Right. I see you treat recipes as I do
OK - here's the reasoning. Grape juice is fermented as is to make wine so, strictly speaking, 3-4 pints of grape juice wil make 3-4 pints of wine. However, as your grapes weren't grown in the Med, we can assume a fairly low sugar content. A decent plum wine needs around 4 lbs of fruit per gallon, so you have a half-gallon's worth in there. All in all, then, it looks like a gallon of wine. BUT, that sugar level might be a tad high. There was at least some sugar in the grape juice and a fair old bit in the plums, and then you've added another 3-4 lbs of the stuff. If it was 3 lbs, you'll end up with a pretty strong wine. If it was four pounds you'll end up with rocket fuel or a sweet wine.
OPTION 1 You could ferment it as is after adjusting to one gallon with water (although I'd add the juice of a quarter lemon if you didn't add any acid when you made the jelly - but how would you remember?
). You risk the production of an oversweet or overstrong wine.
OPTION 2 Take the whole thing up to two gallons, but you'd need to make some adjustments. At two gallons, the fruit content is too low, so I'd add a litre of supermarket juice (apple would be good, or orange) and another pound or pound and a half of sugar. If you didn't add acid in the original recipe or if you use apple juice, stick in the juice of half a lemon. If you use orange juice, don't bother. Top up to two gallons and ferment as normal. You risk the production of a very light-bodied low-flavour wine.
So, there's a slight risk both ways. On the other hand, if it turns out oversweet and overstrong, simply water it down a little. If it's too light, you can con the mouth by adding a teaspoon of glycerine per gallon. If it's low in flavour, you can add a little cordial to perk it up.
Get brewing, girl, before you forget all about it
Mike
