muscadine recipe?

[Hippie]

Is it very high alcohol or have you figgered it? Was the ferment particularly warm? Is it aromatic? Even the muscadine wines I have made that needed more fruit have always been very aromatic. Alot of times the fruit will come back to the wine with a few months bottle aging. Muscadine can age several years with good results. Mine never lasts over 2 years, but I never open the last bottle of anything.

[jojo]

Keep Rockin' Hippie. The advice you give regarding suss reserve and stabilization has turned out some fantastic pomegranate/blueberry. It hasn't aged long enough yet and it already rocks. I'm gonna have to lock and key this one.

[Hippie]

Good to hear, jojo, and nice of you to say. 10-4 on the lock and key!

I like your new avatar. Is that part of the family? Looks cool.

[jojo]

I like your new avatar. Is that part of the family? Looks cool.

Nah. It's Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon in the cult classic film "Harold and Maude". Early 70s film, dark humour, Cat Stevens music. It reminds me of family though, as it was shot in the Bay Area where I grew up.

[Hippie]

Okie Dokie then!

[jackie]

I'm going to be added the juice in a week or so. I was just going to add the juice and then if any moe sweetening is needed, I can always do a simple syrup but I'm mainly wanting lots of fruity flavor. I've got a little over half a gallon of juice. I was just going to add the juice as it is but I've heard of reducing it down so it's more concentrated but it doesn't seem like the heat would be good for flavor. The fermentation was 72 degrees which I didn't consider unusually warm.

[Hippie]

No, don't worry with concentrating it. Add pectic enzyme, 1 campden tablet, and 1/2 tsp k-sorbate to the juice, stir very well, let it stand in fridge to settle out solids. After seperating the clear juice out, it will be ready to add to the wine.

[jackie]

This wine has turned out to be thin. I now understand the muscadines had alot of water in them that I didn't allow for. I like wines to have body. Any ideas? I don't have access to more fruit. I may try a little glycerine. The flavor is pretty good but the body is definitely lacking alot.

[jackie]

I also thought about a little Everclear. Anyone ever tried that? I wouldn't mind boosting the alc content a bit but would that add body too?

[Hippie]

Nah...everclear ain't got no body in it nohow. (might need translated for some)

Glycerine might help. Even better would be to blend it with a heavy body wine. More alcohol will take away from the fruit.

Also, you would be surprised what a can of WGC will do for 5 gallons of thin wine. Muscadine ain't post ta be plum dry nohow.

[jackie]

Just an update
--We opened some of the muscadine wine for friends and it was a big hit. It's been a year and a half since I started it (a year in the bottle). They all loved it and asked me to make more.

I had been concerned because the person that provided the muscadines bought them so he had money invested. The body was very light but, as I said, everyone loved it.

Our liquor store had some commercial muscadine wine from a winery in Arkansas and even though I thought it was overpriced, I bought a bottle just to see what it "should be like". The body was the same as mine and the taste was almost identical (theirs was a tad sweeter). Theirs had much more aroma though. I need to work on that next time. I didn't expect there to ever be a "next time" but I think my friends have different ideas.

Thanks for the support. I was really kinda worried about this one but all turned out well.

[lockwood1956]

Our liquor store had some commercial muscadine wine from a winery in Arkansas and even though I thought it was overpriced, I bought a bottle just to see what it "should be like". The body was the same as mine and the taste was almost identical

YAY!

I didn't expect there to ever be a "next time" but I think my friends have different ideas.

DOUBLE YAY!