I scored some free grapes....but will they stillbe good?

[scforbis]

So, I live in Bavaria, Germany and this old German dude in town has some really nice grapes....I do not know what kind but they taste awesome. Anyway, we asked if he was going to use them this year and he said that if I help him trim the vines I can have all of the grapes. He has a problem with his leg and cannot do it by himself. Anyway the only problem is we had the first frost today and he said we cannot pick the grapes this weekend. Next week I will be in the field training (I am in the army)so the next time I will be able to go there will be the following weekend (two weeks from now). Will the grapes still be good? They look and taste perfectly ripe right now!

 

[Rocky]

IMHO, two weeks would be stretching it, but I would still try to secure the grapes. They will likely lose a little water so the sugar content of the remaining juice will be higher. That would make the wine higher in alcohol content. What color are the grapes (probably white) and approximately how many plants or pounds of grapes are you talking about?

 

[JohnT]

Just because you had frost, does not mean that the grapes are ruined. If a mild forst, you may luck out as grapes are mostly water and do not freeze quickly. As far as if the grapes are any good, I would have to say that depends on their current sugar level. If low, then you may have some time.

 

[buddy]

I hope the vines are protected in some way, otherwise the birds won't leave you any grapes for your wine.

 

[scforbis]

The grapes are very dark blue almost black. They are medium in size, some are not completely ripe and a reddish color. They taste very sweet (reminds me of almost a candy grape flavor like gummy bears). There is probably about 20 lbs there. Seems like the birds have not touched them. The vines are growing on the outside of a house.

 

[Rocky]

I say go for it. You will probably get about 2 gallons out of 20 lbs. It is fun and worth the effort. If you have any questions, post them here. Good luck.

 

[scforbis]

A definate score!!!

Well, I went to harvest the grapes yesterday. I brought home 65 lbs of nice ripe juicy clusters. There were so many that I was able to be picky and leave behind everything that didn't look perfect. The man who the vines belong to also took about 15 lbs or so for his neighbor. Tomorrow I will go but a bigger bucket for a primary and get to smashing. The grapes look beautiful and are very sweet. I will post some pics once I get started...

 

[Rocky]

Sounds great. We like to see pictures and it helps if there are questions.

I see you are in southern Bavaria. I was stationed in Aschaffenburg in northern Bavaria (long ago) with the 3d ID. Great place and very nice people.