Red WOW

[AndyRVTR]

Hi guys... seasons greetings to all, sorry I havent been around for a while what with one thing and another.
one of those being making and drinking a LOT of wine hic! :
Anyway, onto my question, I hope i've posted it in the right place....... Is there a way of making a quick 'red' wine, like that way WOW is made, I've got a few people asking if I can make some :-)

 

[daryl_crossley]

Hi Andy

Check out Moleys thread here: Supermarket Juice Wines
hopefully this should help you :thumb:

 

[Moley]

I still haven't tried this one myself, but many have and it seems popular, take a look at Richard's Red on the Harris forum.

I have tried various juice combinations and don't think you're ever going to get much of a red from supermarket juices without adding the ‘enricher’ or Grape Juice Concentrate.

Be on the lookout for supermarket offers on Welch's Purple grape juice, found in the chiller cabinets. The ordinary red grape juices are pressed from mostly eating grapes, but the Welch's is pressed from Concord, a lower grade wine grape, and should therefore be far more suitable if you're attempting a red juice wine.

 

[graysalchemy]

I made some out of welches, i used a combination of 2 welches and 2 standard red grape juice and the usual sugar etc. I turned out OK but Welches is expensive and it would probably be just a s cheap to buy a half decent red wine kit and get a better result.

 

[AndyRVTR]

Cheers for the replies guys... looks like the red wine enricher might be the way forward, nothing gained and all that!!

 

[klaus]

My WOW went down very well over Christmas so I thought I have a go at an easy red - a gallon to start with. Recipe below. Don't know the sugar content of the RGC but I guess total sugar is about 1100g.

1 Litre Red Grape Juice (Lidl)
1 Litre Cranberry/Raspberry Juice Drink (Lidl)
250g Youngs Red Grape Concentrate
700g Sugar
1 tsp citric acid
½ tsp tannin
1 tsp Pectolase
1 tsp Nutrient
1 tsp Youngs General Purpose yeast

Dissolve sugar in about a litre of hot water, add all other ingredients, top to about 4 litres with cold water (top to 5 L after initial activity)
SG at 4 litres = 1.100 – approximated to 5 litres = 1.090
Add yeast and give a good shake. Started to work within the hour.

Sugar Contents:
Lidl RGJ = 161g
Raspb/Cranb = 126g
Youngs RGC = ???g
Sugar = 700

 

[AndyRVTR]

I haven't managed to get out for some red wine enricher yet, but I knocked a gallon of reddish wow up this morning, it consisted of:
1 Litre Red Grape Juice
1 Litre Blackcurrant Juice
90ml of concentrated Ribena Juice
800g Sugar
Mug of very strong black tea
1 tsp Pectolase
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 tsp Youngs General Purpose yeast
5ml of Glycerine
Gave it a damn good shake and its bubbling away like a steam train..., must say it is a very dark red colour too...
No idea what the total sugar content of any of my brews are, but I know it gets me and Mrs R very pi$$ed..
Cheers everyone :

 

[klaus]

The red is now topped up right to the neck of the DJ and fermentation is still going at a steady rate. No special provision for temp, I guess it's between 15 at night and 20 during the day with radiator about a couple of meters away.

UDATE 14 Jan:
Fermentation was snails pace now, gravity reading 0.994 so this is pretty much done. Tastes strong! Against the light looks like a dark rose?? So stabiliser and 1 CT added. First rack in a few days - hopfully will remember to take a photo.

 

[bobsbeer]

Klaus, you will at best a get a deep rose using juice even with CGJ. The addition of blueberry juice into the mix also helps as that adds a bit of blue which enhances the deep colour. Easier to do on a 25lt brew than 5lt as you can add the whole carton. But in my opinion if you really want the deeper colour then you will have to resort to a mid to high end kits. And by the time you add up the cost of adding CGJ you have nearly spent what a reasonable kit would cost.

 

[klaus]

Thanks Bob, for your comments. I will see how this turns out. Certainly creating a good red is more difficult than the WOW, which matures to an amazing quality. Everyone seems to like that one. I have been looking at the top quality kits for reds and even at about £50 for a 5 gallon kit might be worth to lay down a stock.
Tonight I will rack for the first time.

 

[alanwh]

1 tin of youngs cabernet sauv. about £8 (includes finings and high alc. yeast)
4L red grape Juice with a sugar content around 150g/L (Asda or Morrisons best) £1.40/L can't remember the O/G but comes out around 14%
Clears very quick in my cold garage without finings, can be ready to drink in 6 weeks from start, much better for leaving a further 2 months.
Makes a very nice full bodied deep red "jammy" wine.
I've got one bubbling at the mo. without the youngs with the addition of a tin of golden syrup as I wanted to see what effect the 750ml of the Youngs concentrate makes, plus having the added bonus of making a very decent red (I hope) for well under £1.50/bottle.

 

[bobsbeer]

It may well be very nice but I would be doubtful you will have a red. The concentrate is needed to give you the deep red colour. I have tried Richards red and it produces a very nice wine, but the cost is similar to medium kits. I think a full-bodied red from supermarket juice is a bit like looking for the philosophers’ stone. But good luck with your quest. :thumb:

 

[alanwh]

If I get a lighter Temparanillo style red I will be very happy, but it is an experiment and I have my doubts too, but thats what makes this all soo much fun