Scaling up wine recipes

[Shylock]

I've been making small 1gal batches for a while, but I seem to go through them much faster than I can make them, thanks to ravenous house-mates. I was wondering if there was any "trick" to scaling up a 1gal recipe to something like 4gal. Here is the 1gal recipe for a Welch's table wine I usually make.

3pts Welch's concord grape juice
5pts tap water
3 1/4cup sugar
2 tsp acid blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp nutrient
1 campden
1pkg premiere cuvee

Some scale-ups just scale the juice/water/sugar ratios and keep the others constant, and some scale every ingredient up (minus yeast). Thoughts?


Thanks,
Josh

 

[Sacalait]

I've been making small 1gal batches for a while, but I seem to go through them much faster than I can make them, thanks to ravenous house-mates. I was wondering if there was any "trick" to scaling up a 1gal recipe to something like 4gal. Here is the 1gal recipe for a Welch's table wine I usually make.

3pts Welch's concord grape juice
5pts tap water
3 1/4cup sugar
2 tsp acid blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp nutrient
1 campden
1pkg premiere cuvee

Some scale-ups just scale the juice/water/sugar ratios and keep the others constant, and some scale every ingredient up (minus yeast). Thoughts?


Thanks,
Josh

I'd scale up all ingredients except the pectic enzyme (1/2 tsp looks like plenty since you're dealing only with juice) and yeast.

 

[Shylock]

Thanks Sacalait, so does this look ok?

3 64oz bottles juice
5 64oz bottles water
13 cups sugar
8tsp acid blend
1/2tsp pectic enzyme
4tsp nutrient
4 campden tablets
1pkg premiere cuvee

 

[cpfan]

Shylock:

Not sure why you picked 4 gallons. There are no 4 US gallon carboys that I am aware of. Of course you may be splitting amongst 4 1 gallon jugs.

Most recipe books say to double or quadruple or whatever everything except the yeast since a packet of yeast is good for up to 6 US gallons.

However, if as Sacalait has indicated the original recipe is heavy on an ingredients.

Steve

 

[Shylock]

I have easy and free access to 4gal Polyethylene containers because a business nearby discards their spring water jugs after use.

Do you think I should be adding less acid/sugar for this table wine?

 

[oxeye]

I understand that it is required, when using the frozen grape juice concentrate, to then add water.

But, I'm a little curious as to why you are using bottled grape juice and then diluting it with water?

Seems like it will end up being pretty weak stuff!

Plus, I'm in agreement with cpfan, if you are graduating up to a 5-gallon carboy, using only 4-gallons will leave a lot of headspace to encourage oxidation!

oxeye

 

[Shylock]

The reason why I'm scaling to 4gal is because I have an endless supply of Polyethylene 4gal spring water containers, courtesy of a local business. I have only one 5.5gal spring water container.

oxeye, I never really noticed it being dilute, but I'm no wine connoisseur, just a microbrew addict. How would you suggest I decrease the amount of water I add or other ingredients to better the taste? I usually make this wine from concentrate, but I had some grape juice lying around so I found a different recipe.


Thanks,
Josh

 

[oxeye]

Shylock -

Just leave the water out, and use ALL 100% juice.

For instance, in your above recipe, instead of using 3 bottles of juice and 5 bottles of water...use 8 bottles of 100% juice.

Except, of course, when you are using cans of frozen juice concentrate, then you should add water as per the directions, for each CAN used.

When making wine from bottled juices only, add NO water!

Heat, don't boil, enough of the juice to dissolve the sugar, then after it cools, return it all to the primary, add the remaining ingredients, except the yeast, and mix well. Shake it up good, so as to start with an aerated must.

Then pitch your yeast.

Pogo

BTW - What are your average OG's and FG's on batches such as these?

I have no idea what ABV you are reaching for, but 13 cups of sugar is excessive. This looks like a modified hooch recipe, more than anything else! Four heaping cups = ~2 pounds, which is usually enough to boost a five gallon batch of any 100% juice based wine to 7-9 % ABV. A 4-gallon batch would be even higher.

Anything more than that will be rocket fuel, IF the fermentation doesn't stall out, OR the high alcohol levels don't kill the yeast, leaving you with sickeningly SWEET wine!

BTW#2 - Some grades of plastic used in water bottles have many brewers concerned over health safety issues!

Check the number inside the little triangle on the bottom of the bottle. Any number other than 1 is risky...they say!

 

[Shylock]

Thanks oxeye, I've been web-crawling a bit more and it seems people don't dilute the juice. I have been using this recipe I found in a cookbook my local homebrew store has, basically where I buy my hops etc; this is probably why my primary wine ferments get a little messy and out of control.

I sure hope I don't have the wrong polyethylene; I go to grad school for polymer science so it would be pretty embarrassing

It also seems most people aren't using the juice in their recipes so I'll just continue using the same jack keller recipe for frozen concentrate, I just need to go buy some more.

* 8 cans (11.5 oz) Welch's 100% frozen grape concentrate
* 5 lbs or 10 cups sugar
* 8 tsp acid blend
* 2 tsp pectic enzyme
* 4 tsp yeast nutrient
* water to make 4 gal
* premiere cuvee

 

[Shylock]

Thanks oxeye, I've been web-crawling a bit more and it seems people don't dilute the juice. I have been using this recipe I found in a cookbook my local homebrew store has, basically where I buy my hops etc; this is probably why my primary wine ferments get a little messy and out of control.

I sure hope I don't have the wrong polyethylene; I go to grad school for polymer science so it would be pretty embarrassing

It also seems most people aren't using the juice in their recipes so I'll just continue using the same jack keller recipe for frozen concentrate, I just need to go buy some more.

* 8 cans (11.5 oz) Welch's 100% frozen grape concentrate
* 5 lbs or 10 cups sugar
* 8 tsp acid blend
* 2 tsp pectic enzyme
* 4 tsp yeast nutrient
* water to make 4 gal
* premiere cuvee

 

[oxeye]

Hey...if you like the results you are getting, then that's all that really matters, isn't it!

BTW - 8 tsps. of acid blend seems a little excessive, as does the 2 tsps. of pectic enzyme for a juice based wine with no pulp to work on.

oxeye