Welch's Grape Juice Wine

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LBussy said:
With oak in this "class" of wine you are really just looking to add some tannins to round things out. You can also use tannin powder or even easier some tea as recommended in that other recipe.
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Thanks again, I have all three so I might use tea on the next batch. Was mainly just trying to get the feel for things with the welches types before moving up to a kit style, or an Alexanders concentrate plus fruit. I think what I have learned at this stage is to go robust on ingredients (flavor) to avoid the weak watered down results. With boating season around the corner Skeeter pee sounds like a lot of fun too. Its all a journey, we will see where it takes me. Besides its just fun that is supposed to lead to even more fun.
 
Tried this with bottled white grape juice instead of concentrate. The fermentation looks like it stopped after a week. Now its not doing anything. At all. Trying to decide to give it a little sugar water or something, or just to wait.
 
Jimbob904 said:
Tried this with bottled white grape juice instead of concentrate. The fermentation looks like it stopped after a week. Now its not doing anything. At all. Trying to decide to give it a little sugar water or something, or just to wait.
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What is the current SG? It's probably done.
 
Now just a shade under 1.00 , maybe .999 (I am a little vague on absolute accuracy with my cheap meter. Probably mostly me) and starting to clear on the top of my fermenter. I was mostly freaked out how quickly it stopped, and a ring of spent yeast at the top of my fermenter. Had vigorous fermentation , then the day before everything stopped I finally got kreutzen (or whatever its called in wine circles), then the schmutzy ring and nothing.

Thanks all!
 
Okay so with these supermarket concentrates, when you get down to 1.000 in the primary in just a few days (used V1116) is it really a good idea once racked to secondary to let it continue with those tiny bubbles? I don't want it to get too hot like the first 3 batches did. That pretty much hosed it up. Or is all that just going to magically mellow out ~somehow~
 
I guess I'm the lazy wine maker because I typically let this stuff sit in primary for 4-6 months before I rack it. The hot taste you have will mellow out with time.
 
Took the sample for a gravity reading yesterday, dumped it into a glass, added some sugar. Tasted pretty good for 10 days old, even SWMBO thought it wouldn't be bad after a while in a bottle.
 
So I started my first 6 gallon batch. I followed the recipe for welch white grape peach. Multiplied everything by 6 except I added one can of concentrate per gallon to the recipe and cut the acid blend in half. So this is what I did:

18 cans welch white grape peach
7 1/2 lbs sugar
6 tsp acid blend
6 tsp pectic enzyme
6 tsp yeast nutrient
Water to make 6 gallons
1 packet Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast

First batch ever. Started it on Monday, May 27 in an 8 gallon bucket, with an initial SG of 1.120, which I know is too high. I didn't take into account the added sugar from the +1 cans of concentrate per gallon so I added too much granulated sugar. Pitched the yeast 12 hours later. Checked this morning, Wednesday, May 29, and she's bubbling like crazy. My girlfriend and I like sweet wine and don't mind if it is high alcohol but don't want it to be too high and sweet rocketfuel either. A few questions: am I screwed since I started with too much sugar? When should I rack and transfer to secondary 6 gallon carboy, when SG gets to 1.0? Should I stop the fermentation early as to not have too high of an alcohol content and how do I go about doing so or should I just let it go the way it is and dilute/sweeten later on in the process so it won't be as strong.

Thanks in advance everyone. I look forward to being part of the community.
 
njxrinzler said:
So I started my first 6 gallon batch. I followed the recipe for welch white grape peach. Multiplied everything by 6 except I added one can of concentrate per gallon to the recipe and cut the acid blend in half. So this is what I did:

18 cans welch white grape peach
7 1/2 lbs sugar
6 tsp acid blend
6 tsp pectic enzyme
6 tsp yeast nutrient
Water to make 6 gallons
1 packet Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast

First batch ever. Started it on Monday, May 27 in an 8 gallon bucket, with an initial SG of 1.120, which I know is too high. I didn't take into account the added sugar from the +1 cans of concentrate per gallon so I added too much granulated sugar. Pitched the yeast 12 hours later. Checked this morning, Wednesday, May 29, and she's bubbling like crazy. My girlfriend and I like sweet wine and don't mind if it is high alcohol but don't want it to be too high and sweet rocketfuel either. A few questions: am I screwed since I started with too much sugar? When should I rack and transfer to secondary 6 gallon carboy, when SG gets to 1.0? Should I stop the fermentation early as to not have too high of an alcohol content and how do I go about doing so or should I just let it go the way it is and dilute/sweeten later on in the process so it won't be as strong.

Thanks in advance everyone. I look forward to being part of the community.
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If you stop it at 1.034 that'll give you 12%abv and should be still sweet enough with out being rocket fuel. So your not screwed just don't ferment to hot( to cause fusel alcohol) or to long(to dry it out and create a higher abv) and you'll be good.
 
thejudge said:
If you stop it at 1.034 that'll give you 12%abv and should be still sweet enough with out being rocket fuel. So your not screwed just don't ferment to hot( to cause fusel alcohol) or to long(to dry it out and create a higher abv) and you'll be good.
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Alright, so how would I go about stopping fermentation when it gets to that point? Also, should I rack to secondary when it get to that point?
 
