Making Wine From Juice (& What's A Good One To Try?)

OK, about six weeks ago we starting making wine for the first time- pear wine. I just picked up two more 5 gallon glass carboys for $17.50 a piece from a local guy, so I'm looking to start up another few batches of something.

Rather than use fruit again I'd like to try my hand at making wine from juice from the Walmart or something. I'm leaning towards Cherry or Tart Cherry (either one better than the other), but will take advice from others on what other kind of juice makes a good wine that can be bought at Walmart or the grocery store.

I've got MANY questions here so I'll order them by number and hope to get some answers as we are newbies at this stuff.

1) Does making wine from juice have any advantages or disadvanges, like not tasting as good or something?

2) Does making wine from juice cause it to clear faster and thus can be bottled faster? If so, how soon can you bottle it (I want to push things as fast as possible).

3) Does racking change with juice and how? Meaning, are there less rackings needed and how often should they be done?

4) Since I'm going to buy a Hydromemeter and acid test kit to use this time, I could use quick and dirty instructions on testing both, when, what to read, and how to calibrate. Probably primary readings/adjustments, and then adjustments after it's been in the primary for a while or something. Remember I'm a total newbie at this, so I could use some detailed info on this, how to read these things, and what to do. Also, is one acid kit better/easier to use than another?

5) What type of yeast to use. We used Champain for the pear wine.

6) Ingredients along with how many Campden tablets to use & when (7 gallon primary, 5 gallon secondary).

7) Some ingredients and/or instructions for whatever type of juice being used would be nice.

7) What should I be looking for with the juice? Meaning, what is it allowed to have in it and what it should never have in it. Also, is pasturized OK?

8) Any taste differences between juice or using the actual fruit here?

Thanks if you can answer all these questions.

Glad to hear you are progressing however please understand you can't rush wine and expect it to be great. Example fast cook a roast and it's okay, slow cook it and it falls apart. Wine take stime to mellow and blend with the flavors in the wine etc. It is very difficult so I suggest you make a variety and try them from time to time but try to save them until at least a year. Then as you do more it will be easier to wait as you will have others. Patience.

Answer 1. Your best juice actually comes from the fruit, the best is probably going to be fresh such as just picked. Juice from wineries will be the next best then frozen juice or concentrates. I have used Old Orchard Brand frozen juice to back sweeten and it had excellent results. You can produce a decent wine from 100% juice, no preservatives aside from ascorbic acid. Keep in mind the reason these juices are in the grocery store is because they don't make excellent wines. Have you ever seen a Merlot or Cab. Sauv. frozen concentrate at the grocery store? They are good for learning though.

2. No again you must be patient.

3. No. Weather a little or a lot of sediment it's a time thing. Let nature and gravity do their thing.

4. A hydrometer and an acid test kit are easy to use. I'll post links to the "How To" where these are explained.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10346

Brand wise? Just get them from a quality wine/beer store or one of our splonsors on the forum. They tend to have better prices.

5. Lalvin brand. Kind depends upon what wine you are making.

6. 1 camden tablet per gallon at the beginning. A bottle (or dry) pectic enzymes @$3.00?, acid blend (small bag), yeast nutrient and or super ferment, yeast, juice or fruit, Sparkolloid or bentonite, (prefer sparkolloid myself). Sorbate and white sugar. Potassium Metabisulfite powder. Similar to Camden tablets but easier to use.

If you haven't already it would be helpful to read the "How To's" I've done for some of these.

7. 100% pure juice. No sorbate or sulfite. Unpasteurised better.

8. No. Your juice comes from the fruit.

From my experience, juice drops less sediment. I would use tart cherries and have had success making cherry wine with both montrachet (even though it has a bad rep.) and cotes de blanc. I would try to avoid any juice or concentrate with artificial flavors as I have bad experience with anything like this in the past. It may not be as good as fresh fruit, but you can still make good wines from the concentrates available at your local store.

