# Waldos Muscadine/Grape Wine



## Waldo (Sep 29, 2005)

I am going to try a Muscadine/Grape wine and have formulated the following recipe by taking a recipe for a gallon ofMuscadine and doubling all the required ingrediantsand doing the same, except increasing all the ingrediants required 4 fold for the Grape concentrate recipe.. If I am amiss I need feedback on what I need to change/adjust. It will be a 6 gallon batch and my recipe is as follows:


12 lbs. Muscadines


8 cans Welch's 100% Frozen Concentrate


9.5 lbs. Sugar


8 tsp. Acid Blend


6 tsp. Pectic Enzyme


6 tsp. Yeast Nutrient


2 Crushed Campden Tablets


1 Package Montrachet Yeast


Step 1. Crush/Smush Muscdines and add to strainer bag. Place in Primary Fermenter. Add thawed Grape concentrate.


Step 2. Boil 3 quarts water, dissolve sugar in water and add to primary. Let cool then add crushedCampden tablets, Pectic Enzyme and Acid Blend. Stir well, then stir some more. Add water to 6 gallons and let sit for 24 hours.


Step 3. Check and adjust SG if necessary to 1.095 and pitch yeast.


Step 4. Stirring Must twice daily, Ferment to 1.030 then rack to carboy, topping up as required. 


Step 5. Ferment to dry, racking/topping upas required. Stabalize with Campden tablets and Sorbate and continue racking as neededuntil wine clears.


Step 6. Bottle Wine


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## masta (Sep 29, 2005)

Hippie can handle this one but I would say you don't need 6 tsp of yeast nutrientand pectic enzyme....maybe 3 of each.


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## Waldo (Sep 29, 2005)

I will go ahead and start with that number then Masta and add the additional later if Hippie so advises.


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## Waldo (Sep 29, 2005)

Pictures of step 1.








Muscadines were frozen for about 3 weeks








Rinsed and put back in zip loc bags( A good double handful per bag)





Tried something different here Hippie and it worked great. Instead of mashing muscadinesin the bag with my hands, I used a rolling pin.








All ingrediants except yeast added to must and stirred in really well with myFizz X








Will check and adjust SG tomorrow evening and then pitch yeast*Edited by: Waldo *


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## Hippie (Sep 29, 2005)

The recipe looks good, Waldo, but I am biased against the concord concentrate and have yet to see a good wine made from it. I am not saying this to discourage you, just my personal opinion. I would have made a 3 gallon batch of muscadine wine instead. It at least looks great! Good idea with the rolling pin. Please explain your reason for using the Montrachet yeast.


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## Waldo (Sep 30, 2005)

Not being schooled sufficiently in the different strains of yeast and their enhancements or disadvantages over another strain in making a particular type of wine,I am still leaning on what was used by others in a similiar wine. 3 out of 4 recipes I looked at for Muscadine specifically listed the Montrachet and the 4th simply listed a champagne yeast. I am open to suggestion for use of a different type of yeast.


I checked the SG and TA on the must this morning at a Must temperature of 74 degrees. The TA was around 3.6 and the SG was at 1.130*Edited by: Waldo *


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## Hippie (Sep 30, 2005)

3.6 is actually the ph, right? The montrachet will probably poop out before it ferments all that sugar to dry. Lalvin 71B-1122 is a very good yeast for native grapes. Rotundifolia and Labrusca are both native grapes.


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## peterCooper (Sep 30, 2005)

Got to agree. 1.13 SG is a bit over 17 1/2% alcohol if fermented to dry. 
Montrachet will not go much beyond 13%

The notes on montrachet say it will not tolerate sugar much above 23.5% 
which equates to an SG of 1.095 I'm not sure if will poop out before 
fermenting to dry or simply not start.


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## Waldo (Sep 30, 2005)

That is correct Hippie..PH not TA



Now Ihave a dilema..I have on hand for yeast the following choices:


Montcharet of course...which is no longer under consideration


EC-1118


KI-V1116


Premier Cuvee


I am going to begin a starter with the EC-1118 which I believe will give me the best chance for a good fermentation and use it instead of just pitching the yeast


*Edited by: Waldo *


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## Hippie (Sep 30, 2005)

Either the 1118 or the 1116 are good choices for high sugar musts. Did you mistakenly get the must too sweet?


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## peterCooper (Sep 30, 2005)

Did you recheck the SG and TA?


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## Waldo (Oct 1, 2005)

HIPPIE and Peter...


I actually used 1/2 lb less sugar than I had in my recipe and the SG was still that high so what I ended up doing, I siphoned off 1 gallon into another, smaller fermenter. I then added back a gallon of water to my primary and stirred well. It brought the SG down to 1.120 and I went ahead and pitched my starter which I had made from the EC 1118 and then made a starter with the K V1116 and added it to the gallon batch. As of late this evening both were fermenting good. The PH was still showing to be around 3.6 with the test strips. I guess technically now I have 6 gallon of Muscadine/Grape and One gallon of just Concord Grape fermenting.


