The wine that is made out of muscadine grapes is a very popular variety across the country. This article take you through some lovely homemade muscadine wine recipes, which are sure to leave you in a state of bliss.
Muscadine is a species of grapes, which are native to the south eastern region of United States of America. The warm and humid climate is favorable for their growth. The color of the grapes ranges from bronze to dark purple to black, when they have ripened completely. They are also found in the wild.
These grapes can be eaten fresh, as they are also used to make wine. This wine has been made since the 16th century. The specialty of this type is that it has a sweet taste to it. Although it is often made commercially, there are many recipes, which can be used to make it at home.The best season for muscadine wine making is late summer and early fall. You can make hearty wines using simple recipes. There are various places from where the grapes can be procured.
Recipe # 1
This recipe is not complicated and can easily be made at home without the use of any special equipment.
Ingredients
- Muscadine grapes, 5 pounds
- Honey, 2 ½ pounds
- Champagne wine yeast, 1 packet
- Water
Method
- In a large pot crush grapes using a potato masher.
- Place the pot on heat and let is simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Again using the potato masher press the juice out of the grapes as they simmer.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add honey to it, mix till the grape juice is cool.
- Pour out the mixture into a jar.
- Add water to the jar, till it is three quarters full.
- Add yeast to the mixture and stir well, so that the yeast is well mixed.
- Now airlock the top of jar.
- Place the jar in a cool and dry place for about 35 to 45 days so that the wine ferments.
- Now pour the wine into bottles, seal them and let them ferment for another month.
Recipe # 2
This recipe differs a lot from the previous one, you can try out both of them to decide which of them is your favorite.
Ingredients
- Muscadine grapes, 15 pounds
- Red wine yeast, 1 packet
- Sugar, 2 pounds per gallon of juice
Method
- Mash the grapes to extract the juice. This is an important step in wine making. Some recipes recommend crushing the grapes in the juicer. You can decide on the method of extracting the juice for yourself.
- After extracting the juice from the grapes, measure the juice to ascertain the amount of sugar required.
- Add the appropriate amount of sugar and mix well so that sugar dissolves in the juice.
- Now add yeast to the juice and sugar mixture and mix well.
- Pour the mixture in an air tight container.
- Keep the container in a dark, cool and dry place for about 4 to 5 weeks, so that the fermentation process takes place.
- When the fermentation process is completed, you can siphon off the wine and rebottle it.
Using these hints, you can further personalize the homemade muscadine wine recipes for your taste. Remember the fermentation process along with juice extractions are very important steps. Once that has been mastered, you can make wine from different fruits as well.
