Mule's Muscadine Wine

[themule69]

 I know this should probably be in the wine section. However with that being a group that not everyone is a member of I went this way so everyone could comment without having to join a group.

 So here is how this got started. I have been going to the farmers market selling my honey. I took some smoked cheese and gave all of the vendors a couple of slices. The muscadine guy said he wanted to trade some muscadines for some cheese. So the next week I pulled out a 8 oz block of aged smoked cheddar and handed to him. He was so tickled he gave me 10 LBS of muscadines and thought he got the better end of the deal.

 If life brings you muscadines what do you do? So here we go. I will be making a batch and a half. 

I start with

1 gallon of muscadines

3 gallons of well water.

8 LBS sugar dissolved.

1 package of Lalvin 71B-1122 wine yeast

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• themule69
• Oct 13, 2014

I then smash the muscadines.

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• themule69
• Oct 13, 2014

Add the water and mix well to add oxygen Let cool and brix it. It brixed at 24 which is perfect for the yeast I am using. I should have a 14% alcohol when dry.

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• themule69
• Oct 13, 2014

Mix the yeast with warm water and a spoon full of the musk. Let the yeast grow for 15 min. Then stir the yeast well to get what settled to the bottom.

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• themule69
• Oct 13, 2014

Pitch the yeast and wait 15 min. Then stir like crazy. Then add a airlock. 

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• themule69
• Oct 13, 2014

After a week

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• themule69
• Oct 13, 2014

This is the strained wine after a week. Stir well and transfer to secondary fermentation with a airlock.

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• themule69
• Oct 13, 2014

I will now wait about a month and siphon into another fermentation bucket.

More to come later.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[atomicsmoke]

Looks good so far. Did you press them? A lot of good stuff in the skins. Some of it is extracted during fermentation, but you get most when pressing.

I know these are not wine grapes but I think same principle applies.

Another trick is cold maceration: leaving the crushed grapes on ice for a few days to help extract colour, tannins and flavonoids. I do this for pinot noir.

 

[themule69]

Looks good so far. Did you press them? A lot of good stuff in the skins. Some of it is extracted during fermentation, but you get most when pressing.

I know these are not wine grapes but I think same principle applies.

Another trick is cold maceration: leaving the crushed grapes on ice for a few days to help extract colour, tannins and flavonoids. I do this for pinot noir.

I don't have a press so they were smashed the best I could. I used a small pie plate in the bucket. It did a pretty good job.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[atomicsmoke]

Looking forward to tasting.

 

[chef willie]

Dammit you guys......NOW I got the bug to start winemaking after seeing this and AtomicSmokes post. I understand Disco is quite the winemaker also.....so much to do yet......Willie

 

[themule69]

Willie

It all goes hand in hand. You have to have something to wash all of the good smoky goodness down.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[foamheart]

Ya know, its a special trait in a person to be able to smoke, make bread, or wine. They are take time and patience to do it right!

I wanta watch too David, always looking for good ideas.

 

 

[disco]

Oh, David, this is going to be so good. The bold flavour of the muscadine grapes is going to be wonderful. Sigh. We don't see a lot of grapes up here. I have put down some plum and peach done in a port style last month but that will pale next to this. Enjoy!

Disco

 

[themule69]

 
Ya know, its a special trait in a person to be able to smoke, make bread, or wine. They are take time and patience to do it right!

I wanta watch too David, always looking for good ideas.

 

Thanks Foam. Grab a 

 It is going to take a while.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[themule69]

 
Oh, David, this is going to be so good. The bold flavour of the muscadine grapes is going to be wonderful. Sigh. We don't see a lot of grapes up here. I have put down some plum and peach done in a port style last month but that will pale next to this. Enjoy!

Disco

It just so happens that I scored some plums and apples yesterday I may need to give some plum wine a try. Do you have a favorite recipe you would like to share?

Happy smoken.

David

 

[jarjarchef]

I am in. This looks to be good.

 

[disco]

It just so happens that I scored some plums and apples yesterday I may need to give some plum wine a try. Do you have a favorite recipe you would like to share?


Happy smoken.


David

 

[disco]

I am in. This looks to be good.

I have two wine recipes I make with wine. Both are great but the down side is that they are way better after being aged for a year.

Plum Wine (to make 1 gallon, I usually multiply it by 5 and make 5 gallons):

3 pounds plums

3 pounds white sugar

1 teaspoon yeast nutrient

campden tablets or sodium metabisulphite for 1 gallon (if you are using campden tablets use two, if you are using sodium metabisulphite use amount recommended on package for 1 gallon)

2 teaspoons acid blend

wine yeast

Crush the plums. I cut them up and run them through the strainer attachement on my KitchenAid mixer. You can chop and blend them or you can crush them in a press. The finer they are pureed, the better. Add al ingredients except the wine yeast into a primary fermenter. Add enough water to bring it up to one gallon and let it sit overnight. Stir the must and sprinkle the wine yeast over the top. Stir it every day for 6 days. After 6 days, strain the must and put it in a secondary fermenter with and air lock. You may need to top it up with water. Let it ferment for 3 weeks. Rack to remove sediment. Put it back in a secondary fermenter and top up with water. Let it sit in the secondary for 3 months and rack to remove sediment. Put it back in a secondary fermenter and let is sit until clear (if you are lucky, this will only be a couple of weeks but it can take a couple of months). Rack and bottle.

This is ok right away but after a year or more in the bottle, it is to die for.

