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One-Gallon Fruit Wine Recipes

These instructions will work for a number of different fruit wines. The table below gives the quantities of fruit and other ingredients needed to make specific types of fruit wine.

Instructions

  1. Wash fruit, remove stones and bruised parts.
  2. Weigh/measure fruit.
  3. Chop, smash, or crush fruit and strain into primary fermentor.
  4. Keep all pulp in straining bag (if required), tie and put into fermentor.
  5. Stir in all other ingredients except for yeast.
  6. Acid ph should be about 3.0-3.4.  Add more acid to lower ph if needed.
  7. Cover primary with a clean cloth to allow Campden tablet to evaporate.
  8. 24 hours after Campden tablet addition, rehydrate yeast in warm water for 5 minutes, and put into fermentor.
  9. Put cover on fermentor.
  10. Stir daily and agitate pulp bag.
  11. After 5 days, remove pulp bag (straining lightly) and siphon wine off sediment and into glass secondary.
  12. Top off to neck of fermentor with water.
  13. Attach airlock.
  14. After fermentation (about 3 weeks and a specific gravity of 1.000) siphon off sediment and into clean glass secondary and top off with water to minimize head space. Attach airlock.
  15. Siphon again in about 2 months and top off to make one gallon.
  16. At this time, if you desire a sweeter wine, you add potassium sorbate and sweeten to taste. After sweetening, if you do, attach airlock and wait 7 days to bottle.
  17. Soak corks in Campden tablet water for 1 hour and bottle. (Some people say to soak corks for 24 hours, the corks may get too waterlogged for proper insertion.)

Fruit Wine Ingredient Table

 

FRUIT

AMOUNT

SUGAR

WATER

YEAST NUTRIENT

ACID

TANNIN

PECTIC ENZYME

CAMPDEN TABLETS

SPECIAL

AGING

Apple

15 pounds or 1gallon juice

1 pound

4 pints

1 teaspoon nutrient

1 1/2 teaspoons
(acid blend)

1/4 teaspoon

yes

1

1 teaspoon ascorbic acid (vitamin C) after 4 weeks

1 year

Apple (spiced)

8 pounds or 2 quarts. juice 1; 1/2 cup raisins; 3/4 ounce cloves; 1/2 ounce mashed ginger root

2 1/2 pounds

4 pints

1/2 teaspoon nutrient

1 teaspoon
(acid blend)

1/4 teaspoon

yes

1

1 teaspoon ascorbic acid (vitamin C) after 4 weeks

1 year

Apricot

2 1/2 pounds apricots (or peaches)

2 pounds

7 pints

1/2 teaspoon nutrient

1 1/2 teaspoons
(acid blend)

1/4 teaspoon

yes

1

 

6 months

Banana

3 pounds fresh banana or 8 ounces dried (boiled 30 min.-throw pulp away); 1 1/2 cup raisins

2 1/4 pounds

7 pints

1 teaspoon nutrient

3  teaspoons
(acid blend)

1/4 teaspoon

none

none

 

6 months

Blackberry

4 pounds Blackberries

2 1/4pounds

7 pints

1 teaspoon nutrient

1/2 teaspoons
(acid blend)

none

yes

1

 

6 months

Blueberry

2 pounds blueberry; 1 pound raisins

2 pounds

7 pints

1/2 tsp.

1 1/2 teaspoons
(acid blend)

none

yes

1

add 1/2 teaspoon stabilizer

6 months

Cherry

6 pounds cherries

2 3/4 pounds

7 pints

1 teaspoon

2 teaspoons
(acid blend)

1/4 teaspoon

yes

1

 

6 months

Cranberry

3 pounds cranberries; 1 pound raisins

1 3/4 pounds

2 quarts

1 teaspoon

1 teaspoon
(acid blend)

none

yes

1

 

6 months

Elderberry (fresh)

3 pounds elderberries

2 1/4 pounds

7 pints

1 teaspoon

1 teaspoon
(acid blend)

none

none

1

1/4 ounce oak chips per gallon for that "aged-in-oak" flavor

6 months

Elderberry (dried)

5 ounces dried elderberries; 1pounds raisins

2 1/4 pounds

1 gallon

1 teaspoon nutrient

1 1/2 teaspoon
(acid blend)

none

yes

1

1/4 ounce oak chips per gallon for that "aged-in-oak" flavor

6 months

Gooseberry

2 1/2 pounds gooseberries

2 1/4 pounds

7 pints

1 teaspoon nutrient

none

none

if needed

1

 

6 months

Wild Grapes

6 pounds wild grapes

2 pounds

6 pints

1 teaspoon nutrient

none

none

yes

1

 

6 months

Peaches

2 1/2 pounds

2 pounds

7 pints

1 teaspoon

1 1/2 teaspoon
(acid blend)

1/4 teaspoon

yes

1

 

6 months

Plums

3 pounds

2 1/2 pounds

7 pints.

1/2 teaspoon

1 1/2 teaspoon
(acid blend)

1/4 teaspoon

yes

1

 

6 months - 1 year

Pineapple

3 pints pineapple juice unsweetened

2 pounds

5 pints

none

1/2 teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon

yes

1

preferable as a semi-sweet wine

6 months - 1year

Raspberry

2 1/2 - 3 pounds

2 pounds

7 pints

1 teaspoon

1/2 teaspoon
(acid blend)

1/4 teaspoon

yes

1

 

6 months - 1 year

Watermelon

2 quarts watermelon juice

1 1/2 pounds

2 quarts

1 teaspoon

2 1/2 teaspoon
(acid blend)

1/8 teaspoon

none

1

this wine is yellow in color, not red

6 months