First time wine making attempt

[rk4810]

New member, interested in making my first wine. Few very entry level questions. A family member grew some grapes on a whim and doesn't have the patience/interest to try making wine from them. The plants are a few years old. There's some decent sized vines with a good amount of grapes growing. The grapes are Marechal Foch (red) and edelweiss white. What wine varieties can I produce from these, or what will the taste be comparable too? How many pounds of grapes do you need per bottle? When in the season do I harvest the grapes? (We are in Massachusetts, its mid July now, and its been a very hot month). I will do my research but any tips are appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Bocochoco]

Well depending on the type it takes on average around 40-50 grape bunches to get enough to make just 1 gallon of wine. I just started something similar. Amerbonte(not much info on this one), frontenac, and edelweiss. I expect to have a red dominant Rosé if I blend them all.
From my research, 3 years is pretty young still. It might be better to cut the fruit off now and toss it to let the vine get stronger. I usually read 4 years is the minimum.
That being said you'll want to protect the fruit from birds with netting if not already and they'll be plump and taste ready. They'll be a little bitter but sweet when ready. If you want to spend the money for a refractometer you can test the sugar content of individual grapes otherwise you'll have to use your senses.
The taste will all depend on too many factors such as yeast type, acidity, fermentation temperature, etc. If done right it should taste like an unblended Rosé but will be unique no matter what. For good or for worse you'll have fun doing it.

 

[bernardsmith]

Is it 40 - 50 bunches or 10 -15 lbs of fruit to make a gallon of wine?

 

[Bocochoco]

More like 15-20 pounds ime purchasing grapes but on average 40-50 bunches depending on the grape yield that much