Adding grapes

[wineview]

Wondering if this is a viable idea. I usually make my wine from juice buckets or FWK's. This is what I was thinking. Purchase a few pounds of red or black grapes from the supermarket and crushed them by hand or a few pulses in a blender. Place them in a muslin bag and add them to the juice just prior to pitching the yeast starter. Would the result be any different from adding dried grape skins in the Forte FWK? Would it be worth the effort?

Thanks

 

[ChuckD]

Don’t use a blender. You don’t want to cut up the seeds. Simply crushing the would be enough.

There are posts here about DIY skin packs that may cover it.

 

[winemaker81]

I agree with Chuck -- all you need to do is break the skins. Sanitize a potato masher.

FWK skin packs are dried Cabernet Sauvignon (IIRC), and give the wine a significant boost. The pack is dried and when reconstituted is a fair amount of skin -- keep in mind that it's skin, no pulp.

Eating grapes are grown for consumption, and are far less rich in sugar and flavor than wine grapes. Even if you add a lot of grapes, you will have a hard time getting a result like from skin packs. Or adding wine grapes.

Note that a lot of people add eating grapes and produce a pleasing result. Depending on what you want, you may or may not be satisfied.

 

[ratflinger]

I find that organic raisins work well with some wines. I've only used the dark raisins, the golden raisins might work well also.

 

[wineview]

What varietal did you use the raisins in?

 

[Rice_Guy]

Grocery store grapes are very low tannin, they can have some color but tend to be white flesh.
* grocery store wouldn’t be a good source for body/ tannins, ,,, you would be better off adding tannin out of the bottle or ordering in one of the mild tannins as blanc soft. As a test it would be interesting to split a bucked into six and use several tannins out of the Scott labs testing kit. ,,, (I can see this comming)
* you might get some culture to make the ferment interesting, I think that grapes from Chile are lightly gassed with SO2
* if you had Petite Pearl (up north) or one of the southern reds in the freezer it would add something
* I agree on the seeds,

 

[wineview]

All good advice. It seems the raisin option could work.

 

[heatherd]

I'd be more likely to get a Finer Wine Kits or Mosti Mondiale grape pack to use than raisins or table grapes.

 

[ratflinger]

What varietal did you use the raisins in?

Petite Syrah mainly, sometimes Sangiovese.

 

[ratflinger]

I'd be more likely to get a Finer Wine Kits or Mosti Mondiale grape pack to use than raisins or table grapes.

The raisins are in addition to the FWK skins kit. I don't make FWK without a skins kit, did one time and it seemed thin.

 

[wineview]

The raisins are in addition to the FWK skins kit. I don't make FWK without a skins kit, did one time and it seemed thin.

Yes. FWK without skins produces a thin wine. I’m thinking ahead to September when I buy juice buckets.

 

[winemaker81]

Yes. FWK without skins produces a thin wine. I’m thinking ahead to September when I buy juice buckets.

I made one of the last Barbera, 1.5 years ago, and it's a bit thin.

OTOH, last spring I made a Pinot Noir Tavola no skins, and it's quite good. It's fruity yet bone dry, and wine I'd serve to someone who isn't into heavy reds.

 

[ratflinger]

I made one of the last Barbera, 1.5 years ago, and it's a bit thin.

OTOH, last spring I made a Pinot Noir Tavola no skins, and it's quite good. It's fruity yet bone dry, and wine I'd serve to someone who isn't into heavy reds.

That Pinot is a good wine. I have one that's 2 yo and yeah, it's there.

 

[winemaker81]

That Pinot is a good wine. I have one that's 2 yo and yeah, it's there.

It seems like every iteration of FWK makes a better wine, but we also have to consider varietal.

 

[heatherd]

I've only made Forte Reds and Tavola Blushes and Whites so haven't needed to add skins to them. FWK now sells seed packs that would help with tannins.