Grape Wines, Sherries, and/or Meads

• 8-10 gallons of grapes
• granulated sugar
• 5 crushed Campden tablets
• 4 tsp pectic enzyme
• wine yeast

Fill two 5-gallon buckets (these are plastic paint buckets available in any big home improvement store such as Home Depot) with 4 gallons of grapes each. If you don’t have a grape crusher, crush them with a 4-foot length of 4X4 wood. This will take a little work, but you have to do it. It goes easier if you have an extra bucket and crush 6-8 inches of grapes in one and then pour these into the second and repeat the process until you have 4 gallons of crushed grapes. Leave at least 8 inches of space between the top of the grapes and the top of the bucket. Continue this until you have prepared two buckets of grapes. You should get around 2 to 2-1/2 gallons of juice from each 4-gallon batch of grapes, so at least two buckets are required to make 5 gallons of wine.

• 7-1/2 pts grape juice
• granulated sugar to raise the specific gravity to 1.095
• 1 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1 finely crushed and dissolved Campden tablet
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 sachet Red Star Montrachet or Premier Curvee wine yeast

Check specific gravity of juice and adjust to 1.088 by adding sugar (if too low) or water
(if too high) or additional juice (if just right). Put juice in primary. Add Campden tablet
(finely crushed and dissolved in some of the juice), cover primary with sanitized cloth, and
set aside for 10-12 hours. Add pectic enzyme, recover the primary, and set aside another 8-
10 hours. Stir in yeast nutrient and add activated yeast. Recover primary. When specific
gravity drops to 1.015 or lower, transfer to secondary fermentation vessel and attach airlock.
Wait until all fermentation ceases and airlock is still for two weeks, then rack into clean
secondary, top up and refit airlock. Wait additional 4-6 weeks and add another finely crushed
and dissolved Campden tablet and 1/2 teaspoon potassium sorbate to clean secondary, rack wine
onto it, top up and refit airlock. Wait 30 days, sweeten to taste, and bottle. Wait two months
before tasting. [Author’s own recipe.]

• 12-15 lbs Black Spanish grapes
• 1 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• 3/4 tsp yeast nutrient
• 3/4 tblsp Oak-Mor powder
• 1 pkt Bordeaux wine yeast

Pick grapes when fully ripe, discarding any spoiled grapes from clusters. Crush and destem the grapes. Add pectic enzyme and finely crushed Campden tablet to the crush and stir. Cover and set aside overnight. Adjust acid if required and stir in yeast nutrient, Oak-Mor and activated yeast starter. Recover primary and wait for vigorous fermentation. Punch down cap twice daily until vigor subsides. When specific gravity drops to 1.000, strain solids into press and extract remaining juice. Transfer wine to secondary and attach airlock. After 1 month, rack to sanitized carboy, top up, and refit airlock. Conduct two more rackings, 1 month apart, topping up each time. Monitor for MLF if desired, otherwise add Campden after every other racking. Wine should clear on its own. If desired, stabilize and sweeten, wait 14-21 days, then bottle. Cellar 6 months before tasting. [Author’s own recipe]

• 15 pounds Oregon grape
• 11 pounds granulated sugar
• 3 tsp acid blend
• 5 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 tsp yeast energizer
• 6 campden tablets
• 6 tsp pectic enzyme.
• water to 6 US gallons
• Montrachet wine yeast

To avoid bitterness from the seeds, run the berries through a food mill. Put pulp and juice in primary with sugar, yeast nutrient, yeast energizer, acid blend, crushed Campden tablets, and water to bring total to 6 gallons. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Cover and set aside 12 hours. Add pectic enzyne, stir, recover, and set aside another 12 hours. Initial s.g. should be 1.090. Add activated yeast. Stir twice daily until s.g. drops to 1.030 (1-2 weeks). Strain through nylon straining bag, transfer liquid to secondary and fit airlock. Rack, top up and refit airlock after 30 days. Repeat every 60 days for six months. If wine does not clear on its own, fine with Bentonite. Stabilize with potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate and sweeten to taste if desired. Wait 10 days and rack into bottles. Age six months before tasting. Improves with age. [Adapted from recipe by William R. Spiller of Canada]

• 6 lbs fresh Concord grapes
• 5 pts water
• 3-1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• wine yeast

