Wine Kit QuestionJoe - It's a good idea to try to follow the directions as closely as you reasonably can (at least the first time you do a particular kit) but even...
I live in far south Texas near Corpus Christi, and I just made my first batch of wild Mustang grape wine. I did my first fermentation in a spare bedroom that is only used when the kids come to stay. The smell was negligible and did not venture outside of the room, and left no lingering traces. Temperature in that closed off bedroom were about 84-86 Fahrenheit. I moved the carboy into the main part of the house for secondary, where we maintain a temp of about 78 Fahrenhiet. It's just too expensive to cool off a room just for the wine. :^) I have no idea what to do for racking and bottling storage yet. I am probably a week away from the end of secondary and it won't be cooling off here for a couple of months, and then not very much. I had thought of using an old refrigerator but read that vibration from the compressor will interfere with settling of lees and clearing. I may build a small insulated enclosure of some type or modify a closet as such and blow cold air from a window unit or something. My electric bill already runs about 6+k a year so cooling down the whole house to the low 70s is out of the question, and it would feel like living in the arctic to us.
Quixote
