5 Gallon Grape (Started May 9, 2019)

[jeskremer]

DAY ONE
(Variation on: https://www.baderbrewing.com/content/ho ... ble-grapes)
16# Frozen grapes & 12# Canned grapes (from 2010)
3 tsp pectic enzyme
1/4 tsp potassium metabisulfate
2 tsp yeast nutrient
2 gallons artesian or spring water (heated to 130 degrees)

pH strip test 3.2 before adding water.

Let all ingredients sit for 2 hours. Strain/squeeze grapes and toss them.

Let sit covered for 24 hours.

NOTES ON PH...

Unlike TA testing and adjusting, pH adjustments are not linear; if you add 1 g/L of acid to a wine or must you now have exactly 1 more g/L of acid in solution and a TA test will confirm this. However, if you add 1 g/L of Potassium Carbonate to a wine or must the reaction will vary from wine to wine and the pH will not shift in a linear, predictable fashion. This is why any attempt to adjust the pH should start with a bench trial! pH units are logarithmic; a pH of 3.0 is ten times more acidic than a pH of 4.0. So beware, a little shift goes a long way.

The effectiveness and amount of free SO2 needed to protect our wines is directly tied to wine pH: lower pHs require less free SO2, and higher pHs require more free SO2 to achieve the same amount of protection. Note: at pH 3.8 and higher, it is not chemically possible to maintain the amount of free SO2 in the wine that is technically required to protect it. So, if your wine has a high pH, then we highly recommend adjusting the pH down (using tartaric acid).

https://morewinemaking.com/articles/testing_wine_must

[jeskremer]

DAY TWO
Added another 3 cups of sugar to reach 1.085 SG.

Tested pH at 3.2. Added 5 tsp calcium carbonate to bring pH to 3.57. Should be in the range of 3.4-3.6.

Added packet of Red Star Montrachet yeast.

[jeskremer]

SEVEN DAYS AFTER ADDING YEAST
Good grape flavor! Well balanced.

SG 1.00, placed into secondary and capped off. About 4 1/2 gallons. Saved remainder (off of yeast) and refrigerated for later use if needed.

[jeskremer]

THREE MONTHS
Racked. Topped with a couple cups of remaining strawberry, grape and raspberry that was cold stabilized. Good flavor. A bit acidic.

[jeskremer]

SIX MONTHS LATER
Tested wine:
SG .98 = 13.1% alcohol content
pH 3.53

Flavor? Acidic

Per the recommendation below, I added 4 tsp Potassium Sorbate and 1/4 tsp of Potassium Metabisulfate. I then heated two cups of distilled water with 1/2 pound cane sugar (1 1/8 c). Stirred and airlocked.

Add 3 ¾ teaspoons of Potassium Sorbate and 1/4 teaspoon of Potassium Bisulfite (or 5 crushed campden tablets. Remember that oxygen is your enemy from now until you drink your wine. The Potassium Bisulfite is added at this time as an anti-oxidant, to minimize browning, promote clarity and as a preservative. The Potassium Sorbate is added to prevent any additional fermentation in the bottle that would cause carbonation or to push the cork out of the bottle). Try to rack your wine with a minimum of splashing from this point on.

Sweetness. Your wine should taste pretty close to the final product by now. It is very common for the wine to have an ending specific gravity of .995 to 1.000. This is often too dry tasting for most people, since they would like a sweeter wine. The solution is to add sweetness back in at this time. The Potassium Sorbate you added in the previous step allows you to add more cane sugar, and not have it be fermented by the yeast. You can add boiled and cooled sugar water at this time. I cannot tell you how sweet you like your wine, so I also cannot tell you how much sugar to add. I would start by adding about ½ pound of sugar boiled in about 2 cups of water. You can add more later if you would like. The idea here is to add a little at a time, taste the wine, and then add more if you feel it is not enough. Experience has taught me that it is best to have a friend help you tasting for sweetness. Patience is valuable here.

You can determine your alcohol content now if you subtract your ending gravity from your original gravity and multiply the difference by .125 (example original gravity 1.085 – final gravity of 0.995 = 90. Multiply 90 X .125 = 11.25% alcohol by Volume.