Bailout Blanc: White wine for hard times
Jan 19th, 2009 by Erroll
Can you really make wine from Welch’s grape juice?
Welch’s, or most any brand, of white grape juice is made from Niagra grapes. These aren’t considered wine grapes, and there’s a good reason for that. Still, with proper wine making technique, you can make a crisp dry white from concentrated frozen grape juice that is surprisingly good.
Ingredients
If you’re still feeling adventurous, why not make wine from seedless table grapes? I made a wine from store bought grapes when they were on sale, and I plan on comparing it to my Welch’s wine.Here’s what you’ll need for a 1-gallon or 5-gallon batch. When I create a recipe for 1-gallon of wine, I aim for 1-gallon of finished wine without the need for additional wine to top up. That means my 1-gallon recipe will make up about 1.5 gallons of must. Similarly, my 5-gallon recipe will yield over 6-gallons of must. Other recipes yield the same volume of must as the expected volume of finished wine. They assume that you will top up the batch with similar wine that you have on hand – that approach drove me nuts when I was starting out! The catch is that you’ll need to have extra containers on hand when you rack. For a 1-gallon batch, plan on having two wine bottles and two beer bottles to hold what doesn’t fit in the 1-gallon jug. For a 5-gallon batch, a 1-gallon jug, a half-gallon jug, and a wine bottle should do it.
| Ingredient | 1-Gallon quantity |
5-Gallon quantity |
| 12 oz can frozen grape juice | 3 | 12 |
| Sugar | 2 lb (900 g) | 8 lb (3.5 kg) |
| Water | 1.25 Gallons (4.8 L) | 5 Gallons (19 L) |
| Pectic Enzyme | 1.5 tsp | 6 tsp |
| Diamonium Phosphate | 1.5 tsp | 6 tsp |
| Tartaric Acid | 2 tsp (10 ml) | 9 tsp (45 ml) |
| Tannin | 0.25 tsp | 1.5 tsp |
| Yeast | 1 packet | 1 packet |
Make sure the grape juice you buy is really 100% grape juice. There are a lot of fruit cocktails for sale with similar packaging that you should avoid.
Sugar and Acid
I have found the sugar content of concentrated frozen grape juice to be very consistent, so you’re very likely to get a starting specific gravity (SG) close to 1.090 by just following the recipe. It’s best to check with a hydrometer, though, and make necessary corrections up front. I’m less sure about the acid, so please check the titratable acidity (TA) of your must before you pitch the yeast.
Equipment
- Primary fermenter – at least 2-gallon capacity for a 1-gallon batch, and 10-gallon capacity for a 5-gallon batch
- Long Stirring Spoon
- Racking cane and 6 feet of tubing
- Secondary – either a 1-gallon jug or a 5-gallon carboy
- Smaller containers – a half-gallon jug, a wine bottle, a beer bottle to hold small amounts from one racking to the next
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Scale
Procedure
Dissolve pectic enzyme, nutrient, tartaric acid, tannin, and sulfite in a quart (liter) of water.
Sanitize your primary fermenter.
Add frozen grape concentrate.
Bring 3 quarts (liters) water to a boil, take off heat and dissolve sugar, bring back to a boil for one minute, cool and add to fermenter.
Pour the additive solution into the fermenter.
Add 4 gallons (15 liters) water to the fermenter.
Take measurments (specific gravity, pH, and titratable acidity).
Pitch yeast.
Stir the fermenting wine every day, for the next week or two, until it ferments out. Rack to a secondary fermenter (1 gallon jug or 5-gallon carboy) and any other smaller containers that you might need. After that, rack as needed (when it throws sediment) and when it remains clear and dry (specific gravity less than 1.000), you can bottle. I often bottle about six months to a year after pitching the yeast.
How does Welch’s wine taste?
Its hard for me to describe this wine, but how can you not be curious enough to try it yourself? It’s not for special occasions, but sometimes your really do want a wine that goes well with a ham sandwich or chicken McNuggets – cheers!
