Originally Posted by RefrusRevlis 
The idea that unfermented grape juice would not be available all year round is incorrect. One ancient method of preserving grape juice was to boil it until it reduced down. Having a higher percentage of sugar meant that it kept for a long time.
Refrus
Actually that would have the exact opposite effect. The high concentration of sugar would make the yeast spread faster and make the syrupy liquid much, much, much more alcoholic. Yeast feeds on sugar (that's why bread baking involves sugar or honey so the yeast will spread through the dough). The more sugar the faster the yeast spreads and the more alcoholic it's going to be. That's why when you make Mead (wine made from honey) dry meads have much less honey in the mixture and have a lower alcohol content (9-11%) Whereas the heavier and more robust meads use 2 or sometimes 3 times as much honey and have anywhere between 15-21% alcohol content. The general rule of thumb is, the more sugar it has and the longer it's allowed to ferment the more alcoholic it's going to be. So something like what you described thats almost pure sugar and is allowed to sit and ferment for 6 months is going to be the equivalent of hard liquer, which is quite a bit beyond wine.
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