Welch's Grape Juice Wine

[jcutch82]

I'm only a few batches in but id be sure to sterilize those fermentation vessels and have drilled stoppers with airlocks one the yeast has multiplied and is now fermenting.

 

[jcutch82]

I was more concerned if the boiling water in the pot before adding the 1 1/4 cup of sugar would be sufficient for sterilization to. Get this started

The recipe calls for 1 1/4 pounds of sugar, which is about 2 1/4 cups by my calculations... per gallon

 

[Talbotway]

Oh snap!!!! Jcutch. I think you just saved me a big headache, I misread that,,,,

So I can fix that since I haven't pitched the yeast yet. Thank you very much

 

[jcutch82]

Oh snap!!!! Jcutch. I think you just saved me a big headache, I misread that,,,,

So I can fix that since I haven't pitched the yeast yet. Thank you very much

No problem homey.

 

[Titan88]

When you use concentrate, will the wine ever clear?

 

[Talbotway]

Several posts in this link say yes, I'm in the first step of my first batch

 

[Talbotway]

So I readjusted my sugar and cam to a realization that I just boiled my sugars till they dissolved. Later I've read that boiling 5 min. Changes the molecular structure. So does that just make it easier for the yeast meaning that ill still be ok but just a longer primary fermentation time? I also had a space heater Infront of the two gallons while watching football. By halftime I checked and my temp was at 110 which my package states is the high limit. Still active so I don't think I hurt it too bad.

My primary question was the sugar solution and its effects on primary fermentation

 

[Taurii]

Well, just over a week ago I made 2 batches exactly to the recipe. Looking back both of my OG's were 1.055 and 1.054. Did I screw up?

 

[Yooper]

Well, just over a week ago I made 2 batches exactly to the recipe. Looking back both of my OG's were 1.055 and 1.054. Did I screw up?

The readings must be wrong- if you made it exactly to the recipe with the correct amount of sugar, it has to be higher than that. The sugars are there, and don't disappear.

 

[FF500]

My wife and I made a gallon batch and stuck to the recipe and got an OG of 1.086. So def really close to what it was supposed to be.


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[LoneTreeFarms]

Well, just over a week ago I made 2 batches exactly to the recipe. Looking back both of my OG's were 1.055 and 1.054. Did I screw up?

did you heat to dissolve the sugar? if not that could be where your numbers are off from.

 

[Taurii]

did you heat to dissolve the sugar? if not that could be where your numbers are off from.

Yes, it was heated to dissolve the sugar. Since I followed the recipe to the letter, I am going to say my number was off or I misread my hydrometer.

 

[YOPPER2]

Welch's Frozen Grape Juice Wine
2 cans (11.5 oz) Welch's 100% frozen grape concentrate
1-1/4 lbs granulated sugar
2 tsp acid blend
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp yeast nutrient
water to make 1 gallon
wine yeast

Edit- note! You may want to skip the acid blend, at least at first, as some results say this wine is too "tart".

Bring 1 quart water to boil and dissolve the sugar in the water. Remove from heat and add frozen concentrate. Add additional water to make one gallon and pour into secondary. Add remaining ingredients except yeast. Cover with napkin fastened with rubber band and set aside 12 hours. Add activated wine yeast and recover with napkin. When active fermentation slows down (about 5 days), fit airlock. When clear, rack, top up and refit airlock. After additional 30 days, stabilize, sweeten if desired and rack into bottles.

I have been making this wine for a few years, it always came out too sweet for me but my wife liked it. I now use 3 cans of juice and enough sugar to get .095 gravity, I rack it at 30 and 60 days, then age for about 6 months. Hey Yooper I live 25 miles south of Munising, is that anywhere near you?

 

[Yooper]

I have been making this wine for a few years, it always came out too sweet for me but my wife liked it. I now use 3 cans of juice and enough sugar to get .095 gravity, I rack it at 30 and 60 days, then age for about 6 months. Hey Yooper I live 25 miles south of Munising, is that anywhere near you?

We're along the Wisconsin border. Well, we live there but at this time of year we're in south Texas for a couple of months, as I hate cold and snow! Both our home and cottage are in Iron County, just a stone's throw from Wisconsin.

