Hello from Upstate NY

[AbeandRach]

My wife and I just closed on our new home in Poughkeepsie NY and we are delighted to find some amazing growing grapes in our back yard! We’d like to make our own wine but we are clueless.

I’m not sure where to start honestly. Are these wine grapes? My realtor mentioned she thought the previous owner did make his own. Not much more to go off of then that friends!

Here’s to looking forward to learning! I appreciate any feedback or helpful starting tips.

-Abe

 

[AbeandRach]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n8s1r41x6dxs14x/IMG_0373.JPG?dl=0

 

[dralarms]

Welcome to winemakingtalk. Your link doesn’t work.

 

[AbeandRach]

Trying to figure out how to post pictures

 

[AbeandRach]

Photos of what’s growing at our new home. Any idea on the type of grape?

 

[AbeandRach]

973C4C37-E830-4743-BA8B-53B466D5396C

• AbeandRach
• Jul 15, 2019

 

[salcoco]

https://winemaking.jackkeller.net/index.asp this site is great for beginners lot of instructions advice and recipes. until grapes get ripe will you be able to identify type. wine grapes are usually small Google and get some pictures of various varieties and that should give you and idea on the type. I would also suggest just communicating with previous owner realtor should have info.

 

[AbeandRach]

Thanks a bunch; the site looks very promising. I did reach out the the seller, they mentioned that there are dark and light colored grapes growing around the house. The dark she said are Concord grapes, which surprised me because all I've observed growing are green ones.

 

[mainshipfred]

Thanks a bunch; the site looks very promising. I did reach out the the seller, they mentioned that there are dark and light colored grapes growing around the house. The dark she said are Concord grapes, which surprised me because all I've observed growing are green ones.

To my knowledge all grapes start out as green. the term for the change of color is called veraison.

 

[AbeandRach]

- first little nugget of knowledge received! I did not know that...lol

 

[salcoco]

chances are the white grapes when ripe will be Niagara or similar. Concord can make a great wine but donot let them get to ripe as they will give a musty taste to the wine.

 

[Rocky]

AbeandRach, I lived in Rochester for about 10 years and I made wine from a number of grapes grown in the region. Concord makes a light, fruity wine which I used to ferment to dry and then back sweeten to an SG of about 1.005, or so. There are a number of white grape varieties in the region, two of which are Niagara and Delaware. I made wine from Delaware grapes and they produced a light, fruity wine that was great with cheese and crackers. ABV was about 11.5%. The issue you will probably face is sugar content when the grapes are ripe. With the shorter growing season in New York, much of the wine has to have sugar added at the beginning of the process to bump up the ABV.

Welcome to the forum. Good luck with your wine, keep us informed and you will a lot of help with your questions.

 

[AbeandRach]

AbeandRach, I lived in Rochester for about 10 years and I made wine from a number of grapes grown in the region. Concord makes a light, fruity wine which I used to ferment to dry and then back sweeten to an SG of about 1.005, or so. There are a number of white grape varieties in the region, two of which are Niagara and Delaware. I made wine from Delaware grapes and they produced a light, fruity wine that was great with cheese and crackers. ABV was about 11.5%. The issue you will probably face is sugar content when the grapes are ripe. With the shorter growing season in New York, much of the wine has to have sugar added at the beginning of the process to bump up the ABV.

Welcome to the forum. Good luck with your wine, keep us informed and you will a lot of help with your questions.

Thanks Rocky! The more I read up on the whole process the more I enjoy the subject. When should I expect to start seeing the grapes turn color?

 

[salcoco]

concord may be starting within the next thirty days. do some research and I believe there is a large commercial grape growing area in the Hudson Valley should be some nice wineries to visit.

 

[bshef]

Concord can make some nice wine. After your first fermentation, add some commercial red grape juice to the skins and make a second run. The second run will be lighter (less foxy) and not require as much aging. I've read that Concord should age a year to lose the labrusca (native foxy flavor). I have an old wine making book that tells how to make second run wines. In fact some commercial wineries will add fresh pressed juice to post fermented red skins for a Rose or lighter red.

I'm hoping to visit Benmarl and Hudson-Chatham Wineries soon (Benmarl is right at Poughkeepsie and Hudson- Chatham is at Ghent). Both make award winning Baco Noir and Hudson-Chatham makes a Chelois. I planted Chelois and can't find another winery on the East Coast that makes Chelois wine.

 

[Kantuckid]

I looked at a bunch of online Concord grape recipes and it became obvious that some were not properly set up ingredient wise nor amounts either. I then bought a bottle of Olivers Soft Red and tried it as it's said to be one of the better wines from Concord grapes. It is pleasant and sweet but still has that lingering foxy taste that sort of ruins the overall flavor for me. They came out with a lime enhanced version that might be better? Until I taste a commercial Concord wine I really like, I will not make any myself. I don't see a year making the change I would have to see in flavor?