Welch's Grape Juice Wine

[CereousBrewer]

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

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.

A couple of reasons- first of all, it's very foamy and ferments hard. If you used an airlock, it'd be plugged up right away. Secondly, for most wines, the yeast and fermentation NEED oxygen. I stir all of my wines in primary, until they reach about 1.010-1.020 and then put them in secondary and airlock.

Make sure you don't fill to the top during primary- it'll make a mess and grape juice stains hardwood flooring. (ask me how I know!). After it slows down, you can top up and airlock it.

Yooper,

I've read all 160 posts and feel like I must be pretty dense, cause I can't quite figure out a couple of things. I've been brewing beer for awhile, but this is the first batch of wine.

I'm not following how you begin the initial fermentation and in what type of container. Your recipe indicates adding water to make one gallon and place in "secondary" and cover with a napkin until fermentation slows, at which time you fit the airlock. I was thinking of using some glass, one gallon jugs I have but you indicate not filling to the top during "primary" due to the active fermentation.

Should I use a larger container during primary and then transfer to the gallon jug and fit the airlock or am I missing something else? Sorry for the confusion on my part.

 

[Grimster]

Should I use a larger container during primary and then transfer to the gallon jug and fit the airlock or am I missing something else? Sorry for the confusion on my part.

I made 10 gallons, split into 3 5 gallon buckets, just last night after 5 days fermenting I combined it into 2 buckets and capped with a lid and airlock.

So far so good anyway

 

[Yooper]

Yooper,

I've read all 160 posts and feel like I must be pretty dense, cause I can't quite figure out a couple of things. I've been brewing beer for awhile, but this is the first batch of wine.

I'm not following how you begin the initial fermentation and in what type of container. Your recipe indicates adding water to make one gallon and place in "secondary" and cover with a napkin until fermentation slows, at which time you fit the airlock. I was thinking of using some glass, one gallon jugs I have but you indicate not filling to the top during "primary" due to the active fermentation.

Should I use a larger container during primary and then transfer to the gallon jug and fit the airlock or am I missing something else? Sorry for the confusion on my part.

Don't overthink this- it's really easy! I'm sorry for the confusion. Sometimes things I am doing, I don't explain very well.

I mix it up on the stove, since I'm boiling water to dissolve the sugar anyway. Then I put it into a fermenter. I use a Carlo Rossi glass jug. It's a 4L jug. You can go a bit less than a gallon at first (when you add water), to allow it to have some room. When it slows down after the five days, you can airlock it and add some more water when it's done foaming.

A #6 stopper fits those Carlo Rossi jugs, and other one gallon jugs.

 

[CereousBrewer]

Thanks, Yooper...that makes it crystal. Darn senior moments are happening a bit too often...

 

[Chaos_Being]

I whipped up a batch of this on Monday and it is madly fermenting in my basement now. It's a 5 gallon batch, so I scaled up the recipe (mostly...I only used 5lbs of sugar, and I left out the acid blend.) I'm wondering if I should take another pound of sugar, make a syrup of it and add it to the primary...

Has anyone tried oaking this wine? I'm thinking of doing so when I rack to secondary to add some tannins and complexity. However, I'm not sure of how much to use (oak cubes,) and how long to have them in contact with the wine. I've made plenty of beer, but this is my first wine (well, other than a batch of apfelwein that I made a few years ago,) so this is definitely a learning process. Fun, though

I'll probably stabilize and then sweeten to semi-sweet before bottling, and add acid then if I think that it needs it.

 

[Dalarast]

I whipped up a batch of this on Monday and it is madly fermenting in my basement now. It's a 5 gallon batch, so I scaled up the recipe (mostly...I only used 5lbs of sugar, and I left out the acid blend.) I'm wondering if I should take another pound of sugar, make a syrup of it and add it to the primary...

I'll probably stabilize and then sweeten to semi-sweet before bottling, and add acid then if I think that it needs it.

I began a batch of this an hour or two ago and waiting to drop the yeast in after the 12 hours. I increased the acid, pectic, and nutrient from the original recipie to double of the 1 gallon batch (did a 5 gallon batch using bottle welch's grape concentrate) and only did 2 1/2 lbs of brown sugar. I might end up dropping some more sugar in prior to the yeast or when I rack.

