RJ Spagnols Why bananas?

I've heard people say they might add some frozen, very ripe bananas to kits. What does this do?

They add body and mouth feel to wine but no banana taste. I make only fruit wines and always add bananas.

Since we do not eat overly ripe bananas skins included, (we don't eat banana bread for the same reason) I slice them up and put like 5 in a zip lock bag and then in the freezer. When I make wine I just pull out the frozen bananas and add them to the must.

Some will simmer the ripe bananas and skins and strain and then add the juice to the must. I used to do that but now it is just easier to let them thaw in the bag and add them to a mesh bag in the primary with the other fruits.

Use the skins too!

Raisins will do the same thing as bananas and if I have raisins on hand I add them to the same mesh bag too.

Most of the recipes I have seen for adding bananas are for fruit wines that would otherwise lack body. The bananas do add body, but I don't care for the taste so I usually add something like white grape juice or raisins.

Which kit would you be considering?

From what I understand, having never used bananas in winemaking, using them increases the body of a wine. Bananas are a source of starch (water soluble in this case), and so the effect would be similar, though less pronounced, to using corn starch or flour to thicken up a sauce, soup, etc. How much they effect the taste depends on the wine, how much you add, and when you add it.

I don't agree because we have found no banana taste using 5 to 10 bananas per 5 gallons of fruit wine. In wines I made a 2nd time the one with bananas we noticed some increased body with the ones with bananas. So now all of our fruit wines get the bananas.
We have made both blueberry and blackberry 2 times.

Just our opinion.

Banana Taste

Sammyk said:

I don't agree because we have found no banana taste using 5 to 10 bananas per 5 gallons of fruit wine. In wines I made a 2nd time the one with bananas we noticed some increased body with the ones with bananas. So now all of our fruit wines get the bananas.
We have made both blueberry and blackberry 2 times.

Just our opinion.

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Glad it is working for you. I made three batches of peach wine using Keller's recipes for Peach Banana, Peach White Grape, and Peach Raisin. Everyone who has tasted the three batches reports a banana taste in the Peach Banana batch. Maybe it is different if you just add the fruit instead of creating the extract.

If the banana taste doesn't age out I will get in touch with you and send you a few bottles.

Do I understand correctly that you are adding skins and all?

Yes, I slice them with skins and freeze them and then throw skins and all in the primary.
I swear we have never had a banana taste to any of our fruit wines.

I used them in 2 mist kits too, kiwi melon and Blueberry Shiraz

Sammyk said:

Yes, I slice them with skins and freeze them and then throw skins and all in the primary.
I swear we have never had a banana taste to any of our fruit wines.

I used them in 2 mist kits too, kiwi melon and Blueberry Shiraz

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You put them in at the beginning? Have you ever added any around 1.02?

No, only at the beginning.