# Banana Wine



## MedPretzel (Nov 20, 2005)

This recipe is for a banana wine. I tweaked an already tweaked recipe from Jack Keller.


I made 2 gallons of it, but this recipe is for 1 gallon:
<UL>
<LI>4 pounds of bananas 
<LI>6.5 pints of water 
<LI>4 cups of sugar 
<LI>1 cinnamon stick 
<LI>2.5 tsp acid blend 
<LI>1 tsp nutrient 
<LI>1/8 tsp tannin 
<LI>1/2 tsp pectic enzyme 
<LI>1 campden tablet, crushed 
<LI>Premier Cuvee yeast (1 packet)</LI>[/list]


Bring the water to a boil. Meanwhile, slice the bananas and skins into slices. Discard the stems. (I put them directly into a straining bag). When the water is boiling, add sugar and bananas and keep at a rolling boil for 30-40 minutes. After 30 minutes, I added the cinnamon stick and boiled for 10 minutes longer.


Start a yeast starter.


This is how far I am right now, but here's the further method:


When cooled to room temp, add all the other ingredients. Take an SG reading. Add theyeast starter to the primary fermentation vessel. 


Ferment for 4-5 days, then remove the straining bag, letting it drip through a sanitized collander. Continue fermentation until the SG reaches 1.020, and then rack to a glass carboy. Don't forget to add 1 campden tablet at this time, and make sure it's topped up. 


Rack when there is about 1/2 inch to an inch of sediment. 


When clear, stabilize with 1/2 tsp sorbate. if you want a sweeter wine, sweeten to taste. Add 1 well-crushed campden tablet to the wine about a week before bottling. 


They say to wait 6-12 months before trying it, but I don't know if it that is possible. It smells really good right now. Looks like muck, but smells great.


Changes I made: added cinnamon stick, used less bananas per gallon. Oh yes, I also changed how many peels I put in there.3/4 of the bananas were left with theirpeels on. Thegreener ones were taken off. I didn't add welch's concentrate yet on thisone. More to come soon, I am sure. 





*Edited by: MedPretzel *


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## MedPretzel (Nov 20, 2005)

Oh alright.




I keep thinking of you guys now, and actually had the camera at hand (and brought it upstairs too):











The bananas.











The boiling bananas.














The bananas in the primary.


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## Harry (Nov 20, 2005)

Looks mighty good and can smell them bananas , mine smells good also i have a gaooln in the making


Harry


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## Harry (Nov 20, 2005)

Opps i ment gallon in thee last post, I racked my Persimmon and my Marigold into glass tonight


Harry 


P.S. i will get some pics on here shortly


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## MedPretzel (Nov 20, 2005)

woohoo! And post your recipes!


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## MedPretzel (Nov 25, 2005)

Absolutely gross pictures coming. 





*"Parental discretion advised!"*
































After stirring:














The smell? Fantastic. If this clears like it's supposed to, then it's a keeper.


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## Waldo (Nov 26, 2005)

Good job Martina. That is one healthy looking fermentation you have going there.


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## ms.spain (Nov 28, 2005)

I made a gallon of banana wine back in May-same method as you,Martina. I know, it looks gross in the primary, but the smell is heavenly,isn't it!


Mine cleared quickly.When I got ready to bottle this,I let my Mom try it-she thought it was "strange".


I gave her a bottle(truthfully, I didn't think she would ever open it).She opened that bottle a couple of days ago, and she really likes it now!


Getting ready to make another batch!






I think you will really like this- It is a keeper!I'm going to open my last bottle this May.


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## MedPretzel (Nov 30, 2005)

Thanks all,





I think I might devote one gallon to blending, but I've been known to go back on my original plan.



I think banana-crysanthemum might be the mix I'm looking for. So far, both smell very, very, VERY, VERY great, wonderful, super, everything!





M.


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## MedPretzel (Dec 2, 2005)

Picture:











Sediment has started to form at the bottom.


