Watermelon Wine with homegrown watermelons

[lumpher]

Going to start a watermelon wine using watermelons I've grown. I have several melons (6 or 8), so more than I need. I'll probably use 2, at their size. I know about using Campden to sanitize the fruit and how to prepare it, but I'm looking for a good recipe that will give some good watermelon flavor when the wine matures. I'll have more watermelons later on if I need to add fresh juice down the line. The recipe I plan to use is this:

15 lbs. of watermelon
10 lbs. of sugar
2 tbsp. Yeast Nutrient
1/2 tsp. Pectic Enzyme
2 1/2 tbsp Acid Blend
1 1/2 tsp. Wine Tannin
1 Packet of Wine Yeast: EC1118

Does anyone have suggestions from a tried and true recipe that make not just a good, but a great wine?

 

[mkmobe]

Going to start a watermelon wine using watermelons I've grown. I have several melons (6 or 8), so more than I need. I'll probably use 2, at their size. I know about using Campden to sanitize the fruit and how to prepare it, but I'm looking for a good recipe that will give some good watermelon flavor when the wine matures. I'll have more watermelons later on if I need to add fresh juice down the line. The recipe I plan to use is this:

15 lbs. of watermelon
10 lbs. of sugar
2 tbsp. Yeast Nutrient
1/2 tsp. Pectic Enzyme
2 1/2 tbsp Acid Blend
1 1/2 tsp. Wine Tannin
1 Packet of Wine Yeast: EC1118

Does anyone have suggestions from a tried and true recipe that make not just a good, but a great wine?

I have not tried watermelon but I don’t think it carries a lot of flavor. I would be sure to add more after racking.

 

[lumpher]

Deleted comment made while drinking. Sorry...

 

[Kickass]

^^^ Same here

Interested and following. Whenever I hear watermelon wine I think of that country song (Allen Jackson?).

 

[lumpher]

Tom T Hall... Going to start the wine tomorrow. I have 6 watermelons I need to use, eat, etc, another 10 going to be ripe in the next week or so. Going to have another patch in the Spring, and I'll add juice then.

 

[Rish]

Maybe juice some more melons and cook down to juice to concentrate then add that to the fv after fermentation has slowed?

 

[lumpher]

Maybe juice some more melons and cook down to juice to concentrate then add that to the fv after fermentation has slowed?

This sounds like a decent idea. Concentrate the flavor. Maybe I'll do that after stabilizing it, also. I've made watermelon wine once a few years ago, and it had NO flavor. I know I can do better now.

 

[Wickedwinewitch]

I have made watermelon wine twice now. The first time I used just watermelon and followed Jack Keller's recipe which called for whenever topping off adding watermelon juice. It lacked the flavor I was looking for but was a nice table wine in the end.
The second time I made it I used a grocery store melon that was super sweet. And I added 2 cups of freshly picked blueberries. At first I thought the blueberries would take over but in fact the watermelon was the top note in this finished wine. I also used Terry Garey's recipe for melon wine the second time.

 

[lumpher]

In a few months I'll have blackberries ready to pick in my back yard. Thinking of throwing some in there in the spring.

 

[KevinsCider]

I made my first 1-gallon batch of watermelon wine, currently in secondary. While most recipes call for table sugar to up the ABV, I actually chose to freeze concentrate my watermelon juice from about 1.020 to a s.g. of about 1.090. The goal was to add more natural flavors to the final product. Getting 1 gallon of concentrate took 4 full watermelons.

I also took an unconventional route with my yeast selection. I knew watermelon wine tends to come out a little funky based on my research (more green rind-forward smell and taste). Ended up using a KV-1116 yeast to try to make this more like a Moscato and highlight floral notes.

My first batch took about 4-5 days in primary to come down from 1.090 to 1.000 (final ABV should be between 11.5-12%). My fermentation temperature was a consistent 63F.

Racked to secondary and treated with more campden to prevent oxidation and potassium sorbate to stop any more fermentation. At this point, it's still pretty cloudy (sort of like pepto).

Been in secondary for a week now and it's already starting to clear up well. Has a nice rose-ish color to it. Definitely smells like rind. Did a quick taste and confirmed it still has notes of rind at the tail end, but there are lots of floral notes that shine through at the front of the pallet.

May need a pop of acid to brighten it up and a little sweetness, but I think this will come out rather nice with a bit more age and served chilled.

 

[SaskBrewer306]

Maybe juice some more melons and cook down to juice to concentrate then add that to the fv after fermentation has slowed?

I'd do sodium metabisulfate when ferment is done, then add the flavoring juice.

 

[lumpher]

Just pulled out the first bottle after a mere 13 months. Going to chill it and see how it is. I'll have a glass tonight to test, and the rest of the bottle to verify my initial impression. Light wasn't the best; cool and a lot of glare, but it's clear and looks like I'd expect.

 

[Kickass]

How was it?

 

[lumpher]

It still needs time to develop, but it's good now, with watermelon taste.