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lhjf75

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Does anyone here make wine from grape juice. I don't mean juice like Welch's. I got grape juice for wine in 6 gallon buckets. Can't find anywhere on the net about making wine from this type of juice. I no it can be just a western mass thing.
 
lhjf75 said:
Does anyone here make wine from grape juice. I don't mean juice like Welch's. I got grape juice for wine in 6 gallon buckets. Can't find anywhere on the net about making wine from this type of juice. I no it can be just a western mass thing.

Here are juice instructions from my local supplier.

http://jwdover.com/catalog/winemaking_how_to.php#Juice

http://www.grapeandgranary.com/juiceinstruction.html

It's pretty simple. I make all my white wines from juice like this.
 
You need to consult your source to find out if they have been dosed with k-meta/campden already, when and how much- because you really need to know this moving forward...if not, the wine may start fermenting on its own. Many times there is a label and it will indicate a SO2 level.

But here are instructions as provided by Walker's Fruit Basket.. http://www.walkersfruitbasket.com/Pail Instructions.html
 
Thanks, I all ready made the wine. I am just feeling like an outcast. Cant find anyone making wine from that kind of juice or making wine in old stainless steel beer kegs.
 
This is just juice nothing added. A guy i work with buys the juice puts it in kegs and lets it ferment with the natural yeasts
 
This is just juice nothing added. A guy i work with buys the juice puts it in kegs and lets it ferment with the natural yeasts

Yes, many people do that. Some buy the juice (or the grapes) in buckets and do acid adjustments and the like as well. I'd say it's the most common way for winemakers to make wine, unless they own a vineyard.
 
Check out walkers fruit juice. Forestville ny. I have been getting juice there for 15 years!
 
Thanks, I all ready made the wine. I am just feeling like an outcast. Cant find anyone making wine from that kind of juice or making wine in old stainless steel beer kegs.

The only difference between buying just the juice and the wine kits is that you have to measure out the other ingredients yourself as opposed to tearing open a package and adding the contents. Most of the wine I have done is from kits, but lots of folks here in CT buy pails of juice.

The stainless steel keg setup is simple and elegant. Glad to see someone using it for wine as opposed to beer!
 
Well this is my first year making wine. I got all my info to start my wine from the guy I work with. I don't think next time I will make my wine the same way. Like I said all he does is dump the juice in the kegs , adds some brown sugar and let the yeast already in there do it thing. So that's what I have sitting in the basement right now is that style of wine.
 
Letting Wild yeast take care of the fermentation can work, but its a little too 'hands off' for my taste. I like to pick the types of yeast I use so that I get a predictable (and tasty) result. I would definitly reccomend reading some of the posts on this forum and asking /posting some questions as you think of them.

In the mean time, let us know how your wine comes out, and let us know how you like the setup you have created for yourself! We're here to help. :)
 
How long should I let the wine sit before bottling . I put the juice in the kegs Oct 21
 
lhjf75 said:
How long should I let the wine sit before bottling . I put the juice in the kegs Oct 21

The wine must be clear and not dropping anymore sediment. I usually let it sit a month after my last racking before bottling to make sure all the sediment has dropped.

My guess you are looking at February the earliest before I'd bottle, but that's a guess on my part. Just wait for it to clear.
 
Racking? Dont have any thing to rack in to. Could I rack back into the buckets the juice came in. Clean my keg then put it back in the keg or would that not work out
 
lhjf75 said:
Racking? Dont have any thing to rack in to. Could I rack back into the buckets the juice came in. Clean my keg then put it back in the keg or would that not work out

Yep, that'll work, rack into your bucket.
 
When I rack I am going to lose some volume because of the lees, leaving me with more air space in the kegs and that's not a good thing right. How do I make up for that. And again thanks for the help I would ask the guy that was helping me but he doesn't do anything else to his wine, and is already drinking his wine he made like the first week of October.
 
