Lemon Wines, Sherries, and/or Meads

This is an easy, relatively low alcohol wine to make for serving chilled on a hot afternoon. At 9.7% alcohol, in moderation it will refresh without sending you to the sofa for a nap. I made this recently for consumption during the dog days of September, but if a sample bottle (375 mL) proves too young, it will easily keep until next summer.

The ingredients are few and the method is straight forward. Anyone can make this wine.

I used Old Orchard brand frozen concentrate, but any brand for a non-light pink lemonade will do. The sugar content of all I checked was the same.

Use whichever general purpose wine yeast you have on hand. I used Lalvin W15, which has a 16% alcohol upper limit so will ferment this wine to dryness. This yeast is good for both white and light reds, so is perfect for pink lemonade. It spotlights the fruitiness of the base and its wines have good mouthfeel due to higher than normal glycerol and succinic acid production when fermented above 77 degrees F. I keep my home at 78 degrees year-round.

• 2 containers (12-oz each) Old Orchard Pink Lemonade frozen concentrate
• 1/2 lb (one heaping cup) finely granulated sugar
• water to one gallon (8 2/3 concentrate containers)
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1/2 tsp citric acid or 1 tblsp and 1 tsp lemon juice
• Lalvin W15 wine yeast

Thaw 2 containers of pink lemonade frozen concentrate and pour into primary. Add 8 2/3 concentrate containers of water to primary and stir in 1 slightly heaping cup of finely granulated sugar and yeast nutrient, stirring until completely dissolved (about 2-3 minutes). Specific gravity should read 1.070 uncorrected, 1.072 or so corrected for room temperature. Add citric acid or lemon juice and stir briefly. Add yeast in a yeast starter solution and cover primary. Ferment to 1.010, transfer to secondary and attach airlock. Rack after 30 days and add one finely crushed and dissolved Campden tablet. Top up, reattach airlock and set aside additional 30 days. If wine tastes too dry, dissolve 1/2 teaspoon potassium sorbate in 1/2 cup of the wine and stir until completely dissolved (I powder my measured potassium sorbate with a glass mortar and pestle to make it easier to dissolve), then add to wine. Top up and reattach airlock. After 30 days wine can be sweetened if you prefer or carefully racked into bottles. If sweetened, allow another 30 days to be sure wine does not begin a renewed fermentation Age bottled wine at least 3 months before consuming. [Jack Keller’s own recipe]

• 8 large lemons
• 10 oz can of white grape juice concentrate
• 1 lb 14 oz granulated sugar
• 6-1/2 pts water
• 1/4 tsp grape tannin
• 1/4 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• Chanpagne wine yeast

Boil water and dissolve sugar in it. Grate the zest from 3 lemons into primary. Juice all lemons and add juice to primary. Add grape juice to primary and add sugar water. Cover primary and set aside to cool to room temperature. Add tannin, yeast nutrient and pectic enzyme. After 12 hours, add yeast. Ferment until specific gravity drops to 1.020 (about 8 days). Rack into secondary, top up if required and fit airlock. In 4-6 weeks, check specific gravity. Rack when S.G. is 1.000. Top up and refit airlock. Age 6 months, checking water in airlock periodically. Rack into bottles and age additional 6 months before tasting. [Author’s own recipe]

• 6 medium-sized lemons
• 2 lbs finely granulated sugar
• 7-1/2 pts water
• 1/4 tsp grape tannin
• 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• Champagne wine yeast

Put water on to boil and dissolve sugar in it. Meanwhile, grate the zest of 3 lemons and peel the lemons. Remove all white pith from lemons and break lemons into segments. Place segments and zest in nylon straining bag, tie bag closed and place it in primary. Mash the segments and add boiling water to primary. Cover until cooled to room temperature. Add tannin, yeast nutrient and pectic enzyme. Twenty-four hours later add yeast. Squeeze bag daily to release juice for 8 days. Drain bag and allow to ferment 3 more days. Rack into secondary, top up if required, and fit airlock. Rack in 3 weeks and again 3 weeks later. When wine had fermented to dryness, taste. If too dry, stabilize and sweeten to taste. After 10 days, rack into bottles. Age 6-12 months. [Adapted from Terry Garey’s “The Joy of Home Winemaking”]

• 6 medium-sized lemons
• 2-1/2 lbs granulated sugar
• 7-1/2 pts water
• 1/4 tsp grape tannin
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• Champagne wine yeast

Grate the zest of 1 lemon into primary. Add juice of lemons, sugar, water, tannin, and yeast nutrient. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Wait 12 hours and add yeast. Ferment 2 days and strain into secondary, top up if required, and fit airlock. Rack every 30 days until specific gravity reaches 1.000. Stabilize, wait 10 days, and rack into bottles. Age 1 year. [Adapted from Leo Zanelli’s “Home Winemaking from A to Z”]