How to Make One Bottle of Wine with Muscadine Grapes
The Muscadine grape grows wild in the southeastern United States. Winemakers in this part of the country commonly make wine from this grape since it's freely available. However, Muscadine grapes are extremely acidic and will require a lot of extra sugar in order to ferment. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 19.2 oz water
- Steel pot
- 7.2 oz granulated sugar
- 1.2 lbs Ripe Muscadine grapes
- Nylon straining bag
- 2 carboys
- 1/5 crushed Campden tablet
- 1/5 tsp yeast nutrient
- 1/5 tsp pectic enzyme
- Hydrometer
- 1/5 pkt Montrachet wine yeast
- Bottle
Instructions
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1
Boil the water in a steel pot and dissolve the sugar into it. While this mixture is cooling to room temperature, you can wash the Muscadine grapes and pull off the stems. Crush the grapes and pour into the straining bag. Tie the bag and place it in a carboy.
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2
Pour the sugar water into the carboy on top of the grapes, add a Campden tablet and the yeast nutrient. Allow the must to stand for 12 hours and add the pectic enzyme. Allow the must to stand for an additional 12 hours and measure the specific gravity (S.G.) with a hydrometer. Raise the S.G to 1.09 by stirring in additional sugar if needed. Add yeast and press on the straining bag gently.
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3
Stir the must twice daily until the S.G. is 1.03. Press the straining bag gently and siphon the must into a second carboy, leaving the lees behind (rack the wine). Allow the must to stand for three more weeks, rack the wine and top it to 750 ml with distilled water.
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4
Rack the wine and top every two months until it clears. Rack the wine into a bottle and allow it to age for at least one year. Muscadine benefits greatly from aging and will continue to improve in the bottle for up to four years.
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