# muscadine -- first timer



## cecilias9 (Jul 4, 2010)

I just processed my frozen muscadine grapes that were thawed. I have about 3 1/2 gallons of juice and then the skins took up about 6 knee high panty hose. Seems like more skins than juice. Is that about right??? I just added the campden tablets and will let it sit now for 12-18 hours as on Waldo's video. Just want to make sure that the juice/skins ratio is about right. Thanks, Cecilia


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## Waldo (Jul 4, 2010)

You are fine on the ratio. What size batch are you doing? Make sure that once fermentation begins that you punch down thos panty hose filled strainer bags twice a day. I would suggest using a largesanitized stainless spoon and and press the strainer bagsgently against the sides of the fermenter each time you you punch them down.I would lso recommend that after day 4 you remove the strainer bags. Squeeze them GENTLY and then remove them.


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## Julie (Jul 4, 2010)

Hi,


Are you from the south? I would love to get some muscadine grapes, did you buy them or do you grow them?


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## cecilias9 (Jul 5, 2010)

We live in Tennessee. We have 5 acres and it is cross-fenced. All along the fences, I don't know how many yards, there are muscadine vines. Dear husband likes the way they look.




For years I have made jam and let the birds and bees have what neighbors didn't want, and so few want to come and pick. Finally, I thought wine would be a fun way to put them to use instead of waste. So to make a short answer -- we grow our own  It was a lot harder processing the grapes than I thought it would be. Took all day.


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## cecilias9 (Jul 5, 2010)

Well, I hope to do a five gallon batch. But we didn't weigh the grapes before we started crushing/pressing them, so I don't know what it will yield.


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## Waldo (Jul 5, 2010)

You will have plenty for a 5 gallon batch.


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## gaudet (Jul 5, 2010)

Hey there cecilias9, I use the steamed juice from the muscadines, and I try to use about 10 quarts of juice for a 6 gallon batch. I started growing mine last year, so I hope to be in full swing of grape production in another year or two. You can expect about 60#'s per 20 foot of vines. Sounds like you have an abundance of grapes and will have no problems making as much wine as you want. You might consider getting a press or a steam juicer if you don't already have one. Waldo is the guru of muscadines and I am still his apprentice. 

Welcome aboard to you and to Julie

Julie, you can check out http://www.pickyourown.org to find growers in your area of fruit and veggies. Happy wining


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## cecilias9 (Jul 5, 2010)

OK Waldo, on your video you mention adding calcium carbonate. I don't that in my kit... what is it. Do I have to get it from a wine shop?


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## Julie (Jul 5, 2010)

Hi Cecilias9,














Calcium carbonate reduces acid. Do you have an acid test kit? If not you should get one and check the acid in your must. It is fairly easy to do, instructions that come with the kit are pretty understanding.


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## cecilias9 (Jul 5, 2010)

I don't have an acid test kit. We just got the average wine kit, I guess. My SG when I started was 1.06, but I broke my hydrometer so I do have to go tothe wine shop tomorrow. So I will get another hydrometer, some calcium carbonate and an acid test. Is there anything else I am going to need because it is a really good drive to the wine shop in Nashville, close to an hour away from us. Will my juice wait til tomorrow for the next ingredients? All it has so far is the campden tablets.


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## Julie (Jul 5, 2010)

LOL, buy more than one hydrometer, I broke three within the last year. Also, make sure you have a good supply of campden or k-meta and sorbate. Also, pick up a handful of yeast. Once you get started in making wine you will try to ferment everything in site. Trust me, you will, so one of the things I realize is everytime I want to start a wine, I am out of yeast.




I started making wine in the same fashion that you are doing. We have concord grapes growing that I always make jelly with but no one eats the jelly anymore so I started to make wine.


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## grapeman (Jul 5, 2010)

I would get some Bentonite, pectic enzyme and maybe some Super-Kleer or other fining agent. The bentonite will aid in clearing and getting rid of haze. The pectic enzyme helps break down the cell structure of the skins, etc and the fining agents are for clearing the wine. None of these are expensive and will make your job easier, qicker and more complete.


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## cecilias9 (Jul 5, 2010)

Thank you Julie and appleman for your good advice. I really appreciate it. I have yeast, a whole jar of it, but as for the fining agents, I don't think so. I will add them to my list along with several additional hydrometers


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## cecilias9 (Jul 5, 2010)

BTW -- Will my juice be o.k. till tomorrow? Should I add more campden? I should be able to make it to Nashville and back by 10:30 a.m. or so. But I started my juice yesterday around 4:00 p.m.


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## Julie (Jul 5, 2010)

It should be fine


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## Waldo (Jul 6, 2010)

As Julie said, your juice will be fine. You said you have a whole jar of yeast. What kind of "whole jar" of yeast do you have" Is it wine making yeast or cooking yeast. If it's the latter I would say pick you up an assortment of wine making yeasts and keep them refrigrated until you get ready to use them. I always pull mine out of the fridge the day before I am going to use them and let it get to room temp.


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## gaudet (Jul 6, 2010)

Waldo said:


> As Julie said, your juice will be fine. You said you have a whole jar of yeast. What kind of "whole jar" of yeast do you have" Is it wine making yeast or cooking yeast. If it's the latter I would say pick you up an assortment of wine making yeasts and keep them refrigrated until you get ready to use them. I always pull mine out of the fridge the day before I am going to use them and let it get to room temp.



