# Moonshiner's muscadine



## jswordy (Mar 10, 2013)

Hard to believe it has been a year since I got this recipe from a grandma whose hubby used to be a moonshiner, but I finally got around to making it this weekend. This is 8 gallons, all juice at this point. The only thing I changed was to add k meta to sanitize and I bagged the grapes to make them easier to press out later. It's a different kind of recipe. We'll see what happens.





For beginners, this is what the yeast should look like a few hours afterward if you sprinkle it on top of must. You can clearly see it is beginning to bloom here.


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## Brew and Wine Supply (Mar 10, 2013)

where's the recipe???


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## Julie (Mar 10, 2013)

lol, yea Jim, what's the recipe?


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## Arne (Mar 11, 2013)

Its a secret recipe don't ya know. LOL, Arne.


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## jswordy (Mar 11, 2013)

Um, I thought I would try it and see if it is swill first? 

Every recipe I have posted on the recipes topic has gone away (not shown on the recipes listed), so I do not know really what good it does to post them there if they don't appear? I can search for the specific name of my recipe, and it will come up - but who knows that when they are looking? :<

Anyway, the backstory on this wine is that this 78-year-old woman's husband was a moonshiner, and he plied his trade in the woods. He would gather wild muscadines and make this recipe for her as a "lady's drink" as he was making shine. I have subsequently found out the recipe is even online, so apparently this is an old, old country way of making muscadine wine. She still makes it today for herself.

I changed the grapes to bags from loose to make things easier, I did use k meta, pectic enzyme and a touch of Fermaid to start, and I halved the sugar she called for - oh my Lord that would have been a lot of sugar! I figure I can add it in at the end if need be. Running 212 on it with starting SG of 1.110, and it was bubbling away happily when stirred this morning.

I am also changing the back end of the recipe to provide for bulk aging and settling in a carboy. 

If it turns out, I will post both the original and my changed recipe.


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## jswordy (Mar 14, 2013)

Great extraction on the 212. I have not touched the grapes other than to punch down, and it is darker now than when I started. Profuse CO2 on stirring, so the yeasties are partying hardy!

I hope to press Friday night or (more likely) Saturday morning. We'll see how the yield is. My hope is to get to 7 gallons by keeping it all juice with no added water but if I have to I will referment. 

The skins will next go into a small batch of Bell Bottom Blues (5 gallons).


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## Brew and Wine Supply (Mar 14, 2013)

A lot of old recipes added a ton of sugar as they did not stabilize, just put so much in the yeast died from excess alcohol and left the extra sugar for sweetness.


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## jswordy (Mar 16, 2013)

Whoo, I'm a tired boy!

Turns out 8 gallons with fruit bags makes 5 gallons of all-juice wine...





Second pressing in and fermenting. This will make the Bell Bottom Blues when done...





All cleaned up and everything. Two carboys to carry out to the shop for storage and I'm done. Whew!

A bench taste test out of primary shows I will indeed have to add more sugar, even though I started at 1.110. It ended at an estimated 13% ABV at .995.


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## jswordy (Mar 16, 2013)

Oh yeah, here's the original recipe. This bad boy is old-timey! I will post my version for modern winemakers later on.

*Muscadine*

*Note: Will not make in a brown churn. 
Use White or Glass 5 gal churn/bucket. 
Also, use colored bottles for the yield.* 

This recipe will yield 2.5 gallons after 30 days. 

10 lbs. fruit, seeded and 1/2 mashed (scuppernong or muscadine) 
10 lbs. sugar 
1 gal. water 
1 pack yeast 
1 cup self rising corn meal (tied up in cheese cloth) 
1 medium peeled Irish potato 

VERY IMPORTANT to mash only 1/2 of grapes. leave the rest whole.

Stir very well and place in the sun (under a window works best).

Place either a piece of the cheese cloth or an old t-shirt over the opening to keep contaminants (bugs, etc.) out.

After 1 week, stir vigorously and let it set for the remainder of the 30 days.

Strain and bottle. 

