# Brianna Grapes



## djrockinsteve (Sep 11, 2011)

This past week my wife and I headed west to visit Rob and his wife (really their vineyard). We had a fantastic time. We picked Brianna grapes for two days, destemmed and pressed them.

The grape is very sweet and grows in a tight cluster. They are a white grape with a golden skin. I brought back 4 six gallon buckets of skins that I am fermenting on the wild yeast with the addition of some inverted sugar.

I was also very fortunate enough to get 10 gallons of juice from Rob and his wife that is fermenting on Lalvin D-47. It started out at 1.086 and is down to 1.020 earlier today. It smells terrific.

I have just removed the skins from my buckets and they have a hint of grapefruit. Gravity is 1.040

This grape is a new strain and was developed to grow in cooler climates and a shorter season. There are MANY clusters on each vine.

We had little time for other activities aside from a deep fried turkey and a few games of "sequence" which I believe the guys had more wins. That is directly associated with the others endulging in some wine drinking.

As this wine proceeds further I'll let you know more. We were very impressed with Robs vineyard and their generosity. Both Rob and his wife are a wonderful couple. Very glad we finally met in person.


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## rob (Sep 12, 2011)

Steve, 

We really enjoyed the company of you and Marilyn, I only wish we could of had more time. You are always welcome here. Thanks so much for coming out. Hey, lets do it again next year!!

Rob


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## ffemt128 (Sep 13, 2011)

I checked the SG on my Brianna last night. It was at 1.000 and has been fermenting at about 64-66 degree temperatures. Based on Steve's recommendation, I used D47 yeast as well. The juice smells outstanding and has a strong taste of pineapples.


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## Julie (Sep 13, 2011)

ffemt128 said:


> I checked the SG on my Brianna last night. It was at 1.000 and has been fermenting at about 64-66 degree temperatures. Based on Steve's recommendation, I used D47 yeast as well. The juice smells outstanding and has a strong taste of pineapples.



lol, this is going to be interesting, so far Steve says grapefruit, you say pineapples and beleive it or not I think mine smells like coconut! Racked to a carboy last night - 1.010


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## djrockinsteve (Sep 13, 2011)

I have mine under airlock in the primary now. It reached 1.000 yesterday. Tomorrow I'll rack and clear it. It does smell really good huh!

I also brought back some skins and added some sugar water and allowed it to ferment on it's own yeast. Going slower than the lalvin but aside from that it's the same.


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## ffemt128 (Sep 13, 2011)

I transferred mine to carboy this afternoon. It was at 1.00 yesterday.


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## ffemt128 (Sep 14, 2011)

djrockinsteve said:


> I have mine under airlock in the primary now. It reached 1.000 yesterday. Tomorrow I'll rack and clear it. It does smell really good huh!
> 
> I also brought back some skins and added some sugar water and allowed it to ferment on it's own yeast. Going slower than the lalvin but aside from that it's the same.



Steve,

When you rack and clear are you adding your fining agent at this point? Curious as I always waited until fermentation was done and degassed. Usually about 2 months into the process after it has dropped out most of the lees on it's own.


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## djrockinsteve (Sep 15, 2011)

Doug, I snap on a lid with an airlock once my musts reach 1.000. I'll give them a real good stir prior to to release some CO2 to layer the wine while it finishes fermenting another day or two.

After 2 days I remove the lid, check the gravity, usually .990 and then I'll rack, add sulfite, degass and add sparkolloid and mix well to incorporate everything. I'll let it clear 4-6 weeks.


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## djrockinsteve (Sep 15, 2011)

Here is a photo of the Brianna grapes after we pressed them. 







I brought these home to make a wine from what was left in the skins. I added "some" water and inverted sugar to cover all the skins.






Here is a picture of the Brianna when it was racked to clear. This is 100% Brianna juice. I used lalvin D-47 to ferment.