I just made a batch of Welch’s wine from plain old Welch’s concord grape juice. I didn’t use the frozen kind for this experiment. All I did was put the juice in my primary, take a hydrometer reading, adjust the sugar content for my target S.G. ( I decided to shoot for high abv: 14%, so my original specific gravity was 1.104), and pitch red star cuvee yeast. This was so easy! In fact, the ease is why I chose to do a wine out of such a ubiquitous material as Welch’s grape juice. When I racked this wine a few weeks ago, it was at S.G. of 1.002 (making the then current alcohol 13.87%), and it tasted like you might expect cheap wine to taste – cheap! But with such high alcohol content, it really doesn’t matter. This wine will be for one purpose only: a quick buzz.
Erroll, I’m curious. What yeast did you use in your starter? Also, would you be interested in a wine swap? I would like that very much, as it would give me insights into my wines and a chance to try a wine made by a winemaker I have come to admire. What do you think?
Hello John,
There’s certainly a limit to what you can do with these ingredients, but I usually aim a little higher than a quick buzz. I’ve made this wine by full reconstituting the juice, which would be like using the ready-to-drink juice, but I find the flavor of Concord and Niagara grapes too strong. The wine ended up tasting like alcoholic Welch’s grape juice, which is not what I’m after, so now I use more water than necessary to reconstitute the juice and ferment to dryness. I find this watered down wine has a better flavor (to my taste).
It’s a wine some people won’t care for, some will make for a quick buzz (nothing wrong with that!) and others will make to complement their mac n cheese. I think every winemaker should try it at least once. I usually make some when I notice the concentrate on sale.
I’ve used different yeasts in the past, Red Star’s Premier Cuvee most often. For this batch I used Lavlin’s 71-B. I had some on hand to use with my “Backyard Burgundy” – about half a gallon of wine from my bonsai vineyard. I didn’t think the grapes fully ripened, so I wanted to take advantage of 71-B’s ability to consume malic acid.
Erroll
Erroll,
I use Red Star Cuvee most often also. Interesting about 71-B. I will keep that in mind. You are right, too, about the Welch’s Wine tasting like alcoholic Welch’s grape juice. Not the best wine I’ve had in my life, but it does the trick, and to my surprise it does go well with mac and cheese. Who would have known wine can be paired with that great American delicacy? As always, thanks for the blog. Keep up the good work.
- John
I’ve used it 3 times in a pyment (grape mead) with fantastic results. It’s true the honey might have helped, but it’s interesting to hear someone’s tried it standalone. Good post.
Hi Scott,
Every so often I wonder how different it would be if I used honey. Next time I ought to make two smaller batches, one with sugar and one with honey. Now that you’ve reminded me, I’m kicking myself for not doing it this time!
Erroll
I am new to wine making . I have 2 questions about this recipe. #1 Is tartaric acid really needed? #2 You bottle 6 months to a year after pitching the yeas? I was told a white wine is only good for 6 months to a year? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike,
Acidity is important to how a wine will taste, and my experience is that there isn’t enough acid in the juice when you use two cans of concentrate per gallon. The best way to do it is to measure the acid and then add exactly the amount you need. If you’d rather not measure, then following this recipe is the next best thing. I’ve done that (followed this recipe) many times, and the acidity has always been about right. Tartaric acid is easy to get, cheap, not difficult to use, and not harmful at all – so I would suggest adding the acid.
I’ve made this recipe before, and I like it after a year. Other people like it sooner. If you want to bottle more quickly, you can. If you do, I suggest fining with bentonite.
Good luck with the wine, and I hope you let me know how it turns out.
Erroll
can you use a acid blend, or should you use straight tartaric acid. and i have yeat nutrient that is amonium phosohate instead of diamonium phosphate. wasn;t sure on the differences. I am kinda new to wine making, have been making kit wine. and am startign to make my own wines. very interesting site. and very helpful.
thanks
mike
Hi Mike,
There are lots of nutrients available, and if you use them according to the directions they should work fine. So I think you’re good to go in the nutrient department. Similarly, acid blend can be used as a direct substitute for tartaric acid.
Erroll
Hi, What temperature should I keep the primary at?
Hello Alfonso,
White wines are normally fermented cool. I’d recommend between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit in most cases.
Erroll