Grapefruit wine recipe

[ShelleyDickison]

I hopefully plan on starting this today or tomorrow. It is from Jack Kellers web site. It seems pretty basic to me, just wanting to know if anyone sees a different approach needed. I am am omitting the tannin and switching the yeast to d47 on advice from my LHBS. I am also making a 3 gallon batch so I obviously multiply everything by 3. Thanks.

GRAPEFRUIT WINE (Semi-Sweet)

6 large grapefruit
1 lb chopped golden raisins
1-3/4 lbs granulated sugar
water to 1 gal
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/8 tsp tannin
1 crushed Campden tablet
1 tsp yeast starter
Sauterne yeast

Chop or mince raisins. Scrub grapefruit clean. Peel two grapefruit thinly, making sure no white pith adheres to peelings. Put peelings in nylon straining bag with raisins. Juice the grapefruit and pour juice in primary. With a spoon, scrape the pulp from the grapefruit and add pulp to nylon bag, being careful not to allow any pith to adhere to pulp. Tie bag and put in primary with half the sugar, the crushed Campden tablet, tannin, yeast nutrient, and enough water to bring up to one gallon, stirring well to dissolve sugar. Cover primary with clean cloth. After 12 hours, add pectic enzyme. After additional 12 hours, add yeast. After two days of vigorous fermentation, add remaining sugar, stir well, and allow additional three days vigorous fermentation in primary. Remove bag, drain without squeezing and discard pulp. Siphon liquor into secondary and fit airlock. Rack every 30 days, topping up each time. After fifth racking, stabilize. Wait ten days and rack off sediment. Dissolve 1/4 cup sugar in 1/8 cup boiling water. Allow to cool, add to wine, stir gently, and bottle. Allow to age at least 6 months. [Author's recipe]

 

[Stressbaby]

I've eaten my share of grapefruit, and I don't understand how you get the peels in the bag without any pith.

If it were me, I would ferment on the juice, pulp, and zest. This has worked well for me with other citrus wines. Then I would do a "late addition" of more grapefruit zest upon moving to the secondary.

 

[the_rayway]

Just use a potato peeler on the peel of the fruit - you get 100% zest, no pith

 

[ShelleyDickison]

Just use a potato peeler on the peel of the fruit - you get 100% zest, no pith

That's exactly what I did. Still wasn't a whole lot of fun. The hardest thing to find was the old fashion juicer. Took going to 6 stores. Young kids I asked didn't have a clue what I was asking for.

 

[the_rayway]

I do this with every orange I eat over the winter, then I air dry the peels and make 'extracts' and cider pouches with the bits.

Ha! I have my grandmother's old juicer. Although, my Mom has an electric citrus juicer...25 Lbs of oranges in a few minutes. Sooo good for holidays.

 

[sour_grapes]

That's exactly what I did. Still wasn't a whole lot of fun. The hardest thing to find was the old fashion juicer. Took going to 6 stores. Young kids I asked didn't have a clue what I was asking for.

I went to a second-hand store (i.e., a consignment shop), for just that reason.