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## reefman (Sep 15, 2011)

I've never heard of this grape before.
How is this wine finished? Is it bottled and consumed best as a dry, or back sweetened?


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## djrockinsteve (Sep 15, 2011)

reefman said:


> I've never heard of this grape before.
> How is this wine finished? Is it bottled and consumed best as a dry, or back sweetened?



"YES"! This is a newly developed white grape designed to grow in cooler and shorter climates. Plus they produce many tight clusters for a lot of fruit per vine. My wife and I stood in 1 spot opposite each other and picked almost a half hour from one vine.

Rob planted this variety of grapes a few years ago and we were fortunate enough to pick some from his place. They contain 2 seeds each and are very sweet.

The grapes were picked right after Labor Day and had a gravity of 1.086. At some point we had a gravity of 1.090

The wine is excellent dry or semi sweet. I have read it can have a pineapple flavor to it. Like our fruits in the eastern united states this grape is slightly on the acidic side of .7 After aging and cold stabilizing it will drop into the .6 range.

I'll be bottling around late March/April most likely.

Here is a link for some more information.

http://www.agriculture.state.ia.us/Horticulture_and_FarmersMarkets/Brianna.asp


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## rob (Sep 15, 2011)

reefman,

last year was my first year making Brianna, I back sweeten it slightly and would put it up against any Riesling. Took blue ribbon at the fair.


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## djrockinsteve (Sep 15, 2011)

He did. He really took a blue ribbon. I feel sorry for the guy who had his taken. 

Seriously I can affirm this. I saw the ribbon. 

It's already clearing. It has a darker golden color to it.


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## Julie (Sep 15, 2011)

rob said:


> reefman,
> 
> last year was my first year making Brianna, I back sweeten it slightly and would put it up against any Riesling. Took blue ribbon at the fair.



Rob what sg did you backsweeten to? I"m thinking around 1.000 to 1.005 or do think this is too sweet? I do my reisling to 1.005, well for now, I'm sure I will be going drier, I use to do 1.015


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## rob (Sep 15, 2011)

Julie- I backsweeten to 1.010, no one thought it was to sweet. I also have a batch I did dry and I have people that perfer it over the sweeten. Guess it just depends on what you like, she is good both ways


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## Julie (Sep 15, 2011)

rob said:


> Julie- I backsweeten to 1.010, no one thought it was to sweet. I also have a batch I did dry and I have people that perfer it over the sweeten. Guess it just depends on what you like, she is good both ways



thanks, that is what i wanted to know, I think I will start out with 1.000 and see how that is. We like our wines a little sweeten, not too sweet but a little.


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## reefman (Sep 15, 2011)

Is anyone selling Brianna grapes or are they too new?


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## MidlandWG (Sep 15, 2011)

Brianna is a great "tropical" tasting wine, reminds me of Edelweiss, I think they may be related, none the less its a good cold hardy white. I like it dry but my wife likes it a bit sweet... unfortunately not making any this year...


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## djrockinsteve (Sep 15, 2011)

Julie. Last year Rob pick a month earlier than this year. This means that the grapes were not as sweet and more acidic. I would say yes start about 1.000 and work your way up from there. 

The wine was great. Can't wait till this batch is done.


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## ffemt128 (Sep 16, 2011)

Thanks for the reference points for sg. We have been sweetening our whites to around 1.002-1.008 and generally like them in that range. I'll keep the 1.000 in mind for the starting point.


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## djrockinsteve (Sep 16, 2011)

Doug I always guestimate for a test starting gravity then I can sway either way a few points until we find what is best liked for the family. Unfortunately we always end up with two preferences. A dry and a sweet. Hey it keeps everyone happy and you have two versions to offer folks.

Here is a shot of the Brianna clearing. The darker color is it's true color. It's a bit grainy but you get the idea.


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## ffemt128 (Sep 22, 2011)

Just came up from the cellar. Looks like pressure in the airlock of the Brianna is starting to equalize. It's clearing nicely so far.


