# Muscadine vs Mustang



## captainl (Aug 5, 2011)

Ok. I have almost positively verified that the wine I started making a month ago from wild grapes where mustang grapes. I found some muscadines which look a little different and they taste....A LOT BETTER. So I am wondering if anyone has had a good experience with mustang grape wine. 

I started with 39 lbs of mustang grapes. Added sugar and water to 1.090 and what I thought would leave me with 5 gallons after racking. fermented at 78 degrees. Attempted to adjust the acid with one of those $10 kits. As far as I could tell it was somewhere within the range of .45 to .60??? Removed the grapes at around 1.015 and let it ferment to dry in the bucket. I checked the SG 2 times 4 days apart and it stopped at 1.002 @76 degrees. Maybe normal? It tasted very tart, acidic, and very very thick. It coated the wine glass with a pink tint. Basically legs that wouldn't completely fall. Maybe a good thing? When I racked to a carboy I was 1/2 to 3/4 of a gallon short so I topped up with some carlos rossi (another 1 gallon carboy) merlot. Hoping that will help decrease the tart/acidity. Degassed and added kmeta. I plan on letting this clarify naturally over the next year by racking every 3 months or so....and probably topping off with cheap wine. 

Anyhow after tasting the muscadine grape, I am questioning my efforts on this wine. And from what I can tell the muscadine had much thicker skins and more of a traditional "grape" flavor. The mustang had thinner skins and more of a "musty" flavor. 

Here are some pics

5 gallon carboy not full
thick wine
Make shift job to degas with one of those wine suction thingys.


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## BobF (Aug 5, 2011)

Keller has a bit of discussion about mustang grapes on his site:
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques23.asp

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/natives.asp


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## Sirs (Aug 5, 2011)

you say they have a thinner skin but they sure don't seem to be lacking in body from the looks of it most of the muscadines when really ripe will make a wine what you would call thick or least I do. the scupps/bronze variety of them are abit better as far as being not as thick. I like them all myself, I have found they seem to taste and have a better mouth feel when sweeter guess because they are so strong.


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## jamesngalveston (May 25, 2013)

if its a mustang grape, you cant eat them..there terrible so much tannin they will burn your mouth, unless you let them get just about rotten on the vine.
Muscadines, are sweet like grapes,taste excellent...
racoons will eat so many when there ripe, they will fall out the tree.


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## Julie (May 25, 2013)

jamesngalveston said:


> if its a mustang grape, you cant eat them..there terrible so much tannin they will burn your mouth, unless you let them get just about rotten on the vine.
> Muscadines, are sweet like grapes,taste excellent...
> racoons will eat so many when there ripe, they will fall out the tree.



Not sure if you realized but the last post on here was almost two years ago.


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## dessertmaker (May 25, 2013)

This is old and I've had some absolutely amazing mustang wine before.


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## hobbyiswine (Aug 11, 2013)

I have a thread going regarding my batch of mustang I have fermenting. For anyone that has had mustang wine was it dry, sweet, oaked? I am trying to decide which direction to go with my batch. Maybe a few gallons of one style and a couple of another.


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