Quality of wine from juice or concentrates?

[cib]

I'm new so forgive me if this is the incorrect forum for this question. I tried to look for this question and was unable to find it.

I'm curious how the taste and quality of the wines made at home from juice or concentrates turn out. I realize quality and taste can vary greatly depending upon factors of the maker but will these turn out similar in quality and taste to the supper market varieties and maybe some higher end wines?

 

[sly22guy]

A lot of us on here make wines from Concentrate or 100% Juice. There are even some award winners! If you follow the steps and use quality products you should have good results. There are ton's of tips and hints to pickup on here. Don't use fruit cocktail juice. Welcome and make sure to check out the recipe section on here. What type of wine or fruit wine were you wanting to make, there is a ton of knowledge on here. Just ask!

 

[Rocky]

Cib, the short answer is "they certainly can" turn out equal to or better than the store bought wines, but this does not "just happen." One of our sponsors is The Wine Makers Toy Store. I recommend that you visit that site and watch the free videos that take you through the entire process. Making wine from kits is not foolproof, but it is close to it if you follow the directions in the videos and in the kit.

You will get a lot of opinions on winemaking on this site and you will have to sort out which ones work for you. Generally, I think most people would agree:
1. Get the best equipment that you can afford.
2. Buy the best kit you can afford. Generally, the best kits have the greatest amount of juice, i.e. 18 liters vs. 10 or 12 liters.
3. Read and follow all directions, at least in the beginning.
4. Cleanliness and sanitization are next to Godliness!
5. Be paitent. As Archie Bunker once said, "Romania wasn't built in a day."
6. Don't give up on a wine until you have exhausted all alternatives.
7. Start with a kit. You can go to fresh juice or fresh fruit later. The kit will familiarize you with the process and equipment.
8. Read the posts on this site. They contain a wealth of information.
9. Have fun. It is a great hobby, richly rewarding in many ways.

 

[cib]

Thanks for the replies. I figured as much about the quality but wanted to get some information from people actually working with it.

 

[DasK]

I'm new so forgive me if this is the incorrect forum for this question. I tried to look for this question and was unable to find it.

I'm curious how the taste and quality of the wines made at home from juice or concentrates turn out. I realize quality and taste can vary greatly depending upon factors of the maker but will these turn out similar in quality and taste to the supper market varieties and maybe some higher end wines?

I make my apple wine from apple juice and I add grape concentrate to bring up my sugar level. It turns out great. One tip with the apple wine is to find the stuff in the glass jugs. Then you have a free secondary fermenter.

4. Cleanliness and sanitization are next to Godliness!

I looked this up in the dictionary ... Goggles is next to Godliness

 

[sevenal]

Juice = wine

Tastes good to me.

I have made wine twice now.
First time was too sweet, due to low water amount.
Too big of a hurry.
It was all consumed and was ok but what free wine is not?

2nd attempt, I slowed down.
I made 5gal from red WalMart juice, sugar, pure water, LALVIN 71B-1122
Yeast. Most wine yeasts would have probably worked ok.
At the same time I made 1gal of cranberry wine from juice the same way but used another yeast.
After I racked the first time I poured the cranberry into the red grape and let it set a second month then racked again and let it set a couple more weeks.
I then clarified further with Sparkolloid, racked and bottled.

The cranberry gave a delicate dryness to the wine it otherwise would not have had.
I wish you very good luck and search this forum well for tips and guidance.

Al - a.k.a. sevenal

 

[djrockinsteve]

With concentrates you don't want to skimp on the numberof cans. Same with fruit. I use 12-14 cans of concentrate per 6 gallon batch. 5-6 pounds of fruit per gallon for most fruits.

I know a wine taster who works for the LCB here in Pgh. He told me my wines are just as good and often better than those expensive wines.

Use good quality products. Correct amount of additives and be patient. Don't rush what can't be rushed. In the beginning it's a learning curve.

This forum is a wealth of info.