I am about to make my very first wine...ever. (I have brewed a lot of beer, but this is the first wine)
I have a good crop of "King of the North" (Wisconsin hardy varietal) grapes and am excited to make two or three bottles of really bad wine out of my VERY OWN GRAPES! (this might not go well, but this year is just an experiment...do my best with the grapes that are in my own backyard, as a novelty. Next year=more serious) BUT...I know nothing about this varietal, and none of the "Ideal harvest sugar level" charts even list it.
Has anyone heard of this varietal? Or what the ideal brix should be for harvesting? I think that ultimately it is a "labrusca" style "concord" grape, and the only thing I've seen in print is that Concord grapes should be harvested at 16-17 brix.
The internet says this:
King of the North (V.labrusca X V.riparia) is a labrusca type grape that is winter hardy to -40F. It is very vigorous and productive and ripens early with high acidity, but can produce a somewhat fruity, rich, aromatic, Concord-style red wine.
Any specific advice for when to harvest, or general advice on how to make it palatable? Thanks in advance, everyone!
I have a good crop of "King of the North" (Wisconsin hardy varietal) grapes and am excited to make two or three bottles of really bad wine out of my VERY OWN GRAPES! (this might not go well, but this year is just an experiment...do my best with the grapes that are in my own backyard, as a novelty. Next year=more serious) BUT...I know nothing about this varietal, and none of the "Ideal harvest sugar level" charts even list it.
Has anyone heard of this varietal? Or what the ideal brix should be for harvesting? I think that ultimately it is a "labrusca" style "concord" grape, and the only thing I've seen in print is that Concord grapes should be harvested at 16-17 brix.
The internet says this:
King of the North (V.labrusca X V.riparia) is a labrusca type grape that is winter hardy to -40F. It is very vigorous and productive and ripens early with high acidity, but can produce a somewhat fruity, rich, aromatic, Concord-style red wine.
Any specific advice for when to harvest, or general advice on how to make it palatable? Thanks in advance, everyone!
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