I think I goofed up big time ...

[BobF]

Step one, I posted something here about buying commercial wine if I wanted wine from grapes.

Step two, I decided to make a grape wine from grocery store grapes.

Not only that, I used a blender to "crush" the grapes as they are seedless.


The problem? This stuff was GREAT coming out of the primary!

The grapes are Welch's branded. That doesn't mean they're Concord and doesn't even mean they're really Welch's grapes ...

Starting sg was 1086 without any additions. I got a little better than a gallon out of the primary with 13# of grapes. I left it "on the skins" for 4 days. It's starting to clear after only a few hours. It's going from violet to a deep, ruby red.

Did I mention it tastes great?

I'm psyched - gotta' go plan my vinyard planting for spring 2010!!

I'm thinking Concord, Norton/Cynthia, Muscadine and Regent (if I can find Regent)

 

[arcticsid]

Bob, I too recently admitted to drinking beer and they haven't kicked me out so I think we will be safe!!LOL
Troy

 

[smurfe]

If you got an SG of that with no sugar addition those were not average table grapes. Probably a variety of Concord. Nothing wrong with that though. People look down on the Concord grape but you can make a good wine from them. Particularly if you use fresh grapes over processed juice. Keep us up to date on how it goes.

 

[smurfe]

Oh yeah, BTW whats wrong with drinking beer? I drink way more beer than wine and make way more beer than wine. Nothing wrong with that. Just brew man, just brew. Be it beer or wine.

 

[Wade E]

Just because this is a wine forum doesnt mean thats the only fermented beverage allwed. I too drink and brew beer and have 3-5 gallon kegs cared and on tap in my fridge along with 1 keg full of sparkling Crab Apple and soon to have 1 more with sparkling Rasperry. As for the grapes I dont think youd be to pleased with normal table grapes but Concord makes a good wine. Many people put down these and Scuppernongs and muscadines but I myself love them. I wish I could grow them here well.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

I'm thinking Concord, Norton/Cynthia, Muscadine, vignoles, seyval and Regent (if I can find Regent)

there i fixed it. gotta get a variety so that i can come help. lol. we've got some wild grapes and some concords. i venture to guess the wild ones are also concords, but the grapes are over 20 ft into thin trees. they are also above black raspberries and poison ivy. just not easy to get to them!!!!

 

[mmadmikes1]

IS bEER THATS MAKESA ME tYOPE FUNNY

 

[BobF]

Oh yeah, BTW whats wrong with drinking beer? I drink way more beer than wine and make way more beer than wine. Nothing wrong with that. Just brew man, just brew. Be it beer or wine.

Nothing wrong with beer ... it's the fact that I don't have any wine ready yet that presents a problem. PPP!!!

 

[BobF]

there i fixed it. gotta get a variety so that i can come help. lol. we've got some wild grapes and some concords. i venture to guess the wild ones are also concords, but the grapes are over 20 ft into thin trees. they are also above black raspberries and poison ivy. just not easy to get to them!!!!

In the last few dats I did some thinning out of rank timber stands to restore a bit of upland bird (read: quail) habitat. I found several vines I didn't know were here. Unfortunately, I think the dozer mostly destroyed them. A couple of them had extended beyond 40' up into a couple of the larger trees. The trees remain, but the vines were badly brutilized :-(

 

[BobF]

Just because this is a wine forum doesnt mean thats the only fermented beverage allwed. I too drink and brew beer and have 3-5 gallon kegs cared and on tap in my fridge along with 1 keg full of sparkling Crab Apple and soon to have 1 more with sparkling Rasperry. As for the grapes I dont think youd be to pleased with normal table grapes but Concord makes a good wine. Many people put down these and Scuppernongs and muscadines but I myself love them. I wish I could grow them here well.

The wife's favorite wine is made commercially from concord. Around here, you almost have to include concord vines Norton is very common in this area, so I know it does well. Muscadines aren't native here, but the USDA claims they are compatible with this zone.

The Regents are a variety I've recently read about that sound promising. I can't find anybody in the US that has any available for spring 2010 shipping though.