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## ffemt128 (Sep 30, 2011)

Transferred the Brianna out of the 6 gallon carboy into a 5 gallon and 1/2 gallon. Looks like it has dropped a fair number of crystals so far. Smells wonderful so far. Added kmeta and sorbate.


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## rob (Oct 29, 2011)

*Brianna*

Just did my final racking of the Brianna that Steve and I picked the first of September. It has cleared very nicely, will let it age for 5 more months, sorbate and sweeten. The flash of the camera made the back 2 carboys look darker


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## UBB (Nov 19, 2011)

Have some Brianna in my vineyard. Haven't had a crop yet but I like what I've read and heard about the quality of wine this variety makes.


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## ffemt128 (Nov 20, 2011)

Rob,

Ours cleared very nicely as well. Still dropping alot of acid crystals at this point. Smells wonderful and I'll be stabilizing and back sweetening probably around March with bottling in April to free up a carboy for chilean juice.


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## djrockinsteve (Nov 20, 2011)

Yea it has a great color and smell terrific. I may try to plant some Brianna sprigs here this spring.


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## rob (Dec 7, 2011)

here is a picture of my Brianna wine after just 10 days of cs, lot of acid crystals have fallen in just a short time


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## JohnT (Dec 7, 2011)

Geeze. A lot of sediment on the CS.

Question on the briana grapes.. 

Could you please share where did you got them. These grapes sound perfect for my area. 

johnT.


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## ffemt128 (Dec 7, 2011)

I looked at mine again last night. Bottom of the carboy is covered with acid crystals again and I didn't CS. Temps in the wine area now are about 59 degrees. Waiting for the temps outside to drop then I'll put the carboys outside under the basement stair cover for CS.


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## djrockinsteve (Dec 7, 2011)

JohnT said:


> Geeze. A lot of sediment on the CS.
> 
> Question on the briana grapes..
> 
> ...



Sorry John I thought Rob told you. He got started from a friend near where he lives in Iowa. The Brianna strain was developed in 1997? in Iowa specifically for this region with a shorter season.

The grapes grow in large tight clusters. The aroma really is fantastic even as a skeeter pee I made from soaking the skins in sugar water and fermenting.

Maybe we can get Rob to send us some clippings this spring?


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## rob (Dec 7, 2011)

John- What Steve says is correct they grow in northern climates down to 20 below and when back sweeting you end up with what tastes like or better than a Riesling. We have about 500 vines that were all bought from Double Vineyards in New York. They grow very fast and are almost hard to control, you will start to see fruit after just one year, however all of it needs to be removed until the 4th year. 500 plants in their 4th year will produce 7000 pounds and by the 6th year you will be harvesting close to 9000 pounds


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## JohnT (Dec 7, 2011)

I have been living in my home for 12 years. One of the reasons I bought the place was that there is a field that screams "vineyard". Recently, I decided that I am ready to plant, but am looking to start with, perhaps, just a dozen vines or so. I am new to grapes growing and want to start small.

This brianna sounds just what I am looking for. 

How did you go about planting them? Any particular way you prepared the soil / vines prior to planting? what kind of spacing do they need?


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## Julie (Dec 7, 2011)

We just racked the Brianna last night, I stabilized and backsweeten about a month ago, still not totally clear but I'm in no hurry to bottle. 

This just might turn into my favorite wine, yes Rob it does kinda sorta taste like a Reisling but different.


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## djrockinsteve (Dec 7, 2011)

John here are 2 links for the Brianna.

http://www.agriculture.state.ia.us/horticulture_and_farmersmarkets/brianna.asp

http://viticulture.hort.iastate.edu/cultivars/Brianna.pdf


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## rob (Dec 7, 2011)

John,

I would plant the vines 10 feet apart and space the rows 8 feet. If you order them from Double A you will get 1 year old plants with rather long roots, about 2 feet. When I planted 500 of them we rented a power auger for the holes, but for just a few you could dig by hand. They like all vines require several spray applications thru out the year. If you are interested I would order soon because they do run out. They will ship them around the first of may. Go to their web site and you will get alot of good information.


