Grape juice concentrate substitute

[MmmBeer]

I have a load of rhubarb in need of harvesting and am planning to make another batch of rhubarb wine. However the recipe I have always used, calls for 250 ml of Grape juice concentrate, previously I would have nipped out to Wilko's, but sadly can't do that anymore.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't replace it with a bottle (or more) or supermarket bottled grape juice. Looking at the composition of both products, and doing the maths, I estimated that a litre bottle of Asda pure grape juice contains 85-90% of the sugar of a 250 ml bottle of concentrate. Is there anything else the concentrate adds, that the juice doesn't?

I can make up the small deficit of sugar content with granulated. The juice is red, but I can cope with a rhubarb rose.

 

[MashBag]

Concentrate is 65 brix, you can normally work it back from there

 

[MmmBeer]

Concentrate is 65 brix, you can normally work it back from there

That's what I found, which I estimated as 790 g/l sugar, or 192.5 g per bottle. Juice was 25g/150ml, or about 167g .

£2 from Asda is a lot cheaper than what I can find online, even before postage,

 

[MashBag]

Sounds like a good plan.
What brix are you aiming at for starting? I assume this is a white?

 

[MmmBeer]

My recipe calls for an O.G. of 1.095 (22.7 Brix), this is prdicted to give an ABV of 13.4%.

On reflection, I may drop this slightly to about 12.5%, as some of my home made wines have really packed a punch.

As I can only get red grape juice, it'll end being a Rosé.

 

[MashBag]

You can get good results by freezing the 'barb and fermenting the pressing.

Tbh I think much above 11% is where you would start tasting the alcohol instead of the fruit. All your good work is wasted because alcohol masks it.

k1v-1116 yeast? Nice fruit expression and a solid performer. No need to sulphite either?

 

[MmmBeer]

Not thought of freezing, but I bought a mandolin a few years back to get really thin slices (and a touch of jeopardy to my finger tips).

I picked up a sachet of 'rhubarb' wine yeast on my last order from CML, so will use that. I normally add a crushed campden tablet to the must, a day before pitching.

 

[MashBag]

I normally add a crushed campden tablet to the must, a day before pitching.

Why?

 

[MmmBeer]

Why?

Partly because the recipe said to, and partly because I once had a few specks of mould growing when I opened the bucket.