concentrate wine

I'm at week one of my first wine and its a juice concentrate wine. The recipe I followed was 2 cans 100% juice no additives, gallon water, 2 cups sugar, and yeast. I sanitized everything and warmed water for a bit added and dissolved the sugar. I'm using red star pasture champagne yeast I active 1g of the 5g packet and mixed it all into my gallon carboy. Its been at a slow bubble ever since. The recipe says two weeks but on here I see months and racking a few times. I really only wanna see if I can make it so is that really necessary? Does this even sound good? From what I've read on here seems like its gonna be crap.

I think 2 cans/gallon will result in a very light, thin, poorly flavored wine. May be drinkable around 3-4 months. I would have used 4 cans per gallon, enough sugar to bump SG to 1.090. But you are right when you say months. Concentrate wines, like this, may make for early drinkers but six months out is not unlikely.
You could always grab another gallon container, add two cans of concentrate to what you have and then use 1 can/quart of water + 2 cups additional total sugar to hit 2 gallons, blend well, and divide between the two gallon containers. The yeast you already have on board will do the job. Or add two more cans to your current batch, and decant the excess volume after blending well into an appropiately sized container--perhaps a 500-750ml wine bottle, etc. Much better outcome anticipated. What flavor you working with?

White grape and raspberry. I'd rather use fresh ingredients of course but I also don't want to waste them. That's why I did this first. I'm about to have loads of muscadines and blueberries.

I do not see mention of yeast nutrients here. Also only using 2 cans of concentrate makes this for a low nutrient must. That is probably why you see this going slow. My concentrate wines are 4 cans per gallon and usually don't need sugar added. I also add 1tsp yeast nutrient (DAP) and 1/2 tsp yeast energizer (any tan colored nutrient type). Even then the body and mouthfeel is a little light so I add 1TBS of my favorite loose leaf black tea to the primary. Then it will only take 1 - 2 weeks to ferment and then you can cold crash is and it will be crystal clear in under 30 days total time.

I have not tried white grape raspberry but others say that it ferments out to be very tart. I would probably let this ferment out and clear. Then stabilize with Camden and Sorbate. After 24 hours add 1 can of white grape concentrate and another of the white grape raspberry to sweeten and offset the tart flavors.

Arpolis said:

I do not see mention of yeast nutrients here. Also only using 2 cans of concentrate makes this for a low nutrient must. That is probably why you see this going slow. My concentrate wines are 4 cans per gallon and usually don't need sugar added. I also add 1tsp yeast nutrient (DAP) and 1/2 tsp yeast energizer (any tan colored nutrient type). Even then the body and mouthfeel is a little light so I add 1TBS of my favorite loose leaf black tea to the primary. Then it will only take 1 - 2 weeks to ferment and then you can cold crash is and it will be crystal clear in under 30 days total time.

I have not tried white grape raspberry but others say that it ferments out to be very tart. I would probably let this ferment out and clear. Then stabilize with Camden and Sorbate. After 24 hours add 1 can of white grape concentrate and another of the white grape raspberry to sweeten and offset the tart flavors.

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None of this is readily available to me. If I'd ordered today I'd have maybe Thursday. Is it worth the try on this batch or should I start over?

It will make wine, not something ya wanna pass out and brag about.

Well how about this. Try pasteurization then. Here is how you can do it:

First add your additional concentrate after you have racked a couple times and your wine is crystal clear. Then immediately bottle the wine.

Then, heat a large stock pot of water to 190 degrees F. A floating thermometer is a cheap tool that really adds convenience to this process.

When the temperature reaches 190, turn off the heat and add the bottles carefully to the pot. Try not to crowed the bottles.

Put on the lid and let sit for ten minutes.

After the hot water bath use some tongs and remove the bottles and place on the counter. Let cool to room temp completely then you can refrigerate.

That will keep the bottles from fermenting further.