When I rack I am going to lose some volume because of the lees, leaving me with more air space in the kegs and that's not a good thing right. How do I make up for that. And again thanks for the help I would ask the guy that was helping me but he doesn't do anything else to his wine, and is already drinking his wine he made like the first week of October.

I use carboys, in various sizes, so I can rack to the appropriate sized container. That's really important with wine. If you have co2 available, or argon, you can use that gas to displace the oxygen in the headspace of the kegs and that will work.
 
I have nitrogen in gas bottles. I know it is an inert gas like argon. Would this work or dose the gas used have to be heavyer than air?
 
mooney said:
I have nitrogen in gas bottles. I know it is an inert gas like argon. Would this work or dose the gas used have to be heavyer than air?

As long as you purge the air in your keg, you should be fine.
 
I use a nitrogen/argon mix that's sold commercially, so i'd say go for it.

Also, I realise that most of us have clear glass carboys. You have stainless steel kegs, so won't be able to see the lees dropping. Work with a timeframe as some of the others suggest for clearing the wine, it works pretty well.
 
Found an old CO2 tank at work. Think I will get it recertified and filled
 
If you're wanting more wine specific info, you should probably try the forums over at winepress.us. they have tons of good info and its ALL geared towards wine for the most part. Friendly bunch too.
 
If you're wanting more wine specific info, you should probably try the forums over at winepress.us. they have tons of good info and its ALL geared towards wine for the most part. Friendly bunch too.

Thanks for the info but I like it here. Besides I have 7 gallons of cider going right now as well so I like being able to getting a lot of good info from one place on both my projects. When the weld shop across the street is done with my next half keg or quarter barrel going to try something else not sure what yet.
 
Lol, Well, I looked back through the thread and realised you never told us what you were making! So what did you make so far this year, and what do you like to drink?

I prefer German whites, but have been tring to expand my horizons lately.
 
Keg #1 1 g -merlot
5.5 g - chardonnay
6 g- burgundy ? was what the juice was called

keg #2 7 g-merlot
5.5 g- pino grigio

1/2 keg #1 4 g- merlot
1/2 g-chardonnay
1/2 g-merlot
2 g- water
added about 3 pounds of brown sugar to them combined

1/2 keg #2 7 g- unpasterized apple cider
7 campden tablets
1.5 lb brown sugar
1 pk-champagne yeast

I pretty much drink anything. I like woodchuck cider,Italian red wine,as for beer usually stick with Sam adams seasonal brews.
 
Keg #1 1 g -merlot
5.5 g - chardonnay
6 g- burgundy ? was what the juice was called

keg #2 7 g-merlot
5.5 g- pino grigio

1/2 keg #1 4 g- merlot
1/2 g-chardonnay
1/2 g-merlot
2 g- water
added about 3 pounds of brown sugar to them combined

1/2 keg #2 7 g- unpasterized apple cider
7 campden tablets
1.5 lb brown sugar
1 pk-champagne yeast

I pretty much drink anything. I like woodchuck cider,Italian red wine,as for beer usually stick with Sam adams seasonal brews.

Ok, so these are all blended in the different kegs? Interesting blends. How is the merlot/chardonnay/burgundy blend? That one might appeal to me.

As for new wines to try, I suspect you might like Gamay, or Pinot Noir. Both are easy drinking French Reds. Woodchuck drinkers may like a nice Riesling, as they tend to have crisp apple notes like Woodchuck.

Hope that helps you find something you like. :)
 
I always blend at bottling, if I'm doing a blend. That way you can measure the acidity, lower it or increase it for each variety, and see how they come out before blending. Just a suggestion!
 
Ok, so these are all blended in the different kegs? Interesting blends. How is the merlot/chardonnay/burgundy blend? That one might appeal to me.

As for new wines to try, I suspect you might like Gamay, or Pinot Noir. Both are easy drinking French Reds. Woodchuck drinkers may like a nice Riesling, as they tend to have crisp apple notes like Woodchuck.

Hope that helps you find something you like. :)


Not really able to explain the flavor, but I really like it.
 
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