Fruit Wine Recipes For the Home
Making wine at home may seem like a tradition best left to those who still remember when prohibition forced them to take part in it. However, more and more people are finding that wine made straight from the fruits they have grown in their garden or picked up at a local market can be both cost efficient and full of new, fun, fresh flavors. Below is a chart with some pretty basic recipes for making wine at home using some pretty common fruit as well as a few select specialty ingredients that can be purchased online by responsible adults (which we must insist are who the recipes are truly intended for.)
|
FRUIT WINE
ONE GALLON RECIPES
| FRUIT |
AMOUNT |
SUGAR |
WATER |
YEAST NUTRIENT |
ACID |
TANNIN |
PECTIC ENZYME |
CAMPDEN TABLETS |
SPECIAL |
AGING |
| Apple |
15# or 1gallon juice |
1# |
4 pts |
1 tsp. nutrient |
1 1/2 tsp. (acid blend) |
1/4 tsp. |
yes |
1 |
1 tsp. ascorbic acid (vita. C) after 4 weeks |
1 yr. |
| Apple (spiced) |
8 # or 2 qt. juice 1; 1/2 cup raisins; 3/4 oz cloves; 1/2 oz mashed ginger root |
2 1/2 # |
4 pts |
1/2 tsp. nutrient |
1 tsp. (acid blend) |
1/4 tsp. |
yes |
1 |
1 tsp. ascorbic acid (vita. C) after 4 weeks |
1 yr. |
| Apricot |
2 1/2 # apricots (or peaches) |
2# |
7 pts |
1/2 tsp. nutrient |
1 1/2 tsp. (acid blend) |
1/4 tsp. |
yes |
1 |
|
6 months |
| Banana |
3# fresh banana or 8 oz. dried (boiled 30 min.-throw pulp away); 1 1/2 cup raisins |
2 1/4# |
7 pts |
1 tsp. nutrient |
3 tsp. (acid blend) |
1/4 tsp. |
none |
none |
|
6 months |
| Blackberry |
4# Blackberries |
2 1/4# |
7 pts |
1 tsp. nutrient |
1/2 tsp. (acid blend) |
none |
yes |
1 |
|
6 months |
| FRUIT |
AMOUNT |
SUGAR |
WATER |
YEAST NUTRIENT |
ACID |
TANNIN |
PECTIC ENZYME |
CAMPDEN TABLETS |
SPECIAL |
AGING |
| Blueberry |
2# blueberry; 1# raisins |
2# |
7 pts |
1/2 tsp. |
1 1/2 tsp. (acid blend) |
none |
yes |
1 |
add 1/2 tsp. stabilizer |
6 months |
| Cherry |
6# cherries |
2 3/4# |
7 pts |
1 tsp. |
2 tsp. (acid blend) |
1/4 tsp. |
yes |
1 |
|
6 months |
| Cranberry |
3 # cranberries; 1# raisins |
1 3/4# |
2 qt. |
1 tsp. |
1 tsp. (acid blend) |
none |
yes |
1 |
|
6 months |
| Elderberry (fresh) |
3# elderberries |
2 1/4# |
7 pts |
1 tsp. |
1 tsp. (acid blend) |
none |
none |
1 |
1/4 oz oak chips per gallon for that "aged-in-oak" flavor |
6 months |
| Elderberry (dried) |
5 oz dried elderberries; 1# raisins |
2 1/4# |
1 gallon |
1 tsp. nutrient |
1 1/2 tsp. (acid blend) |
none |
yes |
1 |
1/4 oz oak chips per gallon for that "aged-in-oak" flavor |
6 months |
| FRUIT |
AMOUNT |
SUGAR |
WATER |
YEAST NUTRIENT |
ACID |
TANNIN |
PECTIC ENZYME |
CAMPDEN TABLETS |
SPECIAL |
AGING |
| Gooseberry |
2 1/2# gooseberries |
2 1/4# |
7 pts |
1 tsp. nutrient |
none |
none |
if needed |
1 |
|
6 months |
| Wild Grapes |
6# wild grapes |
2# |
6 pts |
1 tsp. nutrient |
none |
none |
yes |
1 |
|
6 months |
| Peaches |
2 1/2 # |
2# |
7 pts. |
1 tsp. |
1 1/2 tsp. (acid blend) |
1/4 tsp. |
yes |
1 |
|
6 months |
| Plums |
3# |
2 1/2 # |
7 pts. |
1/2 tsp. |
1 1/2 tsp. (acid blend) |
1/4 tsp. |
yes |
1 |
|
6 m - 1yr. |
| Pineapple |
3 pts pineapple juice unsweetened |
2# |
5 pts |
none |
1/2 tsp. |
1/4 tsp. |
yes |
1 |
preferable as a semi-sweet wine |
6 m - 1yr. |
| Raspberry |
2 1/2 - 3# |
2 # |
7 pts. |
1 tsp. |
1/2 tsp. (acid blend) |
1/4 tsp. |
yes |
1 |
|
6 m - 1yr. |
| Watermelon |
2 qt. watermelon juice |
1 1/2# |
2 qt. |
1 tsp. |
2 1/2 tsp. (acid blend) |
1/8 tsp. |
none |
1 |
this wine is yellow in color, not red. |
6 months |
|
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
- Wash Fruit, remove stones and bruised parts.
- Weigh and measure fruit.
- Chop, smash, or crush fruit and strain into primary fermentor.
- Keep all pulp in straining bag, tie and put into fermentor.
- Stir in all other ingredients except for yeast.
- Acid pH Should be about 3.0-3.4; add more yeast to lower pH if needed.
- Cover primary with a clean cloth to allow campden tablet SO2 to evaporate.
- 24 hours after campden tablet addition, rehydrate yeast in warm water for 5 minutes and put into fermentor.
- Put cover on fermentor.
- Stir daily and agitate pulp bag.
- After 5 days, remove pulp bag (straining lightly) and siphon wine off sediment and into glass secondary.
- Top off to neck of fermentor with water.
- Attach Airlock
- After fermentation (about 3 weeks and a specific gravity of 1.000) siphon off sediment and into clean glass secondary and top off with water to minimize head space.
- Siphon again in about 2 months and top off.
- If a sweeter wine is desired, add potassium sorbate and sweeten to taste.
- Soak corks in campden tablet water for 24 hours and bottle
