"LuckyDuke" wrote:
Hi folks, I just harvested our concord grapes and want to try to make
wine.
My wife has already canned many jars with half grape/half sugar water to
make sweetened juice.
My question is, can the juice she has already canned with the sugar water
be
used to make wine?

Yes, if she didn't add anything but sugar. However, the cooking will have
seriously affected the quality of the wine which you can make from the
juice. [It won't be as good as uncooked.] Also, if the added too much sugar,
you won't be able to ferment it either.

According to one recipe, yeast should be added to the straight mash juice
and set for 3-4 weeks, until foam dissapates. (This would be straight
juice
with no sugar. Sugar would be added later).

That would work, but would if the sugar content were low, the wine would be
low in alcohol, and wouldn't keep very well. Conversely, if the sugar
content were high, you might not be able to start the ferment, or the wine
might end up to alcoholic.

Bread yeast will not ferment to more than about 9%, and it won't eve start
in a high-sugar juice. You need a good wine yeast for wine.

Does sugar content in juice affect the yeast action?

Yes. The more sugar, the more alcohol --- theoretically. However, if there
is too much sugar initially, the yeast may die immediately, or they may
convert some of the sugar to alcohol, and then die because of the high
alcohol environment. Generally, one wants 20-24% sugar initially.