Beginning a new batch

[Sunshine Wine]

Ok, I would like some help in starting a new batch with my dark muscadine juice. I have all these quart jars that I need out of the way...lol. I will do 6 gallons. It has a lot of pulp in it, so I am going to strain at least some of it off. I am wanting it to be on the sweeter side and not overly dry. Any recommendations and ideas are welcome.

 

[cmason1957]

I don't know much about muscadine wine, but there is someone on the forum, who raises muscadines and makes wine from them every year. @garymc Hopefully he will see this and respond.

If you have just juice, no skins, I would assume you should strain it and remove the pulp, take the remaining juice, add sugar to get to about an SG of 1.080 or so and ferment it to dry. That should give you about 10-11%ABV alcohol. I would guess it will take about 2 weeks of fermentation time, start in a bucket, then when fermentation slows down rack to a carboy. After fermentation finishes, add KMeta (1/4 tsp for 6 gallons), let sit and rack about every three months. After 6 months to a year, assuming it is clear,if not consider adding fining agents like DualFine (SuperKleer). When clear add more kMeta and potassium sorbate, test sugar amount to add and add to your 6 gallons, wait a week or so and bottle. It really is not much different than fermenting anything else into wine. I have no idea what would be a good yeast, if you need to worry about potentially acidic wine or not.

 

[Sunshine Wine]

That is what I have done with my first very small batch. I did not strain any of the pulp, though. It is quite dry right now but is still very early. It is also quite clear already! Only about 6 weeks after first rack. Plan to rack again at end of March. I did add sugar in the beginning and it is at right around .999- 1.000 when I racked at beginning of January. Just wanting a sweeter wine. I know I can back sweeten, but not exactly sure when I should do it. Maybe at the 9 month mark after I rack and then should I wait the final 3 months, rack and bottle?

 

[Sunshine Wine]

Oh duh...just re-read the last of your message...lol...sounds good! I also tagged @garymc. Thanks for the reply!

 

[garymc]

Lalvin 71B-1122 is commonly used on muscadines, but without the skins, it might not matter so much. You could strain the pulp, or let the yeast have its way with it and then rack off what's left of it. I have always made my wine from crushed muscadines including the skins. I usually drink my canned juice or use it for jelly. Craig meant, and you know, rack every 3 months and add K-meta at each racking. He said wait a week or so after the backsweetening to bottle. You could stretch that if you want, but don't shrink it. I've had some sediment issues after I was sure the wine was stable and the only thing I can see that I might be messing up is that I use a vacuum pump, the All-in-One, to bring the wine from a carboy on the floor to one on a table and I've assumed that this amount of vacuum treatment is adequate to get rid of the CO2. Maybe it wasn't. So, now I shake it some while I'm racking it.

 

[hounddawg]

question, i make only sweet country wines and use pectic enzymes to break down my pulps from my fruits and berries, i have muscadines in the woods pasture but have not messed much with muscadine except to eat as many as my mouth(large belly) can handle, finally my question would pectic enzyme break down that pulp some, making more juice to ferment ?

 

[hounddawg]

That is what I have done with my first very small batch. I did not strain any of the pulp, though. It is quite dry right now but is still very early. It is also quite clear already! Only about 6 weeks after first rack. Plan to rack again at end of March. I did add sugar in the beginning and it is at right around .999- 1.000 when I racked at beginning of January. Just wanting a sweeter wine. I know I can back sweeten, but not exactly sure when I should do it. Maybe at the 9 month mark after I rack and then should I wait the final 3 months, rack and bottle?

when you back sweeten at bottling time (for me) use k-meta and sorbate to stop refermention, i like my wines sweet 1.030 to 1.040

 

[garymc]

question, i make only sweet country wines and use pectic enzymes to break down my pulps from my fruits and berries, i have muscadines in the woods pasture but have not messed much with muscadine except to eat as many as my mouth(large belly) can handle, finally my question would pectic enzyme break down that pulp some, making more juice to ferment ?