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## grapeman (Dec 7, 2011)

From what I have tasted Brianna makes a good wine like you guys describe. However I find the clusters small and takes quite a while picking. St Pepin was also bred by Elmer Swenson and produces much larger crops. They are higher in sugar and just as flavorful as the Brianna, but are more like ripe apricot than pineapple. It is a pistillate (all female) flower, but I have observed quite a few stamens on their flowers, meaning they do shed some pollen. When planted among other grapes up to 70 feet away, they pollinate just fine. I typically get 15-20 pounds per vine with them as 3 year vines and up to 30 pounds per vine by year 5. I have yet to get a crop large enough of Brianna to experiment with, but for me St Pepin is the more user friendly vine.


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## robie (Dec 7, 2011)

rob said:


> here is a picture of my Brianna wine after just 10 days of cs, lot of acid crystals have fallen in just a short time



OK, I give up! How did you get that heavy carboy suspended above the kitchen sink?

Real question: What do you use for cold stabilizing? Freezer, Old frig, garage when it's cold?

At what temperature do you stabilize?

I put mine in my garage this time of year. I use a Better Bottle just to be safe. We have already gotten below zero F!!!


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## robie (Dec 7, 2011)

grapeman said:


> It is a pistillate (all female) flower, but I have observed quite a few stamens on their flowers, meaning they do shed some pollen. When planted among other grapes up to 70 feet away, they pollinate just fine. I typically get 15-20 pounds per vine with them as 3 year vines and up to 30 pounds per vine by year 5.



I am not at all knowledgeable about plants, vineyards or vineyard practices, so bare with me. The St Pepin is a pistillate flower, so all female. So, it is not at all self-pollinating? Don't know where I got the idea all grapes were self-pollinating. Again, I don't know anything about them.

Since it requires other grape vines nearby, does the type of pollen providing nearby grape matter and does it affect the taste of the St Pepin grapes that end up on the vines?


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## grapeman (Dec 7, 2011)

My point is that it is not truly pistillate but a semi-hermaphrodite. Normally grapes can self pollinate, but some say St Pepin can't. In reality, fertilization can be somewhat reduced, but even with that, the clusters are still 3 times as large as Brianna. And no, pollination from another vine has absolutely no effect on flavors, only the resulting genes of the seeds. I like to tell people the St Pepin wine is like a red, only it is a white. By that I mean it has higher tannins than most whites and has a nice lingering finish. It is also a nice aromatic wine, much like a Reisling, but like Julie said about the Brianna, a bit different. Go to my online store and check out the description on my label (see the banner that pops up sometimes).

Brianna on left-StPepin on right


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## rob (Dec 7, 2011)

Robie- after I posted that pic I was wondering how long it would take for someone to notice....I can lift a 6 gallon carboy 6 feet high with one hand...hahaha, not really... that picture is of a half gallon jug.


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## rob (Dec 7, 2011)

grapeman said:


> My point is that it is not truly pistillate but a semi-hermaphrodite. Normally grapes can self pollinate, but some say St Pepin can't. In reality, fertilization can be somewhat reduced, but even with that, the clusters are still 3 times as large as Brianna. And no, pollination from another vine has absolutely no effect on flavors, only the resulting genes of the seeds. I like to tell people the St Pepin wine is like a red, only it is a white. By that I mean it has higher tannins than most whites and has a nice lingering finish. It is also a nice aromatic wine, much like a Reisling, but like Julie said about the Brianna, a bit different. Go to my online store and check out the description on my label (see the banner that pops up sometimes).
> 
> Brianna on left-StPepin on right



Grapeman that was some good info on St. Pepin. My Briannas are in their 4th year and we got 16 pounds per vine. I will have to try a bottle of St. Pepin and see how it measures up to my Brianna. Thanks


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## rob (Dec 7, 2011)

Robie- I am doing cs in the refrig; in the garage at 33 degrees, my Brianna froze at 32, so I upped it a little.