This is my first attempt at wine (except for of course Apfelwein) and waiting for my bananas to turn brown (or at least ripen a little more) till I make the next batch. So any pointers prior to adding the yeast from Yooper or other wino junkies please let me know.... This is going to be the SWMBO hobby when I'm out back brewing on the burners

 

[rocketcrab]

Yooper, sounds like another interesting recipe to mess around with while my most rectent batches of beer are in primary or secondary. Same thing happened with apfelwein!

 

[Grimster]

So my 10 gallon batch is not fermenting very hard now, would I be better off sticking it in the basement for a month @ 63-65F or leave it in the kitchen where it sits at a temp of 67-71F? My last test this weekend had me at 13% ABV and my "potential" was around 15% it's nearing the end of fermentation I'm betting.

 

[Yooper]

So my 10 gallon batch is not fermenting very hard now, would I be better off sticking it in the basement for a month @ 63-65F or leave it in the kitchen where it sits at a temp of 67-71F? My last test this weekend had me at 13% ABV and my "potential" was around 15% it's nearing the end of fermentation I'm betting.

I'd leave it warmer, rather than cooler. Once it's finished, it'd be ok to be cooler though.

 

[jmilton1987]

Well, I just racked from primary it has been 12 days since pitching but at like day 5 i added a handful of raisins and put an airlock on it. The SG today was .990 which is the top of my hydrometer. Also it smells very sulfury but I hope that will settle out if not should I degass it? Also it is still magenta, but tasting it you get a real sour note then some grapy alcohol after taste/warming. It reminds me of good mad dog 20-20, which is not a bad thing as I it is the drink of choice for formal events for my rugby team. I am just going to let it sit for a few months.

On a side note I washed the yeast cake and will be using it on a white grape and rasberry version of this that will be ready to pitch in the morning.

 

[mrzazz]

Hey all I have a question, of course !!! Can I put my carboy of welchs white outside to help with clearing? I racked it once and about 2 inches is clear. Its about 68 in the house and 30 outside. Whata ya think?

 

[Yooper]

Well, I just racked from primary it has been 12 days since pitching but at like day 5 i added a handful of raisins and put an airlock on it. The SG today was .990 which is the top of my hydrometer. Also it smells very sulfury but I hope that will settle out if not should I degass it? Also it is still magenta, but tasting it you get a real sour note then some grapy alcohol after taste/warming. It reminds me of good mad dog 20-20, which is not a bad thing as I it is the drink of choice for formal events for my rugby team. I am just going to let it sit for a few months.

On a side note I washed the yeast cake and will be using it on a white grape and rasberry version of this that will be ready to pitch in the morning.

I've never washed wine yeast, so I have no experience with that. It shouldn't smell sulfury- did you use any wine nutrient? You can try gently adding some now. Stressed yeast smells sulfury, and it's not a good thing. You want to get rid of it before it ruins the wine. If it's not too strong, it'll fade some but if it's pretty strong, you'll want to "splash rack" and then use some campden tablets on it. Let me know, and I can give you more specific instructions.

Hey all I have a question, of course !!! Can I put my carboy of welchs white outside to help with clearing? I racked it once and about 2 inches is clear. Its about 68 in the house and 30 outside. Whata ya think?

You can do that- but be careful not to let it freeze! If it's 30 or above, that would work just fine. Cover it up, so it doesn't get light struck!

 

[mrzazz]

Thank you, always a great place for answers.

 

[jmilton1987]

I've never washed wine yeast, so I have no experience with that. It shouldn't smell sulfury- did you use any wine nutrient? You can try gently adding some now. Stressed yeast smells sulfury, and it's not a good thing. You want to get rid of it before it ruins the wine. If it's not too strong, it'll fade some but if it's pretty strong, you'll want to "splash rack" and then use some campden tablets on it. Let me know, and I can give you more specific instructions

I used the recomended one tsp. Yeast nutrient as per the instructions on the first page. The yeast should not have been too stressed I used a whole packet of Pasture Red. Also I think the washing has worked there appears to be a small amount of fermentation going on in the new jug. If it doesn't really take off in the next day I will go to the lhbs and grab another packet of yeast. Also the sulfur was not that strong but it did remind me of H2S.