 

[jcutch82]

Yooper, do you back sweeten? A bit tart at 60 days. Wondering if maybe it needs to age a bit. Fg is well below 1.00

 

[Yooper]

Yooper, do you back sweeten? A bit tart at 60 days. Wondering if maybe it needs to age a bit. Fg is well below 1.00

I don't. But I'm an anti-sugar Nazi type, and won't even consume ketchup due to the sugar in it. I don't eat sugar, honey, etc, or even artificial sweeteners, and I have no sweet tooth at all.

If it's too tart for you, and you will consume sugar or honey or whatever, you certainly could stabilize it with campden and sorbate and then sweeten to taste.

 

[Sevenal]

Got around to this today.
9 cans white grape
3 cans white grape/peach
7 lbs white table sugar
3 tsp acid blend
2 tsp yeast energizer
3 tsp pectin enzyme
5/8 tsp tannin
Filled water to five gallons

In 24 hours I'll pitch LALVIN-1118 Champange yeast
Will fix the air lock then

OG = 1.100

In three weeks or so I will add 1lb of chopped white raisins after soaking them a few days in some vodka.

A couple weeks after that I"ll yank the bag of raisins, rack to another bucket then add Sparkelloid and cold crash for several days prior to bottling.

The original bucket should have a lovely cake of yeast to start a five gallon batch of Skeeter Pee on. The Skeeter Pee is the true reason for this batch of sweet yellow wine.

More to come

AL
A.k.a. Sevenal

Changing this up this weekend to a Red /12cans / raisins in later.
Same process and this time the cake will make another Lemon Wine or what is called Skeeter Pee / Hard Lemonaide. blush version

 

[Brewmex41]

I'm doing this again this weekend. Doing a 2 gal batch that I will age on oak. Then I'll use that oak to age a Nelson Sauvin IIPA. Hoping for a really winey Ipa, if that's a word.

 

[Talbotway]

My first attempt at 2gallons wine resulted in making 7 of top ten mistakes but ended at sg close to 1.0. Racked off twice 30 days each, I bottled today and tasted a sample of the grape, tasted pretty good with no back sweetening. Bottled 5 red grape and 5 white grape /peach. The peach one seemed weaker in flavor.. Any chance it'll get stronger with aging? Next 2gallons of cran grape and 5gallons of IPA next weekend. I'm getting close to enjoying the fruits of my new hobby. Thanks to everyone for all the advice.

 

[CavemanDom]

Made a new 1 gallon batch of a variation of my last variation of this.

1/2G McCutcheon's Concord grape
1 Quart Knudsen's "just blueberry"
2# wildflower honey
Top off water
Red star premier cuvée yeast

OG is 1.116 (PA 15%)
I plan to rerack in about a month.


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[MountainBrew78]

I've never made with concentrates before, so was wondering how does 2 cans per gallon work? best of my memory they only make like a quart of juice when you add water, seems like it would be a verrrrry light wine?

 

[HappiBrew]

Has anyone tried to freeze distill this before? It seems like it would make something similar to an Apple Jack but with less methanol... Like a softer Brandy??... and what of a staggered nutrient addition like you would do with a mead or cider? Would this help it smooth out faster?

 

[siebercider]

I just made two gallons of Welch's wine from the concord grape frozen concentrate. I need some advice on my technique. I racked the wine after 11 days to secondary when it was done fermenting and let it sit for a month in two one gallon glass carboys. I bottled it a few days ago after adding k meta and k sorbate and degassing. I didn't use any clearing agents but I did add pectic enzyme at the beginning. My wine looks more like grape juice than a clear red wine. I'm going to age it now for 6 months in the bottle.

Should I have done something to clear the wine? Am I going to end up with a lot of sediment in the bottles? What does everyone else usually do?

 

[Brewmex41]

Got my second batch going, yesterday.
Use 1 gallon organic white grape juice, one frozen Apple juice concentrate and enough corn sugar to get to 1.080

 

[Kdog22]

Has anyone tried to freeze distill this before? It seems like it would make something similar to an Apple Jack but with less methanol... Like a softer Brandy??... and what of a staggered nutrient addition like you would do with a mead or cider? Would this help it smooth out faster?

