Ben Evert.com » Vegetable Wines

Pumpkin Wine

ben — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:43:00 +0000

Photo by: D3

Ingredients

* 5 lbs grated pumpkin flesh * 3-1/4 lbs finely granulated sugar * 1/2 oz citric acid * 1 tsp yeast nutrient * 1/4 tsp yeast energizer * 6-1/2 pts water * wine yeast (see note below)

Procedure Bring the water to a boil and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat.

Place grated pumpkin flesh in primary and pour boiling water over pumpkin.

Allow to cool to room temperature and add citric acid, yeast nutrient and activated yeast.

Cover primary and stir daily for three days, submerging "cap" as necessary.

Pour through a nylon straining bag and let pumpkin drip drain.

Transfer to secondary and fit airlock. After 5 days, top up if necessary.

Rack after two weeks and again after additional 30 days, topping up and refitting airlock each time.

Set aside for 3 months and then rack, stabilize, sweeten if desired, wait 10 days for dead yeast to fall out, and rack into bottles.

Note: This is Leo Zanelli's recipe and he swears by it. The sugar is high and will produce either an 18% alcohol dry wine or a lower alcohol sweet wine, depending on what yeast you use. If you want the high alcohol, use a high alcohol yeast such as Lalvin K1V-1116 (Montpellier) or Wyeast 3347 (Eau de Vie), both of which can handle the extreme sugar. If you want moderate alcohol but sweet wine, use Red Star Cote des Blancs for 13% alcohol with 5% residual sugar. For slightly less sweet, use Lalvin 71B-1122 (Narbonne), ICV-D47 (Cotes-du-Rhone), Lalvin Simi-White, or White Labs WLP730 Chardonnay White Wine for 14% alcohol and 4% residual sugar, or Lalvin AMH (Assmanshausen), Lalvin BGY (Burgundy), Lalvin CY3079, Lalvin ICV-D80 (Cote Rotie), or White Labs WLP720 Sweet Mead/Wine for 15% alcohol and 3% residual sugar.

[Adapted from Leo Zanelli's Home Winemaking from A to Z with modifications by Jack Keller] Source: Jack Keller

Sweet Potato Wine

ben — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Ingredients Age all wines one year or more. 12 cups chopped sweet potatoes or yams 5 1/2 cups granulated sugar 2 cups light raisins 1 teaspoon yeast nutrients 2 oranges 1/2 teaspoon pectic enzyme 1 campden tablet water 1 package wine yeast Peel and chop sweet potatoes fine. Place in large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Simmer 25 minutes. Chop raisins and put into primary fermentor with sugar. Strain liquid into primary fermentor and squeeze all liquid out of the pulp. Pulp can now be used for sweet potato pie or other recipe. Add enough water to make up to 1 gallon. Slice oranges thinly. Add all other ingredient EXCEPT yeast. Stir to dissolve sugar. Let sit overnight. Next day, Specific Gravity should be 1.090 - 1.100. Stir in yeast. Stir daily for 5 to 6 days or until frothing ceases. Siphon into secondary fermentor 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. If wine is not clear, or still has quite a bit of sediment forming between rackings, Fine the wine as follows: Use wine finings or plain gelatin. Gelatin: use 1 teaspoon per 6 gallons of wine. Finings: 1/2 teaspoon per 5 gallons or as per package directions. Soak in 1/2 cup cold water for 1/2 hour. Bring to a boil to dissolve. Cool. Stir into wine. Let sit 10 to 14 days. Rack. If not clear enough yet, repeat process. DO NOT increase amount of gelatin or finings. The mixture will stay suspended in the wine, preventing it from ever clearing. Bottle once wine is clear. The wine is best if you can refrain from drinking it for one full year from the date it was started.

Pea Pod Wine

ben — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Ingredients Age all wines one year or more. 5 pounds pea pods 6 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 teaspoon yeast nutrients 2 teaspoons acid blend 1/2 teaspoon pectic enzyme 1 campden tablet 1 gallon water, hot 1 package wine yeast Wash pea pods. Simmer in water until tender. Strain liquid into primary fermentor and squeeze all liquid out of the pulp. Discard pulp. Add water to make up to 1 gallon. Add sugar, nutrients, acid, pectic enzyme and campden tablet. Stir to dissolve sugar. Let sit overnight. Next day, Specific Gravity should be 1.090 - 1.100. Stir in yeast. Stir daily for 5 to 6 days or until frothing ceases. Siphon into secondary fermentor and place 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. If wine is not clear, or still has quite a bit of sediment forming between rackings, Fine the wine as follows: Use wine finings or plain gelatin. Gelatin: use 1 teaspoon per 6 gallons of wine. Finings: 1/2 teaspoon per 5 gallons or as per package directions. Soak in 1/2 cup cold water for 1/2 hour. Bring to a boil to dissolve. Cool. Stir into wine. Let sit 10 to 14 days. Rack. If not clear enough yet, repeat process. DO NOT increase amount of gelatin or finings. The mixture will stay suspended in the wine, preventing it from ever clearing. Bottle once wine is clear. The wine is best if you can refrain from drinking it for one full year from the date it was started.