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## robie (Dec 8, 2011)

grapeman said:


> My point is that it is not truly pistillate but a semi-hermaphrodite. Normally grapes can self pollinate, but some say St Pepin can't. In reality, fertilization can be somewhat reduced, but even with that, the clusters are still 3 times as large as Brianna. And no, pollination from another vine has absolutely no effect on flavors, only the resulting genes of the seeds. I like to tell people the St Pepin wine is like a red, only it is a white. By that I mean it has higher tannins than most whites and has a nice lingering finish. It is also a nice aromatic wine, much like a Reisling, but like Julie said about the Brianna, a bit different. Go to my online store and check out the description on my label (see the banner that pops up sometimes).
> 
> Brianna on left-StPepin on right



Thanks so much for the info. As I said, I know almost nothing about viticulture. Funny, I find myself being drawn to it, though, like somewhere deep inside there is a farmer who wants to get out a grow some grapes. That is a lame description I know; just something that's telling me it is important.

Wow, your web site has really grown since last time I looked! I know that was a lot of work for someone.

Thanks again.


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## robie (Dec 8, 2011)

rob said:


> Robie- I am doing cs in the refrig; in the garage at 33 degrees, my Brianna froze at 32, so I upped it a little.



It froze at 32F? 

As I wrote, I have to do mine in the garage. We are getting down to at least the lower 20'sF pretty much every night now. In the garage, it is a little warmer than outside. I'd like to get a small frig just for CS.


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## grapeman (Dec 8, 2011)

I thought the same thing robie???? Wine will not freeze at 32 since it has alcohol in it. If it did and was truly w32 F, then there was 0 alchohol in it (which I doubt). I CS at about 24 for a couple weeks if needed, but I keep the winery at about 45 right now and the acid has dropped like crazy.


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## rob (Dec 9, 2011)

I know, hard to figure out. I had it in the refridg in a half gallon jug and the setting was at the lowest number, There was a thermometer that read 32, the wine froze. I moved the setting up about two numbers and the thermometer still read 32 but the wine thawed. I placed the same thermometer next to my home thermostat and it was one degree off. This wine started out with a sg of 1.100 in September


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## ffemt128 (Dec 20, 2011)

So has anyone sweetened their Brianna yet? Where did you take it to? Just curious as to a starting point.


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## djrockinsteve (Dec 20, 2011)

Ron can tell you what he did his last year. I won't touch mine until late March.


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## djrockinsteve (Dec 20, 2011)

I just looked at the couple bottles of Brianna Skeeter I couldn't fit in a Carboy that I sweetened and thus turned into champagne was taken to 1.000

It was awesome.


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## ffemt128 (Dec 20, 2011)

djrockinsteve said:


> Ron can tell you what he did his last year. I won't touch mine until late March.



I was planning on backsweetening sometime around the middle to the end of January then bottle around the time you mention.


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## grapeman (Dec 20, 2011)

I find 1.002 for Elmer Swenson grapes is great. It really brightens up the fruit- Pineapple in Brianna's case.


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## Julie (Dec 20, 2011)

ffemt128 said:


> I was planning on backsweetening sometime around the middle to the end of January then bottle around the time you mention.



1.008, lol, I can't believe you asked about this, we just got done racking the Brianna, it is really looking good, I'm thinking I'll be bottling sometime in January. And Mike and I both think that it could have been a little drier. Do like Steve said and start out with 1.000.


