# Sweet potato wine



## e-wine

On Thursday, I also plan to start a batch of sweet potato wine using, you guessed it, a recipe from Jack Keller's web site. I also what to make some sweet potato pies since I now know my wife likes them but that's a different story. Any input on the wine will be appreciated. Thank you.

e-wine


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## e-wine

I did find sweet potatos at a reasonable price so I will start this batch tomorrow.

e-wine


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## Tom

I would INCREASE the #'s that is suggested. The #'s he suggest on all his wines are LOW. Keep in mind that the recipies are mostley from his readers.
Let us know what YOUR recipe is


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## e-wine

Tom,

My recipe is exactly from his site:

6 lbs sweet potatoes 
2-1/2 lbs granulated sugar 
1 lb raisins 
1 tsp. acid blend 
1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme 
1 gallon water 
1 tsp yeast nutrient 
wine yeast 

On the pumpkin wine, I ended up with 50% more wine than I expected due to the contribution from the pumpkin which is why I feel the acid and sugar were low. So far, I have not had problems with fermentation starting (I just wanted to throw that in to jinx myself.) As for increasing the numbers, that statement doesn't provide me with any direction. I plan to test S.G. and acid and adjust accordingly. If there is something in particular you would increase, please let me know exactly what it is, after all, I'm still in my rookie season. Thank you.

e-wine


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## Tom

What does it say to do to the potatoes? Bake, Boil or Raw?


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## e-wine

"Peel potatoes and dice finely. Put diced potatoes in pan and just cover with water. Bring to boil, cover pan, reduce to simmer for 25 minutes . . . . Strain the potatoes over primary, setting the potatoes aside for use in cooking (candied, mashed, pie, etc.). " I'm going with pie.

e-wine


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## NSwiner

Ok this is probably a dumb question but does the wine really taste like sweet potatoes when your done ? There's a couple of types I was wondering the samething about like beetroot ,pumpkin and pecan although the description of the pecan wine sounded good .


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## Tom

e-wine said:


> "Peel potatoes and dice finely. Put diced potatoes in pan and just cover with water. Bring to boil, cover pan, reduce to simmer for 25 minutes . . . . Strain the potatoes over primary, setting the potatoes aside for use in cooking (candied, mashed, pie, etc.). " I'm going with pie.
> 
> e-wine


Personally I would add the cooked potatoes to a straining bag and ferment with the Water from the boil and add sugar and water to 1 gal. Let it cool, then add pectic. Wait 24 hrs and add yeast, nutrient, and check the TA and add acid blend accordingly.

NOTE:
Never add Acid Blend blindly ! Always check TA


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## e-wine

Tom,

I thought about that but the sweet potato pies are already in my sights. Also, I wanted to try sweet potato waffles. If I like this wine, and I make it again next year, I will change some things. Also, I do test TC before I change anything and I have stayed to the light side on the acid blend.

NSwiner,

Hopefully, someone else will answer your question. I have no idea how any of these wines will taste. As a guess, I'd say it will not tast like sweet potatos. We helped with harvesting Blanc du Bois grapes and thankfully, the wine does not taste like the grapes. I will let you know next year if no one else answers your question.

e-wine


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## e-wine

Okay, I followed the recipe as given and ended up with two gallons. So I doubled the raisins, sugar, pectin, nutrient, and 1.75x acid blend. I also ended up with two fresh baked pies, 4 frozen packets for pies (2 pies per packet), some for waffles and two more pies tomorrow. Six pounds of sweet potatoes is a lot of sweet potatoes. I also boiled the skins and fed it to the chickens. Nothing goes to waste around here. I'll add the yeast tomorrow and see if it starts up. Stay warm and Merry Christmas (the smell of the pies made me say that)!

e-wine


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## Tom

How does it taste?


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## e-wine

Tom,

Very sweet and like raisins. I don't have much of a sweet tooth so mainly, it just taste sweet.

e-wine


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## arcticsid

I was reading about sweet potatoe wine somewhere else, and from what they say it actually makes a pretty decent wine. Hope yours ends up the same. NS. I started a thread on that a while ago. It will never taste like what it was made with! I think it was Wade who said, "you taste the essence of the fruit/veg". You can start with the fruitiest most fragrant wine and be surprised it doesn't reseble it at all when its done. The scariest part is while it's fermenting it flat out stinks and you wonder what happened to that fruity tootie you started with.


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## NSwiner

Ok so now I want to try sweet potato wine still not liking the idea of beetroot lol  Maybe I'll have time after Xmas t o look up that other post you talked about .


