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pgentile

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9 months ago I was good, bought wine and beer at the local state store(pa) and was content. Always admired the few people I’ve run across over the years who brewed their own and always said someday I would attempt brewing something myself. Well that someday happened 9 months ago. My most fantastic girlfriend bought me a beer brewing kit. Started out with ingredient kits and then migrated to all grain recipes. Did a ton of research and ended up producing a fairly drinkable beer.

So, so sorry but this going to be a long post. And the rambling of a madman.
Whole time though had my eyes on wine. I like beer but I like wine a whole lot more. Especially deep dark reds. Zins, cabs, malbecs, borolos, super tuscans, etc, etc….I seem to usually choose a red over white but do enjoy some white wines. But whether white or red I like them dry.
So this takes me to January 2015, 10+ batches of beer and doing pretty well, I’m starting to feel cocky and ready to take the plunge into wine making. So after much research (lurking here mostly)and like some people I decided to start off easy and cheap. Welch’s/Old Orchard concentrates and/or frozen/fresh fruit and then if I produce something drinkable I'll toy with getting real wine grape products.

The following list is what I have made so far. Some of it has been consumed already, some is aging and some of it is fermenting. I have bottled some, but considered most of these 1 gallon test batches to see what I can produce. Drank most young. No real plan in my approach with recipes and yeast just wanted to experiment and try to make something drinkable.
Batch list:
# 1:
2 cans Old Orchard Frozen Grape concentrate
2 lbs Seedless Red Table Grapes
Yeast: Champagne
Water to a gallon
Sugar to 1.085 (didn't measure)

Result: Surprisingly drinkable, never a concord wine fan, but drinkable!

All batches after this recieved all or some of the following: yeast nutrient, pectic enzyme, tannins and acid blend. And most had sugar added to end up with 13 to 14% abv.

#2:
2 cans Old Orchard Frozen Grape concentrate
2 lbs Seedless Red Table Grapes
Yeast: Champagne
Water to a gallon
20 oz Sugar

Result: Again, surprisingly drinkable

#3:
2 cans Old Orchard Frozen Grape concentrate
2 bottle Welch's Farmer Pick Grape
Yeast: Champagne
Water to a gallon
2 lbs Sugar
Oaked

Result: The best of the first three batches, but no more concord please

#4
8 cans Old Orchard Frozen Mixed Berry concentrate
1 lb Fresh Blackberries(froze for several days and thawed)
1 lb Sunkist raisins
Yeast: Montrachet
3 lbs Sugar
Water to 2 gallons

Result: Too sweet for me, OG too high. Very sangria like

#5
64 oz Home Winery Blackberry Concentrate
Yeast: Cote des Blancs, EC-1118 and Premiere Cuvee
Water to 5 gallons
10 lbs Sugar

Result: Stupidly added all sugar at once, OG 1.120, stopped fermenting at 1.020 and after two attempts at restarting it, and several months stuck at 1.020. Too sweet for me. Going to fortify and oak and see what happens.

#6
96 oz Welch's Farmer's Pick Blackberry
1lb Fresh Blackberries
Yeast: Montrachet
Water to 1.25 gallons
2.25 lbs Sugar

Result: Taste like fermented store bought juice

#7
32 oz Trader Joe's 100% Blueberry Juice
3 lbs Trader Joe's Frozen Mixed Berries(Blackberry, Blueberry, Strawberry, Raspberry)
Yeast: Montrachet
Water to 1.3 gallons
2 lbs of Sugar

Result: Very drinkable wine

#8
32 oz Trader Joe's 100% Blueberry Juice
3 lbs Trader Joe's Frozen Mixed Berries(Blackberry, Blueberry, Strawberry, Raspberry)
Yeast: Pastuer Red
Water to 1.5 gallons
2.75 lbs of Sugar
Oaked

Result: Very drinkable wine

#9
5 lbs Trader Joe's Frozen Mixed Berries(Blackberry, Blueberry, Strawberry, Raspberry)
10 oz Zante Currants
Yeast: QA23
Water to 1.5 gallons
2 lbs Sugar

Result: Very drinkable wine, best up to this point

#10
5 lbs Trader Joe's Frozen Fancy Berries(Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry)
Yeast: Premier Cuvee
Water to 1.5 gallons
2 lbs Sugar

Results: Each batch now keeps getting better

#11
5 lbs Trader Joe's Frozen Wild Boreal Blueberries
23 oz Old Orchard Frozen Grape concentrate
Yeast: Premier Cuvee
Water to 1.5 gallons
2 lbs Sugar
Oaked

Result: and better, aging on oak chips right now

#12
15 lbs Trader Joe's Frozen Wild Boreal Blueberries
64oz Trader Joe's Tart Cherry 100%
Yeast: Premier Cuvee
Water to 5.5 gallons
10 lbs Sugar
Oaked

Result: Tastes very good aging on oak chips right now

#13
5 lbs Trader Joe's Frozen Wild Boreal Blueberries
23 oz Old Orchard Frozen Grape concentrate
Yeast: Cote des Blancs
Water to 1.5 gallons
2 lbs Sugar

Result: Still fermenting

#14
6 gallons Chilean Malbec Juice bucket
Yeast: RC-212

Result: started 5 days ago

#15
6 gallons Chilean Viogniere Juice Bucket
Yeast: QA23

Result: started 5 days ago

#16
10 lbs Trader Joe's Frozen Fancy Berries(Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry)
4 lbs Trader Joe's Frozen Wild Boreal Blueberries
115 oz Old Orchard Frozen Grape concentrate
1 lb Trader Joe's Lindy Grape Raisins
Yeast: Premier Cuvee
Water to 5.5 gallons
3 lbs Sugar

Result: started 3 days ago

Bought seven used carboys the other day. I see no end in sight. Basement is starting to look interesting.