 

[Yooper]

I used the recomended one tsp. Yeast nutrient as per the instructions on the first page. The yeast should not have been too stressed I used a whole packet of Pasture Red. Also I think the washing has worked there appears to be a small amount of fermentation going on in the new jug. If it doesn't really take off in the next day I will go to the lhbs and grab another packet of yeast. Also the sulfur was not that strong but it did remind me of H2S.

I might be an alarmist, but if there is even a hint that you have some H2S, I'd do some splash racking and then add some campden.

Is this a one gallon batch? If it is, instead of splash racking, you could try gently pouring it into a new one gallon jug. That will aerate it a bit, but should help to "blow off" the H2S.

Then, crush a campden tablet into 1/4 cup boiling water and stir it to dissolve, then add it to the wine. H2S will ruin the wine if not taken care of.

 

[jmilton1987]

Thanks yooper I will do but I wont have time until tomorrow at the earliest. I have noticed that since racking it off the old yeast it has started to change back to a dark richer red color. Also the yeast washing was a success the white grape and rassberry wine is going just fine now that I moved it to a warmer part of the apt.

 

[jrss13]

Yooper... do you pay attention to the SG when racking? Your recipe says to primary for 30 days and then secondary for 30 days. I am fermenting mine in my basement at around 55 degrees... so I imagine mine will take longer than your recipe.

 

[Yooper]

Yooper... do you pay attention to the SG when racking? Your recipe says to primary for 30 days and then secondary for 30 days. I am fermenting mine in my basement at around 55 degrees... so I imagine mine will take longer than your recipe.

Usually, the first 5-7 days it drops to about 1.010-1.020. It finishes up in secondary within a few more days, usually getting to .990. After that, there isn't any reason to check the SG again. It can't get any lower, once it's done!

 

[jrss13]

Yooper... did I do something completely wrong? My OG was 1.140 on 1/2/10. I used 1/3 of a packet of D-47 yeast... and on 1/30/10 my SG was only down to 1.044. So I dropped just under 100 points in around 4 weeks. As I mentioned in my previous post, it is at cold temps in my basement (55-ish). You mentioned that within 5-7 days the SG drops to 1.010-1.020... That seems incredibly fast. I assume my OG was way too high. What do you suggest I do at this point? Should I wait until it drops down to 1.020 or so to rack to secondary? I only have 1/8th to 1/4 of an inch of lees at the bottom.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Yooper]

Yooper... did I do something completely wrong? My OG was 1.140 on 1/2/10. I used 1/3 of a packet of D-47 yeast... and on 1/30/10 my SG was only down to 1.044. So I dropped just under 100 points in around 4 weeks. As I mentioned in my previous post, it is at cold temps in my basement (55-ish). You mentioned that within 5-7 days the SG drops to 1.010-1.020... That seems incredibly fast. I assume my OG was way too high. What do you suggest I do at this point? Should I wait until it drops down to 1.020 or so to rack to secondary? I only have 1/8th to 1/4 of an inch of lees at the bottom.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

That OG is pretty high, but it'll be ok. I think the issue is using only 1/3 package of yeast, then keeping it too cool.

Buy another package of yeast, and add the whole thing. Then keep it at 65-70 or so if you can.

(Once a package of yeast is exposed to air, it doesn't last long so it's too late to pitch the already opened package).

 

[jrss13]

How long do you typically leave this in secondary before its drinkable? I''m guessing since my OG was super high (1.140)... this will need to settle for quite a while in secondary. Any idea how long? Also, when I eventually bottle it... will it need to age in the bottle for a while, or is the aging in secondary sufficient?

 

[Yooper]

How long do you typically leave this in secondary before its drinkable? I''m guessing since my OG was super high (1.140)... this will need to settle for quite a while in secondary. Any idea how long? Also, when I eventually bottle it... will it need to age in the bottle for a while, or is the aging in secondary sufficient?

It's pretty quick, for wine. I can't remember how long exactly I've aged it, but certainly I was drinking some of it within 6 months. It might be a little "hot" in your case, but probably not too bad.

 

[jrss13]

Thanks yooper. Is it better to bulk age in carboy... or individually in bottles?