Agreed, some varieties to pick up are Cots D'Blanc, Montrachet, Lalvin K1V-1116, Lalvin EC-1118, Lalvin ICV D-47 to name a few. Please don't use the bread yeast unless you are making the Joe's Ancient Orange Mead recipe.


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## cecilias9 (Jul 6, 2010)

Picked up Montrachet and 71B-1122, along with all the other stuff. So my acid tested at .7% and SG at 1.062. I added the calcium carbonate, the pectic enzyme and the yeast nutrient... stirred well and covered.


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## Julie (Jul 6, 2010)

I would add more sugar to bring that sg up to around 1.080 - 1.090. 1.062 is going to give you a very low alcohol


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## cecilias9 (Jul 6, 2010)

I haven't added any sugar yet, just the calcium carbonate, pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrient. I think I add the sugar tomorrow. I am following Waldo's video  - plus tips you all give me here... Thank you, Julie.


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## gaudet (Jul 6, 2010)

Add about 3 pounds of sugar, dissolve it in some of your must by boiling it on the stove top. It will add 0.028 to your current gravity of 1.06 making it 1.088 making you have a potential alcohol of about 12.5%


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## cecilias9 (Jul 6, 2010)

Oh, thank you very much, appleman! will do.


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## cecilias9 (Jul 6, 2010)

Thank you, Gaudet. Am getting ready to do that now.


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## gaudet (Jul 6, 2010)

Did we mention we love pictures??


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## cecilias9 (Jul 7, 2010)

Pictures? Well, I am not that great with a camera or a computer, but I will see what I can do. 


Question: It seems that the recipes call for one pkg of yeast whether you are making one gallon or five gallons. How can that be?


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## gaudet (Jul 7, 2010)

Yeast multiply rapidly.... One pack is usually enough, but sometimes you may have a difficult to start must. If you want to get a jump start on the yeast you can take a cup or two of your must before you sulfite it and make a yeast starter.


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## cecilias9 (Jul 7, 2010)

Well, my SG is 1.09 or very close to it, and the temperature is 76 degrees.I hope one degreewon't matter. So... I am adding my package of Montrechet yeast! Well here is the picture!!!


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## Waldo (Jul 7, 2010)

Alright !!! Now caress that femnter a little,, sing to the must and tell them yeasties what good little boys and girls they are and to get to work on that sugar


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## cecilias9 (Jul 7, 2010)

Will do, Waldo, will do. Thanks so much. You are my inspiration!


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## cecilias9 (Jul 8, 2010)

Oh my goodness! Snap, Crackle, and Pop have come to my kitchen. They are working in my must! YAY!


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## Wade E (Jul 8, 2010)

Sounds like you have a good fermentation going and it also looks as if you did darn good with the computer and the camera!


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## Waldo (Jul 8, 2010)

Play it a little Blues music for a couple of days and when you transfer to carboy play it some good classical


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## cecilias9 (Jul 8, 2010)

WHOA!!! I thought I was supposed to stir gently twice a day, HOWEVER, my juice is stirring itself. It looks as ifthere is amotor inside and I have a little riverrapids in a bucket!!! Is all still well at this point???


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## cecilias9 (Jul 8, 2010)

Thank my son for the pictures... he's seventeen... no way I could have gotten them from my phone to the computer


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## cecilias9 (Jul 8, 2010)

I can't believe myself! I filmed a video with my phone and uploaded it to youtube: My son is a GREAT teacher! Muscadine wine churning itself: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOolLXjbonI" target="_blank">[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOolLXjboNI[/ame]
</A>











How cool is that!!!


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## Waldo (Jul 8, 2010)

Video has not uploaded yet Cecilias but you do need to punch down the strainer bag with the skins twice a day and oh yes...Here is something for you to shoot for.....This is a picture of an "06' Muscadine I did


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## cecilias9 (Jul 8, 2010)

Oh my gosh... How Beautiful!!! 


I watched my video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOolLXjboNI so it must be up now. I copied the link though into my address bar. I don't have any skins as one of your posts to me said to take them out on day four, so I did. That was yesterday.


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## cecilias9 (Jul 8, 2010)

The link isn't working. oh well, you can copy it into the address bar and it works fine. ???


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## Danny (Aug 16, 2010)

Saw you're from Tennessee, Cecilias9. Where from? I live in the Columbia area south of Nashville and will have my first crop of muscadines this year. Actually got interested in muscadines (had never heard of them before) by watching Waldo's video a number of years ago. 


Planted 4 vines three years ago and one got winter killed the first year. This year, though, the three that made it through have a LOT of grapes on them which are just starting to ripen.


Getting a brix on the few I've checked after picking from 18 - 23. From what I've read this is fairly normal, but wonder what others have seen.


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## Wade E (Aug 16, 2010)

Im amazed at the fermentation you had going on that batch, Ive never seen anything that active in my life. Can you post the recipe you used including the amount of energizer or nutrient? Are you re-engineering a Lava lamp? Hehehe


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## Waldo (Aug 17, 2010)

I caNT GET THE LINKTO WORK


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## gaudet (Aug 17, 2010)

Neither can I, did we break youtube?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOolLXjbonII found the video however... I just can't link it. 

You can search for cecilias999in the youtube search bar and you will find it however.


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## joeyd (Aug 29, 2010)

Can anyone tell me the best on line store for ordering wine making supplies? I guess by best I mean who has the best prices.


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## Rocky_Top (Aug 29, 2010)

Hi, click on the yellow "fine vine wines" at the top of the page. Great prices and the owner cares about every custumer.


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## gaudet (Aug 29, 2010)

Http://www.finevinewines.com

You can't go wrong.


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