Niagara grapes are a variety of the native North American grape species, Vitis labrusca. Niagara is a fruity grape with a slight Labrusca foxiness that lends itself to a sweet or slightly-sweet wine. It does not age well, so make it, drink it and make some more. To retain more than one year, add 1/4 teaspoon tannin to must prior to pitching yeast. The following recipe makes one gallon.
Destem and crush grapes. Stir pectic enzyme into crush, cover, and let sit 2-4 hours. Press grapes and put juice in primary. Crush, dissolve and stir one Campden tablet and yeast nutrient into juice, cover and let sit additional 6 hours or overnight. Adjust acidity and sugar if required and stir in activated yeast. Re-cover and set in cool place (65° F.) to ferment. When specific gravity drops to or below 1.015, stir the lees, pour into secondary and fit airlock. Store carboy in cool place. At 4 weeks, rack, sulfite (1 crushed and dissolved Campden tablet), top up, reattach airlock, and return to cool place. Repeat racking every 4 weeks until wine clears, fining after 3rd racking if necessary. When wine clears, filter if deemed necessary. Stabilize, sweeten if required and set aside for 2 additional weeks to ensure wine does not referment. Rack into bottles and allow to rest 3 months before tasting. [Author's own recipe]
My thanks to Steve Mageski, location unknown, for this request.
