improving my peach wine

I made a 5 gallon batch of peach wine last year using the following recipe
* 3 lbs ripe peaches
* 12 oz can frozen white grape concentrate
* 2-1/4 lbs granulated sugar
* 1-1/2 tsp acid blend
* 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
* 1/4 tsp tannin
* water to one gallon
* 1 crushed Campden tablet
* 1 tsp yeast nutrient
* Champagne wine yeast
From Jack Keller's page
winemaking: requested recipe (Peach Wines)
so I used 60oz of welch white grape juice. It turned out pretty good, but I was wondering if there might be something that would work better?

smoa said:

so I used 60oz of welch white grape juice. It turned out pretty good, but I was wondering if there might be something that would work better?

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Are you asking for advice for a substitute for the Niagara juice or for the recipe in general? The recipe you provided calls for one 12 oz can of frozen concentrate. A rehydrated 12 oz can provides much less juice than the 60 oz you used. You changed the original recipe from a peach wine with body added by the addition of the grape concentrate to a peach flavored Niagara wine. Did you try the original recipe? As with any recipe, it's all about balance.

Hi this is ordan

CANNED PEACH OR PEAR WINE

* 32 oz canned peaches or pears
* 2 lbs granulated sugar (approximate)
* 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
* 2 tsp. acid blend
* 1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme
* 1/4 tsp. grape tannin
* 3-1/2 qts. water
* 1 crushed Campden tablet
* 1 tsp. yeast nutrient
* Champagne yeast

Bring water to a boil. Meanwhile, drain the fruit but save the liquid they were canned in. Chop fruit and put in nylon straining bag. Tie bag and put in primary. Add orange juice. When water boils, remove from heat and add liquid from canned fruit. Stir in 1 lb. sugar and stir until dissolved. Measure S.G. and continue adding sugar (1/4 cup at a time, then stir to dissolve) until S.G. reaches 1.088-1.090. When S.G. is right, pour sweetened water over fruit. Add acid blend, tannin, yeast nutrient, and crushed Campden tablet and stir. Cover with cloth, wait 12 hours, then add pectic enzyme. Recover, wait additional 12 hours, then add yeast. When fermentation is very active (1-2 days later), stir and push bag of fruit under. Don't worry if it floats back up. Ferment 5 days, stirring daily and pushing bag under liquid several times. Drip drain (don't squeeze) the bag and return drained juices to primary. Discard fruit. Allow liquid to settle, then siphon off sediments into sterile secondary and fit air lock. Rack after two months and again after additional two months, topping up each time. Wait final two months, add stabilizer, wait additional 10 days, and rack again. Sweeten to taste with up to 1/4 cup sugar dissolved in 1/8 cup water and bottle the wine. Allow 6 months aging before tasting. Well-canned fruit will have produced good wine by now. If the wine tastes less than expected, allow to age another 6 months. [Author's recipe, with a little help from Terry Garey's The Joy of Home Winemaking]

Yes, I am looking for a substitute for the grape juice. I made 5 gallons, so I multiplied 12oz X 5 = 60oz. Was this correct, or is the conversion not that straight froward. I used 6, 10oz can because I could not find 5 12 oz cans of concentrate. I was thinking something like this
NORTHERN BREWER: Wine Ingredients
Thank you odran for your recipe, but I'm lucky enough to have forty pounds of fresh Washington peaches in my kitchen right now. How would that change your recipe?

smoa said:

Yes, I am looking for a substitute for the grape juice. I made 5 gallons, so I multiplied 12oz X 5 = 60oz. Was this correct, or is the conversion not that straight froward. I used 6, 10oz can because I could not find 5 12 oz cans of concentrate.

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Yes, your adjustments are correct. I didn't see the quantitiy in your original post. I feel that Niagara grape juice adds considerably to the body, and doesn't take anything away from the color of light country wines. Better, in my opinion, than Concord does with darker country wine, I don't know of anything other than raisins that would add the same "fullness". Some people (me included) have used bananas (frozen and then thawed, peel and all) to improve the mouthfeel without adding to the flavor but I don't think it works as good as raisins or grapes.

Alternately, if you have the time (you can always freeze the peaches for a while) you can order a can or two of a white Alexander's concentrate such as Chablis, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, etc. from Northern Brewer. I use them all the time in conjunction with country wines and melomels and have had great success with them.

With that many peaches, have you considered making a mead? Bigkahuna has started a peach mead and could provide you with some tips.

most of the peaches are for wine, but my wife got mad last year because there wasn't enough left over for her. She wanted to dehydrate some. I plan on freezing them for about a month. SO what would the different types of grape concentrate do to my wine. I mean what is the difference between Chablis, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, etc. This is only the third batch that I've done so I'm still figuring it all out, thans for the help.

I think you'll find that the Alexander's concentrates add a great deal to your country wines. Use one or two cans for five gallons, depending on whether you want the peaches to be prominent or more toward the background. I think any of the white varieties that Alexander's offers would go well with peaches, and certainly much better than the Niagara. You might want to try the Riesling if you had to choose only one. Maybe lightly backsweetened after fermentation is complete.

Riesling: Light aromatic white wine with peach and lemon fruit flavors. Can be dry to fruity to sweet.

Gewurztraminer: Medium bodied, aromatic spicy white wine with nectarine fruit and cinnamon. Can be dry, fruity, or sweet.

Chenin Blanc is currently used primarily as a blending grape for generic table wines. It can yield a pleasant enough wine, with subtle melon, peach, spice and citrus notes.

Most people consider a young Chablis to be tart, “steely” and “flinty” but it can be good for blending in country style wines.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Have you ever read Terry Gareys Joy of home WineMaking? She discusses ways to improve body in there. If you dont have access I can try to dig up my copy that I havent seen in a while, Ken

I was thinking Riesling also, but only for the pure fact that it is my wife favorite thanks for all the help.