Wine assessments

[95percentgorilla]

I'd love to be involved and agree with most of the above. An hours drive is good, although near a train station would be better as I too am weak and don't think I could spit! If anyone had a free garden I'd happily pitch my tent too.
I like (most of) my wines and get good feedback from friends but to have the opportunity to have my wines tasted and receive constructive feedback by those in the know would be a chance not to miss.
The chance to taste a 'good' wine to see where I'm aiming and really just how to taste a wine and describe it would be invaluable to me.
A great idea!

[Leon]

Believe me, when you are tasting your wine pre-bottling at 7.30am, spitting is essential

Believe me, no wine passes my lips at 7.30am, unless it has been a very very late night!

[lockwood1956]

Well, let me have your thoughts on what you would like these sessions to be.......


it would aslo be great if you guys wouldnt mind answering the following questions:

what would it take to get you all more involved in the hobby?

what would you like the future of the hobby to be?

more traditional wine circles?

online stuff?

regular meetings?

regular tasting sessions?

online tutorials?

video tutorials?

tutorials that you attend?

winemaking courses at local establishment?



please let me have your thoughts.....and the newer you are....the more i would love your opinions

together we can help shape the future of the hobby


regards
Bob

[lockwood1956]

I am more than happy to run such things here in Sunny West Yorkshire.......(Knottingley...there is a train station, with direct trains from Leeds)

people are welcome to bring sleeping bags. or use the variety of guest houses around the place, and iam fairly sure we could organise them elsewhere with other judges


just trying to get a feel what of everyone would want

we can run the first ones here to gauge what needs to be done

[mcblades]

OK, here goes...

what would it take to get you all more involved in the hobby?
I think I am pretty involved. I don't buy wine from supermarkets anymore (nakedwines.com is a guilty sin). My ultimate goal is that I want to produce more buxom, full-bodied reds without recourse to kits!
what would you like the future of the hobby to be?
See above. But also, I am happy and willing to pass on what you have taught me in the form of wine tastings etc.
more traditional wine circles?
Not necessarily. I really like the VWC when I can attend. Also, the virtual wine comp every year has been a real stimulus to me! Getting feedback is all important when starting out so thanks bob and co.
online stuff?
Maybe. There is already quite a bit online (ie youtube)of varying quality. Beer makers are particularly well cared for. I still prefer the interactive element of the forums etc. Don't underestimate your community element here.
regular meetings?
Happy to host tastings etc. from home (might need to bribe the OH). One day, I will get to grapefest.
regular tasting sessions?
Hm, already tasting on a daily basis. But like the idea
online tutorials?
Yes, would definitely be interested. Never too old to learn (or gurn).
video tutorials?
Again, I would be v.interested, but it's a lot of effort for the tutorial producer. Would like to assist if poss. but time is limited.
tutorials that you attend?
Again, happy to host, and also present though my knowledge base is limited (unless you want an immunology tutorial).
winemaking courses at local establishment?
?pub? not sure.

more power to your organ sir

Regards

Mark

[Cellar_Rat]

What would it take to get you all more involved in the hobby?

Education events and community stuff.

What would you like the future of the hobby to be?

I am not sure I have an opinion on this. Traditional wine circles - I think - are perhaps perceived as quite stuffy.

Online stuff is good - when poeple what to know something they hit google and You Tube.
Time seems to be tight these days - I have real trouble getting to the VWC.
The community events would be good - do not underestimate the good work this forum does. Well done.
Winemaking courses at local establishments would be really good, but I wonder how many people would attend.


Thoughts
I answered this blind not reading other responses first.
I have found these difficult questions to answer - don't fully know why.
Perhaps a understanding the demographic might help you - who is the average winemaker (age and gender etc)
Also perhaps a poll - why do you make wine?
1. Save money
2. To know whats in it
3. As a way of persevering my produce
4. Fun / Community spirit
5. Self sufficiency

[Leon]

what would it take to get you all more involved in the hobby?

More time really, not to have to work for a living. Other than that, the hobby is engaging in itself. Better equipment suppliers especialy for glass products or large products that are hard or expensive to post. That which this thread is about: meeting other wine makers, trying each other's wines and getting advice. Wines at home, just in person.

what would you like the future of the hobby to be?

