Welch's grape concentrate wine

[HD93]

i used a recipe from Jack Keller's site and primary fermentation went well I thought. My primary is a bucket. It was covered with a towel. anyhow I don' t know what I was thinking,but it was in the primary for 7 days when I racked it into my secondary(6 gal. Better Bottle), with a s.g. of 1.006. It's been 4 days and I checked the s.g. at 1.000 . I took a sample to see how it was going along along and it takes like vinegar. is this red wine vinegar now or is there something else I csn do???? If totally ruined as wine , I guess a lot of people on my Christmas list will be getting a bottle of balsamic vinegar.
With the s.g. at1.006 just covered with a towel before racking to secondary sound like the exposure to too much oxygen may have ruined this wine???

 

[Wade E]

Did you sanitize everything well with k-meta or a good sanitizer, what did you do exactly. Doesnt sound good though to be honest.Welcome to this forum and sorry we had to meet like this.
Edited by: wade

 

[HD93]

I usedk- meta. I did exactly what the recipe called for, but the primary was only covered with a towel. When I transfered it to secondary the s.g. was already at 1.006. I also had a brew belt on it and temp. held at 74 deg. for 7 days. I think I may have let it go in primary for too long. I did not check the acid levelthough.

 

[HD93]

Recipe as follows
12 cans grape concentrate & 4 gal. water.
sugar to raise s.g. to 1.095
12 tsp. acid blend
6 tsp. pectic enzyme
6 tsp. yeast nutrient
1 pk. Lalvvin #71B-1122

 

[Wade E]

02 will not make vinegar, it is the introduction of acetobacteria. Could be from fruit flies being able to get in. Was there a rubber band around the towel to keep any crawlies out and did you find any bugs in there? Everything sounds OK a little to long in primary with no lid on tight as it really should have been locked down earlier and anything over the primary in the meantime should be fastened down tight to prevent any kind of bugs from getting in. I keep my lid locked down even in the beginning as IMO there is plenty of 02 in there and especially OK if you open it up evry day or other day and give it a good stir to get 02 in there. have never had a problem with having lid on.

 

[HD93]

But isn't acetobacteria the cause of changing wine to vinegar? Edited by: HD93

 

[Wade E]

It is but and it requires 02 for this to happen but the sulfites in the wine from the k-meta would have killed off any of this in the beginning therefore leading me to believe that there must have been another introduction of the bacteria either from say a fruit fly in your wine or from using a tool such as a stirring spoon that was not thoroughly sanitized and used to stir up your wine. Did you add k-meta to your wine 24 hours prior to pitching your yeast to kill off any bacteria in your must or just sanitize your stuff?

 

[HD93]

In a previous posting of this recipe, I said, "I haven't made a frozen grape concentrate wine yet..." and then added that the recipe was given to me by a friend who uses it exclusively to make killer wine. I have since made this wine, but had to greatly reduce the amount of sugar the original recipe called for. A reader made the wine using the original recipe as published and achieved a starting specific gravity way too high, just as I did when I made it. I have since called the originator of the recipe and found he was making a very sweet, high-alcohol wine. This is not what was originally implied and so I have therefore modified the recipe to make a 12%-13% alcohol wine.


There are numerous Welch's frozen juice products. This recipe calls for either the Welch's "Juice Maker's" 100% Frozen Grape Concentrate or the Welch's 100% Frozen Grape Concentrate from Concord Grapes. You could also use Welch's 100% Frozen White Grape Concentrate from Niagara Grapes.


A word of warning is in order. Welch's is a very fine company and delivers, in my opinion, a very good product. But 100% grape concentrate means you concentrate the grapes you get. Thus, the natural sugar content of one batch of juice may differ from that of another batch just as grapes vary from year to year and vineyard to vineyard. Reconstitute the juice and measure the specific gravity of your juice with a hydrometer. Then use the table at http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/hydrom.asp to determine if the amount of sugar called for in this recipe is too much, too little, or just right for your juice. You should, in fact, do this with every recipe, as the natural sugar in all fresh fruit varies to some extent.

