Watermelon Wine

[TDuhe87]

Thinking about trying to make a batch of watermelon wine. If anybody out there has any good recipes please let me know something. I have never tried it before, so any advise would be great.

 

[03protege]

You looking to make legit water melon wine or just want a lightly flavored watermelon beverage?

I have a hard time trusting any online recipe. I found out a fellow student I have some classes with was into wine making. I started to get excited when he was telling me about how great his "product" was. After probing a little more I come to find he fills a two liter bottle with juice, adds a few cups of table sugar, and then throws some regular bakers yeast in the mix. Basically prison hooch just made in a bottle instead of a toilet.

Then there is Jack Keller, he is like a master scientist of wine making. He makes all of his recipes thoroughly tests them out and makes notes on every one. He even includes the not so great ones, his website (although out of style) is constantly updated (last update 7/15) and he documents every little detail. This guy must have his entire garage filled with fermentation vessels and is very highly regarded on the brewing forums.

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/watermel.asp

Also you will note in many of the watermelon recipes he includes additional fruit for body of the wine. I'm not sure what your experience or knowledge is with wine making but I would make sure to follow his directions and do research elsewhere (in case he doesn't go in-depth on some basics) on how to use these whole fruits. There is a point where the tannins will start to leach out of the seeds/rinds/pulp if it is allowed to break down too much in fermentation. Personally I prefer to ferment the extra fruit in a cheesecloth sack as it makes extraction very easy.


If you are looking to go MUCH simpler than any of the jack keller reciepes I would check out skeeter pee (google it), it is a lemon based wine that is easy and fast to make. I have wanted to try something along those lines with added watermelon maybe substitute some of the lemon for watermelon. I used the lees from a cranberry/sharia wine to ferment skeeter a skeeter pee batch and it was excellent.

 

[Cat]

protege has some good information.

But if you want to go quick, easy and just playing around with watermelon flavors, try a shrub.

You can do it with in the kitchen, no special equipment, no special steps.

I had a strawberry shrub with a nice bourbon and tonic water earlier this year. Very good.

 

[03protege]

Cat educate me, what do you mean by a shrub?

 

[Cat]

Cat educate me, what do you mean by a shrub?

Best… things… ever…

150 years ago when they didn't have refrigeration during the summer, but craved the flavor of fruit during the winter, they used vinegar and sugar to preserve the fruit juice. (I only got the early American history version… apparently it goes back further than that)

Many of the methods I've seen online use heat, but the recipe I received from the Austin Food and Wine festival this year took two weeks and time, no heat.

I can't recall the amounts but the method was this:

almost overripe strawberries. Not so ripe they become spoiled, but too ripe to enjoy out of hand. When the sugar content is the highest. You macerate them in a ceramic bowl (NOT metal) for 24 hours with a little bit of sugar. (I think just a bit at first, adding the bulk of the sugar after straining pulp from juice)

Strain, add champagne or apple vinegar and balsamic. Again I can't recall percentages. I'll have to dig them out.

It tastes like vinegar but it eventually mellows out and since you didn't add the heat that some recipes call for, you can tell strawberry tastes just like strawberry.


There has been a resurgence of antique and early American flavors in the bars. I'm sure you've heard of mixologists and such using herbs and unusual flavors in the trendy cocktail scene. They have also started incorporating the old fashioned shrub.

I'll try to dig out my shrub recipe. It came from the personal recipes of one of the bartending superstars in Austin Texas. His only "no-no" was tropical fruit. He felt the tropics were different climate and didn't translate to the shrub very well since winter preservation wasn't an issue.

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-shrub-syrup-174072

 

[Cat]

better link I think…

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/06/cocktail-101-how-to-make-shrub-syrups.html

 

[PPBart]

...Jack Keller, he is like a master scientist of wine making... check out skeeter pee...excellent.

I've been making wine for about 15 years, and tried watermelon three times -- each batch was eventually dumped down the drain! I just could not make a wine that was drinkable. Good luck with your efforts!

And I will second the reference to Skeeter Pee -- actually, I'm sipping on a glass right now. I renamed mine "Pop's Curiously Strong Lemonade". It's best served over ice, just like a glass of lemonade -- just with a bit more kick <g>

 

[Pas Tout La]

Thinking about trying to make a batch of watermelon wine. If anybody out there has any good recipes please let me know something. I have never tried it before, so any advise would be great.

Don't be caught with that watermelon drank and a pack of Skittles..... Whitey my execute you.

 

[Cat]

YAY!!! I found it, and his speech. This is almost word for word what he shared at the Texas F&W.

Bill Norris of the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin Texas. He shared his Strawberry Rhubarb Shrub.

http://badassdigest.com/2013/04/06/your-guide-to-drinking-this-weekend-shrub-cocktails/

 

[edman87k5]

I have a buddy that makes various wines, a bottle of his strawberry is in my fridge now. He does it in a 5 gallon bucket. Every one I have tasted so far was good. He has a batch of dewberry going at the moment. I think watermelon is next on the list.
He explained the process to me and it is simple but he does filter the hell out of it.

 

[blackwater26504]

dude i would like to keep up to date on your progress please.

 

[BeerManNOLA]

I haven't done much wine but I do have a sparkling sour dry mead in my draft fridge right now (excellent refreshing summer beverage). What with the delicate nature of some of the fruits you can use (watermelon) you may need to watch the quantities you need for the flavor profile you're going for. Unless you're doing 100% juice wine, you need to experiment to find the right fruit-to-base ratio.

Keep us up to date on your progress and how the flavor comes through when done.

 

[toddrod]

If I were to do a watermelon wine I would get the watermelon juice concentrate from homewinery.com. Get the half gallon to do the main fermentation and buy an extra 8oz bottle to use to back sweeten and flavor when ready to bottle.

 

[TDuhe87]

yeh all i have is a couple of 5 gallon kentwood jugs that i make my strawberry wine in. It gets the job done for that. Just looking for a simple recipe.

 

[jdessell]

Blackberries make good wine too.