Newbie Needs Help

[chris34]

I live in the northeast and recently found out i have some grapes growing in my backyard that can be used for making wine so i'm going to try my hand at it..where do i start? i have a kit coming in the mail & was told i first need to check the sugar level of the grapes before picking them. Is that so? and whats next? Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Wade E]

Chris, 1st of all welcome, Im not 1 of the grape experts here but must say that you will need a refractometer or at minimum a hydrometer to check the brix of the grapes to see if they are ready to pick which I believe they either are ready or maybe even a little late as most wineries around here are baren already. It really depends on what kind of grape they are to know what there average picking time is. Some would have been picked quite awhile ago and some might just be getting ready and some just arent made to be produced in this area as they almost ready to be ready to pick we get cold weather which freezes them and the crop is destroyed. You need to pick a few and check the Brix of these and post a picture to find out what kind of grape it is. Good luck and Im sure 1 of the vineyard pros will jump in and give you more info.

 

[grapeman]

Hi Chris. Welcome! One of the first things we need to do is know what variety of grape it is, so we know what to expect out of it. Could you describe the grape- is it wild in the edge of woods, planted in the yard, what color is it, how big are the grapes, is it sweet or tart? There are a million other questions, but that will give us a start. If you are from the northeast, they likely are either wild grapes or either Concord or Niagra, but if you can answer the questions and even better if you get us a picture of the vines and grapes. Once you get us that information, then we can try to give you some better guidance. Also a rough location would help a lot, the northeast is pretty big and diverse.

 

[chris34]

Thanks! Sorry should have given more specifics. The grapes are wild at the edge of the woods. They are a deep purple color, almost black and the size is about the diameterof a nickel(maybe slightly smaller). I live in rhode island. The property i live on use to be a farm so i'm hoping these grapes are useable for wine. The clusters arent that big but my hope is to replant a sprig and see if it grows in my yard. I was hoping it wasnt too late to harvest to see if i could practice making a gallon but do you think i'm too late? I'll work on getting the picture. Edited by: chris34

 

[chris34]

Thanks, I'm in rhode island so you're not too far from me. You may be right about being too late but the vines are still pretty full. Hopefully my hydrometer will arrive soon.

 

[masta]

Welcome neighbor.....are you far from Hope Valley? Edited by: masta

 

[chris34]

Just a stone's throw away....westerly.

 

[jobe05]

Chris, Welcome to the forum. If the hydrometer is a few days out from delivery, you could always pick them, de-stem them and put them in the freezer for a few weeks till you learn what you need to do with them.

JWMINNESOTA has made some wild grape wine and some wild grape Jelly. He was kind enough to send me a couple of bottles of the wine which I have sitting in the fridge right now for this weekend, but I can tell ya, I have been savoring the jelly that he made. If the wine is anything like the Jelly, I'd be contacting JWMINNESOTA for his recipe and follow it to the "T"

 

[grapeman]

OK, you have narrowed it down a lot with just that description. In the northeast wild grapes are the size of peas, not dime to nickel. In all likelihood they are Concord, being blue/purple/black. They should be about as ripe as they will get about now, so I would do like Jobe says and pick them. They will need de-stemming so go ahead and do that also and put them in bags and freeze. If you just don't have freezer room, wait until your kit arrives and pick then. A starting specidic gravity would be nice to have so you know how much sugar to add.


If the vine is not in a cultivated spot, you could take a few cuttings and root them, but for a few dollars, you can buy pre-rooted vines a year or two old. You could also purchase regular wine varieties instead of Concord, unless that is what you like best.


Good luck and have fun with your new hobby/interest.

 

[chris34]

Thanks! If I go w/pre-rooted vines is it too late to plant now?

 

[chris34]

Thanks for the advice. I'll put them in the freezer for now. How many pounds of grapes do you think it would take to make a gallon of wine?

 

[chris34]

Masta, if the grapes i have dont work out, is there anywhere you can get vines locally? and what type?

 

[grapeman]

For your location, it would be better to wait until spring. You wouldn't gain anything from planting now, and they might freeze and not come back next spring if we have a bad winter. They do grow quickly(relatively) and you can figure on a good crop in their third year. Seems like a long time, but it helps build patience. Check out my posts under Champlain Valley Vineyard in the Home Vineyards section. If you don't mind going through a lot of pages, you can see the progression of vines from planting through the second year with a limited harvest.

 

[chris34]

Very nice. Looks like I better get started on clearing some land. i have alot of grassy area that would be perfect to plant some vines but first is the challenge of digging out the grass.
I'm having a problem uploading my pic to here but I'll keep trying.