Muscadine Port(?)

[PPBart]

Looking for something new to try, and after reading some of the posts here related to port I began to wonder if muscadine would be a good base for a port-style wine? If so, does any one have a proven recipe? I've got a few extra gallons of 2009 muscadine with which to experiment.

 

[e-wine]

PPBart,

I don't have a proven recipe for Port using muscadine but I did have a couple of questions. What type of grapes did you use for the muscadine wine (Noble, Carlos, etc) and how did the wine come out either this time or on previous years? Thank you.

e-wine

 

[PPBart]

PPBart,

I don't have a proven recipe for Port using muscadine but I did have a couple of questions. What type of grapes did you use for the muscadine wine (Noble, Carlos, etc) and how did the wine come out either this time or on previous years? Thank you.

e-wine

My winemaking partner has a small vineyard with the following varieties:

(Black) Black Beauty,Supreme
(Bronze) Ison, Darlene, Fry

In my backyard I also have a few vines (Darlene and Fry).

Since the quantity of grapes we harvest annually (after the deer, birds and bumblebees get their shares) has been relatively small (2009 yielded a record ~200 lbs) we always simply combine all into the batch. End product is a medium rose, good legs. 11-12% ABV, semi-sweet (SG 1.005 - 1.010), that ages well for at least 3 years (we haven't held on to any of it longer!).

There are several labels of commercial muscadine produced/marketed here in SE Louisiana, and ours is definitely better than any of those (not just my opinion; we've had blind tastings several times at BBQ's and holiday parties and ours almost always comes out tops).

 

[e-wine]

PPBart,

Congratulations on your production of a choice wine.

One of our fellow home winemakers is converting a poor wine he produced last year into a "port" and I may get a chance to try it on Thursday. I can give you feedback.

Based on a quick search, port is stopped during the fermentation process so that it retains the sweetness from the grapes and more of the grape characteristics. As a rookie winemaker, I am probably the least qualified to give direction but I would bottle what you have from last year since you know it is good and the additional aging will only make it better. I would try making the port from this year's harvest. I think I would also use only the black grapes for the port and make a white wine from the bronze. That's just my quick ten cent assessment. If you decide to go this route, let me know and I'll try to dig a little deeper.

In recent years, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has conducted a wine competition (I only became aware of it this year so I don't know how far back it goes.) The winners of each category receive custom western style belt buckles and the overall winner gets a custom made saddle. I saw this year's saddle over at the Piney Woods winery near Beaumont. He won it for a white muscadine wine.

e-wine