Can the fruit juices made from concentrate that the big chain supermarkets sell be used to make wine?

Question

It would certainly be a lot easier than juice pressing not to mention cheaper

Answer 1

Yup, no problem.

It is all about the sugar. As long as the yeast can eat sugar and does not contaminate it environment to much it will produce alcohol...

... btw you know that alcohol is yeast urine right?

When you want it to taste good, use very ripe, fresh fruit. Don't mind if it is brown (cut those parts away) is should be very very ripe. Ask your 'fruit-dealer' for left overs. Usually they throw out overripe stuff that is ideal for making wine.

That is your best shot at making drinkable wine for almost nothing.

Answer 2

You can make really good wine with any fruit, parsnips, rhubarb, rose hips, beets, or dandelion flowers---- as long as you observe the rule of thumb that you don't use more than about 2 lbs of fruit per gallon if you want wine that CAN, if made properly, pass for good grape wine. If you want FRUIT flavoured wine, use a whole LOT more fruit smashed down into juice or added to sufficient water.

Concentrated juices CAN be used, in fact some of the wine-making stores sell grape concentrates, however they will NOT have some of the additives that are in 'supermarket' type concentrate 'drink' juices. Remember, it's the sugar that is converted to alcohol, NOT the 'flavour'. You can make alcohol using only sugar, water and yeast.

You get out of it what you put INTO it. Put RIPE fruit, but not SPOILED fruit, into your recipe, and maintain absolutely high standards of cleanliness, control of sugar levels to get the best product.

Answer 3

Yes, as long as it is juice not squash. Any juice that contains preservative must be simmered gently for 10 mins to drive off the preservative. Use about 1 pint of mixed juice per gallon, and about 2 - 2 1/2 lb sugar. Use pectic enzyme before adding the yeast. Add tannin with some tea, and acid as lemon juice.
Blackcurrant concentrate is good to add body, colour and flavour to red wine. Grape juice improves any fruit wine as does blending juices - try orange and pineapple. Its miles better than any of the cheap plonk you pay up to £3 a bottle for, if you make it properly and get the blend and acid/tannin balance right.

Answer 4

Easier, but nowhere near as good -- take a look at the ingredients list on those concentrated juices. Most of them are fortified with a LOT of high fructose corn syrup, and don't have as much real juice as the real thing. In a pinch, fruit concentrates will work, but if you want something you'd actually want to drink, go for real fruit. You'll thank yourself when the final product is ready.

Answer 5

Yes they can but you don't get the flavour you get from fresh fruit. In fact, I have tried a grapefruit wine and it was pretty nasty!

You might try the fresh pressed juices, though (not concentrates), if you can find them. Boots (in UK) used to sell fruit concentrates for making wine and the grape ones were passable.

Answer 6

It takes a lot of juice to make a bit of wine, and even the crap wine in Franzia starts off with better juices than the supermarket stuff.

Answer 7

You can find frozen fruit juice concentrate in the freezer section at your grocery store. The most common types seem to be orange, apple, and grape juice. They also carry frozen juice blends, punch (it's only part juice and contains added sugars or corn syrup), lemonade, limeade, etc. Sometimes you can find canned concentrate in the juice aisle, you just have to look for it. The brand at my local grocery store is Juicy Juice and they carry lots of different flavors (strawberry kiwi, cherry, orange tangerine, etc.) It's pretty nifty!

Answer 8

Yes - very successfully. I've made wine from the Prune Juice you can buy in supermarkets and it tasted very similar to port/sherry!

Answer 9

I imagine so because if you leave fruit juice in the warm for a few days it will start to ferment on its own. Why not try it?If it works ... Bingo! If it doesn't - no problem, is it?

RobM.

Answer 10

the concentrated juices tend to have preservatives in them...dont think it would make good wine.