Welch's wine

[Blacksmith1]

I plan to let those age for 2 years then bottle and enjoy.

that's part I'm doing so well at, and like another member on this forum asked, where do you guys store all this?

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I have a shed behind the house. It is not ideal, the temp fluctuates too much, but its the best I have. And none of my wine is really lone term 2-3 years is about it.

 

[ChuckB68]

Hm. I wanted higher alc content too. Should I NOT have added icing sugar before fermenting? At 1.062 SG now, would another dose of EC 1118 get it started?

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Hm. I wanted higher alc content too. Should I NOT have added icing sugar before fermenting? At 1.062 SG now, would another dose of EC 1118 get it started?

What was your starting grav? How long has it been fermenting? At what temp?

 

[bmd2k1]

Fired up my first batch of Welch's "hobo" vino --

3gals Sams 100% Concord GJ
15cans FGJC
OG 1.13
D47 rehydrated

Cheers[emoji111]

 

[ChuckB68]

1.06 starting, temp ~20C; hasn't started at all

 

[Blacksmith1]

that's part I'm doing so well at, and like another member on this forum asked, where do you guys store all this?

That was supposed to read "NOT doing so well at" .

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

That was supposed to read "NOT doing so well at" .

Yeah, I wish I had a cellar that would keep my wines cool. My shed gets pretty warm during July/Aug here in Arkansas. But I guess that will not make a huge difference since I am drinking or giving away my wines within 2-3 years at the most.

 

[bmd2k1]

Yeah, I wish I had a cellar that would keep my wines cool. My shed gets pretty warm during July/Aug here in Arkansas. But I guess that will not make a huge difference since I am drinking or giving away my wines within 2-3 years at the most.

Good size basement storage area 4 moi....but need to add a kegerator to the mix [emoji111]

 

[ChuckB68]

Looks like my mix is finally putt-puttering away! My Italian neighbor dug a hole and kept the wine bottle on a string to keep it cold while working in the yard. Maybe follow a similar idea?

 

[Blacksmith1]

No can do. most of the year the water table here is about 3 ft down.

 

[bmd2k1]

I have a shed behind the house. It is not ideal, the temp fluctuates too much, but its the best I have. And none of my wine is really lone term 2-3 years is about it.

Ever age a batch in an oak barrel?
[emoji57]

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Looks like my mix is finally putt-puttering away! My Italian neighbor dug a hole and kept the wine bottle on a string to keep it cold while working in the yard. Maybe follow a similar idea?

I don't think I would go to that trouble unless it was really hot, and I did not have A/C in the house to ferment inside. Most ferments are fine at temperatures most people find comfortable. Only if my house was over 80F would I worry too much about it.

That said, I like to do colder ferments if at all possible. When I can I ferment outside. When I do I start the ferment in the house, then move it outside when it gets to rolling along good. Right now I have 3 gal of blackberry cider going outside, with daytime highs in upper 50s and 60s, nights in the 40s mostly, but even drop to 30s sometimes. The cider is doing great!

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Ever age a batch in an oak barrel?
[emoji57]

No, don't have a barrel and am too cheap to buy one ;-)

And to be honest, my homemade ciders and wines are so good I don't feel terribly pressed to try to improve them. I really think my cider is far superior to anything I can buy around here.

 

[bmd2k1]

No, don't have a barrel and am too cheap to buy one ;-)

And to be honest, my homemade ciders and wines are so good I don't feel terribly pressed to try to improve them. I really think my cider is far superior to anything I can buy around here.

What are ur go to yeast(s)?

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I used Notty or Safecide for ciders, and mostly wild ferments for my wines. I seems I have some really nice wild yeast in my little berry batch.

I know some are very skeptical about wind ferments, but all my wild wines have turned out great. The only problem I've ever had was with some perry I made with wild yeast. It was really funky, but still drinkable. In fact, one friend loved it so much he is trying to reproduce that exact funk. But my wild ferment wines are always smooth, ferment to completion well, and age nicely in 6-12 months.

