amount of water/sugar (and bucket size) to use with 12.5 lb of muscadines?

[wine newbee]

Howdy; this is an extrapolation question. Maybe.

My grape harvest this year was pretty sad (only 12.5 lb from 6-7 vines; maybe due to predation from birds/'*****/squirrels?).

In the past, I made wine using a 3 gal bucket and 32 lb of grapes, with 8 cups (wt?) sugar.

Made another batch with a 5 gallon bucket full of grapes (no idea of the weight; the grapes were a gift, and I went to where they were collected), and did the fermenting in a 5 gal bucket. Used 9 lb of sugar.

OK; that said .... about how many lb of sugar should I use with my 12.5 lb of grapes, and what size bucket? I may have a 2-gal bucket, and almost certainly have a 3 gal bucket.

I'd like a wine with some good color to it, not a slightly-rose color.

Thx a heap for any feedback, recommendations, etc ....

Mitch

 

[Rembee]

For a robust muscadine wine, I use 8 to 10 lbs of muscadines per gallon. You can use all 12.5 lbs to make a gallon an a half. That will leave some for topping up as you rack. I would use your 3 gallon bucket to allow for enough head space for the fermentation.
As for the sugar, I use as much sugar as is needed to get the starting SG at a 1.090. The amount of sugar varies from year to year depending on the brix of the grapes.
Keep in mind that as you add sugar it will increase the level. I would start at the 1 gallon mark by using what ever juice that you press out of the muscadines and then add water to reach that level. Stir the must and then check the SG. Then calculate how much sugar is needed to obtain your starting SG.

Do you have a hydrometer?
Also what type of muscadines are they?

 

[wine newbee]

Hi, Rem; thx for the response.

I have a hydrometer.

The grape supply is what I call "mutt harvest" -- mostly muscadines [Nesbit, Carlos, Fuchs, Catawba] but smatterings of table grapes -- Mars, Flame, Red Surrey.

It'll be an adventure; always is .....

Mitch