How to Make Sauvignon Blanc Grape Jam (With Wine Country Grapes)

A no-sugar-added grape jam made from fresh white wine grapes — sweet, tart, and pure wine country magic.

BY Loni Stark 09.04.2008 Modified date: 07.25.2025

Organic Sauvignon Blanc grapes from Petroni Vineyards in a colorful ceramic bowl. — Fresh-picked organic Sauvignon Blanc grapes from Petroni Vineyards — perfect for a wine country jam.

In my last post on our visit to Petroni Vineyards winemaker’s lunch event, I noted that I left with a large bunch of Sauvignon Blanc grapes which Drinda Petroni packed in a pretty paper bag.

Clint and I enjoyed eating quite a few of them each time we passed our kitchen island. However, with a couple days passing and the heat wave in the Bay Area, the poor grapes weren’t going to last much longer. I decided I needed to make them into something special. I searched on the web and didn’t find many recipes that call for grapes; not that grapes need additional redeeming qualities beyond their ability to make great wines.

I finally settled on a grape jam recipe and substituted “Concord” grapes with our beautiful Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Quite the wine country twist to a classic jam recipe…delicious!

1. Wash and Prep the Sauvignon Blanc Grapes

Alt text: Washed Sauvignon Blanc grapes in a stainless steel mixing bowl, ready for homemade jam. — Washed white wine grapes ready for the jam-making process.

I removed the stems from the grapes to get them ready for extracting the juice from the grapes.

2. Crush the Grapes to Extract the Juice

Crushed white grapes being poured into a strainer to extract juice — Pouring crushed Sauvignon Blanc grapes into a strainer to separate the juice.

I used my pestle to essentially “stomp” the grapes to perform an initial extraction of the grape juice. I used a sieve to strain the results of my effort.

3. Strain Out the Skins and Seeds

Grape pulp and seeds in a strainer after pressing — Extracting the final bits of juice by pressing the grape pulp and skins.

I continued to extract all the juice from the grapes, pushing the juice through the strainer.

4. Measure the Juice and Add Fresh Lemon

Empty fig jam jar to be reused for homemade jam — An Italian fig jam jar gets a second life as a container for white grape jam.

I had just finished a jar of fig jam (which was delicious…partially because it reminded me of my trip to Rome) that I purchased from a grocery store in Rome, Italy.

Decided to use the empty jar for the Sauvignon Blanc grape jam. Make sure whatever jars you use, to boil them in water to sterilize them before pouring the finished jam product into the jar(s).

5. Simmer and Set with Natural Pectin or Gelatin

Loni Stark pressing grape pulp with a pestle in a strainer — Pressing the grapes by hand — a rustic wine country jam-making technique.

Clint and I discovered a new feature of our digital camera – this is the result of our experiment. Notice the accent of the color of the grapes against a black & white backdrop.

6. Sterilize and Fill Your Jars

Green grape juice in a measuring cup on kitchen counter — About 1½ cups of Sauvignon Blanc juice — just enough for a small batch.

The recipe I used called for 1 1/2 cups of grape juice, which is exactly how much I was able to extract from the grapes. How serendipitous!

Two lemons beside a cup of fresh lemon juice — Homegrown lemons and fresh juice added acidity to balance the jam.

The recipe also called for a teaspoon of lemon juice which I extracted from lemons grown on our front porch. It also required half a cup of cold water with 2 teaspoons of gelatin.

I skipped the sugar substitute called for in the recipe because I thought the grapes were sweet enough and I wanted their true character to shine. I was happy with this decision.