Help With Pumpkin Wine Recipe

[WinterWarrior]

Howdy!

I'm planning a pumpkin wine using canned pumpkin (I can't even fathom grating 24 pounds of pumpkin meat). Fingers crossed, it will be ready to taste at Halloween or at least Thanksgiving.

What I've come up with so far is a compilation of 2-3 recipes I've found here and around the web.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f45/my-pumpkin-wine-recipe-method-plan-34848/

Incorporating the suggestions from Arpolis from this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/pumpkin-wine-362239/

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques53.asp

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Pumpkin Wine
6 gallons

24 lbs canned pumpkin
6 lbs grated sweet potato
6 gallons water
4 lbs Craisins
9 lbs white sugar
Maybe some molasses -- looking for an appropriate amount
2 T Pumpkin Pie Spice
1.5 tsp tannin powder (was in one recipe and I'm not sure why I need it)
Yeast Nutrient per label
Yeast Energizer per label
Citric Acid per label
3 tsp pectic enzyme
3 t. amalyse enzyme (per Arpolis' suggestion)
1 package Lavlin EC-1118 or KIV-1116 or 71B-1122 or Cote des Blancs


Some questions I thought of:

1. Should I toast/caramelize the canned pumpkin in the oven before adding to the bucket? My inclination is to say, "no" as it's not been mentioned in any Pumpkin Wine recipes I've seen so far. However, it is something that I see discussed for Pumpkin beers.

2. I've never added this much non-liquid "stuff" to a batch of wine before, but I'm assuming I'm going to need something bigger for primary than a 6.5 gallon bucket. How do I calculate what size bucket I'm going to need for primary so that I end up with 6 gallons of wine after I rack off the pumpkin & sweet potato, etc.?

3. The original recipe(s) recommend EC-1118 or KIV-1116 due to the high alcohol content. I was also reading the recommendations from Jack Keller that says that if I want a drier wine that I can also choose Cote de Blanc or 71B-1122. I'm more intent on preserving the pumpkin (and pumpkin spice) flavor rather than the percentage of alcohol and having it ready to at least sample by the holidays. I know that the natural sugars in the pumpkin/sweet potato plus the added sugar is a huge amount, so I need to balance that with making sure the fermentation doesn't stall. Which yeast will retain the flavor best?

4. Does the recipe look tasty? Does anything obvious need to be adjusted?

Would love some advice from those more experienced in these matters!

Thanks

 

[Arpolis]

1) toasting/caramelizing the pumpkin or sweet potato? I never have and think the wine tastes fine. But all that does is change the flavor profile I think so I would not think it would hurt it, just be different.

2) all the recipes as listed go for total volume and I rarely get a full 1, 2, 5... Gallons from my various batches. I just bottle right off the primary usually but that is only because of the yeast I like to use.

3 I first started using London ESB 1968 with pumpkin meads and never went back. It has a fruity profile and is super super flocculant. So the yeast just drags all the sediment out of suspension and makes a very hard and compact lees. It is easy to bottle from primary and have crystal clear mead/wine. Only caveat is that the ABV limit is 9% ish. With stepped nutrient additions you can hit 10% - 11% but that is pushing it for the yeast. So sugar additions may need to be scaled back from those recipes.

 

[WinterWarrior]

1) toasting/caramelizing the pumpkin or sweet potato? I never have and think the wine tastes fine. But all that does is change the flavor profile I think so I would not think it would hurt it, just be different.

Awesome -- I figured as much and asked just to be sure. Saves me a couple of steps and I prefer easy and quick over complicated any day. Especially for my first attempt at this recipe.

2) all the recipes as listed go for total volume and I rarely get a full 1, 2, 5... Gallons from my various batches. I just bottle right off the primary usually but that is only because of the yeast I like to use.

I bottle from primary too but I wasn't sure how to handle a primary that contained this much non-liquid. I've done batches with solids before, but they were always in a muslin bag & easy to remove.

