Port without spirits?

[WellingtonToad]

As a going in point "I like Port".

The problem really is that here in Australia the duty on pure alcohol is $79 per litre. This makes the manufacture of port at home uneconomic. Although I have done it with good success.

It is more practical to buy ready made, but nowhere near the fun.

It occurs to me that there might be an alternative, and I am wondering if anyone has tried this before?

As I make wine from grapes, I could separate half of the grapes to start ferment. The other half would be pressed,(skins returned to ferment vat) and the juice heated in cooking parlance "to reduce" the liquor. Potentially down to half of the volume. Concentrated grape juice. As the first lot progresses through the ferment, adding small amounts of concentrated juice. More juice being added until the yeast reaches its alcohol limit (hopefully about 18~20%ABV). More concentrated juice could then be added to taste (sweeten).

Not a traditional Port, granted, but I am interested on everyone's thoughts on the feasibility. At least it is cheap and legal.

It would actually be easier with a kit, but I haven't gone there.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Instead of cooking your grape juice freeze it to get the water out like an ice wine, the concentrated sugars wont freeze and you drain that off of the ice. You are just chapitalizing your wine to increase the alcohol and then backsweetening with more of your concentrated grape juice. Make sure you add an appropriate amount of nutrients for the increased alcohol and remember your acids will get increased at the same time to. Many people make it like this and call it a port although really its a strong dessert wine. You could drop a few elderberries and some oak in it to amplify it a little also. WVMJ

 

[WellingtonToad]

Great thought, stops the chance of scalding the liquor.

I really like the way you are thinking.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

This is a SOP, not my idea, it is fun to see how far you can push the yeast as long as you give them some proper nutrition along the way, except for the acid building up after every addition but you can always set it outside in the cold and let the wine crystals form to knock a little bit of it down, and MLF would also eat up some of the acid. Maybe a few hairs of Dingo dropped in to liven it up a little! WVMJ

 

[manvsvine]

the sugar feeding method works