Muscadine Wine

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Rhino

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I made a batch of Muscadine wine on 01/18/2009:

15 quarts water
12 3/4 pounds sugar
35 pounds muscadines
5 tsp. pectic enzyme
5 tsp. yeast nutrient
5 Camden Tablets, crushed

01/19/09 Must S.G. 1.095

01/20/09 Added yeast

01/25/09 S.G. 990 Added 2 cups sugar water

2/10/09 Racked
S.G. 990

Checked S.G. on 02/28/09: 990

The temperature in the room is 68 degrees F. Am I not reading the hydrometer correctly? I am using a triple scale beer & wine hydrometer. I have posted on here before and everyone did not understand my reading. Am I doing something wrong?
 
Well double check your hydrometer, to make sure you are reading it right, but there's nothing there that stands out terribly. That is certainly a quick fermentation for sure, but not impossible. Test your hydrometer with water, if you use distilled it should read 1.000 and tap or anything else should be within a very small margin. If the readings are right then your brew just fermented very quickly, and then when you added the sugar water, not sure how much sugar was involved, but it looks like the yeast ate that right up too.

What kind of yeast did you use?
 
Thank you for your response. I used Red Star Pasteur Champagne active dry wine yeast. I checked my hydrometer as you suggested and it is reading with distilled water at 1.000. I am new to this and am thankful for any help. Any suggestions?
 
It's all fermented out. Now, it's time to rack it if you have thick lees, and make sure that it's topped up so that there is minimal headspace. You should be right around 14% alcohol by volume, so I wouldn't add any more fermentables (sugar) unless you plan on aging it for several years.
 
The lees are the deposits on the bottom of the carboy. It's made up of dead yeast, proteins and other things that are in suspension during fermentation. When more than 45 days have passed and the lees are 1/4 inch thick, the wine should be racked and topped up to avoid having any headspace. Sometimes wines are racked 4-5 times over a year before beginning bulk aging. I recommend using some sulfites if you will be aging this wine.
 
My blackberry wine had readings that moved that fast as well.

One thing I learned about wine is "Don't worry about it".

That seems to be the best advice.
 
Does anyone happen to know what the SG is of vine rippened (those which are mature, and have dropped to the ground) muscadines and/or scuppernongs?

Just the juice itself...before it has been diluted with water and/or boosted with sugar, or anything else!

Pogo
 
Went out in the woods and picked them, a real good crop this year
 
I racked it on 2/10, do I need to go ahead and put the campden tablets in or wait until i rack it again?
 
I am in S texas and never seen a wild grape crop until after middle of may actually usualy not ripe till middle of june. Muscadine in May/June Mustang grapes in June/July. How do you get them so early?
 
I got these around september, just put them in the frezzer until i was ready to make may mash
 
Should I add the sulfites now or the next time I rack it?

You can probably wait until you rack it, unless you think it really needs it now. I usually add one campden tablet per gallon at the making of the must, and then at every other racking. I don't have an SO2 meter, so that's my "guestimation" of trying to keep the wine at approx 50 ppm.
 
i'd like to know how your recipe turns out... although it looks like it's gonna be a while... some friends of my parents own old south winery in natchez mississippi and muscidine wine is there specialty. i'll see if i can get more info for u.
IMG_2854.jpg


this bottles been aging for about 6 years so far... i'm shooting for 10.
its really the only kind of wine i will drink.. kindof an acquired taste for most tho
 
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