Pineapple wine

Post date: Sep 24, 2012 2:38:22 AM

I wanted to do something a little strange, and Costco was selling 4 lb. bags of frozen pineapple chunks, so I used the "Hawaiian Pineapple Wine" recipe from The Joy of Home Wine Making (pp. 117-8), with a few small modifications.

3-1/2 quarts water

2 lbs Costco clover honey

4 lbs frozen pineapple chunks

3/16 tsp citric acid

3/16 tsp malic acid

3/16 tsp tartaric acid

1/4 tsp grape tannin

2 Campden tablets

1/2 tsp pectic enzyme.

1 tsp champagne yeast.

9/23/12 4PM

Started.  Put frozen pineapple chunks in a nylon mesh bag, boiled honey in about 1-1/2 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, and crushed Campden tablets.  The must smells very, very nice...  tastes good too, but super sweet.

9/23/12 10:20PM

Mixed pectic enzyme in 1/4 cup water, stirred into must with a sanitized spoon.

9/24/12 7:30AM

Added 1/2 tsp RedStar champagne yeast (whoops - recipe called for 1 tsp).  Stirred.  SG 1.072 (about 9.7% potential alcohol).

9/24/12 8PM

It's bubbling away happily - looks like 1/2tsp was enough yeast.

9/25/12 7:30AM

Stirred with a sanitized spoon. Still bubbling.

9/27/12 7:30AM

Stirred with a sanitized spoon.  Still bubbling.

9/28/12 7:30AM

Not bubbling.

9/29/12 4:30PM

Lifted out bag, let drain, didn't squeeze for 3 minutes. Racked into gallon jug - went all the way up the neck with ~25oz left over.  Put that in 1L seltzer bottle in fridge.  Put airlock on gallon carboy.  FG 0.989 -> 11.28% alcohol.  Wine tastes great, dry, not too acidic, nice mild pineapple flavor, stronger pineapple aroma.  I'll probably sweeten it a little when I bottle it, but not much - I like it the way it is.  I'll see how I feel about the dry wine cold before I decide.  I'd drink it now (but want it to clear some first).  It looks exactly like canned pineapple juice right now.

10/10/12 5PM

Racked.  The wine is beautifully clear now, and tastes good enough to drink, although it's dryer than it was.  I definitely want to back sweeten.

11/12/12 10AM

Racked and stabilized with 2 Campden tablets.  Swirled to degas - lots of bubbles.

11/17/12 10AM

Dissolved 2oz white sugar in 2oz of boiling water.  Racked wine into new bottle with the syrup while swirling vigorously to mix.  Just a hint of sweetness now.  Bottled.  Got 5 full 750ml bottles, and 2/3 of a 375ml bottle.  Selected a name - "Dreams of Hawai'i".