Moonshiner's muscadine

[reefman]

JS,
Congrats on the awards. Someday I hope to enter my wines in our local county fair.

 

[jpike01]

Congratulations!!!!

 

[Kraffty]

Congratulations, you're on a competition Roll!
Mike

 

[seth8530]

Congrats! Which category did you enter them into?

 

[jswordy]

Sweet non-vinifera grape and sweet fruit & wine blends.

 

[seth8530]

Very nice, choosing the right category can be quite important sometimes.

 

[Fabiola]

Does anyone know where can I buy muscadine grapes or juice?

 

[reefman]

I'm not helping here, but in my neck of the woods, I am having the same problem. If you don't live in the South Eastern USA, it will be a problem finding grapes or juice unless you pay a premium for it. Some people get grapes for $0.60 per pound. I've not been able to find them for less than $2.00/lb, plus outrageous shipping costs.
I planted my own this year, hoping to have a decent crop in about three years.

 

[seth8530]

I find it humorous that people want muscadines so badly when they are nearly a nuisance here in the south lol! (well not quite.. but they certainly are not Riesling or Cabernet grapes ha!)

However, in all seriousness, great wine can be made from muscadines...However, achieving the level of complexity one finds in vinfera grapes might be another story.

BTW, I hope I do not sound like am downing muscadine grape lovers and growers, I think they are quite yummy myself.

 

[reefman]

I agree, there are many native (well almost native) grapes in the south and some in the north that make excellent wines.
Very few of my friends or relatives like the snobby heavy red wines. Most prefer sweeter wines, and so do I. So, that's what I make most of the time. I make maybe one dry wine batch a year, which goes out as gifts. I hide my sweet wines for my wife and I.
Keep in mind I have only been making wine since 2010.

 

[Fabiola]

I find it humorous that people want muscadines so badly when they are nearly a nuisance here in the south lol! (well not quite.. but they certainly are not Riesling or Cabernet grapes ha!)

However, in all seriousness, great wine can be made from muscadines...However, achieving the level of complexity one finds in vinfera grapes might be another story.

BTW, I hope I do not sound like am downing muscadine grape lovers and growers, I think they are quite yummy myself.

No, you are fine, is just that I want to try Jim's recipe so bad without substitutions, and living in New Mexico doesn't help finding muscadine grapes...

 

[Fabiola]

I find it humorous that people want muscadines so badly when they are nearly a nuisance here in the south lol! (well not quite.. but they certainly are not Riesling or Cabernet grapes ha!)

However, in all seriousness, great wine can be made from muscadines...However, achieving the level of complexity one finds in vinfera grapes might be another story.

BTW, I hope I do not sound like am downing muscadine grape lovers and growers, I think they are quite yummy myself.

I have an idea , those forum members that have excess of muscadine should ship to those who have none

 

[seth8530]

Ha, not a bad idea and while I am doing that, why dont you drive over to Cali and get me some Cabernet and we will call it a deal eh?

 

[jswordy]

Personally, I'd rather have a well-made muscadine or scuppernong than the cabernet.

 

[jpike01]

My attempt at the ole timey recipe.


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[LoneStarLori]

View attachment 14982
My attempt at the ole timey recipe.

that is a beautiful color. What did you start with? all juice or is that a 2nd pressing?

 

[jpike01]

Pretty near all juice, I think I had to add just a little water. Basically adjusted Jim's recipe to the amount of fruit I was able to round up. It is a mixture of muscadine and scuppernong.
I will make this again this fall!

 

[LoneStarLori]

Nice! Hopefully I get get enough Mustang grapes off my fence this year to make a decent all-juice batch. I botched my first one pretty bad. But have learned a LOT since then, thanks to all the great advice in this forum. Maybe I'll have as good of luck as you did.

 

[jswordy]

I had no idea this thread was still going on! Reefman, get in touch around the end of August.

jpike, that is some awesome wine. I know you'll want to double the recipe this year! I still have 20 gallons of scuppernong to bottle. Half of that is a blueberry mix, and half is pure scuppernong.

BTW, my wife and I agree that the blueberry married to the muscadine is the best overall wine I have ever made, to our tastes.

 

[jpike01]

Yep, already looking up sources for grapes! Pretty tasty stuff. Smooth, very smooth, even at its young age.


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