Watermelon Wine Recipe

[Islandboy85]

I got this recipe while searching the net. I am curious of how many times he recommends you rack the wine and top up though. It seems that it would make a very thin wine. I didn't see any recipes on HBT for watermelon whine, and my friend want help to make some. I thought I would put it out to you folks for some insight.
Courtesy of http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/watermel.asp

Watermelon-Grape Concentrate Wine (makes 1 gallon)

6-8 lb watermelon
12 oz white grape concentrate
water to make up 1 gallon
juice and zest of 2 lemons
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 crushed Campden tablet
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Champagne or Sauterne wine yeast
Cut the rind off of melon, cut melon into one-inch cubes, remove loose seeds, and put melon and any free juice in primary. Thinly grate the yellow off two lemons, juice the lemons, and add the juice and zest (gratings) to primary. Add grape concentrate and crushed Campden tablet to primary. Add water to make up 3-3/4 quarts total liquid. Add sugar and stir well to dissolve. Cover primary with cloth, wait 24 hours and add yeast and yeast nutrient. Cover and ferment 5-7 days, stirring daily. Siphon off sediments into secondary, fit airlock and ferment 30 days. Rack, top up, refit airlock, and repeat 30 days later. After additional 60 days, rack, top up, and stabilize (add 1/4 tsp potassium sorbate and another crushed Campden tablet). Wait 10 days, rack, sweeten to taste and bottle. Allow to age in bottles 3 months to one year. [Author's recipe]

 

[jgilbreth]

I made a gallon of yellow watermelon wine with 3 quarts of watermelon juice, I believe about 1 pound of sugar, and enough water to get a good SG. Just opened it a couple of weeks ago after about 9 months in the bottle. Room temp it was pretty harsh, tasted more like watermelon rind that watermelon juice.

Much better chilled. Tastes like eating a watermelon. Also one of my first wines where the table sugar didn't give it a mediciney taste.

If you want the exact recipe I can check my books and post it.

 

[Islandboy85]

I'd appreciate if you would post your recipe. Thanks. Is it tasting better yet?

 

[jgilbreth]

Sorry I forgot about getting the recipe up. It is tasting better, especially chilled.

3 qt watermelon juice (i used yellow watermelons, no difference in taste, but a nice color)
1 qt water
1.5 lb sugar
2.5 tsp acid blend
1/8 tsp tannin
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 campden tablet
1 package red star pasteur red yeast

cut off rind and cube watermelon, squeeze through mesh strainer to obtain juice. I used a potato masher with the watermelon inside a nylon straining bag.

Mix juice, sugar and water, adjust to get 1.085 sg. add crushed campden, cover, add airlock, and rest 24 hours. Add remaining ingredients, primary ferment for about 5 days (sg drop to 1.040).

Siphon to secondary, rack at 1.000, then at 3 months, then at 6 months. It had cleared up for me by about 6 months and I bottled for another 6 months+ before tasting.

 

[eklundt]

I was reading the posts on Watermelon wine with interest since I just started my first batch. I got just over two gallons of juice from three melons and added about 4 pounds of sugar. My SG before adding the sugar was 1.035 and after adding the sugar it was at 1.102. Should I have added water to bring it down to 1.090? The yeast has been working for a day and a half now, is it too late to add any water now?

One last question. I am a relatively new homebrewer, and this is my first venture into wine. What should the final gravity be? One post mentioned getting it down to 1.000. Is that what I am shooting for, or should I figure out what 14% alcohol would be and shoot for that? Or am I just waiting until it is clear and whatever the final gravity is is what I use to find the % alcohol?

Thanks for any help and tips you are willing to share.

 

[jgilbreth]

The book I have with all my wine recipes always says first racking should be at fermentation complete at 1.000. I have pulled some off the yeast earlier, to see if it kept it sweeter, which it did.

In reality you should always bulk age your wine for at least 6 months in the secondary. Final gravity will really just be whatever it is after that much time. I've only made about 10 batches of wine though, so take it for what it's worth.