Thomson green grapes
- Thread starter ricrocs
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With 30#, you should end up with about 2 gallons or 10 bottles of wine. I am not sure what you mean by a recipe, but I would strip the grapes from the stems into a large plastic, food grade bucket and crush them with a potato masher so that all grapes are broken. Once you have done this, you will need a hydrometer to take the Specific Gravity (SG) reading of the juice. Thompson grapes are not very high in sugar, so you may need to add simple syrup (1 part water to 2 parts sugar dissolved over medium heat, not boiling) to raise the SG, depending on the alcohol level you desire. The percent of alcohol by volume (ABV) can be calculated by the following formula:
(Initial SG - Final SG) x 132. For example, an Initial SG 1.090 and a final SG 0.995 would yield an ABV of about 12.5%.
Having taken the Initial SG, add a wine yeast. A good, safe bet is Lalvin EC1118. It is effective at a broad range of temperatures and percentages of alcohol. Fermentation should start within a day. Cover the bucket with a cloth to let the gasses escape and to keep critters out. The wine will ferment vigorously in the beginning and then slow down. The grape skins will form a cap on top of the wine and this cap needs to be broken up at least once per day, using a sanitized ladle or large spoon. When fermentations starts to slow down, take daily SG readings until the wine is at or below SG 1.020. Siphon the wine into 1 gallon jugs and squeeze the grape skins to get as much of the juice as possible. (You could use several layers of cheese cloth to hold the grapes while you squeeze and twist the skins to extract as much as possible and add this juice to the jugs). Fit an airlock on top and let it go until fermentation is complete and the wine begins to clear. Add about 20 grams of Potassium Metabisulfite to each gallon jug. You can add clearing agents or just let the wine settle by gravity. When it is clear enough for you, bottle it.
You will need some basic equipment to get started but you will find it is a rewarding experience.
This all being said, I have a strong recommendation for you. Freeze the grapes you are getting and buy a basic kit and make a 6 gallon batch from the kit. This will give you a familiarity with the process that will be very helpful in making wine from fresh fruit. It will also get you to amass much of the equipment you will need.
Good luck.
I am suggesting you buy a wine kit and make it for the experience (and the wine). In the meantime, freeze the fresh grapes you are getting so you can make that wine later after you have some equipment and experience. If you don't freeze them, they will spoil by the time you are ready to use them, i.e. in my suggestion, after you have made a kit. Of course, if you are still bent on making the wine from the Thompsons now, there is no need to freeze them.
I misunderstood. You are experienced then and have all the equipment so go for the Thompson wine. I believe you may have to add the simple syrup as described because Thompsons are not as high in sugar. You say your grapes are very sweet, so perhaps not.
Good luck. I am sure you will enjoy the experience.
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I concur with @Rocky's method.
The hard part with grapes is the pressing. Squeezing the pomace by hand leaves a lot of wine behind, but it works. Search the forum for homemade presses -- some are very simple and inexpensive to build. Once you've had a success, you may do this again so it's reusable.
The hard part with grapes is the pressing. Squeezing the pomace by hand leaves a lot of wine behind, but it works. Search the forum for homemade presses -- some are very simple and inexpensive to build. Once you've had a success, you may do this again so it's reusable.
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