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Steps for How to Make Wine with Concord Grapes

Concord grapes, a variety of Vitis Labrusca, are native to North America. Concords, with their high acidity and low sugar content, are classified as table grapes. Ripe wine grapes measured with a hygrometer have a sugar level of 1.085 to 1.090 while table grapes measure 1.050 to 1.060. An acid test kit will produce titration scale levels of .70 to .80 for wine grapes and 1.2 to 2.0 for table grapes. In order to make good wine from concord grapes, water must be added to reduce acidity and sugar added for sweetness.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 gallon water
  • 4 cups sugar
  • 6 cups concord grapes
  • Large cooking kettle
  • 1 Campden tablet
  • 1 tsp. yeast nutrient
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 package wine yeast
  • Hygrometer
  • Acid test kit
  • White cotton shirt
  • Primary fermentation container
  • Secondary fermentation container
  • Plastic siphoning tube
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Instructions

    • 1

      Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a large cooking kettle. Simultaneously, crush concord grapes in the primary fermentation container.

    • 2

      Crush the Campden tablet and add it, the water and sugar mixture, yeast nutrient and lemon juice to the crushed grapes. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

    • 3

      Add wine yeast to the mixture; stir and cover. Let rest for seven days.

    • 4

      Fashion a straining bag from a white cotton shirt. Suspend the bag over the secondary fermentation container. Place the crushed grape mixture into the straining bag and allow the juice to drip into the container. Continue the process until the liquid ceases to drip from the bottom of the cloth.

    • 5

      Discard the residue and airlock the secondary fermentation container. Once a month for eight successive months, siphon the fermenting wine from its existing container into a clean, new one. Take care to catch and discard any residue in order to produce a clear liquid. This process is called racking.

    • 6

      After eight months, siphon the wine into sterilized bottles. Cap the bottles. Store in a wine rack and rotate the bottles monthly. Wine should be left to age from one to three years.