# Pineapple Wine



## Wiz (Mar 22, 2011)

Opened another bottle of semi dry after 8 months and it tasted just like it did after 6 months. Good pineapple aroma and very clear but it definitely has a taste of a not so good flavor. Don't think if I would make another batch.


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## Minnesotamaker (Mar 22, 2011)

I too have made a pineapple wine. I made mine from canned fruit that was on sale. Like yours, it has good aroma, but, while drinkable, it isn't all that flavorful. I left it dry. Mind you, it's not offensive, it's just kind of blah.


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## roadwarriorsvt (Mar 22, 2011)

I was contemplating making some pineapple, due to the abundance of fresh pineapple in our region. I bought a bottle of pineapple wine that had been made by a professional winery here in the state. It was just OK at best. I'm sure it was made correctly, but pineapple is just not a flavor I find attrractive in a wine. Just my $.02.


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## Loren (Mar 22, 2011)

I also made some from crushed pinapple in the can, think it was Walmart brand. Not that good, is still very young, but doubt that time is going to help it. You gotta experiment though. I only made a gallon so not much of a loss. Also tried the mandarin orange, am hoping like the pinapple that it improves by Christmas. Loren


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## djrockinsteve (Mar 23, 2011)

I have 12 gallons of pineapple that is aging. Throughout the entire process it smelled terrific. We'll see how it turns out. Gonna let it age a few more months. I'll try to remember to let you know how it turns out.


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## jtstar (Mar 23, 2011)

I've have also made a pineapple wine that is three months old the last time I tried it I thought it was coming along pretty good the one thing that I might have done different from the rest of you is that I didn't use straight water to top up my carboy I went to the frozen section and pick up some pineapple concentrate and mixed up to use for topping up my carboy


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## wyntheef (Mar 23, 2011)

I currently have my latest attempt in secondary. Taste is a little off, but it still has quite a bit of suspended solids so not too worried about that at this point. I had a number of people asking if I was going to make some more, and I wanted to see if I could get a better tasting batch so...

Notably though, I had to add an additional 3 tsp. of acid blend to achieve good TA and PH levels. I was worried by that but I have checked both twice after fermenting stopped / degassed, and the numbers are holding steady at 7% and 3.2 respectively.


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## winemanden (Mar 25, 2011)

I've made Pineapple myself in the past, and I agree with what most of you have said. Having said that, I think Pineapple comes into its own when used as a secondary ingredient in other white recipes in the same way that raisins are used.

Regards to all, Winemanden.


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## Tom (Mar 25, 2011)

OK here's what I did. 
1st use fresh pineapples
2nd ferment dry
3rd make f-pac w/ 2-3 cans frozen concentrate (non diluted)
4th back sweeten
5th If you can get your hands on (Divinci) pineapple syrup will help
Mine came out like pineapple juice with a slight kick.


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## lloyd (Mar 25, 2011)

Back from vacation to Bonaire netherlands Antilles great trip but when I returned was very disappointed with my Pineapple.999sg and my orange wine.1016 sg. both were sour and very bitter. The pineapple was bitter too and had very little flavor , the orange had more natural flavor but tasted more like grape fruit. I call it goat wine because only the goats will drink it. Can any thing be done to subdue the bitter flavor or should i toss it to the goats? I thought I would try pineapple because Tedeschi Vineyards in Maui Hawaii makes a pineapple wine called Maui Blanc which I like. But I have made two batches and failed on both attempts.


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## docanddeb (Mar 26, 2011)

Use it to blend.

I have made Rhubarb Pineapple wine, and it's quite nice. The pineapple offset the tartness of the rhubarb. It was started together, not blended.

I would think a little of it would blend nicely with many other fruits.

Debbie


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## PCharles (Apr 24, 2011)

I made my first attempt with home made fruit wine was a pineapple peach wine. I processed the pineapple in my juicer, adding the juice and the pulp into a container. I added the crushed peach juice to the blend along with K-sorb. I left this in the frig for three days. After straining out the pulp, I brought up to 2 gallons with a can of white wine juice concentrate bought at the grocery. I added water and activated yeast (yeast in orange juice with yeast nutrient) up to the two gallon mark. Oh yes, I added enough sugar to bring the brix up to 1.080. This all went into the fermentor along with an air lock. I stirred twice per day for about a week. The SG dropped to .990. I put the wine in a carboy for several weeks followed by stabilization. I racked off into another carboy for another month. Well sorry folks.... I could not keep from trying it. I racked again and bottled. I was very pleased with the taste, being light and dry. It was very much like a dry white wine with a very slight hint of fruit flavor. I don't usually drink sweet wine. Like I said, I bottled the wine. I know rushed the process. The wine does have a bit of a off smell, but the taste is nice. I figure next time I will let the wine sit in the carboy longer and extend the bottle time also. What the heck, I gave it a test drive and it had a nice kick. 

Strawberries are in here in North Carolina. I'm looking forward to my next fruit wine. I'll be going for six gallons this time. Two gallons just was not enough.