Part of me thinks it would be better if more people were involved, but a little selfish part of me objects to the novelty value being taken away: "Wow! You make your own wines." type stuff. A bit like when you discover an artist that nobody is listening too and they make it big. Logically though, expanding involvement would help with my wishes in the first question, more people would equal more of a market and thus shops would stock more; and there would be more clubs/circles/covens/cults.

more traditional wine circles?

I haven't been to one, I have just found out there is a local one, so I am going to find the details and attend. But if they involve meeting winemakers and
discussing handmade wines, which one must assume they will, then yes, more traditional wine circles.

online stuff?

I can't imagine there is much more online you could do than you already do. This forum is fantastic, that so many of you give your time willingly to help us is an extraordinary display of generousity. I have just found the wines at home you tube site, yes I know I was a bit slow but I kept getting distracted by cats riding skateboards, and intend to work my way through the grapefest tutorials. The only way I can see you improving is by taking it out of the virtual and into the real.

regular meetings?

With the wide spread of members I think regular meetings might be difficult. Regual online meetings maybe, where we all log onto the instant messenger.

regular tasting sessions?

Would be ideal.

online tutorials?

I think you have that covered. Once you have worked your way through wines numbers 1-4, you are pretty much capabale of following recipies without that much detail. Other tutorials that I found very helpfull were yeast starters and using a filter, and intend to give the sparkling wine tutorial my full attention very soon.

video tutorials?

Would be excellent, as if you don't give enough time.

tutorials that you attend?
winemaking courses at local establishment?

I've just lumped these two together so I can say what everybody else is saying. They would be wonderfull, but the time/distance obstacle will always be a large one. The problem with making them local, is you are going to dilute the turn out, and thus the quality of the meetings. By switching, although it would suit one person for that meeting, it would mean the rest would have to keep making new travel arangements. It might be easier with one central-ish venue, say near Leeds, that we can all get used to travelling to. Having said that, I would quite enjoy local venues, because I get to see new places, and I enjoy travelling.

I would be more than happy to go to Knottingly, I just ask that any event comes with plenty of notice for getting time off work purposes.

[Delmonteman]

I think I would like to understand the problem more first before thinking too much about the solution so I would echo Cellar Rats comment on understanding the demographic more and getting to the root of the issue...

I mean, are we talking about promoting a hobby or meetings about a hobby? I love this hobby and from time to time when I meet up with other homebrewers/ winemakers it is a great pleasure, but would I drive for an hour to meet other people who already make wine to promote my hobby? Well, no, sorry...

I promote my hobby by giving my wine away (pretty much all wine numbers one and two) to people who seem interested in it and I tell them all about how easy it is to make and about this REALLY GREAT forum on the internet that offers all the help and inspiration you could possibly need... Hell, I even offer to go buy them all the kit inclunding juice for a WN1 for a tenner. The rest is down to them...

Don't get me wrong, I think people wanting to meet up is great and were it not for other commitments (kids/ work etc.) then I'd like to do it occaisionally myself. But the people we need to be asking/ getting involved in this are the people that don't log on to this forum...

Maybe we all need to ask people we know why they don't make it and what would get them interested...? And then feed that back into this forum...?

[95percentgorilla]

I meet with other people whom I share a common interest with, through music, motorcycles and my dogs, the conversation tends to go off into ...... urm conversation. To my mind if we meet we have a good base starter conversation(our wine), something in common, always a good start! I'd like to learn but also think it could be a good social experience. I should just say, I'm one of those pesky chemists too, although I prefer to be called a Mad Scientist....... hence the Loopy Juice! Rocket Fuel is easy but I don't want to drink Hydrazine!!

10 out of 10 for this forum to all involved

[lockwood1956]

Maybe we all need to ask people we know why they don't make it and what would get them interested...? And then feed that back into this forum...?

good idea

[Cellar_Rat]

I convert probably 1 person a year. I got someone properly addicted last year - and I have a budding new shoot at the mo.. if we all did one!

Better is a TV something here - I say something 'cos I don't think there is enough for a series. But there are lots of programs it could appear in..
Cooking programs.
Cheffy programs looking for new ingredients.
Super skrimper
Kirsty's new home skills thingy.
Country File

Yikes I am beginning to sound like a Home wine Evangelist

oh and Crime Stoppers (you know who you are...)