Muscadine Wine

[NorthernWinos]

I know nothing about mecadines...but find them interesting.

Muscadine
At home in the humidity of Florida, you yield more fruit than the Miami Gay Pride parade. Yes, you are quite an original; in fact, you are the original. Your family, Vitis Rotundifolia, were the first native Americans to yield wine. And the family name 'Rotunda-fullia' is so appropriate, with your plump clusters of fruit bearing greater resemblance to small apples than grape berries.
MUSCADINE GRAPE DETAILS

(Scuppernong) Known as the original American wine, Scuppernong is a high-yielding, sub-tropical grape grown in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and other southern states. The grape belongs to the sub-genus Muscadine, not the sub-genus Euvites, to which labrusca, vinifera, riparia and rupestris belong. Scuppernong is a very unsual grape. It grows in clusters, rather than in bunches, and its fruit resemble small plums, more so than grapes. A single vine can envelop more than an acre, and supply over a ton of fruit. It produces very distinctive, perfume-laden wines. Generally made sweet, they were once blended with Concord and Catawba, to make Virginia Dare, the most popular U.S. wine before Prohibition. Bunch varietals are very susceptible to disease and mildew in the humid southern states

 

[Waldo]

Hi Waldo...in response to the muscadine recipe you asked me about from the fruit flies discussion board...I used approx 22# of muscadines (picked right from my very own wild vine!) 9lbs of sugar, 5tsp nutirent, 3/4tsp pectic enzyme, 1tsp wine tanin 5 campden tabs, and EC-1118 yeast
It was a recipe from E.C.Kraus's wine catalog
I am about to put on another batch soon so if you have any suggestions please feel free to let me know what you or anyone else thinks. I am just wingin' it!

I think the only thing I would possibly change cowgirlallison is the yeast. Try a Montachret in a batch and see how you like it.

 

[Waldo]

I know nothing about mecadines...but find them interesting.

Muscadine
At home in the humidity of Florida, you yield more fruit than the Miami Gay Pride parade. Yes, you are quite an original; in fact, you are the original. Your family, Vitis Rotundifolia, were the first native Americans to yield wine. And the family name 'Rotunda-fullia' is so appropriate, with your plump clusters of fruit bearing greater resemblance to small apples than grape berries.
MUSCADINE GRAPE DETAILS

(Scuppernong) Known as the original American wine, Scuppernong is a high-yielding, sub-tropical grape grown in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and other southern states. The grape belongs to the sub-genus Muscadine, not the sub-genus Euvites, to which labrusca, vinifera, riparia and rupestris belong. Scuppernong is a very unsual grape. It grows in clusters, rather than in bunches, and its fruit resemble small plums, more so than grapes. A single vine can envelop more than an acre, and supply over a ton of fruit. It produces very distinctive, perfume-laden wines. Generally made sweet, they were once blended with Concord and Catawba, to make Virginia Dare, the most popular U.S. wine before Prohibition. Bunch varietals are very susceptible to disease and mildew in the humid southern states



Ever heard of the Mother Vine NW


http://www.themothervine.com/history.php

 

[Danny]

Had never heard of muscadines till reading of them on this website. Planted 4 plants in my side yard 3 years ago and this year will have a bumper crop for the first time. Have to bone up now on recipes/techniques prior to making sometime in the fall.

 

[Wade E]

I love that wine and wish it would grow up here!

 

[SIXFOOTER]

I just got 8 gallons of fresh muscadines. They are pretty ripe and I froze them in 1 gallon zip lock bags.
The plan is to thaw them, pick out all the stems and get the must started. After that I am kind of lost. I recon I need to order some yeast, nutrient and whatever other chemicals and additives are needed. I have equipment from beer making and understand that process.
Couple of questions:
How much wine will this make?
I am thinking of a red, dry wine, what oak to get?
What yeast?
What else?

