Prickly Pear Cactus Wine

[Pumpkinman]

Looks great, My mother loves prickly pear. I need to try to find juice to make her some.

 

[mrdillon5]

Here is my second batch all done and labeled

Looking Good!

 

[saramc]

I really need to bottle mine, has been bulk aged for a year+ now, and when I made my quarterly wine rounds this past weekend it was calling to me. Using prickly pear syrup to backsweeten the bulk of it and then I think I will bottle carb a few and put them away for a while. Definitely one to make again.

 

[snowgirl812001]

Anyone ever made wine from the prickly pear flowers?

 

[snowgirl812001]

It's almost time to go prickly pear pickin!!! I'm getting excited! I have a whole "party" planned out for it. Conned a few friends and family members to help out haha. Planning on getting enough juice for maybe 5 batches.

 

[jamesngalveston]

watch for those rattlers, they love the prickly pear .....
17 years in tucson, loved the pears when they got ripe, I would make some wine from them now if it was there...good luck

 

[snowgirl812001]

Yeah, they are def out right now. So are the dang skeeters, for some reason we have tons more than we usually do during monsoon. But less rain, haha, go figure. I may do some more experimenting with a few small batches but I think most of it will be like my second batch last year, sweetened with agave nectar. Thanks! I'm gonna have to freeze most of the juice but plan on starting a batch prob sometime middle of oct. I unfortunately will be moving end of sept so can't get one started till moved into the new place. That's gonna kill me

 

[Demosthine]

Wow, this was such an inspirational thread! Those photos are gorgeous. Like Robin said, it's almost time to pick them! My last two batches of jam did not set, but I'm all set to try again this year. Plus, I'm just barely venturing into the wine making. I am probably just going to do a 1-gallon batch using a spare apple juice jug from Sprouts, unless I can find a better source for large amounts of tuna.

If I can find enough fruit, I would like to also make a batch a batch of mead with mesquite honey or even mesquite cubes. It is supposed to pair beautifully.

Has anyone used the Lalvin Dried Wine Yeast - BM4x4 for this yet? I hear it's phenomenal for wild fruit, just like this would be, but I'm not sure if my local brew shop carries it. I'm calling today once they open.

Like others, the boiling method caused an off-color to my jams, so I recently tried the freezer method. The tuna stayed in the freezer long enough to be completely frozen. Once they start thawing, they are significantly softer and much of the juice just drains out. I throw the fruit in to a blender and then send it through a series of strainers. First, it goes through a course strainer where the bulk of the seeds, skin and glochids are filtered out. It goes through a secondary fine mesh strainer and then will ultimately go through the fine mesh nylon bag. This method led to a very dark, very rich juice.

 

[snowgirl812001]

Wow, this was such an inspirational thread! Those photos are gorgeous. Like Robin said, it's almost time to pick them! My last two batches of jam did not set, but I'm all set to try again this year. Plus, I'm just barely venturing into the wine making. I am probably just going to do a 1-gallon batch using a spare apple juice jug from Sprouts, unless I can find a better source for large amounts of tuna.

If I can find enough fruit, I would like to also make a batch a batch of mead with mesquite honey or even mesquite cubes. It is supposed to pair beautifully.

Has anyone used the Lalvin Dried Wine Yeast - BM4x4 for this yet? I hear it's phenomenal for wild fruit, just like this would be, but I'm not sure if my local brew shop carries it. I'm calling today once they open.

Like others, the boiling method caused an off-color to my jams, so I recently tried the freezer method. The tuna stayed in the freezer long enough to be completely frozen. Once they start thawing, they are significantly softer and much of the juice just drains out. I throw the fruit in to a blender and then send it through a series of strainers. First, it goes through a course strainer where the bulk of the seeds, skin and glochids are filtered out. It goes through a secondary fine mesh strainer and then will ultimately go through the fine mesh nylon bag. This method led to a very dark, very rich juice.

