Best grape wash thread please, somebody

[Cardinal]

Hi,
I want to do a grape wash. I have a lot of grapes. There are 359 threads with "grapes" in them. Can someone direct me please? I'm a noob BTW.
Thanks,
Cardinal

[scotty]

Squeeze the juice and ferment it.

[Cardinal]

Squeeze the juice and ferment it.

I can only hope any other replies will be as helpful as yours has been.
Thanks

[scotty]

Squeeze the juice and ferment it.

I can only hope any other replies will be as helpful as yours has been.
Thanks

Your sarcasm is because you know nothing about fermenting grape juice wise guy. The answerwas spot on.

Try reading a bit more

[Dnderhead]

scotty is right
but to add- some nutrients should be added like "fermade" you can add pectic enzyme to help extrack juice.
fermenting on the skins will give more flavor but you will also have more fore shots/heads.
some other fruit does not have much "sugar" and some will be needed.(but not grapes)
different yeast will give a different flavor profile. (pick out a good wine yeast every buddy has a favorite)
running slow one time threw a pot still seems to give me the best flavor.
then age several months on/in wood.

[rad14701]

To be honest, Cardinal, this section is here mainly for distillers who also dabble in wine making... Therefore, you may not get as rapid or as accurate of help here as you would in a true winemaking forum... Most of the "wine" we make gets run through a still...

[blind drunk]

Hey Cardinal, what kinda grapes are they? Table grapes, wine grapes, red. white?? Wine grapes are high enough in sugar so you don't need to make a wash. Just do as scotty and dnder said. If they're table grapes, then the sugar content will be less (usually) and you can add sugar if you want a hight ABV% and make a "wash." Not really sure what you're asking. If you elaborate your intentions, then maybe ... . Good luck, bd.

[Dnderhead]

you will git more flavor out of low ABV than high.
I try for 5-7% wash.

[scotty]

you will git more flavor out of low ABV than high.
I try for 5-7% wash.

If it a wine grape it will give 10 % or more but you need a hydrometer to tell the PA.

[blind drunk]

The last wine I distilled I watered down to a about 7%. bd.

[scotty]

The last wine I distilled I watered down to a about 7%. bd.

Im getting ready to make a kit for blackberry wine. We want to make a brandy.

Are you recomending that I keep the potential alcohol at 7 or 8 percent to get better flavor?????
I understand that you watered it down sfter fermentation but im thinking that having the % of potential almost set b before fermentation.


But my original question about flavor is one of my questions.

[blind drunk]

Right, I wasn't clear enough. 7% before fermentation. Cheers, bd.

[scotty]

Right, I wasn't clear enough. 7% before fermentation. Cheers, bd.

ok good the flavor of the wine will definitely be better by doing that.

Thanks for the reply

[Cardinal]

Squeeze the juice and ferment it.

I can only hope any other replies will be as helpful as yours has been.
Thanks

Your sarcasm is because you know nothing about fermenting grape juice wise guy. The answerwas spot on.

Try reading a bit more

No. My sarcasm was because your reply was useless, inasmuch as it failed to help with my polite request for direction to which thread, among many, would be the most help in doing a grape wash. It should be clear that I know nothing about fermenting grape juice, as I said so in my post.
As your reply was nothing more than a sharp retort, I would say it was the complete opposite of "spot on."
You may note, I was specifically asking where would be best to look for somewhere to "try reading a bit more," as there are over 350 hits under grapes.
If you are not interested in being helpful to someone who knows less than yourself, then just don't reply to the thread.

[Cardinal]

To be honest, Cardinal, this section is here mainly for distillers who also dabble in wine making... Therefore, you may not get as rapid or as accurate of help here as you would in a true winemaking forum... Most of the "wine" we make gets run through a still...

I don't get it. Mashes and Washes/ Fruits and Vegetables is about winemaking?

[Cardinal]

Hey Cardinal, what kinda grapes are they? Table grapes, wine grapes, red. white?? Wine grapes are high enough in sugar so you don't need to make a wash. Just do as scotty and dnder said. If they're table grapes, then the sugar content will be less (usually) and you can add sugar if you want a hight ABV% and make a "wash." Not really sure what you're asking. If you elaborate your intentions, then maybe ... . Good luck, bd.

Ok, cool.
They're table grapes mostly. The big fat, light purple coloured ones. Sort of look like a cross between white and red grapes, if you know what I mean. I don't want to use sugar. Do you think freezing them first is the way to go?
I want to pick all these grapes, ferment them into a wash and run it through my pot still. It will be my first time using it.
I'm sure there must be a thread out there that covers this isn't there?

[goose eye]

with your desire an determination best thang for you is to go to a likker store

so im tole

[Cardinal]

scotty is right
but to add- some nutrients should be added like "fermade" you can add pectic enzyme to help extrack juice.
fermenting on the skins will give more flavor but you will also have more fore shots/heads.
some other fruit does not have much "sugar" and some will be needed.(but not grapes)
different yeast will give a different flavor profile. (pick out a good wine yeast every buddy has a favorite)
running slow one time threw a pot still seems to give me the best flavor.
then age several months on/in wood.