Enjoy!If I want any of


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## garymc (Mar 18, 2013)

OK, how did you seed them?


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## jswordy (Mar 18, 2013)

garymc said:


> OK, how did you seed them?



I had the same question! 

I asked her for clarification, and she said she meant with the seeds still in them. Thank goodness.


*Here's my modified recipe:*

Makes 5 gallons finished.

60 lbs. fruit, seeded and 1/2 mashed (scuppernong or muscadine) 
4 lbs. sugar 
1 pack yeast (RC-212)
1 cup self rising corn meal (tied up in cheese cloth) 
1 medium peeled Irish potato 
1/4 tsp. k meta
5 grams Fermaid
8 tsp. pectic enzyme

Mash only 1/2 of grapes. Leave the rest whole. Place grapes in strainer bags. Put grapes and juice into 10- or 20-gallon fermenter.

Total volume of grapes and juice should at this point exceed 8 gallons (I got near 9). Remove juice into vial and test SSG. Mine was 1.060.

Add sugar to raise SSG to 1.100. (I needed 4 pounds.) Add pectic enzyme, k meta and Fermaid. Allow to rest 24 hours.

Peel one red potato and add to must. Wrap 1 cup self-rising corn meal in cloth or cheesecloth and add to must. Why does she specify self-rising? I don't know, but the baking soda should have a buffering effect. (I have also heard that 1 cup of steel-cut oats will work, too.)

Ferment about 5 days until SG drops to 1.00. (Mine finished at .995.) ABV was 13% estimated.

Press grapes, pouring juice into 6-gallon carboy (I didn't get much). Reserve skins if you plan a second pressing wine. Siphon wine off heavy lees in fermenter to carboy. Amount siphoned will not fill the 6-gallon; don't worry about it. 

Allow to rest and settle out heavy lees under airlock about 1 hour while you do cleanup chores. 

Siphon wine again off lees into 5 gallon carboy. (The second racking right away will speed clearing later, as it removes a lot of gross lees.) This wine looks likely to require one and perhaps two more rackings to clear properly.

Taste a sample of the wine and play with back sweetening.

This is where I am now. I think I will have to add about 4 or maybe even 5 pounds of sugar back into the wine at the end to get what I want. The sweeter it got in my test glass, the more OMG GOOD it became. I also played with just a touch of acid blend. Jury's still out on that one, but I may add a tiny bit, like 1 tsp. for the whole batch.

*Second pressing skins:*

Tie pressed grapes in bag.

Place back in primary with lees.

In separate bucket, add sugar to anywhere from 6 to 11 gallons of water (depending on what you plan for the second-pressing wine) to achieve an SSG of 1.100 (this takes a lot of sugar, maybe up to 10 pounds plus). Use 6 gallons (or even less) if you plan a stand-alone wine up to 11 if you plan to blend or use it as an adjunct wine in winemaking.

Optional: Add EC-1118. (It will re-ferment with the 212 anyway).

Ferment about 5 days, stirring must and squeezing the bag every day with your sanitized hands. Yields 5 to 10 gallons.


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## jswordy (Mar 20, 2013)

Here is a test glass of my second-pressing wine right out of the primary at 1.000. I am sipping it now. The wine will go into secondary tomorrow evening. This is a near dry wine but it has a nice round mouthfeel. All in all a success, as you can surmise if I am sipping it right out of primary for more than just a taste. It should settle to a nice rose. Most of the batch will go as the base for Bell Bottom Blues, but I am really tempted to oak any leftovers to see what might come of it after it all settles down. Moral of the story: Don't toss those muscadine pressings. Run 'em again!


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## garymc (Mar 21, 2013)

What was the condition of the whole grapes when you pressed them after 5 days of fermentation? I would imagine if the whole grapes hadn't been completely fermented at the time of pressing, this would be a very different result from leaving them in the wine for 30 days. I'd also be very curious as to the condition of the whole grapes after 30 days in the wine.