 

[Blacksmith1]

your friend will need pears from the same location to get the same yeast and that's no guarantee

 

[bmd2k1]

I used Notty or Safecide for ciders, and mostly wild ferments for my wines. I seems I have some really nice wild yeast in my little berry batch.

I know some are very skeptical about wind ferments, but all my wild wines have turned out great. The only problem I've ever had was with some perry I made with wild yeast. It was really funky, but still drinkable. In fact, one friend loved it so much he is trying to reproduce that exact funk. But my wild ferment wines are always smooth, ferment to completion well, and age nicely in 6-12 months.

Ever add any acid blend post fermentation to ur Welch's vino? (...or any other post fermentation tweaks...like wine tannin etc)

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Ever add any acid blend post fermentation to ur Welch's vino? (...or any other post fermentation tweaks...like wine tannin etc)

no, welches is not that sophisticated for me. Just simple wine, good with time

 

[bmd2k1]

Think I'm gonna try a few different things with this my first batch -- bottled plain, bottled with acid blend & aged in oak barrel -- see how they turn out after 6months & 1yr. [emoji111]

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Think I'm gonna try a few different things with this my first batch -- bottled plain, bottled with acid blend & aged in oak barrel -- see how they turn out after 6months & 1yr. [emoji111]

My guess is they will all be good, just some better than others. But to be honest, I don't think I would go as far as to age in oak barrel with Welchs's wine. i would save that much trouble for something really special like a heavy bodied blackberry, maybe even making it a port

 

[z-bob]

I moved mine from a bucket to a carboy last night. I checked the gravity with a hydrometer and it was already .99-something (it was at the very top mark) I added an ounce of sugar to scavenge the oxygen, and in a couple of weeks I'll rack it again and add some sulfites. Then bottle a few weeks after that. The hydrometer sample tasted pretty harsh at this point; mostly it was sour and still kinda yeasty. Not vinegary, just tart.

This one is progressing a lot faster than normal. I wonder if it's the Fermax nutrient instead of just DAP like I usually use?

 

[bmd2k1]

Think I'm gonna try a few different things with this my first batch -- bottled plain, bottled with acid blend & aged in oak barrel -- see how they turn out after 6months & 1yr. [emoji111]

After a bit more research on Oak barrel aging - learned that the smaller the barrel the faster the aging -- so my 2L barrel takes 80days to age what would take 1yr in the standard 53gal barrel -- who knew. So gonna give er a shot and we'll see how it plays out

This maiden voyage batch is only 10days into fermenting -- guessing it will take 45ish days to reach the 14%-ish that is D47's alcohol tolerance point. (atleast that's how long my faux ice ciders take fermented in the mid-low60F range)

Cheers!

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

2L barrel? Never heard of such. But if that will cut down the time to just 3 months or so, give it a try. Never know till you do.

 

[bmd2k1]

2L barrel? Never heard of such. But if that will cut down the time to just 3 months or so, give it a try. Never know till you do.

Yea...me either till fiancee got me one for bday

http://www.barrelsonline.com/Default.aspx


Here's the info on aging & barrel sizes...
https://redheadoakbarrels.com/why-do-small-oak-barrels-age-liquor-faster/

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Thats interesting about the barrels, thanks for posting.

 

[Blacksmith1]

Yea...me either till fiancee got me one for bday

http://www.barrelsonline.com/Default.aspx

looks like the same barrel my LHBS has for $150. The site doesn't mention shipping.

 

[bmd2k1]

looks like the same barrel my LHBS has for $150. The site doesn't mention shipping.

The 10L is about $20 to ship to me in Michigan...

U can toss one in your cart...get all the way to the end of process...it will tell ya shipping $$....then just don't hit submit. [emoji111]

 

[bmd2k1]

Anyone else making Welch's vino on a regular basis & what techniques/protocols are you using?

(My 1st batch is about 2weeks into fermentation using D47...I'm anticipating about 40ish days to hit the 14% mark...which is the alcohol tolerance point.)

 

[Blacksmith1]

I've been doing various fruit juice brews. Basically using regular wine making protocals. Some with added sugar, some plain juice, and 2 with a homemade freeze concentrate. So far they are turning out ok. Most of them are still Aging