Watermelon Wine

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Notes for next batch.

- Use more Watermelon juice. Perhaps 23 gallons.
- 15 lbs. sugar
- 3 Tbsp. Yeast Nutrient
- 2 Tbsp. Acid Blend

Alt Directions: Extract the juice from two or three large watermelons (2 gallons 3 quarts total juice), discarding pulp. Ideally, you'd like to end up with 2-3/4 gallons of pure juice. Measure 2 gal and 1 qt juice and put in primary. Set aside any residual juice in qt bottle(s) and store it in the refrigerator. To the primary add 7 lbs sugar [NOTE the warning at the end of the introduction, above, and determine exactly how much sugar your juice really needs], the acid blend and yeast nutrient and stir well to dissolve. Stir in crushed Campden tablets and cover primary with sterile cloth. Set aside 24 hours and sprinkle Champagne yeast on top of juice. When fermentation is evident, stir juice daily for seven days. Add remaining sugar [if needed] and stir to dissolve. Recover primary and set aside another 7 days without further stirring. Rack into 3-gallon secondary and fit airlock without topping up. Set aside for 10 days, top up with retained juice in refrigerator and set aside another 3 months. Drink or discard juice in refrigerator. Rack again and bottle if clear. If not clear, top up and refit airlock until crystal clear. Rack into bottles and age one year. [Adapted from Norma Jean and Carole Darden's Spoonbread and Strawberry Wine]

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  • 6

Ingredients

  • 18 lbs. of Watermelon
  • 11 lbs. of sugar
  • 2.5 tbsp. Yeast Nutrient
  • 3/4 tsp. Pectic Enzyme
  • 1 3/4 tsp. Wine Tannin
  • 3 tbsp. Acid Blend
  • 1 Packet of Wine Yeast: Champagne
  • 10 Campden Tablets (5 prior to fermentation and 5 at bottling time)

Preparation

Step 1

Need to modify directions for watermelon.

1. Remove the stems and leaves and cut the strawberries into pieces. Cut the rhubarb into small pieces. Set aside. Do not over process and use food processors, blenders and such should not be used for this purpose. Doing so will cause too much bitterness from the skin and seeds of the produce to be incorporated into the resulting wine.

2. Add 2 gallons of warm purified water to the primary fermentation bucket. Add Sugar and mix to combine. Add nutrient, pectic enzyme, tannin, acid blend. DO NOT ADD YEAST! This will kill the yeast. Stir to combine.

3. Place the pulp bag over the top of the bucket and add the fruit bag. Tie off the bag and submerge into the wine making mixture.

4. Add water to bring equal the batch to 5 gallons (18.93 liters) mark. Then add 5 Campden Tablets.

3. Cover the fermenter with a thin, clean towel and wait 24 hours. During this waiting period the Campden tablets are sterilizing the juice with a mild sulfur gas. During the 24 hours the gas leaves the container making it safe to add the wine yeast.

4. After 24 hours, gently stir the mixture. Next sprinkle the wine yeast over the surface of the juice and re-cover then cover with a thin, clean towel. Allow this mixture (must) to ferment for 5 to 7 days. Stir the mixture once daily and re-submerge the bag. Note: You should start to see some foaming activity within 24 hours of adding the wine yeast. Typically, 70% of the fermentation activity will occur during this 5 to 7 day period.

5. After 5 to 7 days remove the pulp from the fermenter, wring out any excess juice from the bag. (wear gloves or ensure your hands are very clean) Discard pulp. DO NOT STIR THE MIXTURE. Siphon the wine into a carboy in a careful manner, so as to leave the sediment behind. DO NOT STIR THE MIXTUE>You can easily remove the pulp by lifting out the
fermentation bag. Wring out any excess juice from the bag. Siphon the wine off the sediment without stirring it up. Get as much liquid as you can, even if some of the sediment comes with it. If necessary, add water back to 5 gallons.
6. Attach a wine airlock and fill it half-way with water. Allow the juice to ferment for an additional 4-6 week period or until it becomes completely clear. You may want to verify with your wine hydrometer that the fermentation has completed before continuing on to the next step. The wine hydrometer should read between 0.990 and 0.998 on the Specific Gravity scale. Be sure to give the wine plenty of time to clear up before bottling.
7. Once the wine has cleared completely, siphon it off of the sediment again. Stir in 5 Campden Tables that have been crushed and then bottle. When siphoning off the sediment, unlike the first time you siphoned the
wine, you want to leave all of the sediment behind, even if you lose a little wine.

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