Concord Grape Wine
Some friends from Escondido, CA, introduced me to their grape vine of concord grapes. The grapes were lucious and sweet so I figured they would make a good wine.
However, when I got home I realized that I only had picked 11 lbs. of concord grapes. Not nearly enough for making 5 gallons of wine. On reading what I could on concord grape wine I noticed that the flavor is so strong that these grapes are not always used without mixing with water and a sweetner. So here’s what I concocted.
11 lbs. of concord grapes
4 lbs. of frozen berry mix (from Costco)
1 frozen tin of concord grape juice (from Supermarket)
1 bottle of passionfruit nectar (from Asian market)
10 lbs. of honey (Costco)
3 lbs. of sugar
6 sticks of cinnamin (whole)
6 star anise (bruised)
Red Star M0ntrachet yeast.
2 teaspoons of pectic emzyne
4 teaspoons acid blend (or 4 limes)
Bring 2 gallons of water to a boil. stir in the honey and sugar and passionfruit concentrate. Let it simmer for a bit to kill all the germs in the the honey. Meanwhile, wash the grapes, de-stem and throw away they cruddy and unripe grapes. Place grapes and frozen berry mix in your fruit bag. Wrap up the cinnamin and star anise in a coffee filter and tie it up with sewing thread. Place in the fruit bag.
After the sweet water mix has simmered for 15 minutes and everything is done with the fruit bag, pour the hot mixture over your fruit. Pour in filtered water to bring up to 6 gallons which you have hopefully marked on the side of your fermentator. Seal the fermentor with a tight-fitting lid that has a whole for a fermentation lock. Let it cool to room temperature and add 2 teaspoons of pectic emzyne, so that the emzynes can eat the pectin and some day the finished wine will appear clear. After the pectic emzynes have feasted for 12 hours add 6 crushed camden tablets to completely kill all traces of life within your fermentator. Replace the lid and think thoughts of scorched earth.
In another 12 hours add your yeast and prepare for the aroma to fill your house. Seal the lid. Stir the mix once a day. Always lick the spoon afterwards.
I just racked into secondary fermenter last night. It tasted fantastic! Lots of grape and fruity berry tastes with alcohol and residual sugars.
—- To be continued.