Muscadines

[Ernest T Bass]

Hope this is the right forum... I have about 25 muscadine vines, they are approx 5 years old and are producing good. They are Ison Black and Darlane (bronze). I can't make wine that taste or smells like muscadine with them. Last year I made 3 gallons using 8 gallons of muscadines, juice only. What kind of muscadine vine do you recommend I buy this winter to plant to get a muscadine wine that taste and smells like a muscadine? Thanks for any advice
Semper Fi

 

[dralarms]

I like the Noble ones. Dark red juice and have the inky Muscadine taste.

 

[bchilders]

Hi Ernest, which black variety do you have? Is the one they call Ison muscadine? I am curious what was your wine recipe you used with your last batch? Ison list 5 wine making muscadines, the Ison muscadine being one of them. Noble is another good black variety and Carlos is a good white grape for wine. I have 11 Carlos vines in their 4th year that I hope to make a small batch of wine with this fall. There is a good article about muscadines and wine making here on Winemakermag.com

 

[Ernest T Bass]

This is what I thought would be good wine, out of about a dozen tries at it this should have been great.
Made from wild muscadines 1/23/14
25 # of frozen muscadines
Thawed
Removed any muscadine that wasn't good, firm and black
Crushed all muscadines one at a time by hand
Seperated hulls from juice
SpGr 1.046
pH 2.83
Added 1 tsp calcium carbonate
pH 2.93
Added 1 tsp calcium carbonate
pH 3.0
Added 1ts[ ca;coi, carbonate
3.36
Added 1tsp pectic enzyme
Put hulls, seeds and meat in strainer bag and poured juice on top
1/24
Added 3/4 tsp nutrient (dap)
SpGr 1.050
pH 3.1
Added 1/2 tsp calcium carbonate
pH 3.2
Added 1/2 tsp calcium carbonate
pH 3.3
Added 1/2 tsp calcium carbonate
pH 3.35
Added 1/2 tsp calcium carbonate
pH 3.4
Added 3/4 # Sugar
Sp Gr 1.080
Hydrated yeast (Lalvin 71B-1122)
2 oz of 100* water
Sprinkled yeast on top
Let set for 15 minutes
Stired
Added to must and stired
Yeast temp 78* ---Must temp 68*
1/25
SpGr 1.045
Added 1/2 tsp nutrient
1/26
SpGr 1.030 @ 68*
Note: Muscadines still just as purple as when I started
1/27
SpGr 1.005
Transferred to 4 liter jug with air lock
1/29
SpGr 1.005 @ 52*
Moved to heated fermenter to warm up
Note: Has about 3 inches of lees on the bottom - wonder if I shoul rack of these lees before warming up?
1/30
SpGr 1.004
Racked
2/1
SpGr 1.004
Racked on top of 1/16 tsp k-meta and added 1/2 tssp of sorbate
Degassed
2/2
Added 1/2 # sugar
SpGr 1.030
2/10
1.5ml Kieselsol
6.5 ml Chitosan
2/16
Racked
Filtered withvinebrite
2/17
Bottled 3 750 ml Bottles

Remarks: Sweet and fruity but no smell or taste of muscadine???
Simper Fi

 

[dralarms]

Need to ferment on the hulls for 3 or 4 days. Gives color and that's where some of tge taste comes from.

 

[garymc]

Your fining agents and filtering may be removing some of the flavor. Ison should make a good wine. My white muscadine wines don't taste as much like muscadines as the reds. They can make good wine, just not that taste.

One of the commercial wineries uses Tara muscadines for their white. I think they're near Charleston, SC.

Do you still have the wild vines?

ps I quit adjusting for acidity on mine.

 

[garymc]

Looks like you had it on the hulls from the 24th to the 27th or the 25th to the 29th. That's either 3 or 4 days. That should be enough.My experience and the advice I've been given is that 4 days on the skins is about as much time as you want, so you're probably good on that account.
I didn't look closely at your ph readings before. Those are extremely low, so you probably had to raise it some for the yeast to survive.

I also didn't notice at the time of my previous post you made these with wild muscadines. I've never tasted one of those or used them for wine. Maybe somebody with wild muscadine experience will chime in.

