Blueboy, no help from me, but wanted to say I'm interested also. My SIL makes nice wine, but she lives about 4 states away from me. I'm hoping to use Asian Pears and gooseberries.

Pam in cinti

My one tip. Buy a quality wine yeast. Do not think you are going to make GOOD wine with bread yeast.

Thanks Bruce! That will get relayed to the wife for her notes.

Seems wine recipes are keep close to chest around here???

Check this grape growing forum. They are mostly wine makers and not only grapes but many other fruits...

Here is a link that might be useful: Grape Forum

I can't help, but just wanted to say I also have an interest in this area. Has anyone ever heard of someone making a mixed fruit wine? What about an 'orchard' schnapps? I would like to be able to throw all of my extra fruit into a big vat and let it combine into something wonderful, but I'm afraid it would instead turn into something disgusting.

My parents are friends with a family whose patriarch is Swiss, and who brought his old family recipe for schnapps with him when he moved to America. I was hoping that it might be a good use for any fruit that isn't up to my eating standards. Didn't European farmers used to use fallen fruit to make wine and schnapps?

I would love to be able to give away my own personal orchard vintage of wine or schnapps, that would be fun. I personally think alcohol tastes like poison and can't consume the stuff myself, but most of my friends and family don't share my aversion. In the back of my mind I seem to remember that you are allowed to make your own beer and wine but home distilling is still illegal, is that a law left of the books from prohibition, do you think?

Here is a link that might be useful: Fruit Wine Info

I make wine but it is a pretty long story to be typing in a forum. There is a lot of information on the internet.
The first thing to do is to get your equipment. A primary ferment bucket, a secondary 3 or 5 gallon Carboy, Airlock.
and most importantly a hydrometer.

With that equipment then about all you need is fruit, sugar, a good wine yeast and Campden tablets.

There are many different equipment,chemicals, etc but listed above is the only requirements.

I use Lavin ec1118 or RedStar Montrachet yeast.

If you want to get into winemaking its worthwhile to buy a good book on the subject and read all the way through before doing anything. There are many ways to screw up and the book will pay for itself in mishaps avoided. Most books are mainly about grape wines but often they will have a chapter on other fruits; most of the stuff is the same for grapes and other wines so such books are still very helpful.

I have made wine from grapes, apples, and blueberries. RIght now I have a 5-gallon carboy of apple wine going, I cryoconcentrated apple cider up to 21 brix and am fermenting with natural yeast at 42F in the basement fridge.

Scott

Check this out

Here is a link that might be useful: Jack Keller winemaking

I make fruit wine every year. I use a version of Jack Keller's recipe with my own little changes. I use a base of our Texas wild mustang grape and add all my other excess fruit (apples, plums, pears, etc). You can make it very dry or rich and sweet based upon how much sugar you use. I don't use any chemicals, but I have been making it since a child with my father. It is easier for a beginner to use the chemicals and the wine stores longer with their use. I don't keep it longer than three years. What my wife doesn't drink gets given to friends and family. I don't drink, so I just taste a teaspoon of each batch. It is fairly easy if you follow Jack's recipe.

Also, you can get all the equipment you need from a place near 610 and stella link. Google Houston wine making supplies and you will come up with the name of the business. Get the cheap corks. They work just as well as the more expensive ones. I also don't use a carboy. My father used a plastic trash can (new). I use a large airtight storage bin from walmart or the dollar store. Remember they have been making wine from the beginning of time, and I doubt they had the chemicals and tools that we have now, although I'm sure it is easier and safer to use the chemicals and stated containers.

Good luck.

I have a recipe for making apricot and pum liquour using the pits, if any one is interrested. Its pretty easy and everyone seems to love it specially the apricot, bottled and I give it a xmas gifts. I use the GLASS sun tea jars to make it in.

Posted by campv Arizona
I have a recipe for making apricot and plum liquor using the pits, if any one is interested. Its pretty easy and everyone seems to love it specially the apricot, bottled and I give it a xmas gifts. I use the GLASS sun tea jars to make it in.

I would love to try your recipe. just planted 5 apricot, 3 peach, 3 plums this might be a good project to try.

thanks

I have been making homemade wine for decades. Under no circumstances would I suggest someone start out by making homemade fruit wine. Modern wine-making kits allow you to make quality home wines at inexpensive prices. Moving into making wine from fresh fruit is an entirely different ball-game. I have tried it several times, always with disappointing results. It's not easy, that's why vineyards hire professionals who have been trained in the trade and have years or decades of experience. You can produce crap wine at home from fresh fruit, that no-one will want to touch, and will amost certainly end up being poured down the sink. Or you can produce decent wine at home from a kit, and keep your fresh fruit for enjoying in other ways.

As for a post a bit further above, please note that apricot, peach and plum pits all contain a form of cyanide (cyanogenic glycoside), which can become deadly hydrogen cyanide when humans consume the pits. When we eat the fresh fruit, we don't eat the pits, so no problem. I would not make any liquor from the pits though. I don't know what level of cyanide is produced or how much liquor from the pits would pose a health risk, but why take chances?

When it comes to fermenting fruit, I am mostly a cider guy, but I have successfully made wine from grapes, and have also used Montmorency cherries. All turn out great.

I have always had the best success with Danstar Cote des Blancs yeast. It will finish very dry, but produces the most pleasant tasting cider or wine of any yeast I have tried.

You can backsweeten with lactose, maltodextrin, or even fresh juice or concentrate if you want carbonation and fresh flavors. You can also play with sulfite and sorbate to kill the yeast for backsweetening, although my own personal results have been very mixed on this -- seems it sometimes works, but sometimes doesn't work very well at all and can produce gusher bottles. Be very careful with any backsweetening. I have also tried Splenda and I hated it -- tastes way too fake and chemically to my palate. Stick to non-fermentable lactose or maltodextrin and you should be in good shape.

All sorts of fruits can be juiced and fermented. Try it and see what you think. You are limited only by your own creativity and availability of fruit. It can be a VERY addicting hobby. Almost as addicting as homebrewed beer, which is my primary passion. I am a Recognized BJCP beer judge. Never got the cider or mead cert, at least not yet. Someday. If you're into any of this kind of stuff, I might suggest checking out the Northern Brewer forums at http://forum.northernbrewer.com. That is my primary hangout for all things fermentation related. There are several others out there as well. Google them up.