Ok, Dnderhead, I'll try to take this into account. I have really hot temps here, so I thought I might have to do something to slow things down instead of help them along. Wine yeast then.
Do I have to build a press? I don't want to do that. If I use a wand blender it will crush the seeds- bad right? So, a potato masher? Get my 6-year old to stomp them? Freeze them first? What about if I dried some of them to "raisinify" them first?
Respect
Cardinal

[Cardinal]

with your desire an determination best thang for you is to go to a likker store

so im tole

What?

[HookLine]

OK, deep breath everybody, and count to ten..........



Cardinal, check this thread about search tools.

Then use the 'HD Google search' link at the top of the page, refine your search terms to something like "fermenting grapes" or "grape wash" or "grape brandy", to get you closer to what you are after. You will still have to do some reading, we all have to, especially when we first start.

It will not hurt you to read some of the wine making forums too, if you want to get the best from your grapes.

Cheers
Hook

[Cardinal]

OK, deep breath everybody, and count to ten..........



Cardinal, check this thread about search tools.

Then use the 'HD Google search' link at the top of the page, refine your search terms to something like "fermenting grapes" or "grape wash" or "grape brandy", to get you closer to what you are after. You will still have to do some reading, we all have to, especially when we first start.

It will not hurt you to read some of the wine making forums too, if you want to get the best from your grapes.

Cheers
Hook

Thanks for that

[Slow & Steady]

Cardinal, my wife and I have made many different kinds of wine over the years, One year we decided to make a wine from table grapes and wine grapes (the mixture was heavy in table grapes). It turned out to be undrinkable as a table wine... way to sour and lacked any depth of fragrance... we distilled it and it turned out as an OK brandy but not great. The problem was that table grapes have much more tartness/acid than wine grapes and table grapes lack many of the fragrant qualities of wine grapes. When I attempt to make a good wine brandy these days I stay away from table grapes.

When we make grape wine our grapes are gently pressed, not crushed, and fermenting on the skins can impart more fragrance for some varietals, but mostly it is for color and tannins. We add pectin enzymes to reduce the levels of methanol and to make sure our wines don't fail to clear do to pectin haze. We add bentonite clay to lock up any proteins and to help the wine to clear quickly. We add acid blend only if acids tests indicate a need in the grape must. We may add tannins if the finished wines seems lacking in tannins. We do all these things because if the wine turns out great we bottle it and enjoy the home crafted wine. If we feel it isn't good enough to bottle as a wine then we distill it and age it in a used char barrel for a year or more to produce a really fine brandy.

S&S

[Cardinal]

Cardinal, my wife and I have made many different kinds of wine over the years, One year we decided to make a wine from table grapes and wine grapes (the mixture was heavy in table grapes). It turned out to be undrinkable as a table wine... way to sour and lacked any depth of fragrance... we distilled it and it turned out as an OK brandy but not great. The problem was that table grapes have much more tartness/acid than wine grapes and table grapes lack many of the fragrant qualities of wine grapes. When I attempt to make a good wine brandy these days I stay away from table grapes.

When we make grape wine our grapes are gently pressed, not crushed, and fermenting on the skins can impart more fragrance for some varietals, but mostly it is for color and tannins. We add pectin enzymes to reduce the levels of methanol and to make sure our wines don't fail to clear do to pectin haze. We add bentonite clay to lock up any proteins and to help the wine to clear quickly. We add acid blend only if acids tests indicate a need in the grape must. We may add tannins if the finished wines seems lacking in tannins. We do all these things because if the wine turns out great we bottle it and enjoy the home crafted wine. If we feel it isn't good enough to bottle as a wine then we distill it and age it in a used char barrel for a year or more to produce a really fine brandy.

S&S

That answers a few things then. Thanks. I was wondering about using the pectin enzymes, so I´m glad you said so. Could I just let everything settle in a fridge for a while once it´s done fermenting to clear it? I´m in no hurry.
I am going to use these (mostly) table grapes, as these are the ones I have growing here.
Regards to you and your wife,
Cardinal

[Slow & Steady]

Yes, storage in your cool basement or refrig is the old school way to clear your wine.

$&$

[grappa]

gday cardinal. Ive used gordo grapes baume of at least 12 and left to ferment for a month in a covered but not sealed plastic drum. mash them up a bit to help the wild yeasts that are present take off. reasonable taste after distillation leaning to a brandy flavor. colombard grapes are less flavor -same baume- and I helped these along with some champange yeast sprinkled over the top. both grapes were free so it didnt matter if it didnt work but it did. Down side is the clean up and masses of vinegar fly that seem to find the wash hence the cover. dont need the extra protien