A buddy of mine has mustang grapes that grow wild in his backyard. They have been destemmed and were frozen about 6 months ago? Is this something to be concerned with?
Three 1 gallon bags were filled. I’m hoping this adds up to 20 lbs. Are there any rough estimates as to how much a gallon of grapes will end up weighing?
I think for most wild grapes I use about 10 pounds per gallon, but mustang grapes are sort of "musky" if I remember correctly, and very acidic (or am I thinking of muscadines?!?!
) so dilution and adding sugar would probably be best!
I'd weigh them, then toss them in big sanitized mesh bags in the primary. Add 1 crushed campden tablet per gallon (dissolved in water) and pour that over the grapes and let them sit 24 hours, then follow a recipe.
Here's some great info from Jack Keller on wild grapes:
winemaking: Native North American Grapes and Wines
and a recipe to try (from here:
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/nativew1.asp) :
MUSTANG GRAPE WINE (Dry, Red)
Makes 1 Gallon
6 lbs. black Mustang Grapes
1-1/2 lbs. granulated sugar
6 pints water
1 crushed Campden tablet
wine yeast and nutrient
Remove the stems and wash the grapes. While wearing rubber gloves, crush the grapes in a crock or polyethyline pail. Add all ingredients except yeast. Stir well and cover for 24 hours, then add yeast. The must will form a floating "cap" of skins and seeds which should be pushed under and stirred twice daily for 5 to 7 days. Strain and press pulp well to extract liquid. Measure acidity, then follow one of the methods below to reduce the acidity to 7 parts per thousand (p.p.t.) tartaric if necessary. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel, fit airlock, and let stand three weeks. Rack and top up, then rack again in three months and add fining. Bottle ten days after fining. May taste after one year, but improves remarkably with age (3-4 years). [Adapted from a traditional "wild grape" recipe.]