Yooper said:
It's almost impossible to successfully stop an active fermentation and not have bottle bombs down the road.
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Definitely don't want that. So should I just let it ferment out to whatever it happens to be and just dilute/backsweeten if need be later on before bottling?
 
What you could do is let it dry out, transfer to secondary and and add some kmeta and sorbate and let it bulk age for awhile(6-12 months). This will help it to mellow out and not be so harsh then back sweeten to taste and bottle. But if you create fusel alcohol it does take awhile to mellow out I believe. Higher the abv the longer it takes if I remember right.
 
thejudge said:
What you could do is let it dry out, transfer to secondary and and add some kmeta and sorbate and let it bulk age for awhile(6-12 months). This will help it to mellow out and not be so harsh then back sweeten to taste and bottle. But if you create fusel alcohol it does take awhile to mellow out I believe. Higher the abv the longer it takes if I remember right.
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Can you age this wine? I read somewhere that this kind of wine made from welch concentrate doesn't last that long before it goes bad?
 
Yeah you can just add the potassium metabisuphite and potassium sorbate. These will help stabilize and act as birth control in one lol. I have 5g that has been aging now for little over 5 months this way.

Edit: it doesn't last long because its do good lol
 
After active fermentation has stopped (5-7 days), should I leave in primary and fit the airlock or should I rack to the secondary and fit airlock?
 
Alright, I have a 6 gallon batch in the 8 gallon primary right now. So top up a bit, fit airlock, then rack to secondary when it clears correct?
 
njxrinzler said:
Alright, I have a 6 gallon batch in the 8 gallon primary right now. So top up a bit, fit airlock, then rack to secondary when it clears correct?
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Oh, no! You can't top up 6 gallons into 8 gallons. Rack it to the appropriate sized carboy if you didn't start in a 6 gallon carboy.
 
Alright I thought so haha, so it seems like its slowing down, not as many bubbles/fizing as yesterday. Its been fermenting for 4 days now. That normal? Should I rack today or wait till tomorrow
 
I'm planning to bottle my cranberry juice - grape concentrate version of this tonight. I mixed it up back on 03/15/13. I've been waiting for it to clear since 04/15/13.
 
This is the leftover cranberry juice - grape concentrate wine. Can't fix the rotation on my cellphone.

It's a little bitey on the end of the taste. I'm hoping that conditions out a little. Either way, my wife loves it.

image.jpg
 
I have a quick question about the Welch's grape juice wine. I tried it the other day and it seems that it's very watery. I have fermented it and in the process of clearing, how do I add body to it at this stage??
 
I add raisins to secondary for at least 6-8 weeks if not longer. Then top it off with more juice if need be for back sweeting and flavor.
 
Be careful with the back sweetening thing. It will carbonate and you could blow your corks, trust me. Cold crashing a couple weeks prior could help prevent that.
As for the grape juice concentrate, I use Great Value Walmart brand. For around $15 you can make 5 gallons of good table wine.

Cheers
 
How many raisins would you add to 3 gallons? Do you cut them or leave them whole? Do you put them in a straining bag? Never done this before. Any help is appreciated.
 
jkrug said:
How many raisins would you add to 3 gallons? Do you cut them or leave them whole? Do you put them in a straining bag? Never done this before. Any help is appreciated.
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I put half cup per gallon, some will do more or less. You can put them straight in or in a bag for easy removal. Chopping them is best.
 
So I ended up topping off in my secondary with a gallon water for my 6 gallon batch to dilute the alcohol. Been sitting for 5 days and I just decided to have a little taste, was curious, and it smells peachy and tastes really sour. Is that the acidity from adding 6 tsp of acid blend?

I'm going to be stabilizing and backsweetening with more concentrate when the time comes, so will that fix the taste?
 
Racked to a clean carboy last week, and filled 2 16oz pop bottles while I was at it. 3 tbsp sugar in each, let set at room temp til this morning. I thought it was good, but SWMBO thought it tasted like medicine. Put the 2nd bottle in the fridge, and I'll try it again later. If I try to bottle carb it all I'm gonna have a full fridge for a while.
 
First try at this or wine at all

Color changed from burgundy to reddish pink one day into fermentation

Not too stressed just surprised

Is this normal?

Thanks
 
Just getting into this wine making thing after a few years of beer making.

This is what I'm throwing together tomorrow based on the original recipe:

7 cans of purple grape juice concentrate
2 cans of white grape juice concentrate (edit: couldn't firnd this concentrate, used only purple grape juice)
2.5 tsp pectic enzyme
2.5 tsp yeast nutrient
3/8 tsp wine tannin
1 oz oak for 21 days
water to 2.5 gallons
some sort of wine yeast (edit: used Lalvin K1V-1116, it's all I had)


I've decided to just skip the extra sugar entirely and replace it with all concentrate. Also, I think I'll leave out the acid blend since I'll be using more juice. Otherwise, I'll be following the directions exactly. I've worked out that it should theoretically reach an OG of 1.105, but we'll see for sure when I whip it up tomorrow!

Edit: Wine came out at 1.095 OG, feremented in primary for 5 days to 1.005. Transfered to secondary for several days until terminal gravity of 0.997. Racked on more time and stabilized, also added some light toast oak to age wine for about a month. Plan on fining with gelatin, letting it work, then racking once more before bottling. Upon tasting it I'm really surprised at how good this is, it reminds me of a young Cabernet.
 

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