muscadine wine recipe help.

[brewskiez]

I've recently been brewing all grain batches of brew got about 15 batches under my belt since last October now with some fundamental knowledge of the process I'm coming upon my first muscadine season. I live along the texas coast and specifically very close to the Colorado river in texas which is completely covered with muscadine's. I would like to make some wine since I have unlimited fruit at my disposal. I have looked up some videos on youtube and they range from overly simple to fairly involved. One guy smashes the fruit heats to near boling adds sugar and water then pitches yeast when cool enough. Another guy puts campden tablests in lets that sit 12 hours then puts pectin and sorbate or yeast nutrient lets that sit 12 hours then pitches yeast. Then after a few days takes a drill and basically oxygenates it by mixing saying hes getting all the excess co2 out and that this step is crucial. 1. In beer making oxygenation is bad is this necessary for wine and also is all the additives necessary. If anyone has a link or a typed out step process I would sure like to have it season is approaching soon.

 

[Yooper]

One of the best muscadine wines I've ever had was pretty "plain", and very tasty.

I'd suggest that Jack Keller's website is the best source for recipes and techniques for winemaking. I never boil fruit- it sets the pectins (think jam) and also produces a "cooked fruit" flavor. The cooked fruit flavor is like the difference between a fresh crisp apple and the fruit from apple pie- totally different. But sanitizing with boil water quickly, or using campden tablets (sulfites) to cold sanitize the must would work great.

You definitely don't need to mix the heck out of the wine, but in very early fermentation, stirring to break up the cap is routine. After about day 5, the wine should be moved to a carboy and no longer stirred or allowed to contact oxygen.


I'd use one of these recipes: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques15.asp

One of the things I'd do is at the bottom of that screen- drop some of the acidity with calcium carbonate. Muscadine wine can be bitingly acidic!

 

[brewskiez]

Well thank for that post that helped a lot. After doing a little more research Im pretty certain that most of the grapes I'm thinking of are mustang and not muscadine but apparently both will make a similar product?

 

[jgmillr1]

... Another guy puts campden tablests in lets that sit 12 hours then puts pectin and sorbate or yeast nutrient lets that sit 12 hours then pitches yeast. Then after a few days takes a drill and basically oxygenates ...

That would be pectic enzyme and yeast nutrients you probably want to use. Do *not* use sorbate (yeast inhibitor) at this point or you won't get your must to ferment! Also, you don't want to mix oxygen your wine. The CO2 will evolve out of the wine on its own.

 

[jgmillr1]

...One of the things I'd do is at the bottom of that screen- drop some of the acidity with calcium carbonate...

Yes, calcium carbonate is very good at large-scale reduction of acidity without giving the salty perception that potassium bicarbonate can give when used in excess. The only thing to watch for is that it will throw calcium-tartrate crystal precipitates over the course of months to a year and it can't readily be cold-stabilized like potassium bitartrate to immediately precipitate the crystals. So, this isn't a problem if you will be aging your wine for a while prior to bottling, you just have to be aware.

Jack-Keller's directions have you dose the calcium carbonate into half of the wine, chill it and mix it back in later. This seems like a recipe for oxidizing the wine (high pH and cold temps). When I've used calcium carbonate, I've mixed it in to the entire batch of wine without any trouble.

 

[MotorcycleMike]

I have enough muscadines for a 4 gallon batch. Jack Keller recipes are for one gallon batches and call for 2 1/2 pounds of sugar.
Am I correct thinking I need 10 pounds of sugar?
That seems excessive.

 

[MotorcycleMike]

Bump.
Do I need 10 pounds of sugar for a 5 gallon batch?

 

[Blacksmith1]

it will work but the ABV will come out lower. Do you have a hydrometer? Your first post asks about a 4 gallon batch the second says 5 which based on the original recipe calls for 12.5 pounds. with the other recipe on the same page you're looking at 11.25 pounds. so yes 10 pounds will work. just less alcohol output

 

[MotorcycleMike]

Thanks for the reply.
4 gallon batch, I brew 5 gallon batches of beer so I guess that's how I typed that.
This is my first batch of wine that's not from a box so the sugar sounded excessive.
I shall proceed.
Thanks again.

 

[Blacksmith1]

the amount of sugar added varies a bit depending on what you start with. since you do beer you should have a hydrometer. look on it to see what SG is = to the % of alcohol you are looking for and use the sugar to adjust up to that from the basic grape must by adding 2 or so cups at a time till you get close.
As I have neither the math skills or experience of a lot of our members this is about all I can tell you.