I think you are an excellent candidate for the Vino Italiano kit from Amazon. They have detailed instructions, many of the supplies and can be done in 4-5 weeks. You will learn a lot about making kit wines for a very affordable price. Keep in mind, you get what you pay for, it is not high quality stuff.
If you get a Chardonnay you can be drinking in 10-12 weeks. Many on this forum frown on these "basic" kits but I am not one of them. If you do buy this kit let me know, I can give a you a tip or two to make it palatable.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ELJK4G/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Here we go:

1) Does making wine from juice have any advantages or disadvanges, like not tasting as good or something?

One of my all time favorit wines is this one:
http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2008/05/klaar-voor-de-zomer-ready-for-summer.html

Made from apple-peach juice from Aldi's. I make 10 gallon each year in spring and its always gone before the end of summer !!!

2) Does making wine from juice cause it to clear faster and thus can be bottled faster? If so, how soon can you bottle it (I want to push things as fast as possible).

Yes. This can be bottled witin 2 months after it is started. Your mileage my differ depending on the juice, yeast and other variables.

3) Does racking change with juice and how? Meaning, are there less rackings needed and how often should they be done?

I never rack mine. I bottle it as soon as it's finished and like said that is usually within two months.

4) Since I'm going to buy a Hydromemeter and acid test kit to use this time, I could use quick and dirty instructions on testing both, when, what to read, and how to calibrate. Probably primary readings/adjustments, and then adjustments after it's been in the primary for a while or something. Remember I'm a total newbie at this, so I could use some detailed info on this, how to read these things, and what to do. Also, is one acid kit better/easier to use than another?

Here is my 5 part story on acid measuring with an acis titration kit. Start with part 1 thats the basic titration method:

http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2010/09/zuurmeting-deel-5-measuring-acidity.html

5) What type of yeast to use. We used Champain for the pear wine.

General purpose wineyeast.

6) Ingredients along with how many Campden tablets to use & when (7 gallon primary, 5 gallon secondary).

All depending on the kind of wine your making and the methods you are using. Fresh Pears can be processed by chopping and pressing, freezing and pressing then pulp fermenting or pure juice fermenting. Too many variables.

7) Some ingredients and/or instructions for whatever type of juice being used would be nice.

Here you can find a general story on processing storebought juice:
http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2010/07/ijstheewijn-iceteawine.html

And here is one about store bought grapejuice:
http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2009/12/merlot.html

7) What should I be looking for with the juice? Meaning, what is it allowed to have in it and what it should never have in it. Also, is pasturized OK?

Pasteurised is OK. No conserving materilas should be in it like sulphite, sorbate and ascorbin acid (vitamin C)

8) Any taste differences between juice or using the actual fruit here?

Can be. Juice is pressed fruit. Wine can be made while fermenting on the pulp. That would give you a far more rich flavor.

besides that, storebought juice can be concentrated juice that has been reconstituted by adding water. However when too much water was added there is to low body and flavor.
So processed fruit can often be much better as store bought juice,

Luc

Cheap fast and good

White Grape Peach (1 Gallon)

2 64 oz bottles of Great Value White Grape Peach (Walmart)
Sugar to S.G. of 1.080
½ tsp Pectic Enzyme
1 tsp citric acid
1 tsp yeast nutrient
½ tsp yeast energizer
¼ tsp Bentonite
1 Campden Tablet

After 24 hours
Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast

Stir daily until SG = 1.020
When SG = 1.020 rack into 1 gallon Jug
Insert Stopper and Air Lock
Check SG daily
When fermentation ends (SG = @ 0.996 3 days in a row) rack again. Time is not critical can go a few days if need be.

AFTER RACKING ADD
1 Campden Tablet
1/2 tsp potassium sorbate
F-PAC made from 1 pound bag of frozen peaches
Sweeten (I sweetened to 1.022 S.G.)
Insert Stopper and Air Lock

BULK AGE 90 DAYS TO CLARIFY
Rack to clean 1 gallon jug
Degass
Filter
Add 1 Campden Tablet
Wait 14 days
Bottle
Drink in 30 days but longer is better

Thanks for the info. I'm starting a new thread on cheap/fast wines that you can bottle or drink faster to see if that goes some where.