 

[Grimster]

It's pretty quick, for wine. I can't remember how long exactly I've aged it, but certainly I was drinking some of it within 6 months. It might be a little "hot" in your case, but probably not too bad.

So I mixed 10 gallons on 01/14 at 1.105 OG and it's been at less than 1.0 for about 2 weeks now. Should I put in a secondary fermenter now and add some raisins or should I consider bottling now? Or wait a while longer? I guess what would the great and knowledgeable Yooper do with my wine at this point? It's in my kitchen now in 5 gallon buckets with airlocks, which stays right around 68-70F pretty constantly.

 

[Yooper]

So I mixed 10 gallons on 01/14 at 1.105 OG and it's been at less than 1.0 for about 2 weeks now. Should I put in a secondary fermenter now and add some raisins or should I consider bottling now? Or wait a while longer? I guess what would the great and knowledgeable Yooper do with my wine at this point? It's in my kitchen now in 5 gallon buckets with airlocks, which stays right around 68-70F pretty constantly.

You can do whatever you'd like! But what I would do is just age it in the secondary for about 30 days to make sure it's not throwing any more lees, and then bottle it. Raisins will add body, but they will also boost the fermentables, taking even more time and adding to the ABV. That's fine if you're a patient person, and will be good as well.

 

[Grimster]

You can do whatever you'd like! But what I would do is just age it in the secondary for about 30 days to make sure it's not throwing any more lees, and then bottle it. Raisins will add body, but they will also boost the fermentables, taking even more time and adding to the ABV. That's fine if you're a patient person, and will be good as well.

Should I chop them up or throw them in whole? Seems like putting them in whole would be much like not stomping a grape making it hard or impossible for the yeasties to get at the innards of the grape.

 

[Yooper]

Should I chop them up or throw them in whole? Seems like putting them in whole would be much like not stomping a grape making it hard or impossible for the yeasties to get at the innards of the grape.

Chop them up. But, keep in mind that they are VERY sticky and if you try to use your blender you will just make a big mash of goo that will clog your blender. (Ask me how I know that to be a fact! ) Chop them by hand, and it's easier if you partially freeze them first!

 

[Grimster]

Chop them up. But, keep in mind that they are VERY sticky and if you try to use your blender you will just make a big mash of goo that will clog your blender. (Ask me how I know that to be a fact! ) Chop them by hand, and it's easier if you partially freeze them first!

Will do, gonna grab 3 3 gallon carboys and throw some grapes in one, some bananas in the other and leave the 3rd one as is.

For the clearing/aging/secondary will it be ok to put them in the cooler basement or is the warmer upstairs (fairly constant 70F) a better idea?

 

[Yooper]

Will do, gonna grab 3 3 gallon carboys and throw some grapes in one, some bananas in the other and leave the 3rd one as is.

For the clearing/aging/secondary will it be ok to put them in the cooler basement or is the warmer upstairs (fairly constant 70F) a better idea?

Once it's finished fermenting, the basement is better. The cooler temperatures encouraging clearing.

 

[Chaos_Being]

I just checked my 5 gallon batch at the 1 month mark, and it hasn't fermented as far as I expected so far (maybe I was erroneously expecting it to be done fermenting faster?) It's at 1.028. I multiplied the recipe by 5, although I used 5 pounds, 12 ounces of sugar (instead of the 6.25 that exact math would have given me.) 71B-1122 yeast at around 62 degrees for two weeks, after which I moved it to a closet upstairs that didn't end up being as warm as I expected, around 64 degrees. It's still cloudy and bubbling a little bit, so I guess as usual with homebrewing, patience is a virtue. I could probably stick a little space heater next to it if necessary...

Since it's still so sweet, the hydro sample tasted like alcoholic grape jelly

 

[Yooper]

I'm really surprised that it's going so slow. I guess it's just the cool temperature that's delaying it.

 

[Chaos_Being]

Huh I guess it wasn't just me thinking that then...I checked the temperature range for that yeast, and it's listed as 59-86, so I've definitely been at the low end. I'll try to find a warmer spot where my cat won't get into it

 

[Chaos_Being]

I put a small space heater in the closet with the wine, and got it up to 72 degrees now. I gave the wine a gentle swirl for a few minutes as well just in case the yeast needed some rousing.

