Oh, Quick! Free Wine Grapes for Me!

DellaMyDarling

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I'm going today to pick free "wine grapes."
The picture is a darker color grape, but I know nothing otherwise.

I do not know how much there is yet.

What can I do with these free fruits and how?

Quick Google search, wine looks easy but requires a LOT of trade tools I do not have.
Is there a simpler method than fancy valves and tubes, etc? Not certain if I could pick up any supplies locally (I have maybe 1 store to try.)

I DO have big carboys available.

I also have pears and apples coming off my own trees.
 

CrealCritter

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I'm going today to pick free "wine grapes."
The picture is a darker color grape, but I know nothing otherwise.

I do not know how much there is yet.

What can I do with these free fruits and how?

Quick Google search, wine looks easy but requires a LOT of trade tools I do not have.
Is there a simpler method than fancy valves and tubes, etc? Not certain if I could pick up any supplies locally (I have maybe 1 store to try.)

I DO have big carboys available.

I also have pears and apples coming off my own trees.

I would love some pears for eating and wine, pears are my favorite fruit.

As for wine making I would primary ferment in a food grade bucket, with a fermentation bag and old clean tee-shirt over the top held in place with a rubber band (no lid/air lock).

Then when the gravity reaches around 1.040 (7 to 10 days) you'll want to pull and squeeze the bag so the liquid flows back into your wine. Then rack off the sediment into a clean and sanitized glass carboy, bung and airlock. As the sediment approaches 1/2" thick rack again leaving the sediment behind. Continue racking until the wine is crystal clear.

During the secondary and beyond racking, depending on what gear I have open. I may rack into a clean and sanitized food grade bucket, then clean and sanitize the carboy and rack back into the carboy.

It's very important to keep everything clean and sanitized. I can't stress this enough or else you run the risk of fermenting up some really nasty stuff. When I say everything, I mean everything that could touch your wine including your hands.

Check out ---> https://eckraus.com/wine-making-steps/?_ga=2.179351974.36983.1559794808-2011936642.1551422741

And also recipes ---> https://eckraus.com/wine-recipes/

If you decide to make wine (highly suggested) let me know and I'll help you through the process. It would be fun.
 
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Mini Horses

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Probably zinfandel or cabernet sauvignon grapes. Both dark and basically for wine. Good deal!!
 

DellaMyDarling

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I definitely don't have some things I need...

Unless home beer brewing uses the same kinds of tops/vent things for the carboys?

Looks like a good week until I'd need the supplies other than bucket and tshirt...
But a bag. What can I use if I don't have a fermentation bag?
 

CrealCritter

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I definitely don't have some things I need...

Unless home beer brewing uses the same kinds of tops/vent things for the carboys?

Looks like a good week until I'd need the supplies other than bucket and tshirt...
But a bag. What can I use if I don't have a fermentation bag?

All mine are food grade sewn mesh bags. I think they are made of muslin but I'm not a sewer so I can't say for sure.

Don't forget to add 1 crushed campden tablet per gallon. And wait 24 hours before you pitch the yeast. DO NOT add sorbate until your ready to bottle the finished wine.

I use a lot of my beer gear for wine. Like my hydrometers, racking cane, bottle wand, etc...
 
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CrealCritter

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Thank goodness! :hide

Funny you would catch that... I did a double take and checked my work, before I pushed the post reply button. I actually learned something new... A sewer can be a place that collects human waste or I can be a person who sews. The English language is weird... I use grammerphobia frequently, because well yes, I have a grammer phobia :)
IMG_20190909_153552.jpg
 

frustratedearthmother

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I leaned something too. I thought a person who sews is called a seamstress. So, someone who sews can be called a sewer too, lol!
 

DellaMyDarling

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Ok, ok, big deep breath.

Pretty sure we got concords.
They are delicious!

I actually filled a huge tote and barely did 1/4 of the arbor. Returning tomorrow for the rest.
Maybe 600sqft? Good goddesses what a gift.

So, I definitely can't get all into wine.
Need some ideas for other uses!
 

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