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## Maui Joe (Dec 3, 2005)

Martina,


What type of bananas have you used in your wine? I have a one-gallon aging approximately 1 year now. The banana wine clears quite rapidly on its own. 


You have a nice batch going.


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## MedPretzel (Dec 6, 2005)

Hey Maui! Nice to see you back!









I used normal Dole Bananas, which I bought at the grocery store. At 29 cents per pound, I couldn't resist!



I'm sure they aren't as wonderful as your "Island Grown" ones, but if the smell is an indicator to the taste, I am sure it will be good. 





Thanks for the encouragement!


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## Maui Joe (Dec 6, 2005)

Thanks Martina, it's nice to be back.


A young friend of mine supplies Dole with Bananas from the Phillipines. He has 25 acres growing. Those bananas are good!


Your wines look great!


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## Waldo (Dec 7, 2005)

Yes indeedy they do


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## MedPretzel (Dec 7, 2005)

Thanks Maui and Waldo!





It's nice to know that I'm making some wine that people might actually like!


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## MedPretzel (Dec 10, 2005)

Update. 


Racked the banana wine today. Lots of sediment and it made me nervous.











So, I racked.














Spencer was busy watching the birds at the bird feeder on his "couch".


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## Fruit n Nut (Dec 10, 2005)

Martina,


Are you finding that the sediment is more "Fuffy clouds" than compact lees ?


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## MedPretzel (Dec 10, 2005)

Winemaster,


The picture looked more fluffy-cloudy than it did in real life. It was a little more compact than it appears in the picture. I did the carboy-tilt for about a week, and it was thicker at the lowest part of the carboy. When I turned the carboy around 180 degrees, it disturbed the top layer a little. That was when I took the picture. 





I also took a picture through the top opening of the gallon jug. It was what was left over.


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## rshosted (Jan 1, 2006)

Anyone, how long should you age a banana wine


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## MedPretzel (Jan 1, 2006)

I'm currently in the clearing stages of mine, but Jack Keller says 6-12 months, which means for me "in 3 months, it's drinkable."


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## Maui Joe (Jan 1, 2006)

I have made a couple batches of just banana. My notes indicate that it does improve in time, usually is increments of 2-3 months.. One batch is over a year and it has mellowed out quite good. More so, I usually use the banana with other wines for the help in clearing, viscosity, and mouth feel, etc.


Banana is not so pronounced in flavor compared to other fruits at the final stage of completion...but it is good when the alcohol level is not high and then the flavors is more noticeable from what I have experienced. Using "brown sugars" and spicing it abit does help with the overall finish. Hope this helps some!


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## jojo (Jan 10, 2006)

looks great martina - and spencer is one cool looking cat 


i finally bottled mine from last summer. its chardonnay like and cleared up nicely. i remember it was white milk at first. a total excercise in patience.


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## MedPretzel (Jan 10, 2006)

thanks, I'll pass it on to spencer. he's just a little weirdo. 





the wine is clearing nicely.


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## MedPretzel (Jan 21, 2006)

Update:


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## bilbo-in-maine (Jan 21, 2006)

That looks just like my apple/jalapeño did this morning before I filtered it. 
One pass through #2 pads made it sparkle!


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## pkcook (Jan 21, 2006)

Martina,


Most of the recipes that I've seen on line recommend very ripe bananas. I noticed your fruit was what I call "eating age." Will a black banana make a different wine than a young yellow banana? 


The result you have there is beautiful!


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## MedPretzel (Jan 22, 2006)

Thanks, Pat. Well, I can tell you this about bananas. The browner, the better because the sweeter they are. I compensated a little with these in the amount of sugar I used. 


Also, these looked eating age (and they were), but they were very mushy. I would imagine a day or two out on the counter, they would have been brown and ready.I'm just impatient.