<CENTER>
<H3>Welch's Frozen Grape Juice Wine</H3></CENTER>
<UL>
<LI>2 cans (11.5 oz) Welch's 100% frozen grape concentrate
<LI>1-1/4 lbs granulated sugar
<LI>2 tsp acid blend
<LI>1 tsp pectic enzyme
<LI>1 tsp yeast nutrient
<LI>water to make 1 gallon
<LI>wine yeast </LI>[/list]


Bring 1 quart water to boil and dissolve the sugar in the water. Remove from heat and add frozen concentrate. Add additional water to make one gallon and pour into secondary. Add remaining ingredients except yeast. Cover with napkin fastened with rubber band and set aside 12 hours. Add activated wine yeast and recover with napkin. When active fermentation slows down (about 5 days), fit airlock. When clear, rack, top up and refit airlock. After additional 30 days, stabilize, sweeten if desired and rack into bottles. [Author's adaptation of a friend's recipe]

 

[NorthernWinos]

Welcome HD93.....A bummer on your wine going bad.

Maybe give it a little time and see if the flavor changes any.

It's not sounding good at this point...didn't know it could turn bad so fast.

 

[grapeman]

Is it possible that you are mistaking the smell of fermenting wine for vinegar? I have seen some folks do that. They want to dump the wine out before it has even finsihed fermenting. I would let it finish up, clear it, let it age a bit and bottle. Then give it 6 months before making the determination it is no good.


In the future, if you want to cover it with a towel, just set the cover on the pail loosely and put the towel over that. That keeps most things out, but allows it to get a bit more oxygen.

 

[Wade E]

I would also recommend adding the campden or k-meta to it even though it isnt fresh fruit because there are other things to worry about like your water or even store bought water and other stuff.

 

[HD93]

The wife just had a sample and said it was fine. Maybe I had some meta in the glass. Anyhow thanks for your help.I think after a day or so I'll check the s.g. and transfer etc. and wait. It definitely sampled different today.

 

[Wade E]

Very Glad to hear that, there's only 1 thing worse then losing that liquid gold and thats losing a loved 1!

 

[scotty]

I make Welches 100% frozen concord wine all the time and i never cover my plastic fermentor with anything but a sanitized cloth and a huge elastic band.
I treat it as though the juice came from fresh grapes.
1--sanitize the must-wait 24 hours
2--treat with pectic enzyme and pitch yeast from a ((i make an 8 hour starter bottle))starter bottle 24 hours later etc. etc.

 

[NorthernWinos]

I cover the primary bucket with a piece of fabric...and the lid.

I cut a string to fit around the bucket and tied each end of the string to a strong rubber band....Use that to secure the fabric tightly.....

Then, I lay the lid loosely on top....
I never use to lay the lid on top of the bucket....Then...I almost had a bad accident....

I leave my primary buckets beside the fridge to suck up the warm air that constantly comes out from under the fridge....
One day I was in the freezer part and a pound of butter dropped out of the freezer....
and.....
bounced off the rim of the bucket......

and.....
onto the floor....

Was my lucky day....So, I now put the lid ontop of the bucket just incase stuff should drop into the bucket....

 

[NorthernWinos]

I made Welch's Concord Wine before and we really liked it....Was gone in a flash. I added WinExpert Red Grape Concentrate and oak to it. Everyone liked that one.

Now I use my own grape juice....but would like to try another batch of Welch's to compare....would add the R.G. Concentrate and more oak and 2 vanilla beans to the next batch....
Think it would satisfy....

 

[HD93]

Thanks for the info. About how long do you leave it the the secondary and what should the s.g. be before I rack , stabilize, &amp; clear ? It seems that I have a s.g. of 1.000, two days in a row. The airlock doesn't seem to be bubbling????

 

[Wade E]

If it is stable (checked by checking 3 days in a row with same sg) then it is ready to rack again into clean carboy and then add k-meta(campden) and sorbate and degas and then fining agent or just let it clear on its own. As far as SG goes that will always vary depending on yeast used, starting sg and some other factors.

 

[scotty]

If it is stable (checked by checking 3 days in a row with same sg) then it is ready to rack again into clean carboy and then add k-meta(campden) and sorbate and degas and then fining agent or just let it clear on its own. As far as SG goes that will always vary depending on yeast used, starting sg and some other factors.

Ditto.
After the sulfate and sorbate, i clarify. I cant wait for it to settle on its own.


I have come to like the super kleer or whatever it is called then after it settles out, i rack again, back sweeten and bulk age a bit before bottling.

Naturally we drink any that does not fit in the carboy.

 

[HD93]

I read somewhere that you should put ascorbic acid in the wine to prevent it from oxidizing and turning into vinegar. Do you advise this or have you done this ? Also can you put a brew belt on the plastic Better Bottles to raise the temp ? I know you aren't suppose to put it on glass carboys.