Frequently asked questions about frozen grapes

[ToulouseLePlot]

Here is my attempt at answering any questions you may have about your frozen grapes.
If you think of a question I have not answered you are probably not alone - please email me .

How many bottles does it make?
I thought I would start with the tough one first :-) We sell frozen grapes as ingredients, not as a kit.
Different people make different wine from different grapes in different ways using different methods.
All of which will affect the final volume. There are many variables...
• What's the recipe?
• What method are using?
• Are you adding things ?
• Are you diluting it?
• How efficient is your press?
• How good is your racking?
• How often are you racking?
• What variety are you having?
• Are you doing second runs?
• Malolactic possibly also Oaking?

… the list just keeps going. It's a bit like buying a bag of flour and asking how many cakes will it make.
BUT..as a guide (and it is just that ) expect between 25 to 30 bottles from one drum of frozen grapes.

How do you freeze them?
The grapes are frozen very very slowly to form larger ice crystals, this means they will thaw much more slowly and will help break down the fruit in the process. By freezing this way you may be able to see layers or concentrations where the frozen fruit has become separated into pure water, acid and sugar.

How do I thaw it?
Leave it at room temperature and probably put it on a tray or towel. The drum will codensate. In fact to be fair it was probably running in water when it arrived and the courier called you some very rude names for ordering it in the first place.
Give it a shake, open it give it a stir, the more you move it about the faster it will thaw. It could take as long as two days. You are really aiming for a temperature of 20° C.

Now what do I do with it?
Once you think it has reached temperature pour it into your fermenter. Give it a good shake and make sure you get it all out. I mentioned earlier that you may easily get layers of water and syrup and possibly even cream of tartar. Get it all and mix it all back together. I have known people cut the lid off the drum to get at absolutely everything.
TIP: Some people insert their siphon tube all the way to the bottom of the drum, before tipping it up. This helps let the air in and also you can blow gently into it to get things moving.
I am sure some people will want to test for SO2, PH and total acidity. These are all covered in very good winemaking books and articles on websites but it is down to taste. The taste that is important is yours. I cannot get into that complex area here. But do not add any more sulphite pre-fermentation (that also includes Campden tablets)

What else do I need?
The minimum requirement now is for some yeast. We sell the grapes as ingredients not a kit, because we believe winemakers want to experiment with their own recipes and ideas. How many times do you see somebody discussing how they are going to 'tweak' a wine kit !!
Amazon do good books on the subject and I am happy to make individual recommendations please email me.

Does it need to be sulphited?
Absolutely not - Do not add any sulphite prior to fermentation. It has already had the correct amount and is ready to go. Please do not use Campden tablets with this product prior to fermentation.

Can I add sugar to it?
I recommend none at all, but you can add as much or as little sugar to it as you like. Use a hydrometer to measure the effects of sugar additions. Make sure you have mixed all of the juice back together thoroughly and then take a sample (juice only) in your hydrometer jar. Remember if you are adding sugar you probably want to add acid as well. Again this is a bigger subject than I can deal with here.

Pressing white grapes ?
Occasionally we do have white grapes listed, you have the choice to press them or not. Some of our traditional customers do not press white grapes until after fermentation. Some prefer to use a full reductive method. There is a recent movement for allowing skin contact for 2 to 3 days which is said to add complexity and a depth to the finished wine.

Do I put yeast in?
Yes. It is recommended that you use a commercial yeast. I have tried my best to suppress all of the wild yeast by freezing and sulphiting, to get this product to you in the best possible condition.

Can I refreeze it?
Yes. We have all been told by the food industry you cannot refreeze stuff. The result is a complete paranoia by the entire population to refreeze anything. There is a reason for this myth, but it is not to do with food hygiene or it going off. It is about the manufacturers guaranteeing the quality of their product when it lands on your plate.
If you're still with me, this is the boring bit. The safest two foods on the planet are pickles (high in acidity) and jam (high in sugar content). You can probably guess where this is going ....
The drums of grape juice are high in acidity typically 3.4 pH and also typically 25% sugar. This is not a nice environment for microbiological activity, quite frankly the little fellow's don't want to know. Furthermore before it was frozen it was sulphited it to 50 ppm
So 'Yes' you can refreeze.

I expected it to be solid - why have I got a slush puppy ?
Because it was not solid when it left me, is the short answer. The objective in freezing, was not to get it to a solid-state, but get it to a temperature controlled state with large ice crystals formation. I mentioned earlier that grape juice are high in acidity typically 3.4 pH and also typically 25% sugar. So the goal is to keep the grapes well under fermentation temperature. Add to that, a lot of the initial wild yeast will have been suppressed by the sulphite addition prior to freezing.

Can I boil it?
No. Let it thaw gently at room temperature. It will give you just the right amount of time to make your yeast starter.

But what about ...?
If I have not answered your questions here, please contact me at hello@wine-grapes.co.uk and I will be more than happy to help you in any way I can. I would like you to have a wonderful glass of red wine in a few months time that came from these grapes!

Finally a word of thanks go to the food industry chemist who has advised me on the handling and management of this product. You know who you are thank you again !!

To finf out more visit www.wine-grapes.co.uk

[ToulouseLePlot]

Not on tapatalk you can't.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[fatbloke]

Well its ok on my phone but I deleted tapatalk some time ago, as it was a pile of pooh....

[lockwood1956]

Great stuff Brian

Well done old bean