Happy winemaking,

Paul


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## fifthhorsm (Apr 25, 2011)

i've always felt that it should be possible to make a good pineapple wine. back about thirty years ago was on vacation in hawaii and this vineyard had just started making pineapple wine. i bought two bottles... long story made short it was the nastiest worst tasteing wine i've ever had.... it not only was so bitter but had a foul nasty taste i can't really describe except i'm sure to pick a nice cat treat out of the litter box and sucking on it would have to be better. this has always put me off even trying to make a pineapple wine... sounds like most here have had as much luck with their own.
mike


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## joeswine (Apr 26, 2011)

tom can attest to this we have a winemaker in our group who makes a very taste pineapple most of the time ,if made wright its quit refreshing,really...


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## lloyd (Apr 27, 2011)

I guess pineapple is not a slam dunk. All the more reason to take on the challenge. I would have a great sense of accomplishment if I were able to produce a good Pineapple wine, and probably learn a few things about wine making. Im up for trying again. maybe a group of us could start a few one gallon batches at the same time Guided by Our Master Pineapple wine maker


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## joeswine (Apr 27, 2011)

yes like most wine making,trial and error till you get it wright........berries are more my speed.......


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## Wiz (Apr 27, 2011)

Lloyd, i would be interested in what you are proposing. Where I live, pineapple is very inexpensive and being so good, it's hard to believe that it is marginally so bad. I do believe that some good pineapple wine could be made if it was sweet but I am intersted in dry to semi dry. I think that is where the problem lies.


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## lloyd (Apr 28, 2011)

Iv'e been thinking that coring and being sure you get almost all of the rind off might be as important as removing all the white from your oranges when you make orange wine. I also think that leaving the pulp in for no more than 3 or 4 days might be a good move also.


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## closetwine (May 4, 2011)

I have a pinapple made from Dole's (a what's there to ferment kinda day). It tastes like candied pinapple, so it's rather sweet but good.


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## Luc (May 5, 2011)

My pineapple wine was also made from canned pineapples and I can add to the sentiments above it was just soso.
Not bad but not excellent.

Plan to do a new one with fresh pineapples when the season is there.

Luc


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## fifthhorsm (May 12, 2011)

lloyd,
with pineapple the core is fine to use it has good flavor, the only reason it's cut away for eating is that it's tough and woody. also the rind or peel what ever you want to call it doesn't have any of the bitter pith of citrus. when i cut up a fresh pineapple i save all the trimmings and cook them with sugar into a nice syrup.
i think the nasty tasteing element in so much of the pineapple wine comes from the fruit it's self... i got a nice fresh pineapple a couple days ago, it was good and ripe but when i cut it.... there was the nasty bitter undertone. it was so bad i tossed it.... this has happened to me with about half the fresh pineapples i've gotten for the last few years. none are nearly as good as the fresh pineapple served in hawaii.... now days who really knows where the produce in our markets comes from.... some of our local markets got caught giving false info on the source of their produce last year.
mike


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## djrockinsteve (May 17, 2011)

With all the talk of their pineapple being a let down I was worried about mine. Well this weekend it was sampled and well received. I did both a dry and a sweet version with 3 more gallons still aging.

If I recall I used 35 pounds of pineapple for a 6 gallon batch. I'm very happy with it. We'll have to wait a few months and see if it can get any better.


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## Wiz (May 17, 2011)

Congrats Steve, wish I had the fortune for mine to be good. It's just drinkable but I wouldn't want it to be the only wine I had to drink.


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## djrockinsteve (May 17, 2011)

I'll post my recipe on my blog one of these days. We can compare.


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## Duster (Jun 20, 2011)

I took on the challenge this weekend. I thought I would start experimenting with 1gal batches. My first batch does not seem to be showing any sings of fermentation. 
I used
2 quarts of 100% pineapple juice
2 quarts of 100% Welsh white grape juice
both containing no preservatives​2 1/3 c sugar (inverted in grape juice)
starting SG of 1.081​1/2 t of acid blend
do not have a way to check TA (i'm ready for the ridicule )​1/2 t energizer
1 t nutrient
1/4 t tannin
1/2 t pectic enzyme
yeast slurry from cherry concord that was racked from the primary the same day. Slurry was added when must was 68*F

stirred ever 12 hours or so for the last 36 hours

current must temp is 74*F

I see no bubbles or foam at this point. If I see no reaction by tomorrow night then I am gonna take another SG reading to see where it is.

Is it possible that Pineapple is stubborn to start like SP is?

I'm open to any advice.


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## docanddeb (Jun 20, 2011)

Pineapple is very acidic... it could be your Ph is low. Did you use a recipe for the basis of this? I would think pineapple juice without dilution might be the problem. Google a recipe for pineapple wine and see what comes up. Possibly adjusting the water and adding sugar accordingly will bring it back into line.