 

[ASAI]

Interesting reference above about the Mother Vine. (Link still works; thought to be the oldest grape vine in North America).
I recently saw several news stories about the Mother Vine getting sparyed with herbicide. Depending on the version, it had started to climb the power lines and was fair game for the contractor; or, the contractor was a little over zealous in spraying to stunt next years growth.

 

[Mixer]

Hey waldo, why did you add water? Why didn't you get enough muscadines to make the entire batch with 100% juice?

 

[smurfe]

Hey waldo, why did you add water? Why didn't you get enough muscadines to make the entire batch with 100% juice?

Mixer, it is more to adjust the acidity. Muscadine is VERY acidic. When I make it I test the acidity and adjust with water if I don't have any Calcium Carbonate. Dilution with water will dilute the flavor some.

Another reason to add water is to adjust the Specific Gravity if it is too high. It is best to have a balanced wine and too high an SG will result in a too high alcohol wine which will distract the flavors with hot fusol alcohols. I shoot for an SG of 1.085-1.090 for a muscadine.

Another reason is as stated, to reach desired levels. One last thing to add is you get better color extraction from the skins when you pour a bit of near boiling water over the fruit/skins when you add them to primary.

 

[Waldo]

I believe you handled that answerreal well smurfe

 

[cheesegrits]

Boy am I glad I found this website! In just two days I have learned so much that I am confident I can make my own muscadine wine. At least I'm going to give it a good try!
I live outside Atlanta and with the rain this year and us taking better care of our 35 year old vines, we have more muscadines and scuppernongs than I have seen in a long time! I have never tried to make wine but I think I can make it work. I pulled about 12 lbs yesterday and washed them and froze them last night. I should have enough ripe by next week. One question I have is just how ripe do they need to be? Should the skins be soft or still hard? Of course I am a total newbie at this so I will be asking a lot of really basic dumb questions. I look forward to the answers that I know will be coming! This is what my vines are looking like.

 

[Waldo]

I would not pick them until they are fully ripened

 

[cheesegrits]

Thanks for the reply Waldo! I have been pulling them as they ripen. I went back yesterday and got another 10 lbs. I am up to about 20 lbs total so far and that is all muscadines. They are washed and frozen. The scuppernongs are just starting to turn golden. Even though I've pulled that many you can't tell I have pulled any at all. Here are a couple of pics of the biggest ones from yesterday.
Yes, 11 of them side to side are over a foot long.

Some of them are just huge and there are a lot more coming!

 

[Waldo]

Read this article cheese
http://msucares.com/crops/comhort/small_varieties2.html

 

[cheesegrits]

Thanks again Waldo! How in the world can you tell what variety I have? On my bronze vines I have at least 4 different types. Some are small and really sweet, some are huge a much less intense color than the small ones. Most of these vines are about 35 to 40 years old and I have no clue what was originally put in. All I know is I am having fun learning from you guys! I measured yesterday and have about 1500 feet of vines.

 

[Waldo]

I really cant tell you an answer for determinging which variety you have but I can tell you from experience that the smaller , really black ones willmake the best wines and the larger varieties are best left for making jellies and pies

 

[cheesegrits]

So I had some life stuff come up and a new job. Now I have started my muscadines. My son who is 12 and I had a great time crushing them on Saturday! I ended up crushing 36 lbs and added the campden when I got the SG to 1.100. It is a 6 gallon batch since that is the only carboy and fermenter I could borrow. Threw the yeast tonight and hope to see some action in the morning! The color is looking really good! Soooo what do ya think? Man do I love this forum, I have learned so much since joining!

 

[Waldo]

Try and keep your temp during fermentation around 72-74 degrees and punch that bag down twice a day. Play it a little music and"let er bump". Them Muscadines, in the early stage of fermentation do well on some Pink Floyd or Jimi Hendrix

 

[cheesegrits]

This seemed to work really well!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwhVqDGyr4M&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwhVqDGyr4M&feature=related[/ame]

 

[Waldo]

Wouldn't let me listen to it cheese..something about copyrited