Muscadine Grape Fermenting in Primary








Muscadine Grape in Small Fermenter








Muscadine Grape fermenting in small fermenter





*Edited by: Waldo *


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## Hippie (Oct 2, 2005)

Waldo, are you sure on the SG reading? It started out as 1.030, then you replaced a gallon of must with 1 gallon of water and it only brought it down to 1.020? Also, the ph should be higher now. I am confused.


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## Waldo (Oct 2, 2005)

The beginning reading was 1.130 Hippie and the reading now is 1.120. The color on the strip did not change that much that I could tell any noticeable difference in the PH. I am sure it had to have changed it though.


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## masta (Oct 2, 2005)

According to my calculations adding a gallon of water to 5 gallons of must at 1.130 SG should lower it by .02 and that would give you 1.110.


The pH is tricky since the dilution is with water which is neutral pH ~7.0 and I agree the change is not enough to notice with pH strips.


With the dilution of water I am sure the TA of the must was changed enough to see a noticeable difference if tested.


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## Waldo (Oct 2, 2005)

May have been a cup or two shy of a full gallon that I added back to it. I know the reading was right on 1.120 right before I added my starter to it. She is still bubbling fine though and the odor is heavenly. I wish I had some oak cubes to throw in on it.


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## Hippie (Oct 2, 2005)

Gotta plan ahead, friend!


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## Waldo (Oct 3, 2005)

I know Hippie. Or should I say, "I am learning"


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## Hippie (Oct 3, 2005)

Yes, you are.


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## Waldo (Oct 4, 2005)

SG this morning on the gallon batch was 1.010 at a Must temp of 74 degrees. SG on the 6 gallon batch was at 1.018 at a Must temp of 72 degrees. The fermentation is still going strong. Stirred must well and gave muscadines a good squeezing. Put lid on tight and attached airlock.


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## Hippie (Oct 4, 2005)

Gonna rack to glass tonight?


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## Waldo (Oct 4, 2005)

Most definately did Hippie. I wanted to this morning but ran outa time. It was still fermenting pretty strong so I left it plenty of bubble up room for right now. Will check and see how it is doing in the morning and top it up some more if it looks ok









I pulled the strainer bag with the muscadines and added it to the gallon fermenter that I started with the 6 gallon. Going to letthe gallonone go to .990 befor I rack it to glass.*Edited by: Waldo *


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## Hippie (Oct 4, 2005)

Looks great! If all goes well with racking and loss, maybe you will eventually be able to combine both into one carboy. Maybe you should get a 5 gallon barrel, or 10!*Edited by: Hippie *


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## Waldo (Oct 5, 2005)

I checked with Snyder Industries ( Our supplier of tanks for our Truck Wash Systems) on the price of a 550 gallon Cone Bottom Tank to ferment in Hippie


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## Waldo (Oct 5, 2005)

Still strong fermentation goingg on this evening. Going to leave it alone, check SG tomorrow and possibly top it up a bit.


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## Hippie (Oct 5, 2005)

Man that looks good!


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## Waldo (Oct 5, 2005)

Thanks Hippie..I am hoping to have some good juice to top up with. I squeezed the beejuices out of the strainer bag of muscadines in the gallon fermenter tonight and it smelled really good.


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## Hippie (Oct 6, 2005)

Perfect! I might be eating my words about the concord concentrate!


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## Waldo (Oct 6, 2005)

Fermentation had slowed considerably this moning ( Exactly as Hippie predicted it would ) so I went ahead and topped it up a bit with the batch from the gallon fermenter


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## Waldo (Oct 6, 2005)

Checked SG this evning and it is now at 1.000 and still fermenting. If it don't taste good I can burn it in my lawnmower


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## MedPretzel (Oct 6, 2005)

Man, looking at that picture (sorry for the delay), I want to dive right in and bathe in that carboy.


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## Hippie (Oct 6, 2005)

Waldo said:


> Checked SG this evning and it is now at 1.000 and still fermenting. If it don't taste good I can burn it in my lawnmower




ROFLMAO!


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## Waldo (Oct 7, 2005)

And MArtina did it


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## Waldo (Oct 9, 2005)

Checked SG this evening and it is still at .980. The same readng I got yesterday evening so I went ahead and racked it,








This one is definately going to have some kick to it.Using my beginning and endineSG readings to determine PAIcalculated itat 15%








cleaned up carboy and racked wine back to it. I dissolved 6 campden tablets and 2-1/2 tsp SOrbate in some cool water, added it to carboy and stirred well with fizz x. Got a lot of foam, a bit of overrun but not bad. 








Topped it off and set it aside...wondering, "What am I going to make next












Here is my label I designed for this wine





*Edited by: Waldo *


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## Hippie (Oct 9, 2005)

Are you sure of the hydrometer measurement? .980 is the lowest SG of any wine I have ever heard of! Is it .998?


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## Waldo (Oct 10, 2005)

You are correct Hipppie.. It was .998


I was just checking tro see if you was paying attention


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## peterCooper (Oct 10, 2005)

Pretty lable Waldo.

