Water Melon Wine

[FrozenInTime]

3 gallons Melon juice (used juicer, no seeds or pulp in carboy)
12 lbs frozen strawberries ( ran through food processor with water added to keep fluid)
Zest and juice from 2 lemons
4 tsp pectic enzyme
5 tsp yeast nutrient
4 lb Table sugar
2 pouches Redstar wine yeast
.5 gallon water added to make 5.5 gallons

1/8 tsp campden will be added at 15, 30 and 60 days.

Rack on day 30, 60, 120 (30-30-60).

Will probably bottle March time frame depending on how it taste.

5 tsp Potassium Sorbate couple weeks before bottling. Will back sweeten but have not decided if I will use table sugar or honey. Will eventually depend on final taste before-hand.

Hoping it is ready for wife's birthday next September.




(edited to reflect end recipe)

[BlackDuck]

I used to make wine, but it's been quite a few years since I've made some. I always made it from fresh wine juice, not from a kit, so it would be similar to what your doing. I never added anything like you are. And since it's been awhile, don't take what I say as gospel, cause I may not be remember correctly.

First, I never added campden tablets (potassium metabisulfate) right away. I think I added that somewhere like 15 days after pitching yeast, then at 30 days, then at 90 day intervals. I only added 1/8 teaspoon at a time so it wasn't enough to kill off the yeast, but it kept any bad stuff at bay.

Yes, potassium sorbate will completely kill off any further fermentation, so adding it prior to bottling is a must. If you don't, and there is any hint of sugar left to ferment, you will blow corks. And that's not a good thing. Using it will also allow you to back sweeten the wine if it's too dry for you.

That's about all I can add at this point. Oh, what kind of yeast are you planning on using. I would think a yeast that is used for white wine would be good.

[FrozenInTime]

Thanks for the advice. The yeast I have coming tomorrow is Red Star Pasteur Red Dry Wine. Will that work?

[FrozenInTime]

First, I never added campden tablets (potassium metabisulfate) right away. I think I added that somewhere like 15 days after pitching yeast, then at 30 days, then at 90 day intervals. I only added 1/8 teaspoon at a time so it wasn't enough to kill off the yeast, but it kept any bad stuff at bay.

What I read is run 30 days, rack, another 30 days, rack, 60 days then bottle. What do you suggest, 30 then 90?

[BlackDuck]

Your time frame should probably work just fine. My time frame was much longer than that, but that could be because it was wine/grape juice from the start. My white wines usually went for about 10 to 12 months before bottling and the red wine could go over 12 months and could go up to 18 months before bottling. I'm not saying your has to do that. If you kill it off with the Potassium Sorbate, you'll be fine. I always felt that the wine I did benefitted from longer aging.

You would be adding the PM at each racking right? That's what I did.

That yeast would work, but I think something that would enhance the fruitiness would work better. I'll look over the yeasts and try to remember what I used for my whites and post that info when I find it.

[FrozenInTime]

So what I'm cooking up is considered white wine? I was hoping it would be darker, like a light red. If I were to go with a dark grape, like a concord (?), would that fit more into the red?

[BlackDuck]

With the watermelon and strawberry, the color might be along the lines of a light red. And it will lighten considerably if you add water to get to the 5 gallon volume. But with those juices, I see the flavor profile along the lines of a white wine. Sweeter like a white, and not dry like a red. That sweeter/fruity profile is why I was thinking along the lines of a white wine yeast. If your suggesting using concord grape instead of strawberry, I personally wouldn't think that would mix with the watermelon as well as the strawberry would.

I think the strawberry watermelon combination would be quite tasty.

[FrozenInTime]

I will have to look and see what yeast I have hidden in my fridge. I don't think I have any white wine yeast, only red on the way. Is there another yeast I could use, I'm afraid by the time I get some white wine yeast the watermelon will have spoiled. I don't want to let it sit more than a couple days before pitching. Everything I read about watermelon is it will go bad fast if not fermented quickly. I have lots of US-05...LOL

[mashani]

You could always pitch US-05 and then later pitch a wine/champaign yeast to finish it up.

That would help keep bugs out.

[BlackDuck]

Since your pressed for time on this one, I would go ahead and use the Red Star yeast you have coming. It won't make a bad wine at all. Although it may dry your wine up a bit, so if you want it sweeter, you may need to back sweeten it at the end.

For future reference if you do this again sometime, here's a few yeasts that would work better for this recipe than the Red Star:
Lalvin 71B-1122
Lalvin K1V-1118
Lalvin EC-1118

[FrozenInTime]

Cool, thanks. We do like red wine, wife's favorite but white is also drank here. I will do the yeastie kill before bottling and back sweeten with some honey. I wonder if that would work with hard cider? I make mine still so no carb. Some of the best cider I've had in a long time was Longbow Honey Hard Cider.... man, talk about awesome albeit a little spendy.

[BlackDuck]

Your welcome...glad I could help. Hope it all comes out tasty for you!!