I haven't had banana wine to compare this to, so I cannot tell you what the difference would be exactly. I'm only going on a hunch. My dad always eats his bananas when they are like practically fermenting in their own skins (not brown, but black!



), and he always tells me that they are much sweeter and better when they are that way. I don't know. 


It's like sushi -- there are just some things that I cannot eat because it just doesn't feel right. Raw fish and black bananas are just two of those things.



But that's just me.


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## MedPretzel (Feb 23, 2006)

Banana Wine bottled and labeled:


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## MedPretzel (Feb 23, 2006)

A picture of the label:





*Edited by: MedPretzel *


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## Big Port (Feb 23, 2006)

Wow! What a label! Nice job! How did the wine taste at bottling?


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## MedPretzel (Feb 23, 2006)

I have to say, I swiped the label off of the google-images site. I punched in "banana wine label" as a search string, and this is what I liked the best. I just changed the name of the winery and wine and address at the bottom.



So, the credit is not for me to be taking. But thank you anyway!!!









The taste? Ummm... Well.... Hot. It needs to mellow out at least 6 months or so, and then I think it'll be nice and smooth. The smell is so overpowering of banana, that I think it might be a very nice aperatif. 


For that reason, I probably should have sweetened it up a little, but I'm having "sweetening problems" right now, it seems. I add the sorbate to all my wines, but somehow I find that they are still bubbly when I open some of them.



Not quite sure what to make of it, but we will see.





All in all, I think this was a good wine (so far), but I also want to note that I'm disappointed that the spices didn't come out more. I hope that with more aging, they might.


Thanks for the compliments, and thanks for asking.


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## MrFruitwines (Nov 27, 2006)

I'd love to hear how this wine turned out. I am toying with the idea of making a banana wine myself. If you tell me its good, I'll post the recipe I have and maybe we can compare notes ? Thanks.


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## Wade E (Nov 27, 2006)

Welcome MrFruitwines. Do you have alot of experience making wine. We
here have a good supply of newbies and experienced winemakers and more
of both are always welcome. I have yet to make an only banana wine but
have heard it is awesome. How aged is your batch?


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## MrFruitwines (Nov 27, 2006)

Yes, I am experienced making fruit wines. Mostly peach and apricot. The recipe I am looking at comes from page 102 of Anderson and it calls for a full year of aging. 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0156970953/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

The recipe appears to have some discrepancies in it. I'll need some assistance before I make it.


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## Wade E (Nov 27, 2006)

We are all here to help and learn.


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## NorthernWinos (Nov 27, 2006)

MrFruitwines said:


> Yes, I am experienced making fruit wines. Mostly peach and apricot. The recipe I am looking at comes from page 102 of Anderson and it calls for a full year of aging.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/0156970953/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
> 
> The recipe appears to have some discrepancies in it. I'll need some assistance before I make it.



That is one of my favorite books....the recipes start our with a high S.G. and small amounts of water....then at first racking they are topped up to 5 gallons and that is when you get the full amount of wine...
I find those instructions kind of odd....I just start out with the desired S.G. and the full amount of water, but use the amounts of fruits and additives that they recomend....do like all their recipes that I have used for fruit wines.
Peach and Apricot wines sound wonderful, you must live in fruit country.*Edited by: Northern Winos *


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## MrFruitwines (Nov 27, 2006)

> That is one of my favorite books...



Mine too !I find it is the most comprehensive source of information about fruit wine making around. If anyone knows of a better source, I'd love to hear it.

But I think the recipes have a few mistakes in them, or at least I don't understand some of them. 



> the recipes start our with a high S.G. and small amounts of water....then at first racking they are topped up to 5 gallons and that is when you get the full amount of wine...



OK, if that is the case then maybe the recipe is fine. Maybe it is ME that needs to learn a thing or two !



> I find those instructions kind of odd....I just start out with the desired S.G. and the full amount of water, but use the amounts of fruits and additives that they recomend....do like all their recipes that I have used for fruit wines.



