On Jun 30, 12:07*am, shbailey > wrote:
> On Jun 29, 7:44*am, Shalom Shachne > wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Jun 28, 1:17*pm, Douglas Hudson > wrote:
>
> > > While it is fun to make wine out of local grapes, Concord grapes will
> > > not make a wine much like what you find in the store. *In most cases,
> > > when working with native or cold-hardy grape varieties, you may need
> > > to add sugar. *You don't indicate what the starting SG was, or if you
> > > added sugar. *Hopefully you are OK on that front.
>
> > > A TA reading of .973% (or nearly 10g / liter) is fairly high. *Some
> > > sugar should help balance the acidity. *It probably won't change the
> > > bitterness much. *If the bitterness is caused by tannins, there are
> > > things you could do to reduce that (e.g., fining with a little egg
> > > white). *If it is caused by other factors, there may not be much you
> > > can do. *There isn't a lot you can do if the wine is too thin. *Next
> > > time, try not to add much (if any) water. *One thing that might help
> > > would be to get some dried elderberries and add them to the wine for a
> > > few weeks. *They can add some interesting flavors, which may reduce
> > > the "thin" perception. *You could also look at some of the processed
> > > yeast products like Bio-lees or "Sur Lie", as they can add a bit of
> > > body or "mouth-feel".
>
> > > I think I'd skip the malo-lactic with this batch (I don't think it
> > > would fit well with the Concord flavor profile), just add sulfite and
> > > potassium sorbate to prevent renewed fermentation, then sweeten a bit
> > > to take the edge off the acidity. *A small addition of sugar will not
> > > come across as sweet, but will reduce the perceived acidity. *Larger
> > > sugar additions will produce a wine that will taste sweet. *Do some
> > > "bench trials" -- small samples (maybe a few ounces at a time) with
> > > measured amounts of sugar, to see what effect it has on the wine. *You
> > > may find a particular level of sweetness that appeals most to you. *Or
> > > you could choose to bottle some with little or no sugar, and some with
> > > more sugar, for different occasions or preferences.
>
> > > It sounds like a little tweaking should result in a pretty pleasant
> > > wine. *Best of luck, and happy fermenting.
>
> > > * * * Doug
>
> > Doug, thanks for your response.
> > I think adding a little sugar is probably the way to go. (or I was
> > thinking of mixing in a little sweet concord grape juice).
>
> > The SG seemed okay - I added sugar at the beginning, got SG 1.090 and
> > it dropped to about .995 (if I remember the numbers correctly). *If
> > you wouldn't mind answering a few follow up questions, I would really
> > appreciate it:
>
> > - in general, after secondary fermentation is done, is it customary to
> > add more potassium metabisulfite? *(I have another batch of wine made
> > from Syrah grapes which I didn't add more sulfite to after secondary
> > was done). *(I thought once the alchohol had reached about 12% you
> > didn't need to worry about that).
>
> > - if I want to try again to make wine from the Concord grapes, is
> > there anything that can be done at the beginning of the process to
> > bring the acidity to a lower level? *I think the recipe says add
> > water, but wouldn't that make the wine too watery?
>
> > Thanks again for your guidance and suggestions!
>
> > Regards,
> > Sam
>
> It is generally advised to add metabisulfite at every other racking
> and before bottling. *It helps preserve color as well as prevent
> spoilage.
>
> Unless you are in a short season area or other environmental
> conditions force you to pick, let the grapes hang until they are riper
> than they seem to have been for this batch. *Concord should achieve a
> TA of much less than .9. *You really need to use a pH meter and not
> worry so much about TA. *pH has the most direct bearing on the
> tartness of a wine. *Aim for a pH of 3.4 to 3.5. *You can adjust pH
> chemically if necessary, but the simplest thing you can do (if you
> didn't before) is cold stabilize. *You will drop a lot of tartrate
> crystals (containing tartaric acid) if you can maintain your wine near
> 32 F for three or four weeks. *Rack off the crystals and the wine
> should have measurably lower acidity.
>
> If you do add sugar or juice, also stabilize with metabisulfite and
> potassium sorbate to prevent any refermentation in the bottle.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Stephen

Thanks for the advice. I am planning to try again this fall when next
crop comes in. Hopefully, I'll fare a little better this time
around. Thanks again!

Sam