welches grape questions

[kk1224kelley]

I mixed cambden tabs and 24 hours later pitched the yeast. I forgot one ingredient, acid blend. it is one the 3rd day of primary ferm. is it too late to add acid blend or add it later on?

 

[Noontime]

You can add acid blend anytime before bottling...sometimes its better to wait so you can add it to taste. Someone elses recipe might not be exactly what you like, so adding to appeal to your personal taste is better (or to a specific TA if you're measuring).

Put some of this away for a year...I've found frozen concentrate wines pretty basic and harsh till about 9 months to a year...then eveything smooths out and becomes really good.

 

[kk1224kelley]

thanks for the advice this is my second batch of the welches and if i make it successfully again i will invest some more money in some fresh fruit.

would you say welches grape concentrate make "real" wine? it just seems so ...cheap i guess, or not too complex... it tasted ok last batch i made 3 gallon gone!

 

[SBWs]

If you like it then it's real wine. For me I don't like dry reds much so concord wines are a good choice, as most are finished on the sweet side. As for the acid question, if you used 3 cans per gallon of concentrate then you most likely don't even need to add any acid. If you only used 2 per gallon then some will need to be added later, To Taste.

 

[Noontime]

I've made a few frozen concentrate wines and I'm getting ready to make a third. The first one I was not very impressed with...to the point I would not call it wine. The label I made for it said "Alcoholic Fruit Beverage" because I did not feel comfortable calling it a wine. A year later and I was so sorry I gave so many away and made sangria out of. It really smoothed out, took on some honey notes, had better body/mouthfeel, and the alcohol integrated bringing out the fruit flavors. It's not a complex red by any means, but it certainly turned into something enjoyable. I also did not make concord, but used niagara and fruit blends.

Like I said...put some away to see what its like in a year; you might be surprised.

 

[kk1224kelley]

I used 3 cans per gallon. ill just forget the acid blend until my next batch. I will definetly bulk age all of it for atleast a year. I dont mind being patient for something great Thanks.

 

[jswordy]

You can add acid blend anytime you want right up to bottling. It does help to add from the start because it aids the yeast's environment, but no biggie whatsoever. I like to add either acid blend or citric acid as part of my adjustments before bottling. I like a semisweet tartness.

I make Welch's, always have made Welch's, and always will make Welch's. It is a fine wine for lowbrow drinkability, and no one I have ever handed a glass to has not liked it. It's a Good Friends and Good Times wine.

I make others, but I doubt I will ever quit with Welch's.

Stuff to fiddle with:

1. Try 4 cans to a gallon...OH BOY, we are getting intense now!!!

2. Buy blueberry concentrate and dump that in there after stabilizing but before bottling. Let settle a week or so, then bottle. Yes, that'sa-nice!!!

3. Try using lemon juice as your acid at the end to add tartness. You will have to let it settle out again, so add it on the racking before your final one, to taste.

Fun wine to play with, and not so expensive or high-class that you are afraid to fool around with it. Reminds me of some of my old girlfriends!



Shhh! Don't mention that to my wife!

 

[kk1224kelley]

hahaha That'sa nice!!! thanks for the great tips

do you ever feel crazy when you go to check out at the store with nothing but 10+ cans of welches, suger, and jugs of water? hahaha little obssessed with welches looks.

 

[Julie]

I used 3 cans per gallon. ill just forget the acid blend until my next batch. I will definetly bulk age all of it for atleast a year. I dont mind being patient for something great Thanks.

check the acid once the wine is done fermenting, yes you probably don't need to add any but you should get into the habit of checking ph and acid and you just might need to add once fermentation is complete. If you do not check, then you really don't know if you need to add.

Like Jswordy said, add 4 cans but I would caution you that 4 cans bring the sg up which will give you a higher ABV. So always keep that in mind.

 

[BobF]

For future reference, if you ever do decide you should've added acid and didn't, be careful how much you add during an active ferment. A large, sudden change in acidity could stress your yeast. It could cause a stuck ferment or a case of the stinkies.

As long as you have a good ferment going, I would avoid the addition until post-ferment.

Welches makes decent, real wine. SWMBO loves wine made from the Black Cherry/Concord. Any objections to Welches wine you hear are based on the fact that the grapes aren't traditional wine grapes ... and the way they're processed before you start making wine out of them. The juice being readily available at WalMart probably doesn't help

Directing reasoning like this at a group that's just as likely to make wine out of beets, rhubarb, onions or shoe leather, as they are to use vinifera grape varieties seems absurd to me

 

[Duster]

If you check out some soft reds most of them will contain a Labrusca verity. they tend to be a bit lower in sugar and a bit higher in acid making them a less than prime suspect for wines but still a suspect non the less.

 

[kk1224kelley]

i still have to do some studying up on ph and acid. being a beginner, im not quite their yet, but it is going good as im teaching myself. the advice i get from all of you is invaluable. thanks alot.

 

[Sammyk]

Would adding bananas to this be a good idea?

 

[Lizerdking]

If you dig around on here you'll find my first post, ah here it is:

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f5/first-batch-12245/

I just bottled this last week, most of the heat from making it a little too boozy has gone away, it's very drinkable. I can't comment to as if adding the banana's changed much, I think the biggest mistake was only using 10 cans of concentrate, I've made some other batches since using 15-20 cans in a 5 gallon batch and they had a much stronger flavor..

I made what i called a redneck sangria(my neighbor named it purple blackout juice), bunch of mashed up frozen fruit, and 15 or so assorted cans of concentrate, whatever was in the freezer that was getting old (concord/niagra). I didn't age it but a couple months,it didn't last long

 

[SBWs]

I got to remember that name "redneck sangria" has a ring to it.

 

[southlake333]

would you say welches grape concentrate make "real" wine?

Wine by definition is simply the fermented juice of fruit. That could be grapes, peaches, lemons, concentrated fruit juice from whatever you enjoy or anything else you can imagine. Really the only question is whether your creation is "good". That is completely a matter of taste. If you like it, it's good wine.

 

[JohnT]

I WANT A GOLD STAR FOR NOT SAYING ANYTHIG!!!!!!

 

[bob1]

would you say welches grape concentrate make "real" wine?

I dont really like the Welch's red wine. I have not tried it with 3 cans only 2. But I do like the White. I might have to try 3 cans on both and see how it does.

 

[jswordy]

hahaha That'sa nice!!! thanks for the great tips

do you ever feel crazy when you go to check out at the store with nothing but 10+ cans of welches, suger, and jugs of water? hahaha little obssessed with welches looks.

You should try doing that in ALABAMA, where making homemade wine is a felony! LOL ... lil old ladies have asked me in WalMart, "What are you going to do with all that juice and sugar?"

"I am making WINE!" I reply.

You should see the disapproving looks I get...

Did I mention using a medium toast oak spiroll in it for about 10 days just prior to bottling? Check it every couple days and when oaked to your taste - oh man, it is almost pinkie-raising time when it hits the glass!

Note that I wrote "almost"! We wouldn't want to get carried away, right?

 

[jswordy]

Would adding bananas to this be a good idea?

Mouthfeel can be improved by adding 1 pound bananas cut into 1-inch chunks with skin on per gallon. Put them in a bag in the must. Bananas also seem to make the yeast more vigorous in my musts.

Raisins will add mouthfeel, too, but watch your SG.

I typically aim for around 14% ABV in my Welch's concords using 71B-1122.