Newest Threads

**LJPelletier** · 11-20-2011, 09:08 PM

So I was reading about some of the pumpkin wines this morning, and got thinking... I had a can of pumpkin sitting in my cupboard that I was never going to make pie with. Maybe I'd try making a tiny batch of pumpkin wine... after all, I have a 1 Gal carboy and air lock, just sitting there. So...

I got in my kitchen and decided I would add some apples too, as I only had the one can of pumpkin. Took 4 bruised apples, and a pear from my fridge. Cut away all the peels and seeds... then I chopped it all up, put it in a blender, and liquified it with a bit of water. At this point, I decided I was also going to use up the last over ripe banana I had sitting on my kitchen counter... blended it with some water too. Dumped it all into a clean 5Gal bucket. Took the pumpkin, and blended it with water too, so everything would be liquid.

I then took a kettle of boiling water, and poured it over the liquid fruit mixture. Then added another gallon or so of hot water and stirred it up. I then added the potassium bisulphite, pectic enzyme, and tartaric acid.

Next, I took about 10 cups sugar, added some lime juice, and some hot water... stirred until disolved. Added to 5 Gal fruit must. Stirred well, took SG reading. Not high enough, so took about another 4 cups sugar, disolved in hot water, and mixed that in. Now the SG reading is 1.100 (potential alcohol 13%).

I also added 1/2 tsp liquid tannin. I will let the must sit overnight. Add 2 tsp yeast nutrients. Pitch Lalvin EC-1118 into 5Gal primary bucket.

My Apple Pear Pumpkin Banana Wine Ingredients

4 apples, peeled and chopped
1 pear, peeled and chopped
1 small ripe banana
1 can pumpkin pie mix
2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/2 tsp potassium bisulphate
1 tsp tartaric acid
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp liquid tannin
about 2 Gal H2O
about 14 cups sugar (brought it up to SG 1.100)
2 tsp yeast nutrients
yeast packet (I'm using Lalvin EC-1118)

**Arne** · 11-22-2011, 12:33 PM

You want to be sure and save your recipe. If it comes out as one of the great wines and you really like it, you can remake it. Otherwise that recipe is going to be hard to remember. Good luck with it. Arne.

**LJPelletier** · 11-22-2011, 02:41 PM

It's saved on here! lol Heheh... yes, actually I have it saved on my computer as well.

**Arne** · 11-22-2011, 07:01 PM

Make sure you back it up. In my experience, stinkin computers have a bad tendency to go bad and loose everything. Arne.

docanddeb · 11-22-2011, 10:00 PM

You may be a little light on fruit. Be prepared to add something at the end... frozen concentrate would work.

Debbie

**LJPelletier** · 11-22-2011, 10:06 PM

Thank you Debbie. This has actually changed now a bit. The fermentation didn't seem to be happening, so I thought maybe the SG was too high or something, and added a Litre of apple/berry juice. After that, I ended up dumping the whole thing into the slurry from my cranberry lemon skeeter pee after racking that... soooo.... it is going to be quite different. Thank you for the suggestion, I will likely take the advice when I am at that stage.

docanddeb · 11-22-2011, 10:10 PM

I read more carefully....

you added 1/2 Teaspoon of potassium metabisulfate??? That is why it won't start!

Kmeta is added at 1/4teaspoon per 5 gal of must... you have more than double that. did you wait 24 hrs after sterilizing your must with this?
You need to beat the heck out of it fast to dissipate that much!
Where did you get the idea for this recipe?
I'm hoping that was just a typo.

Debbie

docanddeb · 11-22-2011, 10:12 PM

Now I see tartaric acid AND lime juice... your acid may be stunting the yeast as well. I'm guessing you looked at a few recipes and combined them... been there done that with an apple concentrate wine... turned out pretty good after 14 months though... if you like "crisp"... LOL

Acid can always be tweaked at the end. The yeast doesn't NEED acid to start... it's for the balance of the wine only.

Debbie

**LJPelletier** · 11-22-2011, 10:47 PM

I just threw it together because I had the ingredients, and am having a lot of fun with this new hobby of mine. I may have added only 1/4 tsp of the sulfite, but now not totally sure. I did wait about 12 hrs after adding the sulfite, but the full 24... either way, it is well into fermentation now, and going great... in fact, I added another 2 cups of sugar today to boost the alcohol content.

The lime juice was added into the sugar, originally, because I was under the impression that I need citrus in the dissolved sugar to help separate the 2 sugars.