I've freeze concentrated apple wine from concentrate and white grape peach also made from concentrate. Both batches I had backsweetened with an extra can of that particular concentrate then the froze it/concentrated it. Perfect amount of flavor/sweetness for my taste.

you can do a staggered nutient addition of you want, just makes for a healtheir ferment and would probably finish the ferment faster. The faster it ferments, the faster it'll start clearing, the faster it'll get to aging and the faster it'll be drinkable. Although probably not by much. Just my .02

 

[Kdog22]

Has anyone tried to freeze distill this before? It seems like it would make something similar to an Apple Jack but with less methanol... Like a softer Brandy??... and what of a staggered nutrient addition like you would do with a mead or cider? Would this help it smooth out faster?

I've freeze concentrated apple wine from concentrate and white grape peach also made from concentrate. Both batches I had backsweetened with an extra can of that particular concentrate then the froze it/concentrated it. Perfect amount of flavor/sweetness for my taste.

you can do a staggered nutient addition of you want, just makes for a healtheir ferment and would probably finish the ferment faster. The faster it ferments, the faster it'll start clearing, the faster it'll get to aging and the faster it'll be drinkable. Although probably not by much. Just my .02

 

[Kdog22]

I just made two gallons of Welch's wine from the concord grape frozen concentrate. I need some advice on my technique. I racked the wine after 11 days to secondary when it was done fermenting and let it sit for a month in two one gallon glass carboys. I bottled it a few days ago after adding k meta and k sorbate and degassing. I didn't use any clearing agents but I did add pectic enzyme at the beginning. My wine looks more like grape juice than a clear red wine. I'm going to age it now for 6 months in the bottle.

Should I have done something to clear the wine? Am I going to end up with a lot of sediment in the bottles? What does everyone else usually do?

You didn't leave it in the secondary long enough for it to clear. Time will eventually clear it. You can throw the whole carboy in the fridge if you've got room and the cold temps will help it clear faster. It'll clear in your bottles over time, too, but you'll have a layer of sediment on the bottom.

 

[trbig]

I haven't read all the way through this, so sorry if it's been answered. I've got a 3 gallon batch at 1.5 lbs cane sugar per gallon. When it's done and I rack to a secondary, I'll either pasteurize or add k-meta and sorbate and want to back sweeten a bit. I like a sweet wine with concord grapes and was wanting to add some concentrate back to sweeten it. I want a sweet, not desert wine. Any idea what the ratio would be for a back sweetened concord?

Also, if I use the concentrate, has it been pasteurized, or is there a chance for wild yeast to kick it off again? If I use the K-meta, it shouldn't matter, but if I pasteurize, it'd mean I'd have to sweeten before doing so.

Thanks.

 

[SPR-GRN]

just bottled mine - my goodness was it good - a bit sweeter than I thought it would be given the amount of time I gave it (11-22-13 to 3-1-14), but very enjoyable none the less. Will definitely be making some again, maybe bump up the tannin over my last batch, maybe try a different fruit juice (cranberry or blueberry).

 

[trbig]

just bottled mine - my goodness was it good - a bit sweeter than I thought it would be given the amount of time I gave it (11-22-13 to 3-1-14), but very enjoyable none the less. Will definitely be making some again, maybe bump up the tannin over my last batch, maybe try a different fruit juice (cranberry or blueberry).

This thread is terrible about trying to get answers from. lol. I saw that Yooper's wine at 1.5 lbs sugar per gallon came out dry @ .995 or something. I just transfered mine to a secondary this weekend (Used 71B-1122 yeast) and as yours is, it is also very sweet. Desert wine sweet, but also very strong. The 71B yeast is good to about 15% and I think it got there, or close to it, but it's just a guess since I never took an O.G. Tasty, but I was thinking I'd have to backsweeten when I started it. Any more sugar in this one and a guy would risk diabetes. lol. I'll get a F.G. after it clears a bit.

I think I'll try another batch tonight and put in 1.25 lbs per gallon of sugar. Thinking I may end up just a pound per gallon additional sugar, but I'll try stepping it down a little at a time.