That's a good point. I forgot about pectic enzyme. I use it with crushed grapes and I would use it with the juice with pulp. If there is a pectic haze in the juice without pulp, the first thing to do is add pectic enzyme. If the juice was heated in the canning process, you can count on active pectin. I also forgot to mention about using some yeast nutrient when you add the yeast. I'm away from home and don't have any of my resources handy.

 

[Sunshine Wine]

Actually, I just found that my "muscadine" juice is blackberry! I was told it was dark muscadine, but, no! It came from a friend of a friend who was going to do wine but decided not to. So I took it...

 

[cmason1957]

Actually, I just found that my "muscadine" juice is blackberry! I was told it was dark muscadine, but, no! It came from a friend of a friend who was going to do wine but decided not to. So I took it...

Well now, that changes things, but not a whole lot. Most recipes you find on the web for blackberry call for adding lots of water, when I make it I only add water to help bring the PH to the normal level for a wine (around 3.2-3.4). Then add lots of sugar to get the PH to about the same starting as above, plus or minus a bit, lots of pectic enzyme to break down any pectin, same reason as Gary gave for the muscadine. Piece of cake to make.

 

[Scooter68]

Wild or domestic Blackberries? Either way - They make a great wine - Very solid flavor in the right Lbs/gallon use. Typically with wild blackberries you don't need more than 5-6 lbs per gallon but.... since you were given juice...I'd go with it as is once you can get the SG where you want it. It's not tough to get it to clear but still add pectic enzyme and I'd just go without any filtering - perhaps pour the juice through a fermentation bag and then just tie the bag and put it in your fermentation bucket.

Sounds like a great gift to you.

 

[Sunshine Wine]

Well now, that changes things, but not a whole lot. Most recipes you find on the web for blackberry call for adding lots of water, when I make it I only add water to help bring the PH to the normal level for a wine (around 3.2-3.4). Then add lots of sugar to get the PH to about the same starting as above, plus or minus a bit, lots of pectic enzyme to break down any pectin, same reason as Gary gave for the muscadine. Piece of cake to make.

It is now at 1.134 SG. No water added and no sugar yet. Just now putting it in the buckets. Should I add sugar or water?

 

[Sunshine Wine]

Well now, that changes things, but not a whole lot. Most recipes you find on the web for blackberry call for adding lots of water, when I make it I only add water to help bring the PH to the normal level for a wine (around 3.2-3.4). Then add lots of sugar to get the PH to about the same starting as above, plus or minus a bit, lots of pectic enzyme to break down any pectin, same reason as Gary gave for the muscadine. Piece of cake to make.

I don't have pectic enzyme and did not use it in my first small batch... ??

 

[sour_grapes]

It is now at 1.134 SG. No water added and no sugar yet. Just now putting it in the buckets. Should I add sugar or water?

You should re-check that SG. That is unreasonably high. How are you measuring?

 

[Sunshine Wine]

You should re-check that SG. That is unreasonably high. How are you measuring?

With a hydrometer. Directly in the bucket... I may be reading it wrong...lol.

 

[Sunshine Wine]

With a hydrometer. Directly in the bucket... I may be reading it wrong...lol.

Right where the pencil is pointing.

 

[hounddawg]

Actually, I just found that my "muscadine" juice is blackberry! I was told it was dark muscadine, but, no! It came from a friend of a friend who was going to do wine but decided not to. So I took it...

even better i make blackberry very good

 

[hounddawg]

Well now, that changes things, but not a whole lot. Most recipes you find on the web for blackberry call for adding lots of water, when I make it I only add water to help bring the PH to the normal level for a wine (around 3.2-3.4). Then add lots of sugar to get the PH to about the same starting as above, plus or minus a bit, lots of pectic enzyme to break down any pectin, same reason as Gary gave for the muscadine. Piece of cake to make.

yup what cmason said is right on point, very light on water lots of sugar,

 

[Sunshine Wine]

yup what cmason said is right on point, very light on water lots of sugar,

The SG is at 1.134 right now without adding sugar... I have 8 gallons total in buckets. Have not added yeast or nutrient yet...

 

[Sunshine Wine]

Right where the pencil is pointing.

Ok, I think I was reading it backwards. I believe it is 1.026.