My muscadine vine was loaded this year, so I thought I'd make some with the grapes. I've never made muscadine using grapes. It will be a new experience. My wine making experience has been using juice concentrates or kits.



I have about four gallons of grapes. Here some are in the sink ready to be cleaned.



Once cleaned, I used a tater masher and squished them all up and put them in two primary fermenting buckets. Because there are so many grapes, the cap would be too thick to put in one bucket.



I then stirred in sodium metabisufite to neutralize any wild yeast that may have been on the grapes. I'll let this sit for 24 hours and continue tomorrow.



I let it sit for two days. Today I dissolved 8 pounds of cane sugar in water and added half to each bucket. I then added three teaspoons of yeast nutrient and peptic enzyme. I stirred it and measured the specific gravity. Specific gravity is 1.08 and the ph is 3.0. I sprinkled the yeast on the surface of each bucket - Lalvin KI- V1116. I'll let that ferment for a couple of weeks or until it slows way down. The grapes will form a cap at the top of the buckets and will need to be stirred daily.

I live in a concord vineyard and have many other varieties at my disposal. We let the natural yeast ferment it.
Is there a reason to not let the muscadine yeast work it?
We don't have muscadine here and I've never fermented it

I like using a wine yeast rather than taking a chance on wild yeast.

Ewww that makes me queezy. Got into my grand paw's muskidine wine out in his shed, didn't know then it was working off, grabbed a bottle and ran down to the creek for the day, spent all evening before dark attempting to quit chucking it up before going back to their house as my grand maw was like granny Clampett, had a elixer for whatever ails you! She noticed i was pale, then noticed i wasn't touching my food at supper and sure enough out came a coffee cup SMOKING like in a horror movie and i had to drink all of whatever that was. Let's just say my colon hasn't ever been that clean since! I spent the night in bathroom!

There was winery in Columbus, Ohio, that for 2 years in a row tried to use the naturally occurring yeast on the grapes they made wine with. The wine was terrible and they went out of business. I bought their press at auction for $434.00. They paid over $12,000.00 for it three years before.



Keith

There was winery in Columbus, Ohio, that for 2 years in a row tried to use the naturally occurring yeast on the grapes they made wine with. The wine was terrible and they went out of business. I bought their press at auction for $434.00. They paid over $12,000.00 for it three years before.



Keith

They make some good muscadine wine in these parts. Koolaid with a kick.

What was your initial SG on that?

I thought you'd mash them with your toes to be really authentic Paul. lol

I made wine once from concord grapes, the wine drinkers I know liked it, but I just threw it together with no real recipe so I don't think I could ever repeat it. I didn't stomp them either.

That’s awesome Paul. We purchased some muscadines last week at a farmers market along with a bottle of muscadine cider. If you have an extra bottle you would like to get rid of bring it to Bland . Eric

Keep us posted.

I haven't measured it yet.



It won't be ready for this year's Bland convention. I'll bring some Skeeter Pee and Blood Orange.

Wow what a deal. My two presses are smaller. I used to just bring a one ton bin outside the barn. Id have it 80% filled and get in it with waders and a dry wall plaster paddle on a drill.
Id stir it twice a day for a week before I started pressing. With your size press I could have probably done it in two batches!!

50 years of making wine from grapes I've grown. Mainly concord , Niagara and Catawba. I've found out if you want to have the wine taste most like the grape it came from let the natural yeast take it. As long as you have a 21 brix level. Have never had anything go "wrong" doing it this way. Introduction of yeast other than that does let you adjust the alcohol content though. If you use a yeast that dies at too high of an alcohol content you definitely take away from the taste of the original grape. This is just how I do it. So many ways to achieve what each individual wants. I would love to play around with muscadine some time. Maybe I'll look into if I can grow a few vines up my way. Never known anyone who does

NY night be a reach to get muscadines to grow. I didn't have any luck trying to grow them here. They like warmer zones.

My choke cherry tree was loaded this year. So, I gave a 2 gallon bucket full to a trapping friend of mine as he likes to make various types of wine. Waiting to see how that turns out.

Thanks sniper

Glad your getting your feet wet, Paul! I’ve got two varieties in the primary, and three to go yet. Prolly start picking concords this evening!

I have made it several times from wild muscadine,

Kinda a pain picking because of the high acid content

Finished product was good, made it dry and semi sweet

My Muscadine vine was loaded too, but the birds/squirrels cleaned it up pretty quick.