I miss the Mustang Grapes in TX

I lived and started making wine back in the 90's. I would spend a awefully day picking the wild grape that grew near my house. I made jelly with them but I ended up with a lot of extra grape and to much jelly so I decided to try to make wine (OH MY GOSH) it was great. everyone who tried it wanted the recipe but I didn't have one to give them... I'm just saying that if you are where they grow.....don't let them go to waste...

Can you give an approximate walk thru, to your best recall, as to what you did? Wild yeast or commercial?

Sure but it will be short and sweet! Nothing but the wild grapes and sugar. the hardest thing you have to do is picking and smashing the grapes. I just gritted my teeth and worked as quick as I could ... then washed and used a lot od Benedryle gel. I sugared to taste, kept it stirred and let it do it's thing.... be careful not to bottle to soon my father-in-law tried to make some like I did but he did something wrong and ended up with 6 gallons of wine bottles EXPLODING

Thanks. So it was a wild yeast ferment? Why was benadryl gel needed?

lol saramc I think she means Benadryl for herself after picking the berries not actually in the wine must hehe.

Honda88 said:

lol saramc I think she means Benadryl for herself after picking the berries not actually in the wine must hehe.

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Yes, I know it was needed for herself. Just wondering what she got into that made benadryl necessary or is that a norm when working with mustang grapes? Just like brushing up against fig leaves commonly causes rash/itchy skin (due to latex component).

saramc said:

Yes, I know it was needed for herself. Just wondering what she got into that made benadryl necessary or is that a norm when working with mustang grapes? Just like brushing up against fig leaves commonly causes rash/itchy skin (due to latex component).

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Oh, mustang grapes will very often ruin your skin! They are terribly acidic and highly irritating. But they make a great wine, and so it's worth it.

Yooper said:

Oh, mustang grapes will very often ruin your skin! They are terribly acidic and highly irritating. But they make a great wine, and so it's worth it.

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Thanks Yooper, exactly what I was wondering.

YEP YEP YEP They are extremely acidic and boy do they eat you up, but the wine was made with only smashed up grapes sugar and water. I threw it together in a 5 gallon bucket with a tube from lid to bottle of water, stirred everyday or two or three. I strained out fruit after a month.... topped it back to close to 5 gallons ... waited about two months them bottled..... was way way to good after a couple months....I don't rarly drink anything but decided to give it a try one night when I was home alone and I drank the whole bottle of it.

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/mustang.asp

Cheers
Jay

I was lucky enough to pick many pounds this year. I have made a 6 gallon and a 3 gallon fast track wine..The fast track was excellent, and hope the 6 gallon in waiting is better.
It started off pretty ugly, but finished beautiful.

forgot, you want to use rubber gloves with these grapes, after a while your hands will feel like there burning.