Category: RTR Cellars

Crafted June 8th, Racked June 21st, Filtered & Bottled July 31st

Next we made our first wine… from a kit… a cabernet sauvignon. And, as June and July were, it rained the days we crafted, racked AND bottled!!! And thus, another name was born!! 😆

The Must, complete with grape skins & oak chips, fermenting away…

A beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon!

Bottled…

And labelled…

And stored in the basement!

And the final result? As Barb & Gregor say, “it’s not plonk!”

12.7% ABV, 21 L; and in a blind taste test, it was equal or better than the cab sauv we usually buy! It’s a “Do-Again”!!!! 🍷🍷

Crafted May 4th, Racked June 3rd, Filtered & Bottled July 31st

Our first batch of ‘Fermented Drinkage’! We chose to make Mead, fermented with mint. I found some gorgeous fresh mint, put it in the fridge and… oh my gosh… it limped out on us!

And, thus a name was born!! 😃

We grabbed some local honey…

We mixed up the Must (using a recipe we found online), parked it in the basement, and took the first Specific Gravity reading…

Fermenting away…

Racked for aging and clearing… with “Skinny” guarding it! 😂

Filtered nectar!

Ready for bottling…

Clear, beautiful Mead!

30 x 750 ml bottles!

And, there’s even some left in mid-September!!

And the final result???? Absolutely fabulous!! About 12.8% ABV, wonderful mead taste; Brian loves it straight, on the rocks; I love it as a Meadjito — more mint, lime juice and soda water added in!!