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## e-wine

Earlier today, I thought the jinx was in. I added the yeast at 8:00 am and after 8 hours, nothing. A watched pot never boils so I just checked on the must an hour ago and the yeast are feasting. The funny thing to me is that all the raisin came to the top but with only the renderings from the sweet potatoes, there's nothing left but raisins. I plan to transfer to the secondary on Tuesday and get a second set of readings. When I transfer, I will add the second half of the sugar.

The sweet potato pies went over well with my wife. Since we got married, I never cook and I never bake so the pies' appearance was a complete surprise. I'll find out early tomorrow morning if the waffles are any good or not. There wasn't time this morning. To those in the northeast, drive safely tomorrow. My sister is driving through PA this weekend so my thoughts and prayers will be with all who have to travel in this unpredictable weather. Take care.

e-wine


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## arcticsid

My glass is lifted to all who are traveling also!

Your guyses "freeways" scare the snot out of me. I live in the mountains, or at least surrounded by them, and big trucks and even cars next to me freak me out. Can I say that at 43YO? It scares the sheets out of me. At least when I have to go up and down them it is just me! Still freaks me out. I would rather fly through some of the windy passes here than take a chance on those expressways you all deal with down there.

Anyway, I never thought it was possible but I can smell those pies all the way up here!

Troy


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## arcticsid

E, buy yourself a paint straining bag or a new pair of nylons, just don't let the wife see you running around in the house wearing that paint straining bag!

It sure makes life easier for solids in your must, be sure you press down the floaties at least once a day. Twice is better. Gotta dunk them! Even in a ferment bag. Keep it moist.


Troy


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## St Allie

e-wine said:


> Tom,
> 
> My recipe is exactly from his site:
> 
> 6 lbs sweet potatoes
> 2-1/2 lbs granulated sugar
> 1 lb raisins
> 1 tsp. acid blend
> 1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme
> 1 gallon water
> 1 tsp yeast nutrient
> wine yeast
> 
> On the pumpkin wine, I ended up with 50% more wine than I expected due to the contribution from the pumpkin which is why I feel the acid and sugar were low. So far, I have not had problems with fermentation starting (I just wanted to throw that in to jinx myself.) As for increasing the numbers, that statement doesn't provide me with any direction. I plan to test S.G. and acid and adjust accordingly. If there is something in particular you would increase, please let me know exactly what it is, after all, I'm still in my rookie season. Thank you.
> 
> e-wine



Kellers recipe quotes pectic enzyme.. that will deal with the raisins.. however there is no mention of amylase.. you may end up with a starch haze in the finished wine..won't affect the flavour too much.. however it's difficult to shift without a starch enzyme. If you've started the wine already .. wait til the end and if you do have a haze.. at least you'll know to just add some amylase after fermentation is completed.

Allie


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## St Allie

e-wine said:


> Tom,
> 
> My recipe is exactly from his site:
> 
> 6 lbs sweet potatoes
> 2-1/2 lbs granulated sugar
> 1 lb raisins
> 1 tsp. acid blend
> 1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme
> 1 gallon water
> 1 tsp yeast nutrient
> wine yeast
> 
> On the pumpkin wine, I ended up with 50% more wine than I expected due to the contribution from the pumpkin which is why I feel the acid and sugar were low. So far, I have not had problems with fermentation starting (I just wanted to throw that in to jinx myself.) As for increasing the numbers, that statement doesn't provide me with any direction. I plan to test S.G. and acid and adjust accordingly. If there is something in particular you would increase, please let me know exactly what it is, after all, I'm still in my rookie season. Thank you.
> 
> e-wine



Kellers recipe quotes pectic enzyme.. that will deal with the raisins.. however there is no mention of amylase.. you may end up with a starch haze in the finished wine..won't affect the flavour too much.. however it's difficult to shift without a starch enzyme. If you've started the wine already .. wait til the end and if you do have a haze.. at least you'll know to just add some amylase after fermentation is completed if you want a nicely cleared wine..

Allie


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## e-wine

I transferred the batch into the secondaries and I did end up with a bit more than two gallons. Per the recipe, I did add the second half of the sugar which only increased my return. I put the remainder in an empty wine bottle, drilled a cork and fit an air lock. I'll try to use this when I rack the wine but that depends on how much settles out between cycles. The acid content is at the low end for a "fruit" wine but still within range. The S.G. is higher than I expected considering the fermentation activity. I'll check again in two weeks.

St Allie,

I did pick up some amylase for the beet wine so I do have some available. I'll keep an eye on the clarity and keep your advise in mind.

e-wine


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## e-wine

I racked the wine at the first of the year and it is still fermenting. The total acid was within range and the s.g. was 1.040.

We tried a bottle of the fig wine on New Year's Eve and I don't know how to describe it. I made it sweet and those that like sweet wines, liked it. Has anybody else tried fig wine and does anyone make it commercially? 

