with something good ($8 to $10 a
>>bottle) when I top up, and of the same exact
>>grape or type (never do I use Pinot Noir to top
>>up a Shiraz, etc.). I typically end up with 2 or
>>3 bottles needing to be added to a kit.
>>
>>I hear, ya, Frederick, but do others agree with
>>him? Just amazed but realize I know so little
>>about wine making still.
>>
>>DAve
>>p.s. And... Gene, you are a funny man! haha.
>>nice wise crack. loved it. Nyuk Nyuk
>
>
> I generally top up with a wine as good as or
> better than what I am topping up. However, in my
> opinion, Two Buck Chuck is not bad wine. Have
> you tried it? If not, you may be surprised.
> Cost and quality often are not directly related
> when it comes to wine. When I buy wine in a
> store (which is seldom), the first thing I look
> at is the price. I then look at the date. (I
> often buy the youngest) Unless the liquor store
> or where ever you buy from has ideal storage
> conditions, you are wasting your money buying
> expensive wine.

One thing that sets two buck chuck apart from most other inexpensive
wines is their excellent santitation and filtration practices. While
the grapes may not be spectacular, their processing is very good. IMHO
I know someone who worked there, and am impressed with their attention
to detail.

Gene