# Welch's wine?



## FentonCellars (Jan 10, 2007)

Has anyone ever tried to make wine using Welches grape juice and adding a pound of sugar with yeast? 

My neighbor does this and her wine is very heavy immediate flavor of Welches juice and then an alcohol taste. It isn't bad if you like fruity wine, but I just didn't know if anyone else has done this. 

Since she doesn't use a kit, she doesn't stabilize the wine when bottled, so she has to keep the bottled wine in the refridge to control the yeast. I've given her my Vintners’ Reserve wine making kit instructions, so she could see the ingredients and steps. This should at least help her with the stabilization efforts.

Has anyone else done this???


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## smurfe (Jan 10, 2007)

There are all types of Welches recipes out there. I have never made one but have always wanted to just for the heck of it. So she just takes a can of Welches, a pound of sugar and a packet of yeast and throws it all in a fermenter? 

If she would add some Potassium Sorbate to it, she won't have that problem of having to keep it in the fridge. Evidently she bottles before fermentation is done. You don't really need to add sorbate if you assure fermentation is done.

I am one who actually liked Mogan David wines years ago which to me tastes like the Welches wines. I do like a very fruity wine as long as it is not sickly sweet.

Smurfe


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## lorenae (Jan 10, 2007)

I make the Welch's wine. I ferment it dry- so it's a bit tart. It's actually pretty good. I would recommend sweetening it to off-dry, but my husband likes it dry. We use it as a table wine. Here's the recipe:

Welch's Frozen Grape Juice Wine
2 cans (11.5 oz) Welch's 100% frozen grape concentrate 
1-1/4 lbs granulated sugar 
2 tsp acid blend 
1 tsp pectic enzyme 
1 tsp yeast nutrient 
water to make 1 gallon 
wine yeast 
Bring 1 quart water to boil and dissolve the sugar in the water. Remove from heat and add frozen concentrate. Add additional water to make one gallon and pour into secondary. Add remaining ingredients except yeast. Cover with napkin fastened with rubber band and set aside 12 hours. Add activated wine yeast and recover with napkin. When active fermentation slows down (about 5 days), fit airlock. When clear, rack, top up and refit airlock. After additional 30 days, stabilize, sweeten if desired and rack into bottles. 

You could use 100% niagara white grape juice, too. Or cran-raspberry or whatever. Just make sure there is no sorbate in it, and that it's 100% juice. I actually test my s.g. and add more (or less) sugar if needed to get me an o.g. of about 1.095. I think the grape juice may vary a bit in sugar.

Lorena


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## Todd (Jan 10, 2007)

lorenae said:


> I make the Welch's wine. I ferment it dry- so it's a bit tart. It's actually pretty good. I would recommend sweetening it to off-dry, but my husband likes it dry. We use it as a table wine. Here's the recipe:
> 
> Welch's Frozen Grape Juice Wine
> 2 cans (11.5 oz) Welch's 100% frozen grape concentrate
> ...



This is great, I'm going to try this next, I have some apple juice finishing up now.


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## FentonCellars (Jan 10, 2007)

Yes, thanks Lorena! I will pass along this post to my neighbor. She may be interested in trying something new.


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## thunder2000 (Jan 10, 2007)

*Question*

If your sure that the fermentation is done you don't need to add patassium sorbate. Here is the Question. If you sweeten the wine to taste will it start to ferment again?


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## smurfe (Jan 10, 2007)

thunder2000 said:


> If your sure that the fermentation is done you don't need to add patassium sorbate. Here is the Question. If you sweeten the wine to taste will it start to ferment again?



That is the main reason for adding the Sorbate. If you do not back sweeten, you are correct that you really don't need the sorbate but it is a safety precaution to assure fermentation will not re-occur

Smurfe


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## RichBrewer (Jan 10, 2007)

lorenae said:


> I make the Welch's wine. I ferment it dry- so it's a bit tart. It's actually pretty good. I would recommend sweetening it to off-dry, but my husband likes it dry. We use it as a table wine. Here's the recipe:
> 
> Welch's Frozen Grape Juice Wine
> 2 cans (11.5 oz) Welch's 100% frozen grape concentrate
> ...


I PMed you over at HBT about this. Now that's a coincidence. This is what I was wanting to know. Please feel free to ignore my PM.


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## dizzyswimmer (Jan 11, 2007)

Think I may try a small batch of the white grape.


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## RichBrewer (Jan 11, 2007)

dizzyswimmer said:


> Think I may try a small batch of the white grape.



I read that the white grape juice makes a very mild wine. How about a mixture as a variation?


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## lorenae (Jan 14, 2007)

I don't know what it would taste like it if you mixed them, but I would think that the dark (concord) would just simply overpower the white, and might taste like a "watered down" red wine. If you're concerned about the white being too flavorless, there are a couple of things you could do. Add a handful of raisins to the must. This adds body/flavor to any wine. I do this with my dandelion wine. Or maybe, use niagara grape juice and white cran/raspberry, etc. Or throw in a banana. 

I probably would try a "regular" one gallon white batch, and then experiment. Then you know exactly what it would be like without any add-ons. Just a thought.

Lorena


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## zeppelin9899 (Dec 6, 2007)

why do many of these recipes call for boiling some of the water before you start the batch?


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## Andrew0308 (May 15, 2008)

zeppelin9899 said:


> why do many of these recipes call for boiling some of the water before you start the batch?



Sorry this reply is 6 months old... but I use the same recipe and you have to boil the water to sterilize it. I usually make a 5 gal batch and add a 5 pound bag of sugar to the boiling water, wait for it to kill anything and add this mixture to my waiting grape juice. I usually add 8 cans of juice, I wonder if this is enough...?


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## Garndtz (Aug 1, 2008)

How long do you recommend aging this wine? 

I started a batch about a week ago. I have it in a secondary and it is still fermenting. 

Does anyone have a schedule on when to rack and how long to age with this?

Thanks much.


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## Andrew0308 (Aug 1, 2008)

I usually leave my in the primary for at least 2 weeks due to the slow primary fermentation process. At week 2 I transfer into secondary and sit for 2 more weeks. I rack again 2 more weeks after that, and then bottle about 3 weeks after that. I usually bottle after 2 months, so this time schedule works for me. I let it age in bottles for a few more months if it lasts that long!


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## Benjo's Mom (Aug 3, 2008)

I can't wait to try this! Thanks Lorena


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