Grapefruit wine/ citrus help.

[Fermator]

I have a bunch of grapefruits I’d like to ferment them but all recipes I’ve seen call for sugar and honestly I’m not a fan of wines that had added granulated sugar. I’ve made a couple with and a couple without and the wines without are always better.

Is it a pretty straight forward ferment juice, water, yeast nutrient, yeast? If I don’t add sugar would the alc content be to low to prevent spoilage?

I really don’t like campden tablets either. When I make good natural wines they Don’t make it long but I have gallons of sugar added and sulfite added wines that I doubt I’ll ever drink. Any advice or general recipes.

 

[GreginND]

Yes, you need to add sugar to get enough for fermentation. When you say you don't like wines made with sugar, are you saying the ending wine is sweet? That means you are adding too much sugar. Add only enough to ferment out to the alcohol you want. If you have not used a hydrometer to measure the sugar before fermentation, please get yourself one. It is the best cheap investment you can make to help you with your winemaking.

Also, sulfites can be important. But you may also have used too much in the past. You can make unsulfited wines but they will oxidize quickly and not be as fresh tasting before long.

 

[Fermator]

Maybe the case I added to much sulfites. I would add some 5 tablets per 5 gallons then about 3 months later add 5 more then bottle.

For the sugar everything I made with that taste like rocket fuel. I may try using a lower gravity yeast and see if this helps.

Any other thoughts are appreciated. I knew an old timer that used to make it and I don’t think he used sugar but this was before I messed with it and he is now gone. So other opinions or experiences on the matter are welcomed.

 

[tradowsk]

Fruit wines you would typically want to be slightly lower in alcohol, around 10%-12% to make sure you get the fruitiness to come forward. I typically shoot for an original gravity of 1.080-1.090, ferment to dry, and backsweeten after clearing.

I've added white granualted sugar to pineapple, sangria, white grape peach, and elderflower wines and have never had an issue with them tasting like rocket fuel, even after only 2 months in the bottle.

So I would recommend using a hydrometer if you aren't already, and adding sugar to your must to get it within the range above and use a normal wine yeast to ferment (for acidic fruits check out Lalvin 71B which will round out the acidity, or BM4x4 is my typical go-to). Might want to stop a little short of the range since as the fruit breaks down it will release more sugar and raise the SG. But 1.080 is about 11% ABV when dry so you have some wiggle room

 

[Stressbaby]

If you don't add sugar, the very highest ABV you'll get (depending on the fruit) is around 9.5%. Most will be in the 5-6% range, not high enough to protect your wine.

 

[Rice_Guy]

I have a bunch of grapefruits I’d like to ferment them but all recipes I’ve seen call for sugar and honestly I’m not a fan of wines that had added granulated sugar.
I really don’t like campden tablets either. When I make good natural wines they Don’t make it long but I have gallons of sugar added and sulfite added wines that I doubt I’ll ever drink. Any advice or general recipes.

* A grapefruit sample: sp.gr. 1.041. pH 3.33
you might get 6% alcohol, pH is in a good range. The finished product would be a beer and would survive best with refrigeration, yes folks do this. To have a shelf stable product you would need to either filter at 0.45 micron or pasturize and have clean bottles (industry sprays hydrogen peroxide in,,on). A household treatment that is shelf stable would be 45 minutes in a boiling water bath. A food plant would either produce a sterile juice or pasturize and add sulphate and sorbate
* ie yes it can be done
* For reference a lemon sample 1.036 / 2.49 Skeeter pee is a good model.
* a commercial grapefruit wine: 1.036 / 3.27 / 12% alcohol; Mataponi winery, Virginia

 

[BernardSmith]

I imagine that fermenting straight grapefruit juice will result in a wine that is so tart as to be unpleasant. You may need to dilute the juice to reduce the amount (not the pH but the TA) of the acid or you may want to try fermenting the zest (although I don't know that grapefruit zest is as tasty as the zest of oranges or lemons).

 

[MJD]

I’ve done a few grapefruit wines. You’re getting a lot of good advice. The key to any citrus wine, in my experience, is to ferment at lower temperatures- something in the 60-70 degree range. Fermenting hotter will produce some of that “rocket fuel” taste that takes a long, long time to age out and mellow.
Ferment cool, use a yeast that can handle low temps, and definitely don’t use straight grapefruit juice.