WINE MAKING WITH
CONCENTRATES VERSES GRAPES

Quite often we are asked what the difference is between making
wine from concentrates and making wine from grapes. There are a
few differences, but there are also a lot of similarities.

-- Wine Making With Concentrates:

If you are just starting out, wine concentrates offer an easy way
to consistently make spectacular wines. They come with simple,
easy-to-follow directions that eliminate all of the guess-work
and can easily be understood by even the first-time winemaker.

In most cases they also come with all of the additional
ingredients that are called for, pre-measured and ready for use.
All the variables have been taken away, so mistakes are hard to
make.

With wine concentrates there is also a larger variety available
to the home winemaker than if they were to try to purchase or
grow their own grapes. Currently, we offer over 190 different
wine juices from all over the world: France, Germany, Spain,
Italy, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Canada and California. An
incredible selection that allows one to make a medley of wines
that never gets tiring, and unlike grapes, these wine
concentrates are available throughout the year. Go to the
following link for a complete listing:

Wine Concentrate Listing

These concentrates will consistently make wines that are
comparable to any $10 to $15 bottle of wine you buy at the store,
and in the case of our higher-end juices such as Legacy, Bin49,
KenRidge Showcase and Vinterra, they will make wines that equal
the $15 to $50 range.

Getting started with a batch of wine using concentrate is very
quick and easy. It is simply a matter of pouring the concentrate
into your fermentation vessel, adding water to the proper level
(usually 6 gallons) and then adding the yeast and any other
ingredients that are called for by the accompanying directions.

After that it's just a matter of siphoning the wine off the
sediment from time to time as directed (called: racking) and then
eventually bottling the wine. The whole process usually takes
anywhere from 30 to 45 days, depending on the brand of wine
concentrate you purchased and can be done in a very small area.

-- Wine Making With Grapes

When making wine from grapes, much of the process is very similar
to that of making wine from packaged juices. The fermentation,
clearing and bottling goes pretty much the same way, but there
are some key differences that need to be pointed out.

-Dealing With The Grapes:
Many people do not realize it, but a lot of grapes are used in
making wine. For example, each of our packaged wine concentrates
represent anywhere from 70 to 100 pounds of wine grapes for
making six gallons of wine. That's two to three bushels. You will
need this much grape as well.

Once the fermentation is complete and the pulp is removed you are
then left with approximately six gallons of wine. No water is
used, just a 100 percent straight juice is used to make wine from
wine grapes.

AS A SIDE NOTE: The 70 to 100 pounds applies only to actual
viniferous wine grapes such as: Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot Noir,
Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and others. When making wines made from
grapes like: Muscadine, Fox and Scuppernongs, usually anywhere
from 25 to 50 pounds is used for making six gallons. The
difference is made up with sugar and water. This lesser amount is
used because these grapes are stronger in flavor and higher in
acid, so using 100% juice would make the wine sharp, sour and
bitter tasting.

Dealing with such a large amount of grapes must be taken into
consideration before taking on such a project. The grapes will
need to be de-stemmed and crushed before fermenting, and then
later pressed after a few days of fermentation; white wines are
pressed before fermentation.

De-stemming and crushing the grapes can be done by hand. You can
use anything from a potato masher to the butt-end of a 2 X 4. If
you are dealing with several hundred pounds or more then you will
want to consider getting either a grape crusher or a
crusher/de-stemmer combo. Either of these items will speed up the
process tremendously. To see the crusher and de-stemmers that we
offer go to the following link on our web site:

Crushers and De-Stemmers

The pulp will need to be pressed after a few days of fermentation
to extract all the juice possible from the pulp. In the case of
white wine the grapes are pressed after crushing and before
fermentation; the pulp never sees the fermentation. To see the
presses that we offer go to the following link on our web site:

Wine Presses

-Dealing With The Variables:
As stated earlier, when you make wine from concentrates all of
the variables have been taken care of for you. That is why these
packaged wine concentrates are perfect for the casual or even
beginning winemaker; you can make fabulous wines with carefree,
consistent results.

