pgentile
Still learning
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2015
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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.
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.