# Wine Conditioner Substitute?



## stormbringer (Aug 6, 2008)

Making a batch of muscadine and I use the red wine conditioner that George sells to backsweeten. Does anyone know of a home-made substitute wine conditioner that will pretty much mirror the qualities of the WE conditioner? My recipe is specific and the results are always good with the WE conditioner but I'm curious if maybe I could make my own?</font></font>


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## Wade E (Aug 6, 2008)

Im pretty sure the conditioner is just an inverted sugar which is a simple sugar syrup consisting of 1 cup of boiling water to 2 cups of sugar and then cooled down. I believe it also has sorbate in it to prevent it from fermenting in the bottle but as long as you are making just for the batch you are going to add it to and not trying to store it you can just add that to your wine along with the k-meta when your wine is stabilized.


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## smurfe (Aug 6, 2008)

Do you use the red concentrate (purple/red in color)to sweeten or the Wine Conditioner (gold/light honey color)? They are two different things. The red concentrate is concentrated grape juice like the juice in a wine kit. The Wine Conditioner is a sugar solution like Wade states. If you are using the conditioner, just make a simple sugar solution.


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## stormbringer (Aug 6, 2008)

What I meant to ask is: Anyone know a good substitute for the Red Grape Concentrate? I have bottles of the concentrate _and _the conditioner on hand. The concentrate really adds body and sweetens my muscadine wine.

I searched the forum and a couple of the results stated the concentrate was similar to the F-pack ingredients in the kits. And someone stated that they took some bottled juiced and cooked it down to reduce the volume and added it, I think, somewhat similar to the concentrate.

Anyone ever try this with good results? 
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## Waldo (Aug 7, 2008)

Do the same thing with some Muscadines storm. Use about 3-4 lbs Muscadines with 3 cups of sugar added to them, Cook them down and strain through a sieve.


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## stormbringer (Aug 7, 2008)

I steam my fruit and extract the juice. I guess I could figure a ratio of juice/sugar and boil it to make a backsweetner that also adds a little more body to the wine. 

This is sorta out there but here it is: If I checked the S.G. of the WE concentrate and made some muscadine/sugar concentrate with the same S.G.; the amount added in my recipe to backsweeten ought to be about the same?


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## smurfe (Aug 7, 2008)

stormbringer said:


> I steam my fruit and extract the juice. I guess I could figure a ratio of juice/sugar and boil it to make a backsweetner that also adds a little more body to the wine.
> 
> This is sorta out there but here it is: If I checked the S.G. of the WE concentrate and made some muscadine/sugar concentrate with the same S.G.; the amount added in my recipe to backsweeten ought to be about the same?




I don't see why that wouldn't work. As long as the wine was stabilized you would basically be making a flavored sugar solution.


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## Wade E (Aug 7, 2008)

I have been making the concentrate out of juices for a few years. i find that making a juice that tastes like something you would drink and then reducing it down by 2/3 works the best so as not t ilute your wine too much but add the sweetness and flavor you want. I do this by simmering it in a pot on the stove on medium.


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