how to make the recipe with grapes vs just juice

[weaverschmitz]

Hello weaverschmitz,
My wine from last year is still in the bulk storage. I haven't started my wine making season yet...lots of irons in the fire with elderly parents and helping them out a lot yet. I did move the carboys from my dark storage room to my garage to do the cold storage and try to drop some tartrate crystals. It's been about a week so I'm hoping to get at it next week sometime. I will respond when I get back at it! Are you fermenting a concord wine?

Than you for the quick reply. Yes, I'm making my first batch of concord and looking for some tips.

 

[SeniorHobby]

Than you for the quick reply. Yes, I'm making my first batch of concord and looking for some tips.

Well, it's been a long journey for me and I still feel like a rookie! It depends on how serious you plan on getting when it comes to wine making. The best advice I could give you is to go onto the beginners forum. There is so much good information to help you with understanding the whole process. Mostly, get the terminology down, then you will be able to understand what you are learning. As far as tools, I would say a pH meter was the best investment that I have made as this can help you understand where your wine is starting at as far as how balanced it is. Besides this I am assuming that you have a hydrometer, as you can't go without this tool. The other big thing that can help you is to write down everything that you do with your wine. When you started it, type of yeast, pH, how long it fermented, etc. If you do this and your wine didn't turn out then you can get help with learning what went wrong. This site has so many wise and helping people that can walk you through any problems you have.

 

[weaverschmitz]

Well, it's been a long journey for me and I still feel like a rookie! It depends on how serious you plan on getting when it comes to wine making. The best advice I could give you is to go onto the beginners forum. There is so much good information to help you with understanding the whole process. Mostly, get the terminology down, then you will be able to understand what you are learning. As far as tools, I would say a pH meter was the best investment that I have made as this can help you understand where your wine is starting at as far as how balanced it is. Besides this I am assuming that you have a hydrometer, as you can't go without this tool. The other big thing that can help you is to write down everything that you do with your wine. When you started it, type of yeast, pH, how long it fermented, etc. If you do this and your wine didn't turn out then you can get help with learning what went wrong. This site has so many wise and helping people that can walk you through any problems you have.

Thanks for the tips! I should have been more clear, this is my first batch of Concord but I've been making wine for years. I'll still take the tips! Thanks!!

 

[SeniorHobby]

Thanks for the tips! I should have been more clear, this is my first batch of Concord but I've been making wine for years. I'll still take the tips! Thanks!!

Thanks for the tips! I should have been more clear, this is my first batch of Concord but I've been making wine for years. I'll still take the tips! Thanks!!

What other wines have you made?

 

[weaverschmitz]

What other wines have you made?

Mostly cold climate grapes, fruits, and mead. The list is long.

 

[SeniorHobby]

How did this batch turn out?

Hi Weaverschmitz! I finally got around to bottling my concord wine. I am kicking myself though as my bookkeeping of my batches fell through somewhere along the line. I think I ended up combining a couple batches together and not recording them on my carboys so I have no accurate record. I finally bought some tags that I can add to the carboy to record any changes on as it seems my recording keeping between my notebook and the carboys was lacking!! Uggghhh! The one thing I can say is that all the wine was good! Too much in a rush when I finally find time to work on it!! Maybe next years batch!!