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## rob (Dec 20, 2011)

last year when we sweeted the Brianna, I did not go by a hydrometer.. What I did was sweeted to tastes. I kept the formula as to how much was added. When done it was exactly like a German Reliesling, which is my favorite. I started out with 2 grams of sugar to 50ml of wine then 2 1/2 grams of sugar per 50ml of wine, then went to 3 grams per 50ml and that was to sweet, so with that said I settled on 2 1/2 grams of sugar per 50ml = 200 grams per gallon. For what its worth my wife thought it was a little to sweet. I kept 50 bottles of it dry and some people have perfered it over the sweeted
I am really glad you guys are enjoying the Brianna, let me know if you want more next year.


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## Julie (Dec 20, 2011)

Rob, I do not even have to wait until next year to tell you I am want any. I do and I am thinking of getting 2 buckets. I'm thinking Steve better get a bigger truck.


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## ffemt128 (Dec 20, 2011)

rob said:


> last year when we sweeted the Brianna, I did not go by a hydrometer.. What I did was sweeted to tastes. I kept the formula as to how much was added. When done it was exactly like a German Reliesling, which is my favorite. I started out with 2 grams of sugar to 50ml of wine then 2 1/2 grams of sugar per 50ml of wine, then went to 3 grams per 50ml and that was to sweet, so with that said I settled on 2 1/2 grams of sugar per 50ml = 200 grams per gallon. For what its worth my wife thought it was a little to sweet. I kept 50 bottles of it dry and some people have perfered it over the sweeted
> I am really glad you guys are enjoying the Brianna, let me know if you want more next year.





Julie said:


> Rob, I do not even have to wait until next year to tell you I am want any. I do and I am thinking of getting 2 buckets. I'm thinking Steve better get a bigger truck.



Based on initial tastes so far, I have to agree with Julie. Steve, I can get you a good deal on a used full size chevy.... LOL.... I would definately be interested in more of this juice.


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## rob (Dec 20, 2011)

one thing to keep in mind is Brianna is a cold climate grape which does have a high acid content. I cs all of mine, last year I never did and ended up with ice cyrstals after it was bottled and refridg. my celler never drops below 70 degrees, so if yours is cooler it may drop by itself. I would draw off a bottle and put in the refridg for a couple of days and see if it stays clear before you bottle

Rob


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## ffemt128 (Dec 21, 2011)

rob said:


> one thing to keep in mind is Brianna is a cold climate grape which does have a high acid content. I cs all of mine, last year I never did and ended up with ice cyrstals after it was bottled and refridg. my celler never drops below 70 degrees, so if yours is cooler it may drop by itself. I would draw off a bottle and put in the refridg for a couple of days and see if it stays clear before you bottle
> 
> Rob



Right now my cellar is between 55-58 degrees and in the summer doesn't get above 68. It's been dropping acid since fermentation stopped. I'm about due to rack this again I think. Maybe today or tomorrow then I can see if it is still dropping acid.


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## ffemt128 (Dec 22, 2011)

I racked this again yesterday. Sg was .992. I took 1 750 ml bottle and backsweetened to 1.002 (20g of sugar) and it was just about perfect in my opinion. I'll wait another month to see if anything else drops out then back sweeten middle to the end of January. My wife thought this was outstanding.

Thanks Rob and Steve.


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## djrockinsteve (Dec 22, 2011)

As great as it tastes now just wait.


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## ffemt128 (Dec 22, 2011)

djrockinsteve said:


> As great as it tastes now just wait.



I agree and told myself and my wife, this does not get touched for sampling until at least March.....


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## rob (Jan 8, 2012)

last fall when we crushed theses grapes I held back 2 gallon of pure juice and froze it. I just added 3/4 of a quart to the 6 gallon carboy, it changed the sg from .975 to .984 not much...is that enough to change the flavor. I sorta kinda can taste a difference, in the past it seems I have to make more drastic changes to taste something different...maybe I just lack a good pallet. What are your thoughts??


