Watermelon Wine

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Westwind7

Westwind7

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My latest batch of watermelon wine and my wine cellar is beginning to fill up. It includes; Liebfraumilch, blackberry, strawberry, peach, pineapple, watermelon, and chocolate-orange wines.
 

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Got a recipe? Lol

Looks great[emoji111]
 
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I would like to compare notes also. Mine is a mild pink yellow color. Blacksmith recommended a little cherry juice. I think I will try that when the melons [emoji525] are ripe. My 2018 watermelon [emoji525] is good. Just hoped to keep the pink color.
 
hamiltonkiler said:
I would like to compare notes also. Mine is a mild pink yellow color. Blacksmith recommended a little cherry juice. I think I will try that when the melons [emoji525] are ripe. My 2018 watermelon [emoji525] is good. Just hoped to keep the pink color.
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I did? Must have been for the color.... Maybe... Sucks getting old...
 
Blacksmith1 said:
Got a recipe for that? Got my grandson a watermelon the other day and started going hmmm....
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Watermelon Wine Recipe


use watermelon with seeds (I used 2)

cut up into 1" pcs and discard the rind

1 1/2 to 2 lbs granulated white sugar/gal

1 tsp acid blend/gal

1 tsp/gal yeast nutrient or handful of raisins (chopped)

1/2 tsp/gal pectic enzyme

1 sachet of Lalvin EC1118 yeast


SANITIZE ALL EQUIPMENT FIRST!!!

When cutting fruit up, use a cutting board that will fit in a cookie sheet or sheet pan

with lips about 1" high to catch the juice. Dump this into your pot with the flesh and

the rest of the juice. Heat slowly (medium heat) and mash up the fruit until its almost pure juice.

Remove from the heat source.

Strain your juice into some measuring device to remove the seeds. I ended up with a little under

2 Gallons. Combine with your sugar and enough water to bring up to a full 2 gallons or a

little more. Heat this mix until almost boiling. Stir until sugar dissolves. Cover with lid and cool.

When cool, add acid blend, pectic enzyme, and nutrient or raisins.

Take a gravity reading with a sanitary hydrometer. My reading was 1.087/1.090

If your reading is lower adjust with simple syrup; if higher, you might want a champagne yeast.

Record your numbers for calculating your ABV after fermentation.

Transfer your mixture into a couple 1 gallon carboys and sprinkle with half the yeast in each.

Install an airlock on each one. In 24 to 48 hours, you should have an active fermentation.

Rack in 2 months

Rack again in 3 months. Then again in 3 months.

by this time you should have no action in the airlocks and your wine should be crystal clear.

Add 1/4tsp in each carboy of potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate to stop fermentation.

Let stand for 48hours and bottle.
 
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In this case the heat is your friend. Don't boil.it, just simmer. Like a tomato sauce. Or spend alot of time breaking down the melon flesh. I made the mistake.of scaling up.to 6 gallons before I realized how much work this is. And my plan of using my immersion blender died when I cut open the first melon. Apparently seedless now means " we picked this early so it has mostly immature white seeds, but also contains a few brown ones. " don't want to blend up any of those seeds.
 
Blacksmith1 said:
In this case the heat is your friend. Don't boil.it, just simmer. Like a tomato sauce. Or spend alot of time breaking down the melon flesh. I made the mistake.of scaling up.to 6 gallons before I realized how much work this is. And my plan of using my immersion blender died when I cut open the first melon. Apparently seedless now means " we picked this early so it has mostly immature white seeds, but also contains a few brown ones. " don't want to blend up any of those seeds.
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I find that the “seedless” melons have very little actual flavor that carries over into the final product. That’s why I said use the ones with seeds. Just my opinion but your mileage may vary.
 
It's hard to get good melons here. These are from Honduras. I wish I could get the yellow meat variety I had in Oklahoma years ago. Best melon I ever tasted. I still have one melon to go. Found it easier to do them one at a time. Straining out the "pulp" is a pain.
 
It is now 2:30 something in the morning here. The sun was up when I started this. But everything is done, must made, kitchen cleaned, etc.

This is my first country wine made with real fruit. Westwind made it sound easy. It's a lot of work.

On the plus side I have just over 6 gallons of pure watermelon juice.

I will buy store juice for topping up....
 
Blacksmith1 said:
It is now 2:30 something in the morning here. The sun was up when I started this. But everything is done, must made, kitchen cleaned, etc.

This is my first country wine made with real fruit. Westwind made it sound easy. It's a lot of work.

On the plus side I have just over 6 gallons of pure watermelon juice.

I will buy store juice for topping up....
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It IS a lot of work but the rewards are sweeter when you do it from scratch. There are also concentrates available you can purchase if this is the course you want to take to just try making your own that way.
 
Nah. I'll find better melons for the next batch. But one of the juice companies, tropicana I think, does have a straight watermelon in half gallons, so that WILL be my top up. Not rendering another melon just for a few oz.s.
I did add pectic enzyme to the mix, so now I wait to pitch.
 
