So I was planning on starting my mustang grape wine, went out and picked all the grapes, ended up getting very busy. I decided just to freeze the grapes in gallon bags until I get the time to make the wine. Is this going to affect it in any way? Was this a good or bad decision?
Freezing whole grapes
- Thread starter CEversole
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Goofynewfie
Well-Known Member
they use frozen grapes to make ice wine
cyberlord
Well-Known Member
It'll be fine.
I don't make wine but have read where folks will deliberately freeze fruit before making beer.
The idea is that since freezing causes water to expand, the frozen fruit will more easily release it's juices into the brew since the cells in it are ruptured. Kinda like freezing juices the fruit a little.
It probably doesn't make a world of difference, but it is correct that water expands when frozen and cells do rupture.
My first beer I made with fruit was with berries. I froze them for a few weeks so they'd keep. The fruit thawed fine and the beer came out pretty good. I have a cherry wheat going now where I kept the cherries in the freezer overnight, again just so they'd keep if I didn't get to them as soon as I'd hoped. I used them the next day. Only some were frozen. They were all fine. The beer is in bottles now. I tasted a sample and it's good, very cherry.
The idea is that since freezing causes water to expand, the frozen fruit will more easily release it's juices into the brew since the cells in it are ruptured. Kinda like freezing juices the fruit a little.
It probably doesn't make a world of difference, but it is correct that water expands when frozen and cells do rupture.
My first beer I made with fruit was with berries. I froze them for a few weeks so they'd keep. The fruit thawed fine and the beer came out pretty good. I have a cherry wheat going now where I kept the cherries in the freezer overnight, again just so they'd keep if I didn't get to them as soon as I'd hoped. I used them the next day. Only some were frozen. They were all fine. The beer is in bottles now. I tasted a sample and it's good, very cherry.
I freeze mine (Muscadine) in gallon baggies. A single layer of grapes works out to about 6 pounds. Once they thaw I use a rolling pin to crush them. It takes about 30 seconds per bag.
huesmann
Well-Known Member
Yes and no. Water does expand when frozen, but it also contracts. Look at this graph of the density of water.
Water is densest around 4ºC. What this means in practicality is that as water cools, it shrinks to its smallest volume at 4ºC, and then as it gets colder it expands again slightly. What you think is water expanding when frozen is what's happening in this temperature range.
I tried to make mustang wine last year. I froze them first. You will need to add water to try to balance the high acidity. I ended up dumping mine. I think I picked too early and they where not completely ripe. Samples tasted like pure acidity. Good luck.