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## grapeman (Jan 8, 2012)

I think your hydrometer is off. More likely about.994 to begin, so it would be about 1.004 now. That should be OK. Too much more and it will get too sweet and dilute the alchohol. You could have taken a gallon and reduced it on the stovetop by half and put that in. The diltion would have been the same as now, but twice the added flavor and a bit sweeter, which brings out the fruit. I bet it will be great as is in a couple months or more.


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## rob (Jan 8, 2012)

Thanks Grapeman, But I no longer use a hydrometer, just the refractometer. I found it to be much more accrurate.


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## grapeman (Jan 8, 2012)

I don't understand. The readings you gave are for a hydrometer scale of specific gravity. A refractrometer reads and measures brix and as it ferments and alchohol forms, it doesn't give an accurate reading. Do you have a digital one or something?


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## rob (Jan 8, 2012)

Sorry Grapeman, I should of been more specific, I posted a thread on this a few weeks back. Yes I did give the sg reading from the hydrometer, but only because I converted it from a refractometer calculator. The great thing about using the refractometor meter is you take away most of the guess work. Keep in mind the refractometer will read the sugar in the must, but once you start adding alcohol it skews the reading, so you will need a sg calculator to convert. Bottom line is it is much easier to read a scale on the refractometer over the hydrometer, plus it will give you increments much smaller.


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## grapeman (Jan 8, 2012)

Rob my main point was that the readings you gave are just too low for wine to go. It just does not ever go below .990 and usually ends at .994 or so at dry. We all have our instruments of choice and you should use what you are comfortable with, just make sure it is accurate.

By the way, the grapes in my avatar are St. Pepin, another one of Elmer Swenson's varieties.


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## djrockinsteve (Jan 8, 2012)

grapeman said:


> Rob my main point was that the readings you gave are just too low for wine to go. It just does not ever go below .990 and usually ends at .994 or so at dry. We all have our instruments of choice and you should use what you are comfortable with, just make sure it is accurate.
> 
> By the way, the grapes in my avatar are St. Pepin, another one of Elmer Swenson's varieties.



Beg to differ. My wines frequently go below .990. It's just that the hydrometer won't show that. If you use a refractor you can see exactly how far below it is. 

Rob has done a few tests lately that are interesting. Just gotta get em posted.


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## grapeman (Jan 8, 2012)

This could turn out to be pretty interesting. I have never heard of wine below a specific gravity of .990. I am not beyond learning new things..............


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## djrockinsteve (Jan 8, 2012)

Rob needs to explain it. He used a refractor to measure sugar and you can convert that reading to a gravity. It goes much lower. 

I add superferment at 1.000 and seal it up after stirring must real well. I have to add a good amount of sugar just to get it to .990. From there my hydrometer works perfect. 

With the refractor measuring sugar of the must that answers a lot of questions I have regarding this. I'll mail him and have him post it.


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## Runningwolf (Jan 8, 2012)

Interesting I use both instruments and have not gone below .990 either. My refractometer is a digital. There are a few good spread sheets for converting brix to sg. I think More Wine and Valley Vinter both have them.

Steve I also just started using Superferment also 2/3 the way through fermentation. I am using goferm for my starters.


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## grapeman (Jan 8, 2012)

You also need a spreadsheet calculation to correct for the alchohol in the wine or beer. The lower the sg drops, the more the alchohol affects the reading. For me, I just use the refractometer for juice and initial testing. Once I get to clear wine, I prefer the hydrometer. To me, thousandths is close enough and I don't need any conversions that could lead to math errors.


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## Runningwolf (Jan 8, 2012)

Rich the spread sheet I use is from start to finish of the wine. So it takes into account your initial reading and each subsequent reading after that. I am not a math person so I can't explain it. Regardless I still just can't get away from taking a hydrometer reading anyways. The calculations come out very close. If anything it's possible the hydrometer could be off because I'm not degassing first.

Some day I'll get a set of just brix hydrometers that will have very short spreads for easier reading and accuracy.


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