Here's the recipe I've used often: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f79/welchs-grape-juice-wine-21093/

I don't do anything like pasteurizing, adding nutrients if I don't have them handy, etc. and it comes out fine.

Thanks guys... Yooper, in the recipe you used it calls for pectic enzyme. I thought it was used to help with breaking down the fruits cell walls if you didn't freeze it. Having said that is it better to use pectic enzyme with fresh fruit instead of freezing?

talleybrew said:

Thanks guys... Yooper, in the recipe you used it calls for pectic enzyme. I thought it was used to help with breaking down the fruits cell walls if you didn't freeze it. Having said that is it better to use pectic enzyme with fresh fruit instead of freezing?

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Pectic enzyme also helps with juices, as all fruit juices have pectin as well. I freeze my fresh fruit, to help it break down, and use pectic enzyme to clear the wine. You don't have to use it, of course, but I get a super clear wine from juice very early using it.

Ok Ok.. I think I got It until I start my next batch.

I have pomegranate/blueberry from concentrate in secondary now. I like higher gravity musts so I used 3 cans and 2 lbs raw cane sugar. OG was 1.140 and is down to 1.030 (14.7% +-) I also used the Pasteur Champagne and fermentation is looking great. I did however use nutrient and pectic as well. I modified this recipe from my apple/cherry recipe first, obviously the flavor and that recipe used 3lbs sugar, but I had EC 1118 on the case. Flavor was excellent, the cherry was just enough to overpower any off flavors from the 1118. I will be doing it again (apple/cherry) with 2lbs sugar and the Pasteur. I would definitely invest in the nutrient, my ferment took off like gangbusters from the very start.

When is it safe to taste?

talleybrew said:

When is it safe to taste?

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Anytime. It's always "safe". It may not taste really great when it's got a lot of yeast in it, but you can taste it anytime you want.

the more fruit juice you use, the more body your wine will have. Using too much sugar is about the worst thing you can do when making a wine, it causes it too taste like vodka laced koolaid and not wine.

I'm looking for the closes taste to the fruit juice as possible. Around here flavor matters.

I just tasted some of it and man its good. To me at least. Can I add some pectic enzyme when I rack it?

talleybrew said:

I just tasted some of it and man its good. To me at least. Can I add some pectic enzyme when I rack it?

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talleybrew...you can add pectic enzyme now. The sooner, the better. Plus any that is unused just drops in the lees. Also, ripe banana + its peel (skin just starting to get black spots in areas) minus the butt and stem do wonders as a nutrient and to help in clearing. I literally will grab one small banana + peel (as described) per gallon and slice it, cover just barely with enough liquid from my must (or water from recipe if using H2O), bring to full boil, immediately remove from heat and cover pot with lid. Strain when cools to body temp and add 1/2 of the banana soup when I pitch the yeast and the rest of it at 1/3 sugar depletion. There will not be any banana flavor added. A ripe banana alone makes for a great nutrient, if you are hesitant to add the peel but there is an enzyme or something in the peel which helps with clearing because it does not happen with banana alone. Bizarre but it really works.

That's awesome.. thanks.

Thought i'd share this here..

Threw together another 1 gallon test batch yesterday while I had some free time. "Strawberry Breeze" is the flavor of concentrate I used for this one. Has strawberry, orange, pineapple and maybe something else in it. We'll see how it turns out. Doesn't say 100% juice on the can like others do but I didn't see any sorbate, sulfite liste in the ingrediants but it's bubbling away nicely.

-(3) Cans of it
-3/4 cups sugar
-Yeast Nutrient
-Premier Cuvee yeast
-Water to 1 gallon

with that yeast you could dry out 3lbs of sugar!

T_Baggins said:

with that yeast you could dry out 3lbs of sugar!

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Yeah, I have a bunch of this yeast so i'm trying to use it up before it starts to get too old.

If you max out it's potential it will be rocket fuel, but with a little backsweetening and a few months of aging it'll be OK.