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## jswordy (Mar 21, 2013)

garymc said:


> What was the condition of the whole grapes when you pressed them after 5 days of fermentation? I would imagine if the whole grapes hadn't been completely fermented at the time of pressing, this would be a very different result from leaving them in the wine for 30 days. I'd also be very curious as to the condition of the whole grapes after 30 days in the wine.



They were whole but had lost some of their fluid through diffusion. I am certain that is why only half the grapes are crushed, to preserve the juices inside the whole grapes. I wish I had tasted one, to see if the yeast found their way inside, but I didn't. All these grapes had of course been frozen first.

DELAYED EDIT:  The recipe doesn't call for leaving grapes in the wine for 30 days. YES IT DOES, DUMMY! THE ORIGINAL RECIPE CALLS FOR 30 DAYS! You crush half, leave half whole, and use them all at the start. Putting grapes in secondary for 30 days would be interesting, though. YEAH - LIKE IT SAYS IN THE ORIGINAL RECIPE!!!

The first pressing wine has a lot more color and vibrancy than the second pressing. The first pressing is currently a candidate for the best wine I have ever made. We'll see how it goes.


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## jswordy (Mar 31, 2013)

OK, the stabilized second pressing was married to blueberry juice today. Now the long wait for it all to settle out and become 36 or 37 bottles of nice Bell Bottom Blues.


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## jswordy (Apr 12, 2013)

I was working on my WMT Unofficial Contest wine last night, so I took a very tiny bit of the 100% juice muscadine wine with a thief to taste-test. 

Wow, now I am in a quandary. It has finished dry and I think if it was aged like that for a year or two, it could be awesome. But I really want to sweet this up to bring out max muscadine flavor. I might just bottle off a couple dry experimental ones and then do my back sweetening, just for fun. It has another month or two before it's ready to bottle anyway.

I am definitely making a bigger batch of the all-juice recipe this fall when the grapes come in.


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## seth8530 (Apr 16, 2013)

One of my all juices of muscadine turned out pretty well. Just be sure to be ready for tartaric acid crystals and a strong flavour.


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## jswordy (Apr 16, 2013)

seth8530 said:


> One of my all juices of muscadine turned out pretty well. Just be sure to be ready for tartaric acid crystals and a strong flavour.



Seth, I'm bulk aging it in carboys a long time to shed the diamonds. They don't bother me much, even in the bottle. I don't think this recipe is going to taste "strong." The grapes came from a domesticated muscadine cultivar, not wild. It's real promising.

I did not realize we are near neighbors.


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## seth8530 (Apr 16, 2013)

Yeah, I also bulk age for quite a long time. Just something to consider. My grapes acame from the family vinyard so I assume they were also domesticated.


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## jswordy (Apr 16, 2013)

seth8530 said:


> Yeah, I also bulk age for quite a long time. Just something to consider. My grapes acame from the family vinyard so I assume they were also domesticated.



Dunno man, the guy I got the grapes from gave me a bottle he has aged so long the glass turned purple - no lie - and there was nary a diamond in it. We'll see what happens.


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## moesagoodboy (Apr 16, 2013)

Thank you jswordy for a great thread. Makes me want to make a batch. After going thru the whole thread I realize I have no idea what a muscadine is. This is what happens when you grow up in the suburbs of NJ. Here's a link explaining muscadine for those who are as provincial as me. http://voices.yahoo.com/learning-love-muscadine-wine-5123369.html?cat=5

I'm gonna track some down and put on some Ray Charles "Georgia" or maybe Randy Newman "Birmingham".


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## seth8530 (Apr 16, 2013)

Yeah, what I meant is that I age for a long time which takes care of the crystals


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## Arne (Apr 17, 2013)

seth8530 said:


> Yeah, what I meant is that I age for a long time which takes care of the crystals


 
Yeah, but for J.S. aging a along time means "Is it dun bubblin yet??" Sorry Jim, couldn't resist.  Arne.


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## jswordy (Apr 17, 2013)

Arne said:


> Yeah, but for J.S. aging a along time means "Is it dun bubblin yet??" Sorry Jim, couldn't resist.  Arne.



