Wine from foraged Grapes

[Pezza24]

I've recently come across a grape vine on my Allotment site that's on common land and has basically taken over a Tree and filled it with Red Grapes.

Ever since I've been toying with the idea of trying to make some wine out of the grapes. I have no idea what type they are apart from them being a deep.red colour. Another plot holder tells me an Italian chap had put the vines in years ago for wine making purposes but they aren't about anymore.

Does anyone have any experience making homemade wine from your own pressed grapes. I don't have a clue where to start.
I have dabbled with homebrew beer in the past but sold all my kit during a house move so will be starting from scratch.

 

[Mr_S_Jerusalem]

No experience with grapes (which is actually nuts because we have a massive grape vine in our garden lol)

But, I can suggest you taste one (ripe obviously) to see if you like it before you decide what to do

 

[Pezza24]

They were a bit sour roughly two weeks ago and I was hoping they had sweetened up a bit by now.

 

[chthon]

Yes, this year the third time. I got a nice way of working from the Flemish homebrew forum.

Things to find/lend/buy:

• Sodium metabisulfite
• Citric acid
• Big buckets
• Hydrometer
• Pectinase enzyme
• Wine yeast
• Yeast nutrition salts (not the same as beer yeast nutrition)
• A fruit press
• Fermenter

In general, rinse all the tools you need in a solution of 1g/l metabisulfite and water.

• Rinse the grapes in a solution of 1g/l of metabisulfite and 0.5g/l citric acid
• Remove the grapes from the stalks in a big bucket (preferably with volume indication)
• Squash or crush the grapes. I do this with my hands.
• Then add metabisulfite in a ration of 0.04g/l. I use a kitchen precision scale for this.
• Add pectinase enzyme according to instructions
• Leave for 24 hours
• Press the grapes and collect the juice. Again add 0.04g/l of metabisulfite
• Leave the juice for 24hours so that the lees can settle
• Rack the juice into your fermenter
• Measure the gravity of your juice, check a calculator to see at which ABV your wine will end, I always need to add extra sugar to get an ABV of 10.5%. Calculators enough on the internet for this.
• Add the yeast and nutrition salts according to instructions
• When fermentation is done, rack into a DJ, again with 0.04g/ml of metabisulfite. Try to keep headspace to a minimum. Let it stand for a couple of months in a cool place until it clears. Tannins in the wine will crystallise and drop out. I bottled my wine in April.

I bought a small press this year:
View attachment 33556

If you brew beer, then work in the same hygienic way as you do for beer.

I am currently fermenting 8 litre of grapejuice, a blend of Melon de Bourgogne, Boskoop and Chasselas.

This worked for me. I haven't had any problems with wine that was too sour, or not sour enough. I suppose I was lucky.