Redneck Prickly Pear Wine
Prickly pear wine is delicious! I made 25 gallons this year and it has turned out clear as a bell, beautiful color, and full flavor! I am a bit redneck, so I don't do it according to the "rules" of wine making. Here is how I do it:
Pick the tunas mid to late september using tongs and 5 gallon buckets. Only pick the fully ripe ones (dark purple). You can save the others to pick in October but be sure to do it before a major frost.
I use a large galvanized tub to pour them in and fill it with water. Use a 2x4 to stir them up real well (always use the same end or you'll be sorry), put the hose in the tub and let the water overflow so all the floating thorn hairs run off. Repeat process until no more or minimal hairs. Take a large pot (I use a 6 gallon aluminum pot) and fill about 1/3 full with pears, then add water to cover the pears. Add flame (I do all this outside with a propane fryer burner). Boil about 30 minutes or so until the tunas are soft, then let cool until safe to mash tunas with the end of your 2x4 until mashed real good. Any hairs left will be soft and no problem.
Strain your juice (should look like fruit punch with a magenta color) through a strainer a couple of times, then strain it through a muslin cloth about 3-4 times until all you have is a nice clear juice with no matter in it at all.
Take a gallon or so of your strained juice and make a syrup out of it by heating it and adding 5 cups (2 lbs) sugar per gallon. Pour that into your sanitized primary and add the rest of the juice. Keep everything sanitized for now on. Add water as needed to get to about 5 gallons. Let cool overnight. The next day, proof your yeast in warm water and a tablespoon or two of sugar, then pour it in. I use regular Fleischmann's yeast. Use whatever you want, but don't let the "experts" tell you that bread yeast is bad or leaves a bad taste. It's yeast!
Let the yeast do its job for 5-7 days without an airlock. After that, rack it into your carboy (I use 5 gal plastic water jugs...again, that is fine, just make sure it is sanitized. For sanitation, I use 1 tbsp bleach in a gallon of water and rinse for three minutes. Use k-metabisulfite or whatever it is you use). Add water as needed to bring the level up to the neck. Add your airlock whether it is a rubber hose or a commercial airlock. Let the magic continue for about a month or so, then rack into a clean carboy. Let it sit again for a couple of months, then rack again. By now, you should have a clear wine. Let it sit there as long as you possibly can so it will de-gas, then bottle when ready. I use sanitized quart mason jars and suck the air out with a foodsaver jar attachment. A lot cheaper than bottles and I am way out in the country.
You should have a delicious wine! Patience is your friend and you shouldn't need to sweeten it. Use less sugar if you want to. I don't add chemicals to my wine....ever! I also don't have any fancy hydrometers or anything. My wine has wide legs and is around 14-16% abv. Drink a bottle of it and see what happens! Tasters can never tell me that it isn't grape, they just say it is delicious and ask for more! Hell, I have a glass of it right now!
Don't over think it! It will not lose its color! If it is cloudy, wait. Don't bottle it the same day you rack it. Give it a couple weeks to settle. Then, make some prickly pear BBQ sauce, have a cookout and drink wine! Enjoy!