Hmph - WHY WAIT *THAT LONG*????


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## jswordy (Apr 17, 2013)

moesagoodboy said:


> Thank you jswordy for a great thread. Makes me want to make a batch. After going thru the whole thread I realize I have no idea what a muscadine is. This is what happens when you grow up in the suburbs of NJ. Here's a link explaining muscadine for those who are as provincial as me. http://voices.yahoo.com/learning-love-muscadine-wine-5123369.html?cat=5
> 
> I'm gonna track some down and put on some Ray Charles "Georgia" or maybe Randy Newman "Birmingham".



You might try this winery: http://www.monteaglewinery.com/Index.cfm?PageID=1546 As you can see, they make 3 muscadines. I don't know if they ship.

Bet you can find some muscadine grapes in New Jersey. They do grow in the Delaware River region. You might have to inquire around and find them growing wild. I'd say your blogger sampled a type of muscadine wine, but believe me there are many types from ultra-dry to super-sweet, and not all are forward grape. The muscadine has also been derided among some wine snobs as "foxy" in taste. But it depends on how it was made.

I'm onto something with this recipe, I believe. We'll see.


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## seth8530 (Apr 17, 2013)

Could always visit savnnah oaks winery in Delano TN.. They got some good muscadine wines.


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## garymc (Apr 17, 2013)

Get on the Chattanooga Choo Choo and visit Georgia Winery http://www.georgiawines.com/shop/ at Ringgold Georgia, a suburb on the south edge of Chattanooga. They have good muscadine wine, something that can't be said for many wineries that make muscadine wine.


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## Arne (Apr 19, 2013)

jswordy said:


> Hmph - WHY WAIT *THAT LONG*????


 
Gotta let it age a bit. Arne.


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## jswordy (Apr 19, 2013)

A small sample of the Bell Bottom Blues tastes marvelous, with an excellent full blueberry nose followed by a rounded fruit palette with supporting vinosity from the grapes and a sweet finish. A good dessert wine. If it stays like this another month, I am not touching it. Directly into the bottle it goes!

I have about a gallon of the second-pressing muscadine in the fridge and am thinking about pouring it off the lees, stabilizing, adding some oak for a week, then bottling it as well.


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## reefman (Apr 22, 2013)

Great thread!!! 
I discovered Muscadine wines about two years ago, and by far they are one of my favorites....I should clarify that....Duplin Vinyards (Rose Hill, NC) Muscadine wines are the ONLY Muscadine wines I have tried, and I really like them.
That's the only Muscadine wines I can find for purchase in my area (Northern Maryland)
Anyway, I'm going to try and locate some Muscadine grapes and make myself a batch. No luck finding a vendor yet.


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## seth8530 (Apr 22, 2013)

reefman said:


> Great thread!!!
> I discovered Muscadine wines about two years ago, and by far they are one of my favorites....I should clarify that....Duplin Vinyards (Rose Hill, NC) Muscadine wines are the ONLY Muscadine wines I have tried, and I really like them.
> That's the only Muscadine wines I can find for purchase in my area (Northern Maryland)
> Anyway, I'm going to try and locate some Muscadine grapes and make myself a batch. No luck finding a vendor yet.



Your best bet for grapes would probably be local vineyards, I am not sure if muscadines are a major commercial industry or not.


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## reefman (Apr 23, 2013)

So what makes this recipe so great, is it the corn meal and the potato that make the difference, or the concentrated juice? Or is it something else?
Muscadine wines certainly have a unique taste. I discovered it Christmas two years ago, there were three seasonal varities that the Duplin vineyard produced, and they were an instant hit with my wife and our neighbors. The local wine and spirt shop couldn't keep it in stock, we kept clearing their shelves. Now I order by the case, right from Duplin.


