Grape question

[roblloyd]

My father in law has some grapes growing in his yard. He said they were Italian wine making grapes according to the other family member that planted them years ago. I tasted one this weekend and it was sour. It looked ripe compared to the other clusters. I know it probably has some time to go but is it worth pursuing?
I am guessing about a 10lb yield from what I see.

 

[Rocky]

If you have no other use for the grapes, what do you have to lose? You will be lucky to net 3 or 4 bottles (750 ml each) but you will have some fun and you can do this in your kitchen. In CT, I would guess they would not be ready to harvest until the first or second week of October. Alternatively, you could make 3 or 4 bottles of wine vinegar. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," "Waste not, want not," and any number of other cliches.

 

[Wade E]

I agree as far as using them but do check them for sugar levels. Rob, do you have a refractometer? They are pretty cheap and they are the most useful tool when checking to see if fruits are ready for picking.

 

[grapeman]

Some Italian wines are fairly high in acid, so they could be almost ripe and still sour. Check the sugar levels along with the pH to best tell. Hard to do without using a refractometer and pH meter on small quantities.

 

[roblloyd]

Where do I get a refractometer?
If they are ripe and still sour what kind of wine would it make?

 

[ibglowin]

The Wine Makers Toy Store (one of our sponsors) sells them as does places like Amazon, etc.

 

[robie]

Post a photo of a representative cluster and another of some of the leaves (straight-on shot). Maybe some of the growers will recognize the variety.

 

[deboard]

You might also wait a little while longer, some grapes ripen pretty late and they may be sour just because they are not ripe. My Norton grapes are supposed to ripen mid-september to early october here, but they sure look like they are ripe from the color now. However, I have been tasting one weekly, and they started out very sour about a month ago, and have progressed to moderately sweet now. I'm going to give them at least 2-3 more weeks, maybe a month.

As Wade said, a refractometer is the best way to tell for sure.

As for yield, you won't get much, but you might mix them with something else to add body and flavor.

 

[roblloyd]

I will try and stop at his house in the nextbcouple days and get some pics. If I get a reflectometer how would I know what level these grapes are ready?

 

[Rocky]

I agree with everything that has been said here except one thing and that is, do you want to go through the expense of a refractometer for three bottles of wine?

Personally, I would watch the grapes for signs of over ripening, e.g. dehydration, leaves turning, taste and make the best picking decision you can. It will probably be mid to late October from what you have said. I would then harvest them, crush them and measure the SG of the juice and adjust it as necessary with simple syrup to the level of potential alcohol you desire. You can even back sweeten it if you desire.

Again, everything said here is correct and if you were talking about 20 or 30 gallons of wine, investing in a refractometer would make sense. For this amount of grapes, take you best shot. If it works, great. If not, make wine vinegar then take the $70 or so dollars that you would have spent on a refractometer and buy yourself 4 or 5 bottles of wine.