How to prepare grapes

[JohnT]

In English, we generally call that "a second-run wine" or just a "second wine." I don't know what they say in Italian.

And welcome to WMT.

If you are going to do a second wine, you need to greatly lower your expectations. It will be flat, and very thin on flavor.

I used to do this in my early days. In the end, I found it not worth tying up car boy on a second wine when I could get more grapes and make more of the good stuff.

Another idea, albeit illegal, is that you want to make grappa.

 

[Obbnw]

IMHO,

DO NOT WASH THEM!

On tight clustered grapes, washing only adds water to the resulting must, reducing the flavor, acid, and sugar components.

Like others have said, Why add grapes to a kit? If you want to "Beef up" the flavor, then I suppose that there is not real harm. It is just that I would be looking for a better kit (if the flavor needs "beefing up).

johnT.

I washed my first fresh grape wine. I didn't like all the spiders, bugs etc. It was one of the best wines I have made - that said I haven't washed them since.

Now, if I see a bunch of spider webs or bugs or whatever on the grapes on the vine I'll spray (wash) the grapes on the vine with a spray nozzle on the hose. Usually do it a day to a week before I pick.

It does reduce the numbers of spiders, earwigs, stinkbugs etc I encounter while destemming.