What time of year do they get ripe? Maybe I have one more motorcycle trip left in me.

 

[ffemt128]

We've used the bronze many times for wine. Always tastes like the grapes. I honestly don't think you have enough grapes for what you are making. I add about 3/4 gallon of water per 6 gallon bucket of grapes. Last year we had about 1100 lbs of grapes and after pressing/clearing we ended with about 70 gallons of wine. Once back sweetened it tastes just like the grapes. Why are you adding so much calcium carbonate. I realize your PH is low but I have never had to adjust my acid. At bottling time I offset with sugar if needed.

Following your time line, unless it's over the course of a year, you started and bottled the wine in just under a month. Way to quick, your original post said it was a 3 gallon batch from 8 gallons of muscadines, 8 gallons of Muscadines in my experience should produce about 3-4 gallons of wine but you stated you bottled 3-750 ml bottles. Is the rest aging or is this all you got from 8 gallons of muscadines (approx. 60-70 lbs based on experience)

 

[gaboy]

We've used the bronze many times for wine. Always tastes like the grapes. I honestly don't think you have enough grapes for what you are making. I add about 3/4 gallon of water per 6 gallon bucket of grapes. Last year we had about 1100 lbs of grapes and after pressing/clearing we ended with about 70 gallons of wine. Once back sweetened it tastes just like the grapes. Why are you adding so much calcium carbonate. I realize your PH is low but I have never had to adjust my acid. At bottling time I offset with sugar if needed.

Following your time line, unless it's over the course of a year, you started and bottled the wine in just under a month. Way to quick, your original post said it was a 3 gallon batch from 8 gallons of muscadines, 8 gallons of Muscadines in my experience should produce about 3-4 gallons of wine but you stated you bottled 3-750 ml bottles. Is the rest aging or is this all you got from 8 gallons of muscadines (approx. 60-70 lbs based on experience)

Doug, What SG do you prefer to backsweeten yours to? Many I taste are way to sweet. Henry

 

[ffemt128]

Doug, What SG do you prefer to backsweeten yours to? Many I taste are way to sweet. Henry

Depends on the variety. I generally shoot for 1.008 to 1.010 for the Muscadines. You should try the Noble with French Oak. Outstanding.

 

[gaboy]

Depends on the variety. I generally shoot for 1.008 to 1.010 for the Muscadines. You should try the Noble with French Oak. Outstanding.

Doug, THANKS for the info, also how long to you age after bottling? Henry

 

[ffemt128]

Doug, THANKS for the info, also how long to you age after bottling? Henry

I usually don't bottle for 9-12 months. It's drinkable at that point but I try (key word try) to wait at least a 1 1/2 years before breaking into that stash. We have muscadine in carboys in the cellar from Oct 2014 now. I'll probably look to back sweeten and bottle that end of August - September just so I can free up the carboys for the 2015 juice.

 

[Ernest T Bass]

Used "Isons Black" and fermented on hulls until dry. Muscadines usually get ripe in late Sept thru Oct. With that low pH doesn't that make the wine taste too acidy?. I Would love to have a recipe for muscadine wine that is 1st grade level, don't asume I know anything, cause I don't.
Thanks
Semper Fi

 

[Thig]

Anyone picking their muscadine vines yet? Mine are usually ready a little closer to Sept 1st but I haven't been down to the farm since July 4th to check on them. It has been a little hotter and wetter than last year so I am thinking they may be ripe sooner.

 

[Ernest T Bass]

Mine haven't even started turning yet.
Semper Fi

 

[Thig]

Mine haven't even started turning yet.
Semper Fi

That's good because it is going to be at least two weeks before I can get down there to check on them.

 

[gaboy]

Can Pine Bark Nuggets be used as mulch under muscadine vines, I know pine needles CANNOT? Henry

 

[dralarms]

I don't think so. Mulch of any kind (except for rubber) is a no no I believe.

 

[Thig]

Mine haven't even started turning yet.
Semper Fi

I picked mine once last week but there were still a lot of green and half ripe grapes on the vines.