Awesome white wine

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Tom_S

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This is an awesome wine which I've made a couple of times. It makes a nice, sweet white wine. The wait is totally worth it.

The first time I ever used D47 yeast for white wine, I was put off by the odd smell the wine had once fermentation was complete, and even tried splash racking a few times. It wasn't a bad smell, just kind of odd. It still smelled like that for a while, and foolish me poured out the first batch instead of letting it age. I think it would have turned out well had I not been so concerned about the smell and let it age some more. The second batch I tried smelled the same, but I decided that must be normal and let it age. The first time I tasted this wine, it blew my mind with how good it tasted.

I've made this for 12% alcohol but wouldn't hurt to make it a little less strong, like maybe 10 or 11%. This is for a 1 gallon batch, increase everything except yeast by 5 for a 5 gallon batch.

Batch size: 1 gallon
Alcohol content: 12%

Ingredients: 1 gallon white Niagra grape juice (Welch's or other store bought. Concentrate will work fine), 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 packet Lalvin D47 yeast (no substitutions), yeast nutrient, potassium sorbate, campden tablets

Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar with the Niagra grape juice in primary fermentation vessel (or enough sugar to get a 1.090 starting gravity reading on a hydrometer). Once sugar has totally dissolved, add yeast nutrient. Once that has dissolved, add yeast by sprinkling on top or by making a starter.

Let ferment out until nearly dry, rack off lees and let sit for two weeks to a month. Rack again, add 3/4 cup sugar to sweeten (more or less depending on desired sweetness, 3/4 cup gives excellent results), and add potassium sorbate & campden. Wine may have odd smell at this time, this is normal and will go away with time. Let age for at least 6 months, a year is preferable. Rack wine or filter, then bottle. Wine should be aged enough to drink immediately or can be stored.
 
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It is. I'm really impressed with what the D47 did to the wine. Before I used Montrachet with the Niagra juice and it tasted good, but the D47 version blows it away. As soon as I tasted this batch for the first time, I became a believer in D47 for white wines. I think this is a good nominee for the best wine I've ever made.
 
I keep reading about the Niagara white grape juice, but I've never seen it here in Maine. Where do you find it? Walmart? Thanks!
 
This sounds really good and I like that it's a 1 gallon recipe. I guess I'll have to get some D47 and give her a try. Thanks for sharing.
 
QA23 is supposed to be a more heat tolerant yeast with similar characteristics of D47, it might also work if you cant keep the D47 cool. Welches peach niagra also works well, instead of adding sugar you could also add the concentrate. WVMJ
 
I make it using Welches concentrate, mix 15 cans per instructions then add 3 cans in without dilution. Makes avery nice white. Gets better at the 1 year mark.
 
dralarms,
I have some Welchs White Grape concentrate. i am just going to make a gallon to start with and see how I like this. So according to your calculations, I would put in 2.5 cans mixed concentrate and .5 can straight, or just use 3 cans concentrate and water up the rest.

Did any of you use acid blend, tannin or energizer with this recipe?
 
dralarms,
I have some Welchs White Grape concentrate. i am just going to make a gallon to start with and see how I like this. So according to your calculations, I would put in 2.5 cans mixed concentrate and .5 can straight, or just use 3 cans concentrate and water up the rest.

Did any of you use acid blend, tannin or energizer with this recipe?

If you are doing 1 gallon then use 4 cans so when you top off it won't weaken the flavor. And no additions other than yeast nutrient. I figure Welches should be balanced already.
 
Where to get Niagara conc.

http://homewinery.com/cgi-bin/concen.cgi

I used this with 8 lb of grapes (I have one vine, a Niagara)
To just over 5 gal. Back sweetened with 3 cans of white grape juice frozen conc. from the big box store, and 2 cups sugar. (and all the nutrient, k-meta and sorbate ... as needed) This wine is for a friend, and she loves it.

It took forever to get the CO2 off and get it to clear but it turned out really nice for a sweet white.
 
To you all that have made this...........you are adding the yeast right after mixing concentrate, water, sugar and nutrient? Not letting it sit overnight, etc. before adding yeast?
 
Thank you much. Will get this going tonight/tomorrow.
 
To you all that have made this...........you are adding the yeast right after mixing concentrate, water, sugar and nutrient? Not letting it sit overnight, etc. before adding yeast?

So, if you are using the concentrate it was sterile, packed and frozen. Does not require any additives to kill wild yeast and protect against infection. So, you can pinch it right away. If you use fruit, you will need Campden tab(s), and or other additives. These will actually kill your yeast with the wild yeast, so, you let it gas out for 24 hours, then pinch it..

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.. I'm new and I'm sure a veteran master vintner will school me any time now..
 
So, if you are using the concentrate it was sterile, packed and frozen. Does not require any additives to kill wild yeast and protect against infection. So, you can pinch it right away. If you use fruit, you will need Campden tab(s), and or other additives. These will actually kill your yeast with the wild yeast, so, you let it gas out for 24 hours, then pinch it..

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.. I'm new and I'm sure a veteran master vintner will school me any time now..

That is how I do it, yes.
Generally if I am using something that should have come from sterile conditions, I give them the benefit of the doubt and assume I am good to go immediately.
If I suspect any kind of contaminant any step of the way, then I use K-Meta or campden.
 

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