When making wine from grapes you must be ready to deal with these
variables. Ignoring them is not an option. Ignoring them will
only produce an agreeable wine *if you are lucky* but mastering
them will allow you to produce a wine you can be proud of and
worth sharing every time.

What are these variables? While one could consider quite a
healthy list of things from minor to major, the list of variables
that require strong attention is not so long. Focus on these few
and you will have won most of the battle. The variables we speak
of are as follows:

Sugar Level:
Knowledge of the hydrometer for controlling the beginning sugar
level of the must is critical when making wine from grapes. The
beginning sugar level is what determines the final alcohol level
the wine. Different years, type of grape and time of harvest all
add to the unpredictability of sugar levels grapes can naturally
provide on their own. These varying sugar levels may require that
either sugar or water be added to the must to adjust the
potential alcohol level of the wine to a reasonable
range--usually between 10 and 13 percent.

Acidity Level:
Just as sugar levels can vary, so can the acidity level. If the
acid level is too high the wine will end up tasting sharp or
sour; not enough acid and the wine will taste flat and flabby.
The way to control this is to take readings with an Acid Test
Kit. By taking acid level readings you will be able to determine
if Acid Blend or water needs to be added to the must.

Pulp Contact Time:
The amount of time the pulp is allowed to remain in the
fermentation needs to be controlled. The range of time is
anywhere from one to seven days with five days being the most
common. These times refer to red wines primarily. With white
wines the pulp is not normally incorporated into the
fermentation. The longer the pulp remains in the fermentation,
the more color and grape character is brought into the wine.
However, one should be cautious of going too long, doing so can
bring an astringency to the wine that is irreversible. Varying
pulp contact time is one of the reasons that White Zinfandels,
Blush Zinfandels and Red Zinfandels can all be made from the same
grape.

Pressing Pressure:
The amount of pressure applied to the pulp during pressing can
alter the character of the wine in similar ways to pulp contact
time. When the must is first put into a wine press you will get
what is called "free run". This is the juice that has the
lightest body. As pressure is applied to the pulp fuller bodied
juice is released. So, the final level of pressure that is used
in pressing can control the body of the resulting wine.

Other Variables:
There are many other factors that play a more marginal role in
producing the character of a wine. We will not go into them here
as it is beyond the scope of this article. Just realize that
there are enough variables of varying degree of importance to
keep one learning for a life-time.

-- Summing It All Up

As you can see there are a lot of things that come into play when
dealing directly with grapes such as: crushing, pressing, dealing
with the shear volume of grapes. The producers of wine making
concentrates are experts it. Everything from picking to
concentrating is done in a way that preserves the true character
of the grape and produces a wine that has balance in body, flavor
and character, something that has to be strived for when dealing
with grapes on your own.

But for the more aggressive home winemakers, making wine from
grapes may be the only way that brings satisfaction to the hobby
for them. For some there is something about the hands-on feeling
you get when you crank down on a grape press that makes the
process worth doing. If this is you then by all mean go for it.
Making wine from fresh grapes is certainly rewarding, and once
mastered, will allow you to produce wines that go well beyond
some of the best wines you will find on the market, today.

_____

-- For more information about the Hydrometer and Acid Test Kit
mentioned in this article, go to the following links listed on
our web site:

Hydrometer

Acid Test Kit

_____

Related Articles:

"Using A Wine Press: The How's, When's & Why's"

"Getting To Know Your Hydrometer"

"Getting A Handle On Acidity"

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E. C. Kraus

Home Wine & Beer Making Supplies

Address: 733 S. Northern Blvd. - P. O. Box 7850 - Independence, MO  64053

Phone:(816) 254-7448  Fax:(816) 254-7051  Toll Free: (800) 353-1906

Email: customerservice@eckraus.com

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