Am I allowed to say that. We're not on the labeling forum.


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## Waldo (Oct 10, 2005)

Thanks Peter..Perhaps masta will overlook it this time


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## Hippie (Oct 10, 2005)

The Hippie is always paying attention!


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## MedPretzel (Oct 10, 2005)

I love the label.









The wine aint too shabby either.


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## Waldo (Oct 11, 2005)

Thanks Martina. I am just hoping the wine will be worthy of the label. Worse case scenario is a Christmas gift in mason quart fruit jars to the wino's under the Broadway street bridge in NLR


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## peterCooper (Oct 11, 2005)

So basically you're saying I have to travel all the way up to Broadway Street?


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## Waldo (Oct 11, 2005)




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## Waldo (Oct 26, 2005)

Racked and stabalizedmy Muscadine/Grape this evening to free up my 6 gallon carboy. SG was at .980 and I tried something different. I racked off 1 gallon first into a 1 gallon jug then I racked4 1/2 Gallon into a 5 gallon carboy. I mixed up 4 campden tablets and 2 tsp of Sorbate in my Magic Bullet








I added the Campden and Sorbate to the 5 gallon carboy and degassed it.








I then dissolved one more campden and 1/2 tsp of Sorbate, added it to the gallon jug and degassed it and added enough of that to the 5 gallon carboy to fill it. Why did I do that? Well, now all of the wine in my 5 gallon carboy has been degassed.I had no drawn off reserve that had not been degassed added back to my carboy. What was left in the gallon jug, I finished racking what was leftfrom my 6 gallon to it. Was not quite a full gallon so I topped it off with some of my muscadine and put an airlock on it.


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## Hippie (Oct 27, 2005)

Good job Waldo!


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## Waldo (Nov 25, 2005)

Racked my Muscadine/Grape wine this morning and I am well pleased with the development thus far. 








The Muscadine is definately going to be the dominant flavor on this blend but the grape does add a subtle taste of vino that I think added a pleasing/different character to the wine. I think a little more acidity would help give itmore body but I am going to leave it as is. I think I will still be on schedule to bottle this around the first of the year if it cotinues clearing at its present rate.


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## NorthernWinos (Dec 3, 2005)

So, how is this wine coming along now??
You mentioned in another post that you were going to buy more plants...? I Googled Mescalines and it looks like they are a wild grape...right??? [I wouldn't know as I live in the frozen tundra of Minnesota] I was just curious as to what they were.... 
Anyway, grapes are very easy to propagate and I would think in your climate that you could make more plants from cuttings and layering. 
Layering....Does the vine has tendrils along the vine where the leaves grow????? then....Take a long vine and just bury that portion of the vine that has some tendrils in the soil a few inches deep, let the end of the vine breathe and in a few months there should be roots forming at the tendril area that is burried...... give it some time and then sever the plant end of the vine and let the buried roots grow a bit more on their own, then in 6 months or so ....you have a new plant, just like the mother plant.
Cuttings, you can take...probably in your part of the country...anytime of the year. Cut a piece of the vine, cut pieces of that wine that have a few leaf nodes, remove all leaves and place them in a good potting soil/perlite mix in a plastic pot, put a plastic bag over the pot and place in a saucer, water regularly and keep in bright light, but not direct sunlight....floresent lights are good....maybe in time the cuttings will take root...more plants next spring.
If you know a gardener, ask them to propagate you more plants....they should root pretty easily if they are related to grapes.Good luck!!*Edited by: Northern Winos *


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## Waldo (Dec 4, 2005)

Thanks Wino...I will check in to that. As for the wine, it is doing great and will probably be bottling it in the next week or so if I can find the time. Gets really hectic this time of the year so it may just bulk age until after the first of the year.


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## Waldo (Dec 24, 2005)

Racked my Muscadine/Grapeyesterday and thinkI may have left the oak cubes in a tad too long but don't think it will be a problem. It has continued clearing nicely and going to let it continue bulk aging in the carboy until sometime after the first of the year.


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## Waldo (Jan 1, 2006)

Well, it didnt quite make it to the new year before bottling but it was ready so I bottled it yesterday. Still a bit tannic but with some age I believe it will be a good wine. 

















*Edited by: Waldo *


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## Harry (Jan 1, 2006)

Good job Waldo Sure looks good


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## Waldo (Jan 1, 2006)

Thanks Harry. Will let you know more about it sometime around the first of July



*Edited by: Waldo *


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## Hal Maulden (Jan 3, 2006)

Waldo,


I too am a muscadine/scuppernong fan. I have made several batches all with a very severe bite, even after one year in the bottle. So, I started doing some research and found out why. They are very heavy in Malic acid. This year I am added MLF bacteria to soften the Malic by converting to Lactic. See my post under Chemicals and testing. I believe this will greatly improve my muscadine. Also, I did a scuppernong this year by pressing the juice and not fermenting on the skins. I will let you know how it turns out.


Hal


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## Waldo (Jan 3, 2006)

Thanks Hal...Will be interesting to see how it does off the skins


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