Pumpkin Wine

[Monica]

I am thinking about starting a pumpkin wine. Libbys brand canned pumpkin has no preservetives in it so I think I might use this. The only issue is that I'm not sure how much to use for a 6 gallon batch. Any thoughts or ideas? Thanks!

 

[Greenman]

I just started a Pumpkin Wine, hopefully to be ready for next Thanksgiving (October in Canada). I started with this recipe and went from there.

http://scorpius.spaceports.com/~goodwine/pumpkinwine.htm

One Med (3-4 kg) Pumkin likely equal to about three 1lb cans, so for 6 gallons I would use 9 cans (times all ingredients by 3)?? But thats just a guess
2 liters white grape juice
4 liters water
1/2 kg raisins
1 kg dark brown suger
3 cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup whole cloves
6 teaspoons acid blend
1 pkg EC-1118 yeast

Clean, skin, cube and roast pumpkin to begin to caramelize
Boil Water and Grape Juice
While waiting to boil, add;
All ingredients but yeast to primary, mix and mash pumpkin
Add boiling liquid and mix well, rest/cool overnight
start yeast and mix into primary
stir (or not) every day until SG reads 1.040
Strain the must and squeeze out as much juice as you can. Siphon into secondary fermentor, make up to volume with water and attach airlock.

For a dry wine, rack in three weeks, and every three months for one year. Bottle.

For a sweet wine, rack at three weeks. Add 1/2 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup wine. Stir gently, and place back into secondary fermentor. Repeat process every six weeks until fermentation does not restart with the addition of sugar. Rack every three months until one year old. Bottle.

The wine is best if you can refrain from drinking it for one full year from the date it was started.

Some of this recipe is exactly as from the linked recipe, some of it is trial. I will update as the weeks/months pass.

Wish me luck, and good luck to you if you try your own.

Shawn

 

[Wade E]

Most recipes call for 4 lbs of pumpkin meat per gallon.

 

[Monica]

Thanks! I will let you know how it goes. Every recipe I found was for 1 gal and I wasn't sure how to adjust the ingredients. This helps a lot!

 

[Wade E]

Multiply everything except yeast, cause 1 packet is good for 6 gallons.

 

[arcticsid]

Monica, heres a thread going around the last week or so about pumpkin wine.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5370&highlight=pumpkin+wine

I too have some canned pumpkin standing by that I am going to try. Look through this thread, you'll find some more info in it that will be helpful to you.

I personally am not going to addd the cinnamon etc.

Good luck.
Troy

 

[Monica]

Thanks for all the info. I did see the other thread about 10 mins after I asked my question. I don't think I'll add the cinnamon either. I put cinnamon in my cider and I think it is too strong. I should have an open fermentation bucket next week!

 

[Wade E]

Cinnamon is something you can add after fermentation and to your taste if you like instead of guessing or going by what others have used, i do this frequently now with spices in my wines.

 

[ryankelley]

I just racked my pumpkin wine today. It really smells good after 30 days of frementing. Two years will be a long time to wait, but hopefully it will be worth it.

I am thinking about starting a pumpkin wine. Libbys brand canned pumpkin has no preservetives in it so I think I might use this. The only issue is that I'm not sure how much to use for a 6 gallon batch. Any thoughts or ideas? Thanks!

 

[Monica]

Yeah, I'm dreading the 2 year wait!! I have no patience which is why I like making cider!! 6-8 weeks and it's done!! LOL!! I have to hide my wine from myself so I can forget about, I know, I have issues......

 

[Greenman]

Okay, the SG of my Pumpkin wine was 1.040, now it's 1.000, so unless it goes a little lower (still 2 weeks to go in the primary according to the recipe I had) it looks like the Alcohol content is going to be a little low. I guess the next time I try this I will have to bump up the sugar to 2 kgs of brown sugar, or add a commercial boost pack. I may start another batch in 2 weeks when I rack this batch. As well, even though I poured boiling water/grape juice over the roasted pumkin, I forgot to add sodium metabisulphite.

Live and learn I guess.

 

[Monica]

I'm sure it will still end up tasting great! It's the perfect wine to share with guests that get really annoying when they drink too much!

 

[ryankelley]

Okay, the SG of my Pumpkin wine was 1.040, now it's 1.000, so unless it goes a little lower (still 2 weeks to go in the primary according to the recipe I had) it looks like the Alcohol content is going to be a little low. I guess the next time I try this I will have to bump up the sugar to 2 kgs of brown sugar, or add a commercial boost pack. I may start another batch in 2 weeks when I rack this batch. As well, even though I poured boiling water/grape juice over the roasted pumkin, I forgot to add sodium metabisulphite.

Live and learn I guess.

I checked mine before racking it for the second time. It was right at 1.00 also. That'll put mine about 12.5-13%. It might be off dry, but that's okay with me. My goal is to have my wife encourage me to make more after tasting is.