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## jswordy (Apr 24, 2013)

reefman said:


> So what makes this recipe so great, is it the corn meal and the potato that make the difference, or the concentrated juice? Or is it something else?
> Muscadine wines certainly have a unique taste. I discovered it Christmas two years ago, there were three seasonal varities that the Duplin vineyard produced, and they were an instant hit with my wife and our neighbors. The local wine and spirt shop couldn't keep it in stock, we kept clearing their shelves. Now I order by the case, right from Duplin.



Muscadines are commercially grown but may be hard to find at a reasonable price outside the regions where they are endemic. I would say muscadine wines have unique tastes, since there are so many versions of them made. Each winery has its own ideas.

To answer your question about what makes this recipe so great, to me:

1.) My version is an adaptation of an old, old country recipe that has been used for many years. (The original recipe is here as it was given to me, too, if you want to try it.) To me, the adaptation is the best of both worlds - old and new winemaking techniques. Chiefly the back end of the process is modified, resulting in a clear wine from using modern techniques. The wine is also drier than the original recipe would be, allowing for more adjustment to taste on the back. The original recipe will be very sweet when done.

2.) Using RC212 means using a far superior yeast for extraction than bread yeast or natural fermentation, the way it was done originally.

3.) The baking soda in the self-rising corn meal does something for the wine. It buffers the acids. The potato is there as yeast nutrient, as is the corn in the meal. I like how old-timey that is.

4.) It is an all-juice recipe the way I adapted it. That makes a tremendous difference.

5.) If you follow my adaptation closely, your will get the wine off the lees quickly in a two-stage initial secondary process. That clears it better and helps with any "foxiness" in taste that muscadines are sometimes maligned for by wine "experts."

6.) They are powerful lil grapes! See http://www.livestrong.com/article/238659-health-benefits-of-muscadine-grapes/

Hope you find some muscadine or scuppernog grapes. If not, you can adapt the recipe for use with Norton (another American grape variety), or even concord or other red grapes.


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## reefman (Apr 24, 2013)

Thanks JS, I'm hot on the trail of some grapes from this years harvest, although they are in North Carolina. I will definitly use this recipe.
I also ordered some vines, and two of them survived the winter, so I'm hoping to have my own harvest in a year or two.


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## jpike01 (Jul 23, 2013)

http://store.isons.com/muscadine-vines?gclid=CI6av8WsxrgCFcZj7Aod7UEAkw

I have purchased from these folks before with good results. Yours results may vary.


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## reefman (Jul 23, 2013)

Hmmm, might have to give them a try, Thanks.


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## jswordy (Jul 29, 2013)

Might as well add this here, too. Bottled 7-28-13... http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f6/moonshiners-muscadine-bottled-39615/


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## olusteebus (Jul 29, 2013)

May have to give that a try. My first batch of muscadine wine was terrible. I made five gallons from 45 pounds of grapes and I made 5 gallons from 20 pounds of grapes and 5 jars of Blackberry jam. I let it sit a long time since the taste never came around. I said to heck with it, and backsweetened both to about 1.005 and bottled the blackberry. 

Man, is it good. So, I made a 5 gallons of blackberry from jam and will mix 50/50 with the muscadine to hopefully replicate it. 

If that turns out good, I may do the same with the recipe you have shared.


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## jpike01 (Oct 15, 2013)

My attempt at the Moonshiner's muscadine. Second pressing is fresh out of the bucket. Thanks for the help Jswordy.


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## jswordy (Dec 1, 2013)

Just wanted to add that this recipe won silver at the L.A. Cellarmasters U.S. Amateur Winemaking Competition in November 2013.

The blueberry blend with the second-pressing of this muscadine also took silver at the same show. They were the only wines I entered.


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## reefman (Dec 1, 2013)

JS,
Congrats on the awards. Someday I hope to enter my wines in our local county fair.


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## jpike01 (Dec 1, 2013)

Congratulations!!!!


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## Kraffty (Dec 2, 2013)

Congratulations, you're on a competition Roll!
Mike


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## seth8530 (Dec 2, 2013)

Congrats! Which category did you enter them into?


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## jswordy (Dec 2, 2013)

Sweet non-vinifera grape and sweet fruit & wine blends.


