General Concentrate Wine

[brazedowl]

When you back sweeten, don't use sugar, use some cran-concentrate. That'll reinforce the flavor and ad the sweetness.

 

[jkrug]

Do you mean the frozen concentrate I started with?

 

[brazedowl]

Sure. I mean let it sit out and come to room temperature first, but yeah. Or splash another flavor. I sometimes splash cran-concentrate into my cider when I back sweeten.

 

[shinyheatherlee]

Thanks for this recipe! Just started a 1 gallon of Blueberry Pomegranate today for my 1st batch ever

 

[brazedowl]

awesome! Let us know how it goes!

 

[Meadrol]

Now this sounds interesting...first wine I'll be trying; been doing mead up to now so not a newbie to the process but it's still fun to try something new. White grape/raspberry, anyone? I might even try to do this sparkling...we'll see how she goes. Thanks for the recipe, brazedowl!

 

[brazedowl]

I'm doing one with 50/50 grape concentrate and apple concentrate and I'm going to bottle carb it.

 

[dawnpd]

So I've looked thorough all post and can't seem to find starting sg and finishing sg I'm prettynew to this wine making and have only used kits so this is my first time using concentrate's

 

[brazedowl]

I wrote this way back before I started measuring gravity and just was whipping together sweet tasting, strong, cheap, wines I'll check the gravity the next time I run this recipe for sure and post it.

 

[dawnpd]

Thanks I started today and got a start sg of 1.130 don't know what that means as the box I started yesterday started at 1.030 so guess ill c in a couple days if things r working out

 

[brazedowl]

1.130 will make a nice strong brew, but it will also stress out the yeast. If it doesn't take off or doesn't start at all, consider cutting it with some water. I normally fill a gallon jug 3/4 full of the wine and add water to fill it. I set that side and add the 3/4 gallon of empty carboy with water. It'll take right off after that. Then when I bottle I recombine the two.

 

[dawnpd]

Thanks will keep an eye on that btw do u stir the yeast in or just shake on top ?

 

[brazedowl]

I normally start the yeast in some warm water with a bit of sugar while I'm putting everything else together in the carboy. By the time I'm ready to pitch, it's good and foamy.

 

[jkrug]

Added sugar to back sweeten more and it started fermenting again. What should have I done to prevent this? It doesn't hurt if it ferments again? Do I need to let it sit again& clear?

 

[brazedowl]

a) it won't hurt if it ferments more, just makes more alcohol

b) you need to stabilize it with some sorbate and campden. I normally add a table spoon of potassium sorbate and 5 campden tablets (1 per gallon) and dissolve it in 1 cup of warm water and rack my wine onto it. A day or two later I'll backsweeten and bottle.

 

[jkrug]

Is there a way to get it to stop fermenting? Tried it on Thanksgiving and boy it was a little sweet but good. Getting anxious to bottle and start drinking?

 

[brazedowl]

Don't know where you are, but if it's cold enough you could stick it outside and the cold will cause the yeast to go dormant and settle to the bottom. It's called cold crashing. I've never tried it, but you can search around the forum there's threads that explain it.

 

[Meadrol]

You can stop the ferment by cold crashing it in the fridge for a couple of days; then rack onto sorbate and campden tablets to keep fermentation from restarting (stabilization).

 

[brazedowl]

Agreed. I always forget about that option because my fridge can't fit a 5gal carboy in it.

 

[jkrug]

Unfortunately i cant fit a 5 gal carboy in my frig either.

 

[jkrug]

I just started a 2 gallon batch of Welches white grape. Started this past Tuesday. Followed the recipe, except i added some oak to the fermentation bucket.. the batch has not Started foaming yet, so i am thinking it is not fermenting yet. Added the nutrient & energizer for the yeast. Tried adding more sugar yeast enegizer & nutrients this morning. Still no action in the bucket, Any thoughts around this?

 

[brazedowl]

If you scaled down the recipe then you added 4# of sugar? What was your OG?

 

[jkrug]

It did start back up again today. Thanks for the quick response.

 

[jkrug]

I have decided to cold crash my rasp concentrate wine. Its been fermenting for about 1 month, second time around. My SG was about 1.02 or 1.03. How long should I keep it in the frig? Never done this before.

 

[brazedowl]

I've never cold crashed before so I'm not sure. I've had a damn straight-grape concentrate wine that's been going since July and is still dropping like .001 a every week or two. Down to 1.022 and driving me CRAZY with it's slow slow slow bubbling.

 

[rialaigh]

I've never cold crashed before so I'm not sure. I've had a damn straight-grape concentrate wine that's been going since July and is still dropping like .001 a every week or two. Down to 1.022 and driving me CRAZY with it's slow slow slow bubbling.

Aging and fermenting this long in the primary (or secondary if you have racked) it is going to be really damn good...mines been sitting a month or two but I dont even plan on moving it from the primary for another month or two and Im not going to bottle until june or july

 

[Meadrol]

Cold crash for 24 hours to stun the yeast and make it fall to the bottom of your carboy, then rack onto your sorbate/campden to prevent fermentation restart.

 

[Meadrol]

Oh yeah, one more thing...when you are buying your concentrates be sure to look at the ingredients and make sure it isn't sulfited; if it says that you'll never get it going because it's been stabilized to make sure there isn't fermentation.

 

[GunnyB]

Just started a batch last night per recipe using apple kiwi strawberry in a Carlo Rossi 4L jug filled up to the base of the neck. Airlock showed activity within a couple of hours and hasn't let up since. The yeast seem to be having a field day in there. Thanks for the recipe

 

[dgrums]

About three weeks ago I started 2 1-gallon batches of various flavors. Yesterday I decided to do a gravity reading out of curiosity and tasted the sample. Dear lord... I will not even look at these again for a month. Tasted like strawberry flavored rubbing alcohol. I'm sure the flavors will blend better over time but that was something I'd never tasted before.