Pear wine

I just started a 5 gallon batch of pear wine.
My question is how long should I wait before racking for the first time?
I didn't cook them, I used fresh pears from the backyard, I cut them up with a knife.
I didn't blend them up.
Some recipes say 5 to 7 days.
It has been about 7 days, but the pears are still firm to hard I don't feel it's been long enough... Hoping someone can help me out..

60 days
Some YouTube videos say 50 to 60 days.
I guess that what I'll do...

I leave my wines on the fruit for the first 5-7 days. But by then, it's pretty mushy and used up. Have you been stirring/smashing the fruit at least once or twice a day? Is the fruit in a bag, or loose?

You do NOT want to go 60 days!!!!!!

Yes I am stiring once a day. In the afternoon. And it's loose not in a bag. It's still bubbling pretty good.

Stelmica said:

Yes I am stiring once a day. In the afternoon

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I'm surprised the pears are still hard. Where they totally ripe when you smashed them up?

You could try adding a teaspoon of pectic enzyme per gallon of wine to help break them up a bit.

They were really fresh pear that we pick from the tree, you're right they probly weren't completely ripe. I start the batch 3 day after I picked them. I did use some pectic enzyme, I can add more if you think it will help..

Stelmica said:

They were really fresh pear that we pick from the tree, you're right they probly weren't completely ripe. I start the batch 3 day after I picked them. I did use some pectic enzyme, I can add more if you think it will help..

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If they weren't quite ripe, that would explain why they are so hard. I'd probably still try to smash them up when I stirred, so that you can get the pear flavor out of them. Some more pectic enzyme might help.

I'd pull the pears by the time fermentation slows down a bit. Either at an SG of 1.020 if you're using a hydrometer or when the bubbles slow. Then rack to a new carboy, top up and airlock it and see what happens.

Thanks I'll try that I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks again

For future batches you may want to consider freezing them whole and thawing before you brew with them. The freezing breaks the cell walls and allow the most flavor and juices to come out.

I picked 70 lbs of pears from the friend's two trees. They were in the three pails in the garage for about a week. Then I could only process one pail per evening: I cored them and grated with a food processor. I added Campbden tablets and pectic enzyme and stirred the mixture thoroughly. After couple more days I pressed the juice - I got about 6 gallons of pure pear juice with 1.050 S.G.. I did not add any water, just sugar to S.G. 1.085, 2 tsp of acid blend, yeast nutrient and Cote des Blancs yeasts. It's been fermenting for a week. It is a new experience for me, I never made a wine from pure pear juice, in the past is was always diluted.

Alot of pears don't completely ripen until you let them sit for 2 weeks to a month.

I started some pear wine a while back. When I put the pears in the fermenter they where cut into about 1 inch pieces and hard as a rock
When I took them out 6 days later they were very soft.
But I was scared to mash them too much for the wine may not clear for a long time.

i have 2 batches of pear wine going, one 5 gal. from raw pears peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4" thick, some were pretty hard, some nice and ripe.

started 9/20
sg 1.090
pears 40 lbs
peelings 1 lb
pectic enzyme
camden tabs

racked 10/1
sg 1.025
pulp was about 50/50 mush & slices, the slices were medium soft.

plan to rack again the first of the month, not happy with the flavor tastes like you were chewing on the stem.

the second batch is 2 gal of juice left over from canning pears.
same as above peeled, cored, & sliced 1/4 " thick.
citric acid added (fruit fresh) to prevent browning.
covered with H2O, boiled untill tender, then caned the pears and used leftover juice to make the second batch.

started 9/23
sg 1/090
juice 6 liters
water to 2 gal
petic enzyme (for pectin hayze)

racked 10/1
sg 1.050

still fermenting
good pear flavor.

next year i think i will cook all my pears, i don't plan on any compations so a little pectin haze dosen't bother me, and the better flavor is what i want.

jim

the mush in the 5 gal batch settled out in a couple weeks, and is clearing now.

Has anyone made a pear wine and squeeze the fruit after it fermented in the primary? I've got one going right now and the directions say not to squeeze it due to pectin haze but I really wanna get all the fruity goodness out.....

Well I bottled my pear wine today and for my first try at make pear wine it came out pretty dam good and clear. Came out with 28 bottles.

And yes I squeezed my pears after fermination was complete. Than after several week I added kieselsol clearing agent. A few weeks later racked and filtered than one week later bottled.
I also add two table spoons of conditioner to each bottle for sweetness add more it you like.

im glad to hear its clear!

Now whats it taste like??

I squeezed them after ferment but did not use a clearing agent (other than pectic enz in the primary). I just let it age and I racked as necessary. I don't have my notes handy, but 7 months before bottling sounds right. It finished crystal clear and tastes great even being young. Can't wait for a year of maturing.

Just picked 70 lbs of pears today. Canned 10 quarts in light syrup and planning on making sauce tomorrow. I think I may get some more and give pear wine a chance.

Whats with all the coring and peeling going on for pears and apples? No need to do all this extra work. As has been mentioned if you dont have a proper scrater you can freeze and squish them up whole after they thaw. If you can crush and press use 100% juice for a much better result, except of course if you are using straight up harsh crab apples or the "crab" pears. WVMJ

I've got a pear wine going now. Just transferred to the secondary. I got the bigger pieces out, but a lot of "mush" came through my straining bag. Is this bad? I was thinking it would fall out after the fermentation stops giving it any buoyancy, and I could rack it off then.

Mush is good that's where the flavor is. Don't worry. Let your yeast do their job. My pear wine from last year got raves this year. You will be able to rack and get a clear result. Have patience. It's nice to have a cold crash of the batch during the winter. Everything will clear. Give it time because time is on your side.

Starting six gallons of Bartlett Pear wine today. Got at least 38 lbs. of pears in this batch. Going to let the ICV-D47 do its best. If I can score another 40 lbs. of pears, I'll be starting a second six gallon batch in a week or so. It's hard to make larger quantities of wine and mead in a one bedroom loft apartment but we will see how it goes. The desire is still there.

The space challenged winemaker, how I remember those days, stuck in a townhouse newly married, just got started in making wine, water companies were just swithing from glass carboy to plastic, I could get 5 gallon glass carboys for $5, problem was convincing the new bride this was a good idea for 2 people just starting out on limited funds and space. We put carboys in the hallway, they sung to us at night, we put them in the living room corners, wine rack in excersise room was handy, pump a little iron, grab a bottle on the way out. When you have limited space you get imaginative. Forget storing wine laying down, that takes up way more room than having them stand up with the right closures, keep your carboys full that way you dont have to find a place to store the empty ones WVMJ

buzzerj said:

Starting six gallons of Bartlett Pear wine today. Got at least 38 lbs. of pears in this batch. Going to let the ICV-D47 do its best. If I can score another 40 lbs. of pears, I'll be starting a second six gallon batch in a week or so. It's hard to make larger quantities of wine and mead in a one bedroom loft apartment but we will see how it goes. The desire is still there.

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