3 I first started using London ESB 1968 with pumpkin meads and never went back. It has a fruity profile and is super super flocculant. So the yeast just drags all the sediment out of suspension and makes a very hard and compact lees. It is easy to bottle from primary and have crystal clear mead/wine. Only caveat is that the ABV limit is 9% ish. With stepped nutrient additions you can hit 10% - 11% but that is pushing it for the yeast. So sugar additions may need to be scaled back from those recipes.

So you are making mead -- don't meads take a long time to ferment out?

How long do you leave your pumpkin meads in primary?

I'm looking for a primary to bottling that is approx. 2 months for Halloween or 3ish months for Thanksgiving (US). Perfect would be 1 month in primary and then bottle conditioning until it's ready to drink.

I was thinking that was a lot of sugar considering how high on the glycemic index pumpkin is. Normally I use approx. 1-2 cups of sugar per gallon for recipes where juices or concentrates are used.

If I use the London ESB 1968, I'll reduce to the amount of sugar to 1-2 cups per gallon instead of 1.5 pounds per gallon the recipe calls for.

Thanks so much for your answers!

 

[Arpolis]

My pumpkin meads traditionally stay in primary for 30 - 60 days. Only 30 days if I want to kick up the pumpkin flavor and I add more pumpkin and sweet potato after racking to secondary. But with this yeast and the complicated spices that go with pumpkin, I don't age the mead long. Fermentation is quick and it tastes good in a short period. With aging it would get tremendously better but not bad young.

Doing a wine will taste great but if you did want to save some bottles to age a year plus then I personally think a mead will age better.

 

[WinterWarrior]

My pumpkin meads traditionally stay in primary for 30 - 60 days . . . snip . . . .

Doing a wine will taste great but if you did want to save some bottles to age a year plus then I personally think a mead will age better.

YAY! OK, I'll give it a go. This sounds like it will make a tasty and unusual wine.



I appreciate your answers.

 

[Arpolis]

No problem, and make sure to let's us all know how it goes

 

[Dolphard]

Winter Warrior and Arpolis,

Hi, I have just joined this forum.

Did a search for pumpkin wine - canned.
Thank you both for the insights on that.

Arpolis - It seems that you are a MEAD MAKER.
I just started my 1st mead on 9-1-14.

As of now, I am happy with the SG and taste. But it doesn't have the viscosity/mouthfeel I would like.

I did some research - Glyserol (glycerin syrup) after primary --- or Biolees during primary - may give me my desired result (next time).

Have you tried these things?

Winter Warrior - I am going to start a pumpkin wine on Thanksgiving weekend (for next year). Please let us know how your quickie turns out!

 

[Dolphard]

I've also heard that a pound of banana chips in a 5 gallon batch increases the viscosity.

 

[AlbertaGuy]

I have had great luck making pumpkin wine but simply cubed the pumpkins and froze them prior to primary fermentation (my recipe is simpler than this one, just a basic fruit wine recipe with some raisins for body). Frozen pumpkin is placed in a straining bag during fermentation then gently squeezed prior to racking to secondary, color and flavor comes out nicely. You can even leave the skin on if you freeze, wine comes out a rich golden color. Bit easier than grating and way cheaper than canned. Even Halloween pumpkins make a nice wine, just don't judge the flavor until a year or so after bottling. We spiced with cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon at secondary and it's very nice. Just an idea for other cheapskates like me, great use for pumpkins after Halloween too.

 

[Arpolis]

I just started my 1st mead on 9-1-14.

As of now, I am happy with the SG and taste. But it doesn't have the viscosity/mouthfeel I would like.

I did some research - Glyserol (glycerin syrup) after primary --- or Biolees during primary - may give me my desired result (next time).

Have you tried these things?

I have not tried glycerol myself. But if you are making a traditional mead with no additives then it can be a bit thin with little mouthfeel if fermented dry. Depends on your yeast and honey. But stabilizing with sorbat and Camden and then back sweetening with some honey can help. A meads FG can go as low as 0.990 in my experience but adding honey back to the 1.000 - 1.006 range adds plenty of body and mouthfeel.

Also in many recipes I add black tea leaves to the primary as it ferments and I like the additional mouthfeel it provides. But not sure how it contributes if added after primary fermentation.