We just got back from a trip to the Texas wine country around San Marcos. We had a lot of fun, tested a lot of wine and bought a lot as well. We visited 16 wineries and enjoyed them all.

Take care and stay warm.

e-wine


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## e-wine

I racked the sweet potato wine for a third time and it is clearing up nicely. I plan to let it bulk age for at least three more months but all the fermentation has stopped. We watched it continue to ferment through the end of January yet the s.g. was still at 1.040. I did try a bit and it was actually pretty good. I'll let my wife try some tonight and let you know her opinion.

e-wine


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## summersolstice

I just saw this thread. I made some sweet potato mead a couple of years ago that I thought turned out great! In fact, we served it for Christmas dinner this year.


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## e-wine

summersolstice,

The wine looks great and about the same color as mine. And it sounds quite intriguing. Do you care to share the recipe? Thank you.

e-wine


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## NSwiner

So what does it taste like ???? I'm so curious about this one .


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## e-wine

NSwiner,

To me, it taste like a muscadine wine but I'm not sure which one. The recipe does have raisins in it and I do taste them. I'll relay my wife's assessment after it's delivered since she is the "sweet" one. I'm the "old" and "dry" one. My in-laws enjoyed the fig wine and I am certain they will enjoy this one. And I'm certain they will request an additional batches so I will replay the spw in the future. I am curious about the taste difference between this one and the sweet potato mend so I do plan to throw that into the mix. Take care.

e-wine


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## e-wine

Okay, my wife's assessment on the sweet potato wine . . . it's hers and she wants to help me make more. She compared it very favorable to one of her favorite wines which is a white mascadine wine made by one of the Country wineries north of here. I kinda felt that would be the verdict.

e-wine


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## summersolstice

I posted this recipe in the mead section at homebrewtalk last year.

Sweet Potato Pie Mead

In March 2008 I decided I wanted something for the holidays and pumpkins just aren't available that time of year. Even finding canned pumpkins in March is difficult. Having been raised in the south I knew how similar sweet potato and pumpkin pies taste.

Since I mentioned this mead in another thread I've had a couple of requests for the recipe. It's kinda complicated but, at almost 5 months old, it's pretty good. I only made two gallons since it was the first time making it. In fact, I've never even heard of anyone making it before.

The total liquid volume in the original was about 2 gallons. There's a huge amount of sediment so I ended up with a gallon and a half to bulk age.

5 lbs fresh sweet potatoes
4-4.5 lbs alfalfa honey
1.5 cups dark brown sugar
10 oz raisins
1.5 cinnamon sticks
1T blade style mace
5 green cardamom beans
6 cloves
1T fresh grated ginger
71B1122 yeast

OG 1.071 before adding sweet potatoes

Steam sweet potatoes and mash. Place in straining bag along with the spices and the raisins. Pitch yeast. There'll be many suspended solids, even with the straining bag.

rack in 3 weeks and top with dark rum (no more than a pint for this amount). The mead will ferment to dryness at this point.

After another month rack onto 8 oz alfalfa honey and 4 oz apple juice concentrate. Add two campden tablets or 1/8 t (teaspoon) k-meta and 1/2 t of potassium sorbate.

Wait another couple of weeks and bottle when clear. It provided me with 5 750ml and 3 375ml bottles.

This is a medium sweet mead that tastes just like sweet potato/pumpkin pie and should accompany a holiday dinner very nicely.


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## Michelles_Bells

*Made it!*

Hi! My parents and I made a batch of sweet potato wine that uses oranges and raisins in September. We've racked and added sugar ever since. It's almost stopped working, but the recipe said to let mature until 1 year from the date you set it. Of course we've tasted it already. lol It tastes similar to raisin jack wine but the sweet potato flavor comes through. It's perfectly clear with a gorgeous golden color- can't wait til this fall to see how the flavor develops! 

We did do 2 batches, one with added sugar, one without. The one without is oh so dry! I will say that you get a more pronounced orange flavor if you squeeze the oranges after the initial fermentation.


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## e-wine

Michelles_Bells,

I am surprise your batch is still fermenting after five months. Mine stopped before two and my wife is ready to start drinking it now although, she will have to wait.

I agree with the raisin taste and I plan to compare the final result with some raisin wine we bought on our last wine trips. I am courious how the wine would taste without the raisins (or with less). Maybe we will include that in the next production round. I'm looking for anyone's input here. Thank you.

e-wine


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## Michelles_Bells

Hi David,
Did you add oranges to yours? Also, did you add sugar each time you racked? When I initially went looking for a sweet potato wine recipe online I didn't see Keller's, but I really only found one- all seemed to come from one origin as they were all the same. Oh- also I used regular raisins but the recipe called for golden raisins. I'm sure that contributes to our color, but I wonder if the acidity or sugar in golden raisins is different than that of regular dark raisins? Anyone? Bueller?