I’m planning on my first test batch coming up, but I was going to just chunk and crush it in a bag and leave it all in the primary. I hear you about the yellow watermelons, those are my absolute favorites to eat! I have only ever seen them on a regular basis when visiting family over in Taiwan!
 
I found the chunking went easier when I quartered the melon and sliced it into 1 or so inch slices and then used a teaspoon to chop at the soft tissue and the scrape it. This method was faster and allowed me to get right to the rind
 
Blacksmith1 said:
Nah. I'll find better melons for the next batch. But one of the juice companies, tropicana I think, does have a straight watermelon in half gallons, so that WILL be my top up. Not rendering another melon just for a few oz.s.
I did add pectic enzyme to the mix, so now I wait to pitch.
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Yikes! I forgot to include the pectic enzyme in my recipe! So guys and gals, don’t forget this ingredient. I think I used 1 tsp.
 
Apparently, mine says 1/4tsp for 6 gallons, my campden tablets are one per gallon which is so much easier than trying to figure out what 1/6 of 1/4 tsp is.....
 
Blacksmith1 said:
Apparently, mine says 1/4tsp for 6 gallons, my campden tablets are one per gallon which is so much easier than trying to figure out what 1/6 of 1/4 tsp is.....
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I don’t have my notes here but I thought it was 1 tsp. In 2 gal. I’m probably wrong on the amount
 
Westwind7 said:
I don’t have my notes here but I thought it was 1 tsp. In 2 gal. I’m probably wrong on the amount
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This is a quote from Northern Brewer's Website. This is where I got my information on how much to use in my wine.
Pectic Enzyme: Add to must to break down pulp and aid in the extraction of tannin. Can also abate pectin haze in wines and cider.
Pectic Enzyme physically destroys pectins, which constitute the "fleshy" part of most fruits such as grapes, and apples. Adding it to a wine must will break down the pulp, making pressing more efficient. Adding it to red grape must will aid in the extraction of tannin from the skins. It can also abate pectin haze in wines and cider. Use 1/2 teaspoon per gallon.
 
Brain fart! I was quoting the amount for my K-meta.
Enzyme is 1/2 tsp per gallon.
Pitched it just a bit ago. I really hope this turns out well.
 
Blacksmith1 said:
Brain fart! I was quoting the amount for my K-meta.
Enzyme is 1/2 tsp per gallon.
Pitched it just a bit ago. I really hope this turns out well.
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Me too Blacksmith. It will be a well earned victory so let’s pray for the best!! You had me going for a minute there and I was thinking uh-oh, screwed up this batch of 2 gallons!
 
this is why I read the containers even if I think I know what they say. the wife asked me the other day why I read the instructions on the bag of grits every time I pick it up, "Because you like the way I make them" was my reply. truth is I can never remember the ratio.....
 
Blacksmith1 said:
New nutrient with energizer was used for this. Holy Hannah it's like it has a turbo charger. I have never had this vigorous a fermentation.
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Big smile here!!! Sooo this new nutrient is called what and you get it where???
 
Super ferment. I got it at my LHBS for $15.99, it is also available online from the manufacturer for $9.99 + shipping.

Is it normal for this to have a slightly off odor? Almost like it's trying go go bad?
 
Blacksmith1 said:
Super ferment. I got it at my LHBS for $15.99, it is also available online from the manufacturer for $9.99 + shipping.

Is it normal for this to have a slightly off odor? Almost like it's trying go go bad?
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Hmm? If the ferment is that rapid may be getting to warm? What temps you got?
 
no Idea. the house is 72F. the description of the smell is the best I can give. It doesn't exactly smell like it's going bad but very similar almost musty odor.
 
Blacksmith1 said:
no Idea. the house is 72F. the description of the smell is the best I can give. It doesn't exactly smell like it's going bad but very similar almost musty odor.
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Yea,if ambient is 72 and a vigorous fermentation you may be Damn near 80 in the fermenter. That's to warm. Proly sulfur you smell.cool er down if possible. Imo.
 
Blacksmith1 said:
no Idea. the house is 72F. the description of the smell is the best I can give. It doesn't exactly smell like it's going bad but very similar almost musty odor.
Click to expand...

I haven’t had that experience but maybe your turbocharged nutrient is too vigorous? I don’t know for sure. I brew in my basement which stays cooler than the rest of the house.
Oops; just read the rest of the responses here. What Vinman said....
 
Sadly being only a few feet above sea level I have no basement.

Day 3 and the activity is slowing. Don't know if it's because it finally cooled or because it's finishing.

@Westwind7 did you remove the organic pulp? I got most of it out of mine before pitching but I'm concerned what's left is turning. This is starting to smell.like a zuccini/summer squash I tried a few months ago. Had to toss that. Could not get past the smell.
 
Ok, still very active, just checked the temp on the water and the brew. 62F for the water, 66F in the carboy. If that 4degree difference holds at higher temps then my brew was about 76-77 deg before cooling.
all my other brews, with one exception, have done ok at room temp so why would this one be different? That exception had other issues.
 

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