Plum Port (to make 5 gallons)

15 pounds plums

5 bananas

20 pounds sugar

2 tablespoons yeast nutrient

campden tablets or sodium metabisuphite (10 campden tablets or as instructed for 5 gallons on the package if using sodium metabisulphite)

3 tablespoons acid blend

wine yeast

2 bottles of brandy (I use the cheapest I can find)

Pit and crush the plums to the finest puree you can. Mash the bananas and add them to the plums in the primary fermenter. Add 15 pounds of the sugar, the yeast nutrient, the campden tablets/sodium metabisulphite and the acid blend. Let it sit overnight. Stir the must and sprinkle the wine yeast over the surface. Stir every day for 6 days. After 6 days, strain the must  and put it in a secondary ferementer. DO NOT TOP UP WITH WATER. You want some room in the secondary fermenter as you will be adding sugar. Put an airlock on it. Every 4 days add 1 pound of sugar until you have used up the remaining 5 pounds of sugar (20 days total). Top up with water. Let it sit for 3 weeks and rack to remove sediment. Top up with water. Let it sit for 3 months. Rack to remove sediment and top up with water. Put it back in a secondary fermenter and let is sit until clear (if you are lucky, this will only be a couple of weeks but it can take a couple of months). Rack and add the two bottles of brandy. Bottle. 

This is also not bad right away but improves year over year almost indefinitely. A word of warning. This is an after dinner fortified wine that is considerably stronger than regular wine and will get you very drunk if you are not careful.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Disco

 

[themule69]

I am in. This looks to be good.

 Glad to have you aboard.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[themule69]

 
I have two wine recipes I make with wine. Both are great but the down side is that they are way better after being aged for a year.

Plum Wine (to make 1 gallon, I usually multiply it by 5 and make 5 gallons):

3 pounds plums

3 pounds white sugar

1 teaspoon yeast nutrient

campden tablets or sodium metabisulphite for 1 gallon (if you are using campden tablets use two, if you are using sodium metabisulphite use amount recommended on package for 1 gallon)

2 teaspoons acid blend

wine yeast

Crush the plums. I cut them up and run them through the strainer attachement on my KitchenAid mixer. You can chop and blend them or you can crush them in a press. The finer they are pureed, the better. Add al ingredients except the wine yeast into a primary fermenter. Add enough water to bring it up to one gallon and let it sit overnight. Stir the must and sprinkle the wine yeast over the top. Stir it every day for 6 days. After 6 days, strain the must and put it in a secondary fermenter with and air lock. You may need to top it up with water. Let it ferment for 3 weeks. Rack to remove sediment. Put it back in a secondary fermenter and top up with water. Let it sit in the secondary for 3 months and rack to remove sediment. Put it back in a secondary fermenter and let is sit until clear (if you are lucky, this will only be a couple of weeks but it can take a couple of months). Rack and bottle.

This is ok right away but after a year or more in the bottle, it is to die for.

Plum Port (to make 5 gallons)

15 pounds plums

5 bananas

20 pounds sugar

2 tablespoons yeast nutrient

campden tablets or sodium metabisuphite (10 campden tablets or as instructed for 5 gallons on the package if using sodium metabisulphite)

3 tablespoons acid blend

wine yeast

2 bottles of brandy (I use the cheapest I can find)

Pit and crush the plums to the finest puree you can. Mash the bananas and add them to the plums in the primary fermenter. Add 15 pounds of the sugar, the yeast nutrient, the campden tablets/sodium metabisulphite and the acid blend. Let it sit overnight. Stir the must and sprinkle the wine yeast over the surface. Stir every day for 6 days. After 6 days, strain the must  and put it in a secondary ferementer. DO NOT TOP UP WITH WATER. You want some room in the secondary fermenter as you will be adding sugar. Put an airlock on it. Every 4 days add 1 pound of sugar until you have used up the remaining 5 pounds of sugar (20 days total). Top up with water. Let it sit for 3 weeks and rack to remove sediment. Top up with water. Let it sit for 3 months. Rack to remove sediment and top up with water. Put it back in a secondary fermenter and let is sit until clear (if you are lucky, this will only be a couple of weeks but it can take a couple of months). Rack and add the two bottles of brandy. Bottle. 

This is also not bad right away but improves year over year almost indefinitely. A word of warning. This is an after dinner fortified wine that is considerably stronger than regular wine and will get you very drunk if you are not careful.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Disco

Thanks Disco

I am going to put this on my list of things to do. I have a cool room in my house that I like to brew beer as well as make wine. It slows the fermentation down but to me it is worth the wait. This sounds easy enough. I have the patience to let smoked cheese bloom for years so I can be patient for wine.

This pic doesn't do my cheese supply justice.

It is all the way to the back of the shelf. Then

most of the next 2 shelves. I have another load

ready to fill the MES 40 as soon as it get cool 

Enough here.

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• themule69
• Mar 28, 2014

Happy smoken.

David

 

[GaryHibbert]

Hey David

Great sounding wine. BUT. You produce honey!!!!! Try subsituting honey for the sugar, and you'll end up with mead. Gotta tell you, I've seldom met a person who doesn't like mead. Just me saying.

Gary

 

[themule69]

Hey David

Great sounding wine. BUT. You produce honey!!!!! Try subsituting honey for the sugar, and you'll end up with mead. Gotta tell you, I've seldom met a person who doesn't like mead. Just me saying.

Gary

I also have a batch of blackberry honey mead going. I have 25 hives of bee's so I play around with honey as well.

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• themule69
• Jun 3, 2013

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• themule69
• Jun 3, 2013

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• themule69
• Jun 3, 2013

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• themule69
• Jun 3, 2013

Happy smoken.

David

 

[disco]

 
I also have a batch of blackberry honey mead going. I have 25 hives of bee's so I play around with honey as well.

Aren;t you sweet! Don't hate me.

Disco