Post date: Jan 19, 2014 7:8:32 PM
This was my first fruit wine, and my first wine with honey, and it was great. Now that I'm just back from Hawai'i, I want more of it to remind me of being there. So this is the original recipe, scaled up to 6 gallons, although I'm adding yeast nutrient and energizer, because that's probably a good idea. I'm even going to try to leave it a little fizzy, because I really liked that. Pineapple prosecco, anyone?
3 quarts water
12.5 lbs honey (10 lbs Costco clover honey, 2.5 lbs SueB)
24 lbs frozen pineapple chunks (6 4 lb bags)
1 1/8 tsp citric acid
1 1/8 tsp malic acid
1 1/8 tsp tartaric acid
1 1/2 tsp grape tannin
6 Campden tablets
3 tsp pectic enzyme.
1/2 tsp yeast nutrient
1/4 tsp yeast energizer
1 pkg Lalvin EC-1118 yeast.
1/19/14 12PM
Started. Put frozen pineapple chunks in a nylon mesh bag in a 7.5g primary (NB: I really should have thawed these overnight - they are very hard to work with frozen), boiled honey in about 3 quarts water, skimmed scum for about 10 minutes, poured honey mixture over pineapple chunks. Washed hand thoroughly, and crushed pineapples by hand. Added the rest of the water, acids, tannin, yeast nutrient and energizer, and crushed Campden tablets. Covered and put in the dining room.
1/20/14 2PM
Stirred in pectic enzyme, rehydrated yeast according to package directions and pitched. SG is 1.100 at 66.7 degrees, which indicates 13.6% alcohol if it ferments to 1. Must is very tasty!
1/22/14, 1/24/24
Stirred in 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient, 1/4 tsp yeast energizer
2/1/14 8:30AM
Removed fruit, checked gravity - 0.998 at 66.5 degrees -> 13.6% ABV. Got between 5 1/4 and 5 1/2 gallons. Need to top it off in the carboy. Added one 750ml bottle of Rex Goliath Pinot Grigio, since I figured that wouldn't alter the flavor too much, but still have to make up some volume. I'll use boiled water and alcohol. Ended up adding 7 1/2 cups water and 1 cup grain alcohol (and when adding the boiling water, ended up semi melting the side of my Better Bottle - won't do THAT again...)
Some time in April
Racked. Wine is clearing nicely, very dry. Strong pineapple character.
5/17/14 2PM
Racked, degassed with a whip and bottled into 9 375's and 26 750s. The wine tastes very nice. It actually benefits from a pinch of sugar, but I'm not going to back sweeten, since I'm not sure how it will taste cold. It's certainly nice though.
8/31/14
I'm down to less than a case of this. It's very good.