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## seth8530 (Dec 2, 2013)

Very nice, choosing the right category can be quite important sometimes.


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## Fabiola (Dec 4, 2013)

Does anyone know where can I buy muscadine grapes or juice?


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## reefman (Dec 4, 2013)

I'm not helping here, but in my neck of the woods, I am having the same problem. If you don't live in the South Eastern USA, it will be a problem finding grapes or juice unless you pay a premium for it. Some people get grapes for $0.60 per pound. I've not been able to find them for less than $2.00/lb, plus outrageous shipping costs.
I planted my own this year, hoping to have a decent crop in about three years.


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## seth8530 (Dec 4, 2013)

I find it humorous that people want muscadines so badly when they are nearly a nuisance here in the south lol! (well not quite.. but they certainly are not Riesling or Cabernet grapes ha!) 

However, in all seriousness, great wine can be made from muscadines...However, achieving the level of complexity one finds in vinfera grapes might be another story. 

BTW, I hope I do not sound like am downing muscadine grape lovers and growers, I think they are quite yummy myself.


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## reefman (Dec 4, 2013)

I agree, there are many native (well almost native) grapes in the south and some in the north that make excellent wines.
Very few of my friends or relatives like the snobby heavy red wines. Most prefer sweeter wines, and so do I. So, that's what I make most of the time. I make maybe one dry wine batch a year, which goes out as gifts. I hide my sweet wines for my wife and I.
Keep in mind I have only been making wine since 2010.


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## Fabiola (Dec 4, 2013)

seth8530 said:


> I find it humorous that people want muscadines so badly when they are nearly a nuisance here in the south lol! (well not quite.. but they certainly are not Riesling or Cabernet grapes ha!)
> 
> However, in all seriousness, great wine can be made from muscadines...However, achieving the level of complexity one finds in vinfera grapes might be another story.
> 
> BTW, I hope I do not sound like am downing muscadine grape lovers and growers, I think they are quite yummy myself.



No, you are fine, is just that I want to try Jim's recipe so bad without substitutions, and living in New Mexico doesn't help finding muscadine grapes...


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## Fabiola (Dec 4, 2013)

seth8530 said:


> I find it humorous that people want muscadines so badly when they are nearly a nuisance here in the south lol! (well not quite.. but they certainly are not Riesling or Cabernet grapes ha!)
> 
> However, in all seriousness, great wine can be made from muscadines...However, achieving the level of complexity one finds in vinfera grapes might be another story.
> 
> BTW, I hope I do not sound like am downing muscadine grape lovers and growers, I think they are quite yummy myself.



I have an idea , those forum members that have excess of muscadine should ship to those who have none


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## seth8530 (Dec 4, 2013)

Ha, not a bad idea and while I am doing that, why dont you drive over to Cali and get me some Cabernet and we will call it a deal eh?


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## jswordy (Dec 12, 2013)

Personally, I'd rather have a well-made muscadine or scuppernong than the cabernet.


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## jpike01 (Apr 7, 2014)

My attempt at the ole timey recipe.


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


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## LoneStarLori (Apr 7, 2014)

jpike01 said:


> View attachment 14982
> 
> My attempt at the ole timey recipe.



that is a beautiful color. What did you start with? all juice or is that a 2nd pressing?


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## jpike01 (Apr 8, 2014)

Pretty near all juice, I think I had to add just a little water. Basically adjusted Jim's recipe to the amount of fruit I was able to round up. It is a mixture of muscadine and scuppernong.
I will make this again this fall!


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## LoneStarLori (Apr 8, 2014)

Nice! Hopefully I get get enough Mustang grapes off my fence this year to make a decent all-juice batch. I botched my first one pretty bad. But have learned a LOT since then, thanks to all the great advice in this forum. Maybe I'll have as good of luck as you did.


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## jswordy (Apr 11, 2014)

I had no idea this thread was still going on! Reefman, get in touch around the end of August.

jpike, that is some awesome wine. I know you'll want to double the recipe this year! I still have 20 gallons of scuppernong to bottle. Half of that is a blueberry mix, and half is pure scuppernong.