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## e-wine

Michelle_Belles,

I have not added sugar each time and, since the s.g. is at 1.040, there is plenty of sugar available. What was the s.g. when you started the batch? Thank you.

e-wine


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## Michelles_Bells

Hmmmm- that's a good question! I haven't checked the s.g. We've been making wine for years but don't own a hydrometer. yikes, I know. Our recipes have been passed down by a few generations so knowing the s.g. is totally foreign to me. Which is what has brought me to this lovely site- as I explained to a friend that I want to know more about the chemistry and actual wine workings, she recommended this site to me. So here I am! I guess step one is buy a hydrometer....


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## e-wine

Knowing the specific gravity will take some of the guessing out of the process. I'm still learning about that myself. Unfortunately for the winemaker, not all fruit starts out with uniform properties. Grapes and fruit are more or less sweet from year to year and from week to week. The acid content also changes even during the process. If you started out with a low suger level and added sugar during each rack, you would know about where you were when fermentation stopped, near 1.000. It would interest me to see where the s.g. falls during each stage of your process. The development of your method and recipe sounds like one established to eliminate testing. I'm sure the country winemaker of old didn't own a hydrometer and didn't sweet to a certain s.g.. I would like to see a copy of the recipe and method. If you don't want to post it, just let me know. Thank you.

e-wine


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## e-wine

I racked the wine yesterday and added 1/2 campden tablet per gallon. I'll bottle in 10 days. The wine is very clear. I took some pictures and will post them soon. Also, I did start a second batch today using the same recipe. 

e-wine


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## e-wine

I started my third batch of sweet potato wine on the 26th and I'm waiting for April 4th to bottle the first batch. I did change some things on the second and third batches, more out of necessity than anything else. My wife and I were going to try an experiment on the 2nd and 3rd batches as a side by side comparison but the potatoes were starting to get some spots so those plans will have to wait. I did pick up another experiment and wanted to pass it by the group before I proceed. I pick up four 29 ounce cans of cut yams. They list the ingredients as sweet potatoes, water, corn syrup, and sugar. Has anyone made sweet potato wine with canned yams and how did you do it? For the recipe I used, you diced and boiled the potatoes and poured off the juice. I'm thinking I still need to boil it but I think I'll need to incorporate some of the potatoes in the must. Thank you.

e-wine


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## e-wine

We bottled the first batch of sweet potato wine yesterday. There are two batches of s.p. in one gallon secondaries. Additionally, I have about 6 gallons of s.p. in a primary. It was not too much fun peeling and cutting up the sweet potatoes but drinking the partial after the bottling indicated the efforts are worth it.

e-wine


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## e-wine

I racked the 6 gallons carboy of sweet potato wine into a five gallon carboy and had a little left over. I had anticipated the leftover and had a couple of 750 ml bottle on standby. It completely filled one bottle and partially filled the next. Since I had not seen any active fermentation in the batch, I had planned to put a vacuum stopper on the top of the bottles and place them in the refrigerator to clear (they were from the bottom of the carboy and had picked up some sediment.) When I tried to pull a vacuum on the bottles, they bubbled like crazy. I fully understood why it did this but it was so weird to observe it happening. It did make me wonder if pulling a vacuum would help to clear wine. 

e-wine


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## e-wine

After considering the dynamics, pulling a vacuum should help it clear by remove the microscopic CO2 bubbles that would help suspend the particulates. If anyone knows this as a fact please let me know otherwise, it's time for another experiment!

e-wine


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## gird123

e-wine.

I have about 10# of sweet potato. It sounds like you are an expert on sweet potato wine. Would you please post your favorite recipe to date?

Thank you,

Nate


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## e-wine

gird123,

Sorry for not responding sooner. I just got back from vacation and was not monitoring e-mails. I saw your post under fruit wines so I know you got started without any problems. As I mentioned, I do not use bananas so I am interested in your final results. Keep us posted.

e-wine


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## aronmatt3

Wow, sweet potato wine is also there?? I have never heard of this wine, I think because I am not a regular, but glad to know that this and I am planning to find this and taste.


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## number6

About 8 years later! Winemaking noob here.

I just started a gallon batch using the same recipe. The dark-colored sweet potatoes were on sale. Into the Cuisinart. Used grape concentrate in place of the raisins, added a little diastatic powder to help digest the carbs. The recipe didn't offer any yeast advice, so I went with basic D47.

The climate here in San Diego is very ahem, changeable. So I'm doing primary in my Instant Pot, sous vide setting at a steady 77 (the lowest it will go). About 12 hours in, there's yeast activity and I can smell that yummy alkeyhaulz. 

Fingers crossed.


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