Anyway, hi everyone, sorry again for the long post, but I appreciate all the info here, it helped me get my head around most of this.
 
Welcome to the forum. Looks like you have been busy. Amazing how with a little fruit, sugar and yeast you can come out with a pretty decent wine. Good luck with all of yours, Arne.
 
Nice post, bet that took a while to type. Welcome fellow PA brewer/winemaker to WMT! You did what I did, lurked for a while then signed up. I've only been wine making since November of last year and have 12 batches at various stages. I thought I was getting pretty out of hand, but now I that I see what you have done I feel downright normal.

One suggestion. Don't give a thumbs down to any of those earlier batches until they've been around a while. I'm noticing with a Concord batch I did at the end of January that it is really changing as it ages. I added some oak a couple of months ago and find myself tipping a glass full out of the carboy every now and then, especially after I've had a few glasses of something else. Some on this site are connoisseurs of Welches Concord and will tell you that it gets really good after 12 months of aging. I'll comment on that in about another eight months or so.

Like you I have been gravitating towards bigger reds and especially oaked reds. Never liked oak before but I think I'm learning to crave it.

Keep your obsession going, the sky is the limit! Again welcome and glad you joined us.

Oh, and there is a thread where you can introduce yourself, though your post here is a pretty good one. It makes it easier for people to find you and say hello.
 
You are not alone in making a lot of batches. I thought I was bad, we started our first batch last November and haven't stopped yet. We have made at least 32 different batches ranging from 1 gallon to 6 gallons. Some have been kits, some from frozen concentrates, some from fruit and three skeeter pees and two batches of dragon's blood. We also have a couple of batches waiting to start, waiting on carboys and time. This hobby is so addicting, but so delicious. There are so many different things to try, we just can't wait to do them.
 
Good Lord!!! Your Motto: Go big or stay home, right?

Sounds like you could bath in all the wine you are making. If you live in Montana, I'll come over and help you drink it. :h
 
Arne: I was amazed, but I have found myself increasing the fruit. Thanks for the welcome.

Creeaton: Thanks, no real thumbs down on the concord just after three batches I was ready to move on, drinking young though I like the fruit/berry wines better. I have several bottles of the concord batches, looking forward to see how they develop. Some oaked some not.

bsassy2: glad to see with you and creeaton I'm not the only one.

JohnT: Thanks, you can believe that once I see one on Craigslist it's mine
 
montanaWineGuy: Yes yes I could bathe in it. Not anywhere near Montana, but if you ever make to Philadelphia, I'd be happy to share what ever I have to drink.
 
You sound like me started off with one carboy and now 9 months later I own 6 carboys all full of wine and I'm going to buy an extra to rack into butiI now I'll end up filling it up with I wine

I just can't keep a spare around ha ha :)
 
Hello all, back again, all my batches are coming along pretty well, the blueberry batches being the best of all the fruit batches to date. The Viognier and Malbec have fermented and have been racked into aging vessels and the viognier is slowly clearing nicely. Both taste great already.

Pineapple wine to be pitched tomorrow:

16lbs Trader Joe's Frozen Pineapple Chunks
48 oz White Grape concentrate
1/2-1lb White/Yellow Raisins(?)or 4-5 bananas(?)
Water to 5 gls
Sugar to 1.090
Yeast Nutrient
Tannins
Acid Blend(?)
Pectic Enzyme

Any thoughts on this? I have read some pineapple recipes with raisins or bananas. Is either one better than the other? What should I expect from the acid level? Pineapples are high in acid but I believe the addition of the grape concentrate will tame that a bit? Or will I need to add something to tame the acid? I will measure it tomorrow but just curious on what to expect.
 
Rookie mistake #1: Didn't realize recipe would dilute the acid as much as it did. Was expecting from what I have read to have to adjust it down. % Tartaric came in at .45. Added acid blend to .60.

Rookie mistake #2: After mixing everything in the primary bucket, looked at ingredients on Welch's Frozen White Grape Concentrate and it contains potassium metabisulfite, I already added the dissolved campden tablets. I read everything how did I miss this? Anyway.... it should just delay things at worse?

Didn't go the raisin or banana route.

Final recipe:

16 lbs Trader Joe's Frozen Pineapple Chunks
48 oz White Grape Concentrate
Water to 5.5 gls
6lbs sugar (1.090)
5 tsp Yeast Nutrient
3 tsp Tannin
5 tsp Acid Blend
1 tsp Pectic Enzyme

Pineapple definitely dominates, tastes pretty good. Thinking of pitching two packets of Champagne yeast tomorrow
 
Last edited:
One pack of yeast will be good enough wait24 hrs before adding yeast, giving a stir once in awhile and make a yeast starter and make sure your mixture is on the warm side before adding yeast you should be ok good luck
 
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