Watermelon Wine

[Hippie]

Does anyone have any hints or tips or know anything about watermelon wine? A friend is juicing red and yellow watermelons. He says he is freezing the juice in gallon plastic jugs. His goal is to have 6 gallons of each color juice and for me to make 5 gallons each of wine and the extra juice is for suss reserve. I read somewhere that the juice oxidizes really quick, like apples. I am about to go look on Jack Keller's site and also search for other recipes and kind of do an average of them all. I would tend to think alot of nutrient is needed and also alot of acid blend. Maybe make it a lighter style and kinda on the sweet side.I might shoot for 11% abv. Right now I am thinking EC-1118 yeast for a fast start and ferment so as to lessen oxidation.


Anyone?

 

[Maui Joe]

CW,


Yesterday I juiced 2-5gallon buckets of Carambola(star fruit) and ended up with almost 4-gallons of juice which I placed in plastic water containers into the fridge. I thought that it too would oxidize quick as well. However it did'nt. I e-mailed Jack Keller with intentions of using the juice for a 5-gallon wine and he told me that he thought it was too much and that I should use 1-gallon to flavor 5-gallons....along with 5-cans of white grape concentrate...so I'll do just that.


As far as the watermellon, I have juiced that as well once and had it stored in the fridge as just "drinking juice" up for almost a week and it did'nt oxidize to the brown side. It did get abit darker but retained the redness to a deeper value. Hope this helps some!

 

[Hippie]

Yes it helps. I think the starfruit/niagara wine will taste just like niagara wine and nothing like starfruit. The niagaraconcentrate rehydrated in the 4 gallons water will be the main source of juice by about 2 to 1. I really think I would try 2.5 gallons starfruit juice to the same amount water and adjust acid, if need be. Are you not using any fruit pulp? Why?

 

[Maui Joe]

CW, initial reason for not saving all the fruit was really because of available "space." I couldn't see dumping the fruit because of availability so I went for the juice instead. I filled plastic 1-gallon jugs and stored them in the freezer. Instead of going for the 5-gallon, I decided to experiment a 1-gal (1 to 1) . Next week I'll pick the last fruit for the season and try the same using pulp and juice as well. I'm sure it would be better though.

 

[Hippie]

Very good idea. Then you will know if you want to do a larger batch.

 

[pmi5927]

There is a recipe book which finevinewines.com carries for 3.03 us that has a watermelon recipe. It is called "Winemaker's Recipe Handbook". It has many "basic" recipes. Give it a shot! Fortunately, because your friend is extracting and freezing the juice from te watermelon, you can go straight to step 3 in the recipe.

 

[geocorn]

Thanks for the plug. I do; however, have a watermelon recipe on line which is almost identical to the one in the book. I will also try to find and post any recipe that someone wants. Edited by: geocorn

 

[Hippie]

I have that book and approximately 12 others. Thank you.

 

[Maui Joe]

CW,


Did you start that watermelon wine yet?

 

[Mary Moats]

I am a first time wine maker and have been very luck to have found Fine Vine wines(George). We where telling him about the watermelon and peach wine wehad made and he suggested we get on here and tell you about the results.We really like the arome, and taste. It is a little sweet but George tells me, give it some more time and it will melow. If you would like the recipe for this easy watermelon and peach wine let me know.

 

[Hippie]

Sure, post it here.


No Maui, my friend hasn't got all the juice together yet.

 

[MedPretzel]

Sorry, a very german saying, but here it goes,


"I hope you've got your friend under the looking-glass..."





C'mon, CW! I wanna know how it turns out! Those watermelons are probably shriveled up by now!!!!