Welch's wine

[bmd2k1]

Day28 SG is 1.036 - so approx 13% ABV. Sample beaker has lots more bubbles than cider. Tastes pretty dang good at this point...bit of sweetness upfront & small bite/dryness on back of tongue. Gonna let it finish at D47's 14% alcohol tolerance & then cold crash & rack for bulk storage.

So does grape juice tend to hold onto CO2 more than AJ? Is that why I see peeps talking about degassing vino? Though like many things I see mixed views here on HBT re needing to do it.

 

[bmd2k1]

Depends on what you're making. I use them in my banana wine: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/banana-wine.33636/ but not usually in the Welch's wine unless it's too thin.

...and raisins if you're gonna use em should tossed into primary, right from the start?

 

[Yooper]

...and raisins if you're gonna use em should tossed into primary, right from the start?

Or early in secondary- I've done it both ways and it doesn't seem to matter, as long as you have enough headspace in primary- raisins sort of float and can clog up the airlock if you're using a carboy. Not that I know that from experience or anything................

 

[vsawmike]

I just made a batch of regular welch's wine. Even right after racking it is quite good. Here is what I did:

1/2 gal Welch's
1 can Welch's concentrate
20 chopped raisins
red star white yeast (its all I had on hand)

It started out at 1.108 and fermented out to 14.5abv in 21 days. At this point it tasted just like any $10 bottle of table wine. But I back sweetened with 1/2 cup of concentrate and it is great!

I can't believe how easy it was to make a decent wine. I am making a gal right now, just to make sure it was not a fluke. If all goes as well, I will make a larger batch and age it. I bet it will be outstanding

I have a question. What are you, or anyone else, using to strain the fermented wine? I've made this many times but always struggle with straining.

I generally use three cans of welch's with water, 2lbs of sugar and a packet of yeast. Haven't tried the raisins but I think I will.

 

[z-bob]

I have a question. What are you, or anyone else, using to strain the fermented wine? I've made this many times but always struggle with straining.

I generally use three cans of welch's with water, 2lbs of sugar and a packet of yeast. Haven't tried the raisins but I think I will.

What's to strain? There's a good bit of sediment after a couple of weeks, but it goes to the bottom and stays there. You transfer the wine from one bulk container/fermenter to another several times, leaving almost all the sediment behind each time.

 

[bmd2k1]

I have a question. What are you, or anyone else, using to strain the fermented wine? I've made this many times but always struggle with straining.

I generally use three cans of welch's with water, 2lbs of sugar and a packet of yeast. Haven't tried the raisins but I think I will.

Using D47....after cold crashing the lees should be like a very thick caramel syrup...so I'll just rack right off em -- no filtering needed [emoji57] What yeast do you use?

 

[vsawmike]

What's to strain? There's a good bit of sediment after a couple of weeks, but it goes to the bottom and stays there. You transfer the wine from one bulk container/fermenter to another several times, leaving almost all the sediment behind each time.

The gunk at the bottom. It's also a bit hazy closer to the bottom you get. Also what is your best way to kill the yeast if you want to bottle?

 

[vsawmike]

Using D47....after cold crashing the lees should be like a very thick caramel syrup...so I'll just rack right off em -- no filtering needed [emoji57] What yeast do you use?

Can you explain that in plain talk? Novice at the technical terms. I've made many batches but never got into the technical side of it. I just make it to taste. I've bottled it before after hearting to kill the yeast. Just not sure if that's the best way.

 

[vsawmike]

Also how long do you leave yours fermenting? I do mine about a month in a cabinet in my laundry room. I try to keep the temp a constant 70-72 degrees. I use the red star yeast last time by the way. I really want to order some wine yeast.

 

[vsawmike]

Above I meant 2 cups of sugar. Jeez 2 lbs would be alot. lol

 

[bmd2k1]

Can you explain that in plain talk? Novice at the technical terms. I've made many batches but never got into the technical side of it. I just make it to taste. I've bottled it before after hearting to kill the yeast. Just not sure if that's the best way.

D47 is a dry wine yeast with an alcohol tolerance around 14% & tends to leave things fruity with a really nice mouthfeel. (I ferment in the low-mid60F range.) It has great flocculation -- meaning it forms nice solid "gunk" (aka lees) at the bottom. Some yeasts are much better at this than others. Cold crashing = tossing fermenter in fridge to help facilitate flocculation. So with the caramel syrup like lees/gunk...they stay in the fermenter when I rack/transfer the wine/cider/whatever to a different container...and I don't need to filter anything. Some folks rack multiple times.

 

[Blacksmith1]

Most times i get alot of clearing and settling after the first rack and need to do it again

 

[z-bob]

The gunk at the bottom. It's also a bit hazy closer to the bottom you get. Also what is your best way to kill the yeast if you want to bottle?

I don't kill the yeast. I wait until it has finished and almost all of it has dropped out, (I'm not sure it ever *completely* drops out), then I bottle it. I like my wine dry. If it's too dry, I'll add a pinch of sugar when I drink it.

However, if you look up the recipe for "Skeeter Pee", he tells how to stabilize the wine with Campden tablets (or K-Meta) and potassium sorbate (it takes both) so it can be back-sweetened and then bottled safely.

HTH

 

[bmd2k1]

Anyone else make a larger than 1gal batch of this....like I'm doing? (Mines about 4.5gals)

 

[z-bob]

Anyone else make a larger than 1gal batch of this....like I'm doing? (Mines about 4.5gals)

I usually do 4 gallons at a time.

 

[bmd2k1]

I usually do 4 gallons at a time.

How long do ya bulk age ur batches for? Try oak barrel aging?

 

[z-bob]

How long do ya bulk age ur batches for? Try oak barrel aging?

Couple of months total for fermentation and bulk aging/clearing. No, I don't like oak in wine. (might be okay if it's subtle, but it's never subtle)

 

[bmd2k1]

Couple of months total for fermentation and bulk aging/clearing. No, I don't like oak in wine. (might be okay if it's subtle, but it's never subtle)

What's ur go to yeast for this vino?

 

[z-bob]

What's ur go to yeast for this vino?

I don't make if often enough to have a goto yeast.

 

[bmd2k1]

Well....after 36days it appears the D47 has pettered out a bit over 13%...4days w/o a drop in SG...and had swirled vigorously daily...so into the fridge to cold crash prior to racking into smaller 20L Speidel. Once it returns to room temp I'll toss 2L into oak barrel to age.

At this point the vino already tastes great -- interested to see how it matures over time...& to compare oak barrel-aged vs non.

Cheers [emoji111]

 

[Boden]

I’ve got two 1 gallon carboys with grape juice fermenting. One fancy free range silly expensive concord juice and one gallon of cheap big box store house brand concord.

R56 yeast in both, same OG, etc.
started on 4/20

Just a test really.

Smells like wine, curious to see if there is a difference.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I wonder if there will be any difference after ferment? To me a concord is a concord is a concord.

 

[Boden]

I wonder if there will be any difference after ferment? To me a concord is a concord is a concord.

Our new vineyard has a section of concord we made juice from last fall. The expensive juice tasted like the juice we made. Only way to describe it is more complex. The cheap juice tastes more like candy. This test is to see if it is worth making wine from our grapes this fall. The cheap concord is just for fun.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

If the berries taste better, then the wine should be better. Please report on the results.

 

[bmd2k1]

Do I need to add sulfites prior to bottling? (I never do for any of my ciders...and my preference would be NO for this too [emoji2])

My plan is to use D47, raise SG to the 1.13 range using only FGJC & let it ferment till the yeast reaches its alcohol tolerance around 14%...which is where my faux ice ciders stop on their own.

Cheers[emoji111]

I am not planning on adding sulfites. I figure both the Sam's 100% Concord & 100% FGJC have VitC added (~130% per serving) -- so I'm guessing this should provide sufficient antioxidants -- time will tell.

Cheers!

 

[Boden]

If the berries taste better, then the wine should be better. Please report on the results.

Will do

 

[bmd2k1]

Ok fellow Welchers [emoji57]

Looking for feedback on aging & improvement to your vino. When are you experiencing peak taste for this bad boy? (...for this initial batch - tasted pretty dang good right after I cold crashed & racked...)

Cheers [emoji111]

 

[z-bob]

If I don't add sulfites, it peaks about 3 weeks after bottling. With sulfites, it keeps improving for 6 months to a year. But I have an awfully small sample size at this point because I don't make it very often.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Mine seemed really good after 18 months or so.

 

[bmd2k1]

Mine seemed really good after 18 months or so.

Not gonna make it that long...lol. I'm prob gonna shoot for 6months -- time will tell. [emoji111]