Peach Wines, Sherries, and/or Meads
- 3 lbs ripe peaches
- 1/2 cup chopped raisins
- 1-3/4 lbs granulated sugar
- 1 large lemon
- 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
- 1 qt boiling water
- 1 crushed Campden tablet
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- Sauterne wine yeast
Wash peaches in cool water. Do not peel. Slice thinly into primary, discarding stones. Mash the peaches and add chopped raisins and half the sugar. Pour in the boiling water and stir to dissolve sugar. Cover primary with sterile cloth and set aside until reaching room temperature, then add cool water to equal one gallon. Add juice of large lemon and crushed Campden tablet. Recover and set aside 12 hours. Add pectic enzyme and set aside another 12 hours. Stir in yeast nutrient and sprinkle yeast on top of must. Allow to ferment 5 days, stirring twice daily. Strain through nylon straining bag, squeezing firmly to extract juice. Add remainder of sugar, stir well to dissolve, then pour into secondary without topping up and fit airlock. Top up when fermentation dies down. Rack every three weeks until wine clears and fermented to bone dryness. Allow another two weeks, rack final time and bottle. Can right away, but will mellow considerably in six months. [Adapted from Dorothy Alatorre’s Home Wines of North America ]
- 3 lbs ripe peaches
- 1 lb ripe bananas
- 1-3/4 lbs granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp citric acid
- 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
- 5 pt boiling water
- 1 crushed Campden tablet
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- Sauterne or Champagne wine yeast
Peel bananas, slice, and place in saucepan with one pint boiling water. Simmer 20 minutes, then strain without squeezing. Meanwhile, destone and slice peaches into primary. Mix half the sugar in with peaches and cover with four pints boiling water. Stir to dissolve sugar. When cool, add banana juice, citric acid, crushed Campden tablet, and enough water to bring total to one gallon. Cover and wait 12 hours. Add pectic enzyme, recover and wait another 12 hours. Stir in yeast nutrient and sprinkle yeast on top of must. Recover and ferment 3-4 days, stirring twice daily. Pour through nylon straining bag, squeezing well to extract as much juice as possible. Stir in half the remaining sugar, transfer to secondary and fit airlock without topping up. In 5 days add remainder of sugar, stir well, and refit airlock. When active fermentation dies down, top up and refit airlock. Rack every three weeks until fermentation is complete and wine clears. Wait additional three weeks and rack into bottles. Allow to age 3-6 months before tasting. [Adapted from Brian Leverett’s Winemaking Month by Month ]
- 3 lbs ripe peaches
- 12 oz can frozen white grape concentrate
- 1-3/4 lbs granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 tsp acid blend
- 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
- 1/4 tsp tannin
- water to one gallon
- 1 crushed Campden tablet
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- Champagne wine yeast
Put the water on to boil. Wash the peaches but do not peel. Cut in halves, remove stones and put in nylon straining bag and tie it closed. Put in primary and mash and squeeze with hands until no solids remain. When water boils, dissolve sugar in it. Pour over peaches. Add can of frozen white grape juice. When must cools, add acid blend, yeast nutrient, tannin, and crushed Campden tablet. Cover primary and set aside 12 hours. Stir in pectic enzyme and set aside another 12 hours. Sprinkle yeast on top of must and recover. Stir daily for 10 days, then drip drain pulp without squeezing. Siphon off sediments into secondary and fit airlock. Rack every 30 days until fermentation completely ends and wine clears. Set aside two months and rack again into bottles. Taste any time after three months. [Author’s recipe]
- 32 oz canned peaches or pears
- 1 lb 11 oz granulated sugar (approximate)
- 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 tsp. acid blend
- 1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme
- 1/4 tsp. grape tannin
- 3-1/2 qts. water
- 1 crushed Campden tablet
- 1 tsp. yeast nutrient
- Champagne yeast
Bring water to a boil. Meanwhile, drain the fruit but save the liquid they were canned in. Chop fruit and put in nylon straining bag. Tie bag and put in primary. Add orange juice. When water boils, remove from heat and add liquid from canned fruit. Stir in 1 lb. sugar and stir until dissolved. Measure S.G. and continue adding sugar (1/4 cup at a time, then stir to dissolve) until S.G. reaches 1.088-1.090. When S.G. is right, pour sweetened water over fruit. Add acid blend, tannin, yeast nutrient, and crushed Campden tablet and stir. Cover with cloth, wait 12 hours, then add pectic enzyme. Recover, wait additional 12 hours, then add yeast. When fermentation is very active (1-2 days later), stir and push bag of fruit under. Don’t worry if it floats back up. Ferment 5 days, stirring daily and pushing bag under liquid several times. Drip drain (don’t squeeze) the bag and return drained juices to primary. Discard fruit. Allow liquid to settle, then siphon off sediments into sterile secondary and fit air lock. Rack after two months and again after additional two months, topping up each time. Wait final two months, add stabilizer, wait additional 10 days, and rack again. Sweeten to taste with up to 1/4 cup sugar dissolved in 1/8 cup water and bottle the wine. Allow 6 months aging before tasting. Well-canned fruit will have produced good wine by now. If the wine tastes less than expected, allow to age another 6 months. [Author’s recipe, with a little help from Terry Garey’s The Joy of Home Winemaking ]
- 1/4 large watermelon
- 2 peaches
- 1/4 cup chopped raisins
- 3 limes (juice only)
- 2 lbs sugar
- water to make 1 gallon
- 1 tsp acid blend
- 1 crushed Campden tablet
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- wine yeast
Extract the juice from watermelon and peaches, saving pulp. Boil pulp in one quart water for 1/2 hour then strain and add water to extracted juice. Allow to cool to lukewarm then add water to total one gallon and all other ingredients except yeast to primary fermentation vessel. Cover well with cloth and add yeast after 24 hours. Stir daily for 1 week and strain off raisins. Let stand additional 24 hours and rack. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel, fit fermentation trap, and set aside for 4 weeks. Rack and set aside another 4 weeks, then rack again. Allow to clear, then rack final time and bottle. Allow 6 months before tasting, but improves with age
- 2 cans (11.5 oz) Welch’s White Grape and Peach frozen concentrate
- 1-1/4 lbs granulated sugar
- 2 tsp acid blend
- 1 tsp pectic enzyme
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- water to make 1 gallon
- Sauterne wine yeast
Bring 1 quart water to boil and dissolve the sugar in the water. Remove from heat and add frozen concentrate. Add additional water to make one gallon total and pour into primary. Add remaining ingredients except yeast. Cover primary and set aside 12 hours. Add activated wine yeast and recover. When active fermentation slows down (about 5-7 days), transfer to secondary and fit airlock. When clear, rack, top up and refit airlock. Wait 30 days and rack, top up and refit airlock. After additional 30 days, stabilize, sweeten if desired and rack into bottles. [Author’s own recipe]