Concord Wine Recipe 5 Gallon Food

WINE (BLACKBERRY OR CONCORD GRAPE)

Steps:

• Make sure everything is washed clean in water, but do not ever use soap on anything that comes into contact with the wine.
• Remove grapes from stems. Either crush or beat in a food processor between 20 and 25 lbs. blackberries or grapes per 5 gal. vat.
• Pour juice and pulp into a 5 gallon vat.
• Crush 5 Campden tables and dump into vat.
• Dump 5 teaspoons of Pectic Enzyme into vat.
• Fill the vat with water up to the indented 5 gallon mark, which is about 4 or 5 inches from the top.
• Stir the mixture well and secure the lid and while pressing down to get as much air out as possible, cover the hole with scotch tape.
• Empty 1 package of wine yeast into a small glass half filled with water and place 2 teaspoons of orange or lemon juice into glass. Stir well and cover with saran wrap or plastic wrap, setting this aside over night.
• The next day, slowly dump the yeast mixture into the vat near one place at the edge. Make sure all of the yeast mixture gets into the vat. Do not stir at this time, as you want the yeast mixture to remain in one small area.
• Secure the lid and place the air lock into the hole thru the scotch tape and press down on the lid to expell the air from the vat.
• The next day begin stirring the wine twice a day, always replacing the lid and pressing out the air in the same manner. Repeat this for 7 days.
• After 7 days, remove all pulp from top of wine and strain it to save the juice through a cheese cloth or the like. Also strain the rest of the juice, so that you save as much of the juice as possible.
• Add 10 to 15 lbs. of sugar to the wine, depending on how sweet you desire the wine to be. This depends on your taste. The sugar also helps to increase the alcohol content.
• Let stand 3 weeks and then begin to rack the wine every 30 days. Racking is siphoning the wine into another vat, being careful not to siphon any of the sediment from the bottom, even if it means that you lose a little of the juice. By doing this every 30 days, the wine will become clearer.
• After about 4 or 6 months of racking, test the sweetness and add as much additional sugar as you require.
• At this time, also 1/2 oz. of Potassium Sorbate, which stops the fermenting process, and 5 teaspoons of Sparkolloid to the wine and stir.
• In 30 days rack again and bottle.