 

[Rowdy]

about to do my first 30 day racking on this (one gallon batch) is there anything i need to add or just rack it?

 

[mmb]

Never updated on the batch, but my 5.5G of Welch's Raspberry/White Grape made a very good medium dry table wine. I back sweetened with one additional can of concentrate added to the bottling bucket and let age for 6 months in bottle before breaking into it.

As stands, this batch is 18 months old and I'm down to 3 bottles left. I've even had people ask to buy bottles. I've had people say I should sell my beer, but no one has ever asked to buy it before.

 

[Grimster]

I put 5 full gallons of my "nearly" 10 gallon batch into a carboy for secondary and aging in the basement today, and bottled the rest like beer, priming it for carbonation and bottling it into champagne and some clear beer bottles I've collected lately (Newcastle), I used a slight bit more bottling sugar than with beer but not much.

Put my new BB carboy in the basement to secondary for a month or so then I'll bottle it into wine bottles:

1.105 SG .999 FG about 14%, it's pretty tasty young, had a glass of the "leftovers" tonight (I didn't have any more cleaned 12oz bottles ready so I just "took care" of that 12 ounces the hard way

 

[Chaos_Being]

Huh, my batch is still acting really weird. After measuring a gravity of 1.028 after a month, I warmed it up to the mid-70's for a week, and noticed that fermentation appeared to take off again. I just took another gravity reading, and it's only down to 1.025. For the past day or so, there hasn't been any bubbling in the wine, and there hasn't been any positive pressure on the airlock, so I was expecting more attenuation than that. It tastes a little less sweet, and the alcohol burn is more noticable, but...yeah. I was planning on backsweetening this some, but I don't think I wanted it quite this sweet. It's dessert sweet.

I'm rather stumped at this point, I've never had a fruit fermentation not go to dryness all on its own. I'm trying to decide if I should pitch a different yeast (I used 71B-1122,) or just rack it at this point, top off, and let it do its thing...and if it's sweeter than I expected, so be it.

I shouldn't be at the yeast's alcohol tolerance yet, heck I used less sugar than the original recipe. (Note: I multiplied this to make 5 gallons, so I used 10 cans of concentrate, and 5 lbs of sugar vs. the 6.25 lbs the actual recipe multipled would give. I did add another 12oz of sugar a few days into the ferment, so I was fairly close to how it "should have been." I did airlock it rather early in the ferment (about 4-5 days,) as I'm so used to airlocking and the napkin kind of freaked me out. Maybe stressed yeast? I've fermented wine yeast fully airlocked before with no problem though...)

 

[Yooper]

Hmmm. Did you take an OG?

At this point, you could try some EC-1118. That should get it going. You'll probably have to do a little starter with it, though, since you've probably got quite a bit of alcohol by now and you don't want to stun the yeast right off.

I'd rehydrate fresh yeast, and mix it with a little sugar water to get it going. You could even make up some grape juice, and add some to this starter. (Drink the rest, after the starter is done!) Then add a little bit of the wine, diluted with about 1/2 juice. Keep doing that, until it's going well. Then pour the whole starter into the wine. That should get it going, unless you have already exceeded the alcohol tolerance of the yeast.

 

[Chaos_Being]

I'll admit, I did not take an OG. I guess I must have felt it wasn't necessary , since the sugar content of the concentrate should have been a known variable. Maybe Welches grew super grapes last year...who knows at this point

I'll do as you suggested- I was already thinking about pitching champagne yeast at this point. I roused the yeast last night one last time, and by the looks of things this morning they are definitely done- I can already see a layer of clearing, and there is actually slightly negative pressure in the airlock.

I must have somehow exceeded the tolerance of the yeast. I used the same yeast in my raspberry melomel with 15lbs of and 6 lbs of raspberry puree, and it fermented that down to off-dry.

 

[Chaos_Being]

I got some EC-1118 and made a starter with juice on Sunday, and it was fermenting within an hour...then I added some of my stuck wine to it yesterday, and pitched the whole thing before I went to bed. This morning, there is a ring of bubbles in the carboy and some nice fizzing going on