# Niagara-Concord Blush



## Longtrain (Dec 10, 2012)

My wife likes off-dry to sweet wines so I am making a Blush from 3 cans of Welch's White grape juice and 1/2 a can of Welch's Concord grape concentrate. Sugar and water to make a gallon at 12.5% ABV. Red Star Champagne yeast. 

After fermentation is complete, plan to add K-meta & pot sorbate. Fining as necessary I will back sweeten with a simple syrup. Any thing that I'm missing? Thanks


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## BobR (Dec 14, 2012)

Have you ever tried using a whole can of Concord grape concentrate? I'm just wondering if it would change the color and taste. You'll have to share your complete recipe.


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## Longtrain (Dec 14, 2012)

I was reading a few posts of people making wine from Welch's white and Concord grape concentrates. My wife likes a wine that is at a bit on the sweet side. I was going to make a whole White-Zin kit, but it would take her years to drink 30 bottles! So, I though of making a fruity - sweet wine and found a few recipes for this type of wine in a one gallon batch (If I comes out ok, I'd consider a 3 gallon batch). The recipe is simple...

3 cans of Welch's 100% White Grape Juice concentrate
1/2 can of Welch's 100% Concord Grape concentrate
1/2 tsp of peptic enzyme
1/2 tsp bentonite
Spring water to make one gallon of wine
White cane sugar ~ 3 to 4 cups to bring must to a SG of 1.090. 

Heated about 1 quart of spring water added to primary fermenter, added bentonite, stirred well.
Added concentrates, remainder of spring water, PE, sugar, measure the SG, allow to sit for a few hours to allow PE to work. (Not sure if PE is necessary, but was in other recipes)

One packet of Red Star Champagne yeast, temp was 74 F.

Wine fermented very well for about 5 days, SG finished at .996, just sitting...pretty pink wine, wife thought it looked like pink lemonade.


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## BobR (Dec 14, 2012)

I'll have to put that on my list of things to try


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## Longtrain (Dec 14, 2012)

I'll post how it is once it clears, sweetened and ages a little.


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## BobR (Dec 14, 2012)

Yeah, I'd be interested in hearing about it


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## Longtrain (Feb 4, 2013)

Well, the wine has been bottled today. It is very clear, a light blush in color. Today, following the second racking two weeks ago, it had a light haze on the bottom of the jug, so I racked it off and back sweetened with a sugar syrup to 1.010.

It has a nice Concord grape taste, not overwhelming, very smooth with no bit (wife likes it), pretty pleased, if it gets drunk readily, I'll make a three gallon batch. 

For those who don't like dry wines, this is really nice, fruity, smooth and slightly sweet. Worth doing if you like this type of result.


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## BobR (Feb 4, 2013)

Longtrain said:


> 3 cans of Welch's 100% White Grape Juice concentrate
> 1/2 can of Welch's 100% Concord Grape concentrate
> 1/2 tsp of peptic enzyme
> 1/2 tsp bentonite
> ...



Thanks for sending the PM and reminding me of this post! How long after mixing all of your ingredients did you add the yeast?


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## Longtrain (Feb 4, 2013)

I let the peptic enzyme work for about 8 hours, then added the yeast. Not really sure if that amount if time as necessary for a one gallon batch, but I figured it wouldn't hurt. Some 6 gallon recipes say to let the PE work for 24 hours.


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## saramc (Feb 21, 2013)

Longtrain said:


> I let the peptic enzyme work for about 8 hours, then added the yeast. Not really sure if that amount if time as necessary for a one gallon batch, but I figured it wouldn't hurt. Some 6 gallon recipes say to let the PE work for 24 hours.



Yes, you need pectic enzyme when you work with fruit whether it is whole, juice or concentrate, fresh, frozen, canned or bottled. The wait time after dosing with pectic enzyme is because it creates a gas which has been known to inhibit the yeast, thus the reason there is even a wait period between the enzyme and KMS--just makes for a better environment for the yeast.


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## Longtrain (Feb 21, 2013)

Sara:

Thanks for the info on the PE time frame. I opened a bottle last weekend for some guests who like sweeter wines, they drank the whole bottle and were amazed when I explained that it came from frozen grape juice! This is really nice, I did sweeten to 1.020,on the next batch may make some off-dry to see how it compares as to smoothness and aroma, etc.

Tony


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## BobR (Feb 22, 2013)

Longtrain said:


> I let the peptic enzyme work for about 8 hours, then added the yeast. Not really sure if that amount if time as necessary for a one gallon batch, but I figured it wouldn't hurt. Some 6 gallon recipes say to let the PE work for 24 hours.



Sara & Longtrain,

I didn't see any campden tablets being used in this recipe and was wondering if they were needed at any point. Since they weren't used, there was no problem in adding the yeast 8 hours after peptic enzyme? Would waiting 24 hours have an effect?


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## saramc (Feb 23, 2013)

BobR said:


> Sara & Longtrain,
> 
> I didn't see any campden tablets being used in this recipe and was wondering if they were needed at any point. Since they weren't used, there was no problem in adding the yeast 8 hours after peptic enzyme? Would waiting 24 hours have an effect?



A 24 hr wait after adding the pectic enzyme would just give the gas it creates more time to 'blow off', but 8-24 is pretty common.


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## Longtrain (Feb 24, 2013)

After racking and clearing, add the recommended amount of K-Meta and Pot Sorbate, depending on the volume of wine you are making.


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## Whitehrs (Jun 10, 2016)

Longtrain said:


> I was going to make a whole White-Zin kit, but it would take her years to drink 30 bottles!



Is that Really a bad thing? I'm thinking that it would just get better with time, and give you time to make more.


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