Muscatine grapes

[reapernazara]

So a friend gave me some muscadine grape juice. I guess there is several varieties called muscadine, I have no idea which one this is. If it helps I'm from east tx they were harvested near huntsville tx and were wild. I'd like to know if anyone has any yeast suggestions. I would prefer a little sweeter wine with fruity tones.

 

[jonereb]

I used 1118 last year. This year, I'm using 71B-1122. Too early to know which is best, but I'm happy either way, so far. I'm using Black Jumbo and Southland muscadines that I grew in Mississippi.

 

[mredge73]

Go-to wine yeast is EC-1118. It is one the the most widely used strains in the world. It imparts little flavor and will make it bone dry.
For a sweeter wine you will want to backsweeten after primary fermentation.

 

[reapernazara]

The juice he gave me is actually from last year it's been in my freezer for a little bit. I think I actually have some 1118 in my fridge. So it will leave the grape flavor fairly intact? Also I've never made wine before, just mead, anything special I should do that may be significantly different than mead?

 

[jonereb]

Is your juice made from red or white/bronze muscadine? I'm not sure that makes a difference--just curious. My grapes are red. Have you ever tried Sweet Noble, a commercial muscadine wine from Natchez, MS? It maintains its true muscadine flavor, which I love. I'm not sure what yeast they use. Someone on this forum said the commercial muscadine wineries use 1118, generally speaking.

 

[chonas]

Protip: Bottle condition for a year to get port flavors from muscadine wine.

 

[jonereb]

I have 10 bottles a red muscadine wine aging as we speak. I started fermenting two gallons last Sept/Oct. 2015. Racked until June 2016 and then bottled. So it's been a year since these two gallons went into secondary fermentation. Been in corked bottles 4 or 5 months. How much longer should I wait before I get the best flavor of the muscadine?

 

[reapernazara]

I'm going with red, the juice is pretty much purple.

 

[chonas]

Try a bottle now, I made around 3 gallons and accidentally aged a quart. Found it a year later and it was boozier, the upfront muscadine had completely disappeared into date and other port type flavors. If airtight, you may have 20 years to go depending on how tannic, fruity, and or sweet the flavor was at racking.

 

[z-bob]

So a friend gave me some muscadine grape juice. I guess there is several varieties called muscadine, I have no idea which one this is. If it helps I'm from east tx they were harvested near huntsville tx and were wild. I'd like to know if anyone has any yeast suggestions. I would prefer a little sweeter wine with fruity tones.

Cotes des Blanc yeast. I love that stuff, and it's cheap. It leaves just a tiny bit of sweetness and doesn't strip all the fruity flavors away like champagne yeasts (1118, Premier Cuvee, etc) I've used it in apple cider and in concord grape wine; haven't done any muscadines because they don't grow up here. :cry: (I grew up in east Texas)