Welch's Grape Concentrate and Grape Concentrate Cocktail

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zeegadget

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Hi All.... I just joined because I was interested in making wine from Welch's
grape juice concentrate. My ingredients were picked up in a few trips to
the grocery store and that is where I screwed up. I picked up 4 cans of
the grape juice concentrate on the first trip. On the second trip I grabbed
6 cans of the Welch's Grape Cocktail Concentrate. Now I have a 5 gallon
batch of this in a 6 1/2 gallon glass carboy. Did I really screw up using
the cocktail concentrate?

Tom
SW Pennsylvania
 
You're probably ok. From what I seem to remember from the strange US packaging laws, a "cocktail" is something less than pure juice and can include other ingredients, most likely more sugar and water. As long as you took gravity readings and you know where you began, you should be ok.
 
Here's the ingredients list from a welch's grape juice cocktail:

Filtered Water, Grape Juice, Grape Juice from Concentrate, Calcium Gluconate, Malic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Calcium Lactate, Potassium Metabisulfite, Sucralose (Splenda Brand), Acesulfame Potassium. No Artificial Flavors Or Colors Added.

I'm not positive, but some of those extra ingredients not found in the regular juice may be preservatives which would inhibit fermentation. Whenever buying juice I try to be sure it has nothing but water, concentrate, and ascorbic acid just to be on the safe side(these are the only ingredients in the non-cocktail welch's grape juice).
 
Well, the Potassium Metabisulfite is certainly a preservative and the Sucralose may impart some off flavors but since you've already begun, might as well see it through. If it's fermenting the K-meta shouldn't have hurt it much.
 
I'd worry more about the Sodium Citrate, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C). I have used both to stabalize wine in past.
 
The sucralose suggests that you bought diet or light or reduced calorie juice cocktail. Which means the sugar content on those cans is way down, so you're not going to get much alcohol from the cans of cocktail.

But as summersolstice said, "As long as you took gravity readings and you know where you began, you should be ok."
 
I've recently made the same mistake. How did the batch turn out? Mine seems to be fermenting just fine, but then again i'm only a week into the ferment.
 
I am also new to the wine making myself ,tonight i start a 5 gal better bottle out of welchs white grape juice concentrate the receipe I made was /5 -12oz. Cans of concentrate,10lbs of sugar ,15 oz. of golden raisins ,10 tsp of acid blend, 5 -1/2 tsp of petric enzyme,5 tsp of yeast nutrient and 5 packs of fleischmanns highly active yeast i started the yeast until it had about an inch of foam built up dumped it in the mix and dawm it has just takin off .....I guess my question is how do you think I did and do you have any helpful words if advice?
 
The airlock should not be an issue but five packs of yeast...just a lot to me. But then again the only time I use bread yeast is JMAO.
 
Well I did say I was a newby.Is there anyway I maybe able to lighten the awful taste of the bread yeast?
 
My recipe was much simpler. I just used 6 welches grape cocktail (wasn't suppose to be the cocktail) concentrate, 5 pounds sugar, and 1 package of red wine yeast (don't know what kind).
OG was 1.070 and today I got curious and it was 1.050. That reading might be off because it was still throwing off bubbles. Tasted pretty good but too sweet still. Back to the closet with it.
Is there a way to stop fermentation if I want a sweeter wine? This is my first batch btw.
 
Saramc ,after my must gets done how many packs of turbo yeast and sugar should I add ?

Ok, quick calculation of your OG based off of 10# sugar alone, not counting the five cans concentrate, has you at around 1.094, which if your bread yeast utilizes all of that you would reach an ACV of around 12.4%. In all reality, the grape flavor is going to be quite low since the typical recipe uses 2-4 cans per gallon, while you would use four cans per gallon to get 1 gallon of drinking unfermented juice with a typical SG of 1.060...so one can per gallon in your must would likely raise the SG by 0.015. For this case, let's say your OG is roughly 1.109, which gives a new ACV of 14.46 IF the bread yeast ferments it all out.
If you are going to use turbo yeast, which I would not on this, you need to add enough sugar to have a new OG of at least 1.165 to reach 22% if the turbo yeast will take over the bread yeast, and I would add it sooner than later because it is difficult to establish a yeast in an established alcohol base, such as waiting for this to ferment out and then pitching new yeast.
--FYI, takes five cups of sugar to raise SG of five gallons by 0.020--you need to raise SG by 0.056 to get there, 1.165ish. Based on my calculations you could add another three cans per gallon of grape concentrate, that would account for 0.045, but 4/gal would take you just over the target. Plus, you would really need to add it in stages, like every drop of 0.030 points, need hydrometer, because a yeast cannot handle all that fermentable up front.
*BUT, and I seriously mean it, you would be better off just letting this experiment ferment out and punch up the ACV with some pure grain or vodka if that is what you want.
Recommendation, if you want this sweeter than where it ends up finishing be sure to stabilize with k-meta plus sorbate after it clears and sweeten to taste with sugar or perhaps some frozen but thawed concentrate to bring some of the concord back. Plus, invest in a hydrometer, please.
 
Saramc,I took your advice and got a hydrometer and the reading right now is sg 1.030/abv 3.5/balling 6.5 and I did get a pack of turbo yeast like you suggested I also got a bottle of brewers best artificial flavoring(peach)but since I'm a newby I'm still not real sure on how to use the hydrometer since I didn't take a reading before I pitched the yeast,so how much sugar would you suggest adding and should I wait to add the flavor after I stabilize?THANKS....
 
Saramc,I took your advice and got a hydrometer and the reading right now is sg 1.030/abv 3.5/balling 6.5 and I did get a pack of turbo yeast like you suggested I also got a bottle of brewers best artificial flavoring(peach)but since I'm a newby I'm still not real sure on how to use the hydrometer since I didn't take a reading before I pitched the yeast,so how much sugar would you suggest adding and should I wait to add the flavor after I stabilize?THANKS....

Go back and reread my post, look at the area that starts with '--'. As far as how to use your hydrometer, use web search engine and review a video or two. It is simple once you watch someone demonstrate.
FWIW, the SG of 1.030 is what remains of potentially fermentable sugar in your must, you have about 3.5% of alcohol left to create--if your must is viable. You may be close to the end of your ferment with bread yeast, since many say it dies off at 10-11%. I calculated you likely had a total original gravity of approx 1.109, and if you are at end SG of 1.030, your ACV now is approx 10.5%. With the alc content you are at now the turbo yeast may not establish and take off in your must...just cautioning you. I do not work with turbo yeast, you could call the LHBS or Customer Service for yeast and ask if the turbo yeast will establish if you pitch in an active must at 10.5%.
Hold off on the flavoring, you may not want it...definitely an end process.

What ACV do you want this to ideally finish at? I did mention in the -- area of what to do if you want to try to end up with 22% ACV...assuming the turbo yeast takes over. If you want to add just pure sugar you need to add approx 12.5 cups/5 gallons.

But before you do this, keeping in mind this wine is young...have you tasted it? Put a four ounce sample in refrig, take a sip when chilled, then add sugar by 1/8th teaspoon increments and taste. You may find you want this batch to just age and clear, stabilize and backsweeten.
 
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