Home winemakers: What's your winemaking plans for this fall?

Dan, I may take a trip to the FLs in October to score some Vignoles. Maybe we can hook up and maybe I can talk PaulB into joining us. Back to top

I'd be delighted! We could make a day of it. The two big juice plants in the Finger Lakes are Fall Bright and Fulkerson. Both are about 135 miles from North Tonawanda. Fall Bright will have Vignoles beginning Sept. 30 - $11.95/gallon. Fulkerson will have it Oct. 5 - 8 at $8.25/gal. Another possibility is Presque Isle, only 90 miles from you. Their catalog isn't out yet. It's a long haul from Syracuse, but I usually do make a trip there. I'll let you know what they have to say about Vignoles when the catalog arrives.

The only time I couldn't do it would be Columbus Day weekend.

Ernie, how much wine will 100 lbs of grapes make? Or, does that vary by grape?

Hi Bob,
Here’s a formula to calculate a rough estimate of the amount of must, and yes it does depend upon grape variety and what ripeness level they are at.
Wt of grapes (in Lbs) X .09 = approximate volume of must in gals
Never take this number to heart especially when making adjustments to your must!

Salute

Victorwine's formula works for reds, but one get less yield for whites, as they are much harder to press. 100 lbs. = about 2 bushels of grapes. I can usually expect about 6.5 to 7 gallons of white from this. Another range I've read is 130 to 200 gallons per ton. Yes, Bob, it varies with the variety and time of skin contact (the longer the easier the press).

After plowing through the various catalogs I’ve finally come up with my juice orders for this year. Thought they might be of interest to some home winemakers in the area. The names and addresses of the juice plants are indicated below, as well as their web sites where prices and pick-up dates are posted. Those interested in Reds might note that Presque Isle allows use of their crusher-stemmer and press free of charge. They also have "young wines" that are already fermented on the skins.

Diamond and Delaware

Fulkerson
http://www.fulkersonwinery.com/juicepla ... rices.html
West side of Seneca Lake on State Route 14,
26miles south of Geneva; 9 miles north of Watkins Glen.
(607) 243-7883

Catawba and Riesling

Fall Bright
http://www.fallbright.com/price_list2006.htm
10110 Hyatt Hill, Dundee, NY 14837
607-292-3995


Dutchess, Cayuga, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Steuben, and Traminette

Presque Isle
http://www.piwine.com/juice.html
US RT 20, 3.5 miles west of North East, PA and 3.5 miles east of Harborcreek (12 miles east of Erie).
(814) 725-1314


I’m still open to that Vignoles trip too Howie.

For me, it varies by grape. I typically get a little more than a carboy--2 cases plus a couple of bottles--of finished wine per 100 lbs. The grenache gives quite a bit more, maybe 2 carboys for the 150 pounds. Varietals with tiny berries and thick skins, like petite sirah, sometimes don't even fill up a full carboy.

Meanwhile, the pinot grower's crop was devastated by fungus, so I'm substituting a hundred pounds of Brehm "Swan clone". Took me years to feel ready to tackle pinot, but once you've got the bug you can't stop.

Well, no wine making here, but I hope to make some batches of cider again.

Cheers, Anders