Wash and de-stem grapes, discarding any less than perfect ones. Put in nylon mesh bag, tie securely, and vigorously crush grapes over primary, being sure to crush them all. Place bag
of pulp in primary and add water, sugar, nutrient, and crushed Campden tablet. Stir well to dissolve sugar, cover securely with clean cloth and set aside. After 12 hours add pectic enzyme
and recover. After additional 12 hours check specific gravity. If not at least 1.095, add sugar and stir until dissolved, then add yeast. Stir daily, squeeze the nylon bag to aid in juice
extraction, and check the S.G. When S.G. reaches 1.030 (5-6 days), lightly but steadily press juice from bag. [Set bag aside in bowl to make a second wine (see third recipe below).] Siphon
liquor off sediments into sterilized glass secondary and attach airlock. Check S.G. after 30 days. If 1.000 or lower, rack into clean secondary and reattach airlock. Rack again after 2 months and again after additional 2 months. Allow to clear, stabilize, sweeten if desired (1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar syrup per gallon), and rack again into sterilized bottles. Allow to age two years in bottle before tasting. Improves further with additional aging. [Adapted from Raymond Massaccesi’s Winemaker’s Recipe Handbook ]

• 12 lbs fresh Concord grapes
• 2 pts water
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• wine yeast

Wash and de-stem grapes, discarding any less than perfect ones. Divide grapes into two nylon mesh bags, tie securely, and vigorously crush grapes over primary, being sure to crush them all. Place bags of pulp in primary and add sugar already dissolved in water, nutrient, and crushed Campden tablet. Cover securely with clean cloth and set aside. After 12 hours add pectic enzyme and recover. After additional 12 hours check specific gravity. If not at least 1.095, add sugar and stir until dissolved, then add yeast. Stir daily, squeezing the nylon bags to aid in juice extraction, and check the S.G. When S.G. reaches 1.030 (5-6 days), lightly but steadily press juice from bags. [Set bags aside in bowl to make a second wine (see third recipe below).] Siphon liquor off sediments into sterilized glass secondary and attach airlock. Check S.G. after 30 days. If 1.000 or lower, rack into clean secondary and reattach airlock. Rack again after 2 months and again after additional 2 months. Allow to clear, stabilize, sweeten (1-1/4 cup sugar
syrup per gallon), and rack again into sterilized bottles. Allow to age two years in bottle before tasting. Improves further with additional aging. [Adapted from Raymond Massaccesi’s Winemaker’s Recipe Handbook ]

• pulp from 6-10 lbs Concord grapes
• 1 gallon (minus one cup) water
• 8-10 oz red grape concentrate or Concord grape juice
• 2 lb granulated sugar
• 2 tsp acid blend or juice from 1 lemon and 2 thin slices of winesap apple
• 1/8 tsp tannin or 1 used teabag
• 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient
• wine yeast

Begin this wine as soon as practical after pulp is removed from previous use, as you will be using the yeast already present in the pulp (do not allow pulp to dry out). Mix all ingredients except pulp in primary, stir well to dissolve sugar, then add pulp still in nylon bag. S.G. may be lower than expected because of alcohol still trapped in pulp. Cover and ferment, stirring and squeezing bag daily, until S.G. drops to 1.010. Siphon liquor into secondary. Squeeze bag well to extract all juice possible. Add juice to secondary and fit airlock. Rack after 30 days, then every 2 months until wine is clear and no more yeast deposits form after 10 days. Stabilize, sweeten if desired, and siphon into bottles. Taste after two years. [ Author’s recipe ]

• 45-50 lbs Frost Grapes
• 7-10 lbs finely granulated sugar
• water to top up (about 2 gallons, + or -)
• 3-1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
• 5 crushed Campden Tablets
• 1 tsp acid blend
• 5 tsp yeast nutrient
• pkt Montrachet wine yeast

Pick the grapes when fully ripe or just past ripeness (when there is a slight slackness to the skin). Wash, destem and crush the grapes in primary fermentation vessel. Strain enough juice to float your hydrometer. Measure specific gravity and return juice to primary. Add sugar to bring S.G. to 1.088 (dissolve sugar in boiling water at ration of 2 parts [by volume] sugar to one part [by volume] water, stir until dissolved, allow to cool to room temperature, and then add to primary) and stir with wooden paddle. Add crushed Campden tablets, stir, cover primary, and wait 12 hours. Add pectic enzyme, acid blend and yeast nutrient, stir, recover, and wait additional 12 hours. Add yeast and recover primary. Punch down the cap twice daily for 7-10 days (until S.G. is 1.010). Strain and press grapes. Measure juice and calculate water needed to bring volume to 5 gallons. Return juice to primary and recover. Measure water required and bring to boil. To each gallon of water required, add 2 lbs 5 oz sugar, remove from heat and stir to dissolve. Allow to cool, add water to primary and recover. Ferment 3-5 days (until S.G. drops back to 1.010). Rack into secondary and fit airlock. After 7 days, top up if required. Three weeks later, rack into sterilized secondary, top up and refit airlock. Set aside for 4 months. Stabilize and wait 10 days for dead yeast to fall, then rack into bottles. This wine can be consumed immediately but will improve with age. [Adapted from recipe from Herman Thomas, Youngstown, Ohio]