BTW, my wife and I agree that the blueberry married to the muscadine is the best overall wine I have ever made, to our tastes.


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## jpike01 (Apr 11, 2014)

Yep, already looking up sources for grapes! Pretty tasty stuff. Smooth, very smooth, even at its young age.


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


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## reefman (Apr 11, 2014)

jswordy said:


> I had no idea this thread was still going on! Reefman, get in touch around the end of August.
> 
> jpike, that is some awesome wine. I know you'll want to double the recipe this year! I still have 20 gallons of scuppernong to bottle. Half of that is a blueberry mix, and half is pure scuppernong.
> 
> BTW, my wife and I agree that the blueberry married to the muscadine is the best overall wine I have ever made, to our tastes.


JS, will do!!


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## jpike01 (Sep 19, 2015)

Figured I would activate this thread while I was here.
Had the good fortune to have near 40 gallons of scuppernongs given to me yesterday. Just looking for this recipe once more! Guess I'll be crushing this evening!


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## Rodnboro (Sep 20, 2015)

I have about 70 pounds of Muscadines in the freezer and am going to try this recipe this year.


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## gaboy (Oct 9, 2015)

Rodnboro, PLEASE let us know how your's turns out!!!


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## Rodnboro (Oct 9, 2015)

I will. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to start it yet.


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## jpike01 (Oct 25, 2015)

2015 moonshiners scuppernong, second racking.


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## Rodnboro (Oct 26, 2015)

jpike01 said:


> View attachment 25424
> 
> 
> 2015 moonshiners scuppernong, second racking.



Looking good


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## gaboy (Oct 26, 2015)

jpike01, What type of suppernongs did you use?


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## jpike01 (Oct 26, 2015)

I will need to investigate to be sure. They were a gift.


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## TKCellars (Oct 30, 2015)

I have ordered to pails of Muscadine juice. They should arrive Minnesota tomorrow. Very excited to make my first batch of Muscadine wine. Love the idea of blending it with Blueberries. Will split the batch and do some of each. I am starting a batch of Cranberry also, so I may do the same with that.


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## gaboy (Oct 30, 2015)

Where did you purchase your muscadine juice, if I may ask?


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## reefman (Oct 30, 2015)

Yes, I'm interested too!


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## TKCellars (Oct 30, 2015)

They took good care of me. WWW.Benjaminvineyards.com


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## reefman (Oct 30, 2015)

Thanks TKCellars,
What's the recipe you are planning to use, and did you get the must or the juice.
Best Regards,


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## jpike01 (Nov 3, 2015)

gaboy said:


> jpike01, What type of suppernongs did you use?




Magnolia is the variety of scuppernong I received.


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## jpike01 (Nov 3, 2015)

Gaboy, the variety is magnolia.


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## gaboy (Nov 3, 2015)

jpike01 said:


> Gaboy, the variety is magnolia.



THANKS!!! I have 3 of those vines that are 2 yrs old, hope to pick in 2 yrs!!!


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## TKCellars (Feb 16, 2016)

Here is a picture of the Muscadine wine we made this last season.


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## garymc (Feb 18, 2016)

I'm guessing you're talking about the one on the left, the amber one.


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## gaboy (Feb 18, 2016)

How much did you backsweeten?


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## TKCellars (Feb 18, 2016)

I bottle of conditioner just to take the bite off. The one on left is with whole grapes and the white is just juice.


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## jpike01 (Mar 8, 2016)

Moonshiner a pretty good recipe


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## endorphine44 (Mar 11, 2016)

I've been following this post for 2 years while I've been building a house and growing half a dozen muscadine vines. This year should be the first small crop of muscadines and I'm hoping enough to try this out. 

One question for Jswordy thought, how much blueberry juice did you mix with 5 gal of the second pressings to make the "Bell Bottom Blues"? 
I'm thinking maybe 5 gal muscadine + 1 gal blueberry??


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