A Better Concord Wine

[MNwino]

I've made many batches of Concord grape wine over the years using both the welches frozen cans and the plastic jugs. While the wine has been good(Especially if you add some Tannin) I've thought how much better it could be if I had the real grapes.

Well I have found what I think is the next best thing. http://www.concordgrapejuice.com/order_home_wine.htm This is a 68 brix concentrate directly from the NY State growers CO OP. I just mixed up 10 gallons and pitched my RC212 and let me tell you this juice far outshines anything Welches makes. Is it a bit more expensive? Yep, but I think its totally worth it for great wine. I know many people look down on the lowly Concord, but for those who love the wine it makes this is the next best thing to the grape. Check it out if you like Concord

 

[jswordy]

Yeah, let us know. I'm interested.

There's a vineyard I found nearby me that grows Concord, so I might try some of those this year. They should come in by end of June here.

FYI, www.homewinery.com also has a Concord concentrate made especially for wine. Haven't tried it but I've had good luck with their stuff so far. Hint: The key with them is to order a couple-three jugs at a time. Otherwise they kill you on the shipping for one. Ask me how I know.

 

[MNwino]

Yeah, let us know. I'm interested.

There's a vineyard I found nearby me that grows Concord, so I might try some of those this year. They should come in by end of June here.

FYI, www.homewinery.com also has a Concord concentrate made especially for wine. Haven't tried it but I've had good luck with their stuff so far. Hint: The key with them is to order a couple-three jugs at a time. Otherwise they kill you on the shipping for one. Ask me how I know.

I have 5 gallons of their black raspberry aging right now and have some jugs of the strawberry and Syrah in the fridge. The strawberry taste horrible as does the Syrah but I think its mostly the sulfites in it. Home winerys concentrates are super sulphited . When I Started the Black raspberry it was slow to start and then smelled super heavy of sulphur . Next time I start one im gonna add really hot water and let it sit 24 hrs to drive it off. The BR taste pretty good right now.

 

[jswordy]

I am so surprised to see you say this. All my wines from their concentrates have turned out absolutely perfectly, and there are a bunch of us using them here. I have never smelled or tasted sulfite in my finished wines from their products, or had a problem getting them to start or continue fermentation. This is really the first bad word I have ever heard, save for one other person who said his neighbor made 8 gallons out of the 5-gallon concentrate and it turned out thin (naturally). Sorry it didn't work out for you.

 

[ffemt128]

We've bought the small bottles of both their Cherry and Concord Grape to make juice to drink at home. Great tasting stuff.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

If you drop some oak in there its even better. WVMJ

 

[MNwino]

I am so surprised to see you say this. All my wines from their concentrates have turned out absolutely perfectly, and there are a bunch of us using them here. I have never smelled or tasted sulfite in my finished wines from their products, or had a problem getting them to start or continue fermentation. This is really the first bad word I have ever heard, save for one other person who said his neighbor made 8 gallons out of the 5-gallon concentrate and it turned out thin (naturally). Sorry it didn't work out for you.

Maybe you misunderstand me a bit. The Black Raspberry concentrate is tasty and the wine its making I think is going to be really good. The Strawberry and Syrah(I haven't made yet) concentrates have some sort of weird chemical taste to them. Maybe its not the sulfites but they don't taste right to me. Sorry if I made it sound like I am bashing Home winery, I'm not. Maybe once I start fermenting those two they will straighten themselves out but I'm not holding out hope.