hi, im brand new to this and would appreciate some direction. I am in north east PA and have many vines growing on the property we recently purchased, out of fear I picked my grapes a bit too early I think…
the birds were starting to get at the grapes pretty steady and I picked what I could about seven gallons total…
after spending almost an entire day cleaning, I realized I didn’t have time to get the grapes mashed and processed. so I froze the grapes. for my birthday my fiancé bought me a wine making kit (northern brewer deluxe wine kit).
so im kind of lost on how to get this started…
and also is it gonna turn out because the grapes weren’t at there prime when I picked them?
my mom has been making wine for years in northern Michigan and she swears by picking them at the second frost.
any advice would be great…
Freezing your grapes is fine. In fact some places sell frozen grapes for wine making.
I have never make wine from fresh grapes, but I have read about it online. do some searching for some free guides. It will go something like this:
Freezing helps to get the grapes to release the juice, and that is a good thing.
Defrost the grapes. Remove stems and leaves. Crush the grapes (freezing did most of the work).
You will need to adjust the acid level. Both Total TA and PH. While similar, they are not the same.
You will then need to inoculate the must with Potassium Metabisulfite, and then wait 24 hours.
Adjust the sugar level by adding sugar. Record your SG. Temp of the must should be around 72-75 degrees.
Pitch the yeast.
Stir at least 2 times a day to push the skins down and release CO2.
After about a 5 days when the SG is below 1.01, rack to carboy, put on an airlock.
After about another 5-10 days when the SG has remained unchanged for 2 days (around 0.996 or below), rack again, and add Potassium Metabisulfite.
Then you get into bulk aging, using clarifying agents (optional), and back sweeten (add potassium sorbate before back sweetening). Age some more, bottle, and then age some more.
