maddprofessor
Well-Known Member
I made some muscadine/scuppernong wine using this recipe from Jack Keller's site:
* 18 lb. scuppernong grapes (I used closer to 16lbs b/c that's all I had)
* 6 lb. sugar (I added a bit more to make up for lack of grapes)
* 9 quarts water
* 2 tsp. pectic enzyme
* 1 tblsp. yeast nutrient
* 3 crushed campden tablets
* 1 package champagne yeast (I used Lalvin 71B-1122)
Gather ripe grapes. Destem and wash grapes, removing any that are bad. Crush grapes to extract maximum juice, and place pulp in nylon straining bag. Place sugar in primary fermentation vessel, then pour water over sugar, stirring well to dissolve. Add juice and straining bag to primary. Specific gravity should be 1.095-1.100. If not, add more sugar. Add remaining ingredients, except for pectic enzyme and yeast. Cover primary and set aside 12 hours, then add pectic enzyme and set aside additional 12 hours. Add activated yeast. Stir daily, squeezing nylon bag of pulp lightly to extract more juice, until specific gravity reaches 1.030, about 5-7 days. Remove bag and squeeze to extract juice. Add squeezed juice to primary and allow to settle overnight, then rack off of sediment into glass secondary. Attach airlock. When ferment is complete (specific gravity has dropped to 1.000 or below--about 3-4 weeks) rack into clean carboy and reattach airlock. Leave wine to clear for about 2-3 months, then rack into bottles. [Adapted from recipe by Adison Martin]
OG was actually 1.120, SG is 0.990 which is after I added a bit (3 c maybe) of water to top off after racking to tertiary. The wine is about 3 months old now. There are still some lees (partially due to poor racking last time) and I plan to rack once more soon and age for another couple months before bottling.
Questions:
The wine has a musky funk which is present in the grapes themselves so that's not really surprising. I find it a bit unpleasant. Will this flavor fade as it ages?
The wine has a thin/watery mouth-feel. I guess I should have gone back to get more grapes once I realized I was a bit short for the recipe. Is there anything I can do now to fix this? I've seen raisins mentioned in some recipes but at this point fermentation is long finished and I am probably at/past the alcohol toxicity for my yeast. Would adding them do anything if the yeast can't do anything with them? Are there other options?
* 18 lb. scuppernong grapes (I used closer to 16lbs b/c that's all I had)
* 6 lb. sugar (I added a bit more to make up for lack of grapes)
* 9 quarts water
* 2 tsp. pectic enzyme
* 1 tblsp. yeast nutrient
* 3 crushed campden tablets
* 1 package champagne yeast (I used Lalvin 71B-1122)
Gather ripe grapes. Destem and wash grapes, removing any that are bad. Crush grapes to extract maximum juice, and place pulp in nylon straining bag. Place sugar in primary fermentation vessel, then pour water over sugar, stirring well to dissolve. Add juice and straining bag to primary. Specific gravity should be 1.095-1.100. If not, add more sugar. Add remaining ingredients, except for pectic enzyme and yeast. Cover primary and set aside 12 hours, then add pectic enzyme and set aside additional 12 hours. Add activated yeast. Stir daily, squeezing nylon bag of pulp lightly to extract more juice, until specific gravity reaches 1.030, about 5-7 days. Remove bag and squeeze to extract juice. Add squeezed juice to primary and allow to settle overnight, then rack off of sediment into glass secondary. Attach airlock. When ferment is complete (specific gravity has dropped to 1.000 or below--about 3-4 weeks) rack into clean carboy and reattach airlock. Leave wine to clear for about 2-3 months, then rack into bottles. [Adapted from recipe by Adison Martin]
OG was actually 1.120, SG is 0.990 which is after I added a bit (3 c maybe) of water to top off after racking to tertiary. The wine is about 3 months old now. There are still some lees (partially due to poor racking last time) and I plan to rack once more soon and age for another couple months before bottling.
Questions:
The wine has a musky funk which is present in the grapes themselves so that's not really surprising. I find it a bit unpleasant. Will this flavor fade as it ages?
The wine has a thin/watery mouth-feel. I guess I should have gone back to get more grapes once I realized I was a bit short for the recipe. Is there anything I can do now to fix this? I've seen raisins mentioned in some recipes but at this point fermentation is long finished and I am probably at/past the alcohol toxicity for my yeast. Would adding them do anything if the yeast can't do anything with them? Are there other options?