Welch's Grape (Wow!)

[smokegrub]

I did two batches of Welch's Concord about 6 months ago. The first (14 cans/5 gal) was before I had learned that the cocktail juice contained inhibitors. The second was with the concentrate (12 cans/5 gal). Both were started at SG 1.090 and back-sweetened with 1 cup sugar. The former fermented very slowly, but it fermented. When finished, it looked like a rose and was quite tart. After 6 months it was a sweet delight and all the ladies in my family and our friends have loved it. The latter was also tart at the beginning but after 6 months I consider it one of the best, if not the best, wines I have ever had. I relaize that the taste of wine is a personal thing but these have been great hits. I have a Welch's White Grape/Peach in the secondary now and I look forward to it with great anticipation. I plan to repeat the Concord wines. Yes, I am going to do the cocktail wine since it was such a hit even though it was a bear to ferment.

Both of these wines have been received better that the 2 kit wines I have done, although both turned out well.

Will soon do blackberries, strawberries, a banana, an elderberry and finish a dandelion that is in secondary now.

I am having to do much more wine than I ever thought I would!

 

[masta]

Yes wine is a personal taste and when you are pleased with the final productand can share it with friends who enjoy it then yourefforts are truly rewarded!

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

Funny how some people will say they do not like wine (me as close as a year ago) but there are sooo many varieties and styles , that if one looks, sooner or later you find one you like. And, in my case, that leads to re trying the ones I thoughtI didn't like, and finding I really do. I think we mature into it, just like allot of things in life.

 

[smokegrub]

In my former job I was wined and dined at some extraordinary restaurants and I have drunk wines that were reputed to be some of the best available. I have enjoyed my Welch's as much or more than any of the wines I have enjoyed over the years. I can't wait to do the blackberries when they ripen.

 

[Wade E]

I hear ya about growing into liking wine, until 2 tears ago when we had
driven by a winery that was having a wine tasting and had a sign that
caught my eye I really never cared for wine. But once I tried a few
fruit wines I was addicted and wondered about making but thought it
would be really hard until I went back working at a place I used to
work at and found that 1 of my old friends was making IM kits and I
jumped in with the Blackberry Merlot, the Exotic Fruit white Zin, and
the Vintners Black Currant wine base. That was all she wrote!

 

[GrapeApe]

Hey Smoke,


Can you give some additional info on how the Welch's tastes? Is it a sweet wine or dry like a merlot, cab, etc? Did you follow a specific receipe? What type of yeast did you use?


I have a little room left on my wine rack for a couple gallon jugs.


GrapeApe.

 

[smokegrub]

Here is what I used:

Welch's 100% Concentrate Grape Wine
12 (11 1/2 oz) cans Welch's 100% frozen grape concentrate*
Water to make 5 gal
Sugar (to SG 1.090)
10 t acid blend
5 t pectic enzyme
5 t yeast nutrient
1 pkt Montrachet wine yeast (activated)
5 Campden tablets (crushed)
1 c sugar (to sweeten after secondary fermentation)
Potassium sorbate (according to pkg directions)

Place the concentrate in primary; add water to make 5 gallons. Check the SG and add sugar to SG 1.090. Add the acid blend and pectic enzyme. At this point the total volume should be approximately 6 gallons. Add wine yeast; cover. When active fermentation slows down (about 5 days), fit airlock. When clear, rack, top up and refit airlock. After additional 30 days, add Campden tablets, sorbate, 1 cup sugar and rack into bottles.

Makes 5 gallons.

*Not the concentrate with corn syrup, etc. Just the plain concentrate at $1.68 per can at Wal-Mart.

After 6 months the wine has some tartness and is a little sweet but not cloying. I love it. Of course you can omit the back-sweetening and enjoy it dry.

 

[smurfe]

I am surprised that only one cup of sugar in a 5 gallon batch would even be noticed if you fermented the wine to dry. Sounds very tempting. I have always wanted to try making a gallon of this.

 

[smokegrub]

I am at our vacation home now, but I will be starting another batch as soon as I get home--next Wednesday. The wine improves greatly with age, but this one will never see its first birthday! We just used a bottle to make Applebee's Sangria and it was great.

 

[OldWino1]

I agree fine one you like and then start trying others. I was a white wine person since been making I still do drink whites but dont leave and open bottle of red around me now any that i can tell merlot shiraz cab sav valapocella barolo yes and lookking for more reds now..

 

[smokegrub]

I repeated the first 2 batches of Welch's, including the cocktail juice with inhibitors. I acclimated the yeast to progressively increasing amounts of the cocktail must and it is fermenting nicely. The batch using the 100% concentrate is fermenting vigorously. The yeast used in both was Lalvin EC 1118.