Debbie


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## Duster (Jun 20, 2011)

I used the recipe in that common little pink book that come with most starter kits as a base recipe. 
however you may be right, I really need to check my TA however my LHBS is 2 hours north and if I order one online, it may be too late by the time it gets here.


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## docanddeb (Jun 20, 2011)

If you have a recipe for canned pineapple juice... then follow that. It should get you in the right ball park. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't need acid blend up front. Seems odd they would add that. It is something you can add at the end of any wine, to taste.

Debbie


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## Wiz (Jun 20, 2011)

I don't do S.P. but I'm wondering why you didn't go ahead and use yeast?


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## Duster (Jun 20, 2011)

Wiz said:


> I don't do S.P. but I'm wondering why you didn't go ahead and use yeast?



Because my dumba$$ brother in law was over and talked me into useing the premier curve slurry from Cherry


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## docanddeb (Jun 20, 2011)

LOL







Debbie


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## Duster (Jun 21, 2011)

Duster said:


> I took on the challenge this weekend. I thought I would start experimenting with 1gal batches. My first batch does not seem to be showing any sings of fermentation.
> I used
> 2 quarts of 100% pineapple juice
> 2 quarts of 100% Welsh white grape juice
> ...



 Problem diverted! I gave it one more good stir and whip this morning then of to the office, when I got home this evening the air lock was blowing more gas then I do after an all-nighter of dollar drafts and a few deep fried burritos from my local watering hole


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## jonpeter001 (Jun 23, 2011)

# 3 pounds fresh pineapple
# 1 campden tablet
# 4 cups white sugar
# 1 teaspoon nutrients
# 1/4 teaspoon tannin
# 1 package yeast
# water

Remove top from pineapple. Cut off peel. Quarter pineapple lengthwise and cut out core. Chop into small pieces and put into primary fermentor. Mash and squeeze some juice out of the fruit. Add 12 cups of water and all other ingredients EXCEPT yeast. Let sit overnight.

Specific Gravity should be between 1.090 and 1.095. Add yeast. Stir daily, pressing pulp lightly with spoon to aid extraction for 3 to 5 days, until frothing ceases.

Strain the wine without squeezing more juice out, and place it in the secondary fermentor. Attach air lock.

For a dry wine, rack in six weeks, then every three months for one year. Bottle.

For a sweet wine, rack at six weeks. Add 1/2 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup wine. Stir gently, and place back into secondary fermentor. Repeat process every six weeks until fermentation does not restart with the addition of sugar. Rack every three months until one year old.

Bottle the wine when it is 6 to 12 months old, when you are sure it is stable. I like to continue racking for a whole year to ensure the wine is as clear as possible. Wine is ready to drink one year after the date the batch was started.


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## djrockinsteve (Jun 23, 2011)

Here are my thoughts.

Add pectic enzyme in between camden tablet and yeast. Allow at least 12 hours between each.
Add Ascorbic Acid to prevent the fruit from turning while the ascorbic acid is working.
I myself would start with a lower gravity such as 1.070 or 1.075. You will get additional sugar from the pulp of the fruit. After it is finished you would most likely end up around 10 or 11%ABV unless you like that higher alcohol. That can obscure some of the fruit flavor.

I would ferment dry in a primary and not rack. This is a fruit you want to ferment quickly then rack and clear. You would not have to squeeze the pulp with a spoon as the pectic enzyme will chew up the cell structure of the meat and release the sugar. Remove the pulp around 1.020

Just my thoughts. I just bottled 12 gallons of pineapple and have more to do. It came out awesome thanks to Wade regarding the ascorbic acid.


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## SpoiledRotten (Jun 23, 2011)

I tried the pineapple and it turned out fairly good. Although I'd probably never try Red Grapefruit again, pineapple is a keeper.


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## SpoiledRotten (Jun 23, 2011)

lloyd said:


> Back from vacation to Bonaire netherlands Antilles great trip but when I returned was very disappointed with my Pineapple.999sg and my orange wine.1016 sg. both were sour and very bitter. The pineapple was bitter too and had very little flavor , the orange had more natural flavor but tasted more like grape fruit. I call it goat wine because only the goats will drink it. Can any thing be done to subdue the bitter flavor or should i toss it to the goats? I thought I would try pineapple because Tedeschi Vineyards in Maui Hawaii makes a pineapple wine called Maui Blanc which I like. But I have made two batches and failed on both attempts.



I was told by an old pro that enough sugar will take away the bitterness... if you like a real sweet wine.


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## OldCanalBrewing (Apr 24, 2012)

My pineapple is now dry. I am going to, more than likely, simmer another can of juice ( i used pineapple juice for this batch) to 1/3 of volume for flavor punch and add sugar to taste for sweetening. I to have had the Maui Blanc and it's good. I like mine a tad more sweeter though. EC-1118 is a rocking yeast! Done in 5 days!! Ill let it age for awhile and possibly blend the second of the 2 gallons with a passion fruit or mango in secondary.


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