I definitely suggest doing a bigger batch! You won't be sorry! I did 2 6 gallon batches last year & it wasn't enough, it's everyone's favorite. I think I will try your method this time, I would love to keep the exact color of the fruit.

 

[Demosthine]

I definitely suggest doing a bigger batch! You won't be sorry! I did 2 6 gallon batches last year & it wasn't enough, it's everyone's favorite. I think I will try your method this time, I would love to keep the exact color of the fruit.

As much as I'd love that, I just don't have enough cash to get a five or six gallon CarBoy yet. Plus, I have to get the corker, corks, bottles, a rack, etc. Plus, I need to find out where exactly I'm going to store them. The closets upstairs would probably work, but I'm not overly fond of carrying a 55+ pound glass bottle that far.

We hadn't used the nylon mesh bag until yesterday and it could not have gone better. We skipped the regular fine mesh strainer and went straight from the course strainer to the bag. My wife got an amazing amount of juice out of them! By the time she was done with the bag, it come out looking like pressed paper or really compacted drier lint! She did an amazing job! And the juice was crystal clear when we were done.

 

[snowgirl812001]

As much as I'd love that, I just don't have enough cash to get a five or six gallon CarBoy yet. Plus, I have to get the corker, corks, bottles, a rack, etc. Plus, I need to find out where exactly I'm going to store them. The closets upstairs would probably work, but I'm not overly fond of carrying a 55+ pound glass bottle that far.

We hadn't used the nylon mesh bag until yesterday and it could not have gone better. We skipped the regular fine mesh strainer and went straight from the course strainer to the bag. My wife got an amazing amount of juice out of them! By the time she was done with the bag, it come out looking like pressed paper or really compacted drier lint! She did an amazing job! And the juice was crystal clear when we were done.

Eh, someday then. That's awesome! I can't wait to try it your way.

 

[snowgirl812001]

Oh, sorry, I haven't tried that yeast yet. If you do, let us know how it goes.

 

[sgx2]

I just started a 1 gal batch of Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit wine using a variation of Jack Keller's recipe.

Amazing what happens when a sale sign pops up in the produce aisle! The prickly pears were less than 50 cents each!!

I'm looking forward to this batch -- i tried the must and it was nice. Very kiwi-fruit like.

 

[Demosthine]

Hey Robin, where did you get your labels? Or how did you print them? I have a color LaserJet printer, but the gummed paper says to avoid heat. Curious to see how you do it before I go start buying and testing things...

 

[jamesngalveston]

craigslist is good place to find wine making stuff cheap.

 

[snowgirl812001]

Hey Robin, where did you get your labels? Or how did you print them? I have a color LaserJet printer, but the gummed paper says to avoid heat. Curious to see how you do it before I go start buying and testing things...

I just print them at home, inkjet printer & photo paper. I use Elmer's spray adhesive to keep them on. I also spray modge podge acrylic sealer on labels before I cut them out so the color stays put when wet.

 

[snowgirl812001]

craigslist is good place to find wine making stuff cheap.

Absolutely! As long as there are people in your area that have it! I've only found like 2 postings for any type of winemaking stuff here in Tucson lol

 

[Demosthine]

We have a minimal amount of equipment posted here in Phoenix, but it's usually on the East side of town and they are very proud of their equipment. Usually, it is within about $5 of the equipment brand new.

The only major score that I've seen would be a 12-gallon Pyrex glass bottle. It retails for around $700 and she wants $250 for it. I'm completely ok with using a few Carboys, though. And a filled 12-gallon glass jug would weigh more than my daughters do!

 

[sgx2]

...And a filled 12-gallon glass jug would weigh more than my daughters do!

That's funny, 12 gallons of wine should weigh exactly 100 lbs! Of course, the empty jug would weigh about 25 lbs... If you do buy this, please don't lift it when it's full!

 

[sgx2]

I'm really enjoying the color and aroma of my small 1 gallon batch every time I test the SG! It's almost done now, just about dry...

I made a little label for it: