wine from Welches?

[Noontime]

One 750ml bottle added to top off a 6 gallon batch is roughly 3.5%, so I don't think it will have a huge impact. I will top off a white wine with any other white wine, and red wine with any other red wine or Viognier.

 

[wineforfun]

Thanks wineforfun... I have never made welch's straight and I would definitely not worry about using it to top off a real concord wine. I have made plenty of that since that's what I have growing here. You did answer my question though in that it tastes the same. My question (not very clear) was more about using it to top off other wines not concord. I'm not sure if it would give that concord flavour to a non concord wine? If so, at what rate? ie would 750ml not make a difference?

Sorry, I misread what you were asking. I have no idea how it would affect other types of wines. I would assume a. it depends on how much you use b. how different the wine you are topping up is, ie: cabernet, moscato, etc.

 

[Julie]

Julie,

I demand a "get out of the corner, free" card for keeping my big, fat mouth shut on this thread!!!!!!

alright, you got it! You have been a good boy, lol, I just figured you missed this whole thread somehow

 

[jamesngalveston]

I think JohnT, is plotting an answer, probably long and dead on topic.
I love concord wine made from welches, at least as a dragon blood....
goes great with breakfast.

 

[Runningwolf]

I call BS! He's going to scalp that get out of the corner Ticket. John's served time in there with a few other's of us and he know's what a blast it is when Dragon Lady leaves for the evening.

 

[Julie]

Thanks wineforfun... I have never made welch's straight and I would definitely not worry about using it to top off a real concord wine. I have made plenty of that since that's what I have growing here. You did answer my question though in that it tastes the same. My question (not very clear) was more about using it to top off other wines not concord. I'm not sure if it would give that concord flavour to a non concord wine? If so, at what rate? ie would 750ml not make a difference?

Hi Carolyn,

I don't think I would use Concord for topping up. My reasoning is Concord has a history of being a foxy tasting wine, some people can taste it but others cannot. I just won't take the chance.

And a question, when making a concord straight are you using just the juice that is on the shelf in the grocery store or the concentrate that is in the freezer section?

 

[ckvchestnut]

Julie thanks for the straight answer! Lol! Was asking about concentrate.. I have made many fresh concord wines and don't want to change another wine via topping off with concentrate - I know what fresh wine tastes like!


Carolyn

 

[jethro]

No, I've never even tasted Dragon's Blood.

I did however, make Welch's grape juice wine last summer. I put two different batches in two carboys, using two different flavors of Welch's. I only added sugar and yeast. It was my first batch of wine since high school. So I am a newbie.

Not until I had already done this did I learn that Welch's grape juice is concord grape wine. Hell, I didn't even know at that time that a wine is named after the grape that provides the juice that makes that wine! No, I never tried manischewitz either!

I tasted the wine around Christmas 2013. It wasn't good. It tasted like must. So I am letting it sit another six months in the carboys. I'll taste in again next June.

BTW, can the Dragon's Blood be made dry ?

 

[Noontime]

Our frozen concentrate wine recipe... let it sit a year and it makes a wonderful summer wine.

4 cans Welches Concord
4 cans Welches Berry Splash
3 cans Welches Niagara

Boil together:
10 black tea bags
1 cinnamon stick
a few whole cloves
5 lbs sugar

Combined in fermentation bucket with:
7 washed bananas (whole with ends cut off and sliced)
12oz bag of frozen blueberries
12oz bag of frozen raspberries
1/2 lbs minced raisins
water to 6 gallons

Yeast nutrient
pectic enzyme
2 tsp acid blend
KV-1116 yeast
SG 1.080

Stabilize and sweeten to taste.

 

[Elmer]

Tried a bottle of my welches tonight.
I have to say it was not that bad and it was drinkable (sorry john).
I only added 1/2 cup sugar for 1 gallon and a ton of oak.
The first taste is Concord grape, but then it is followed by a dry smokeyness.

And at 13%. It is crossing my eyes a 1/2 bottle in, while standing in the kitchen watching NCAA
I also chilled it a bit and that seemed to add to the drink ability


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[JohnT]

Tried a bottle of my welches tonight.
I have to say it was not that bad and it was drinkable (sorry john).
I only added 1/2 cup sugar for 1 gallon and a ton of oak.
The first taste is Concord grape, but then it is followed by a dry smokeyness.

And at 13%. It is crossing my eyes a 1/2 bottle in, while standing in the kitchen watching NCAA
I also chilled it a bit and that seemed to add to the drink ability


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

Elmer,

Congrats. As long as you enjoy it, that is all that matters..

At the risk of getting myself into even more trouble, can I point out that your review of your Welch's is that "It's not that bad". I think that this is a testimony to your winemaking skills. Well done!

But, if I may.. Instead of Welch's and "its not that bad", why not channel your efforts and skills into something that "Makes you get down on your knees and that the Almighty for the fantastic gift that is the grape"?

Come on Elmer, Turn to the dark side!

 

[Elmer]

Elmer,

Congrats. As long as you enjoy it, that is all that matters..

At the risk of getting myself into even more trouble, can I point out that your review of your Welch's is that "It's not that bad". I think that this is a testimony to your winemaking skills. Well done!

But, if I may.. Instead of Welch's and "its not that bad", why not channel your efforts and skills into something that "Makes you get down on your knees and that the Almighty for the fantastic gift that is the grape"?

Come on Elmer, Turn to the dark side!

When I say it is "not that bad", I guess I am saying it is drinkable, but I would not serve to friends while puffing out my chest and demanding to be complimented for my greatness.

I drink anything, but appreciate good stuff.
When something is drinkable, it is drinkable, but we only drink it because there is nothing better around!

I have some really good wine aging in the basement, but I am months away from bottling.

So in the mean time I have made a few small 1 gallon experiments and I am drinking all my inferior wines to make room on my rack.
(my mosti mondal chianti 10l kit wine is almost undrinkable due its inferiority to my super tuscan )

 

[JohnT]

OK,

I understand and see your point. It is just that I am a "life is too short to drink bad wine" type of fellow.

 

[Elmer]

OK,

I understand and see your point. It is just that I am a "life is too short to drink bad wine" type of fellow.

Completely understand John,
And I believe that is a great attitude to have.

However, I grew up not poor, but in a house with a tight budget, if not limited. I grew up eating what we had when we had it.

Now that I am older I can afford some stuff, but having recently lost my 2nd job, I had to tighten my belt yet again.

My wife likes her $10 bottles of wine and only likes a certain kind of beer (IE: she is picky, but dont tell her I said that).
She would rather not have a glass of wine than drink something she does not like, as many people would.

I will drink what I have when I have it.
I cherish the times I can have a woodfords Reserve, but knowing that I have 3 bottles of Jim Beam (gifts) will drink that when it is all that is there.

I love the Tuscan I made, as well as the Pinot, but I will drink Dragon Blood & SP, because I can make alot of it and it is cost effective for me.

Atleast until someone dies and leaves me some money. In which case 1st round is on me!

 

[JohnT]

You might not believe me, But I actually like skeeter pee. I made a couple of batches and find that it is just the ticket on a meltingly hot summer day. I take a blender, half full of ice, cover it with skeeter pee, add a shot of sugar, and blitz it into what I consider tastes very much like a frozen margaretta.

There is just something about the taste of concord grapes that seriously repulses me. Given the choice, I think that I would opt for water instead. This is just me. Some folks like oysters, some do not.

Let me ask you this.. When you stack up the cost of the Welch's, the sugar, the yeast, the nutrients, oak, and all other ingredients, what does it really cost you per bottle?

 

[Elmer]

Let me ask you this.. When you stack up the cost of the Welch's, the sugar, the yeast, the nutrients, oak, and all other ingredients, what does it really cost you per bottle?

I only made 1.5 gallon of welches. This was because I had already had 5 tubes of concord concentrate and sugar and everything else sitting around the house.
But I get your point. Total cost was probably between $10 to $15, which I just should have bought a good bottle of something!

 

[dralarms]

Well, according to Tom I must be an uneducated redneck. Lol. I like welches concord. If done right and let age just a bit it actually makes a nice drinkable wine. However if you get somethibg out of balance it can get pretty harsh.

A winery here (strikers premium winery) used to make something called "the Athenian", it was fantastic. Before he shut down (and then tried to kill his kids and killed himself) he gave me the recipe. I've had people that tried mine and swore it was his.

 

[Elmer]

Well, according to Tom I must be an uneducated redneck. Lol. I like welches concord. If done right and let age just a bit it actually makes a nice drinkable wine. However if you get somethibg out of balance it can get pretty harsh.

A winery here (strikers premium winery) used to make something called "the Athenian", it was fantastic. Before he shut down (and then tried to kill his kids and killed himself) he gave me the recipe. I've had people that tried mine and swore it was his.

I personally would never call you a "uneducated redneck".
I find the term redundant!

 

[JohnT]

Well, according to Tom I must be an uneducated redneck.

I hope you do not think that I called you this (you say according to Tom, so I am not quite sure).

I know that there are folks that like Welch's. It is just that I am not one of them. I do not look down on those that do like it, but try to advise those that feel that Welch's is a last resort. If I have insulted you, that was not my intent.

 

[dralarms]

Nah, we're all good.