Hmmm... that is what I was going to do. I'll share the recipe and my thoughts in my next post and I'd appreciate hearing what you would do with it. 



> Peach and Apricot wines sound wonderful, you must live in fruit country.



Actually, I don't. But produce is available at the farmer's markets for reasonable prices, especially a little later in the season. The peach and apricot wines we have made turned out very well. We haven't made them for a few years, but I plan to make a bunch in 2007 again. 

Edited by Northern Winos - Today at 5:41pm


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## MrFruitwines (Nov 27, 2006)

OK, I'd like to make a nice white wine for summer. I've made good wines from peaches and apricots. Neither of those fruits are in season right now, but
bananas are plentiful and cheap. 

The following book has been my bible in making fruit wines.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0156970953/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
I found the recipes for peach and apricot wines to work quite well.

On page 102, it has a recipe for banana wine. 

The first thing I like is the description. "Bananas make a full bodied wine. Served over ice with a dash of soda water and a slice of lemon, it
makes a great tropical cooler." So far so good for a summer wine. 

The aging time is just about a year, but maybe we can start consuming it a bit young in order to enjoy it in July or so. 

Then I look at the recipe and "sequence".

Step #1, paraphrased: chop 12 pounds of ripe sound bananas with peels and mix with 4 quarts of water. Boil for 30 minutes.

Problem: what does chop mean ? Does it mean slice the bananas into 1/2" sections ? Does it mean pulverize like pieces of tomato for a chunky salsa ?

Problem: will 4 quarts of water cover 12 pounds of chopped bananas ?

Step 2 through 8, paraphrased: strain, add vinacid water, sugar (14 pounds!) oranges, yeast,etc. Ferment it. 

Problem: the sum total of all the liquids is much less than the 24 liters I would expect. The recipe states 15 liters of water in total and some of that will be lost boiling and straining the bananas. It doesn't say
anything about topping up to 24 liters. It also doesn't say what the starting SG should be. 

Just to confuse things, here is the same recipe adapted and it calls for 17.5L of liquids.
http://www.rjspagnols.com/resource_view.asp?HandoutID=87


So... 

a) has anyone made this wine or one like it ? How did it turn out ? Could you share the recipe ?

b) has anyone been able to contact the authors about corrections for the book ? Or are they published somewhere ? 

c) how would you adjust this recipe to make a good wine ? Add additional water to bring it up to the 24 liter mark ?

Thanks.

I apologize in advance for also (cross) posting this on the rec.crafts.winemaking newsgroup. I'm happy to have found this forum. I like seeing the pictures of what people are doing and I like the tone of the conversations.


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## MrFruitwines (Nov 27, 2006)

> the recipes start our with a high S.G. and small amounts of water....then at first racking they are topped up to 5 gallons and that is when you get the full amount of wine...



I found that with his recipes too. I wonder if the Andersons know something that we don't. If you read the non recipe part of the book carefully, they talk about emulating the fermentation conditions of the grape with their fruit recipe. So maybe one needs less water to get the same SG ? Or maybe its an acid thing ?

I'd love to know if anyone understands what is going on. *Edited by: MrFruitwines *


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## NorthernWinos (Nov 27, 2006)

MrFruitwines said:


> I found that with his recipes too. I wonder if the Andersons know something that we don't. If you read the non recipe part of the book carefully, they talk about emulating the fermentation conditions of the grape with their fruit recipe. So maybe one needs less water to get the same SG ? Or maybe its an acid thing ?
> 
> I'd love to know if anyone understands what is going on.



In Winemaking by Anderson & Anderson on page 29 they explain that they use less water at the fermenting stage and this allows for topping up with water 3 times at the rackings.
I have never followed that step...just use their recipe, add water to 5 or 6 gallons and use my desired Starting Gravity..usually 1080-1090....
I like their recipes using the Grape Concentrates in the fruit wines...I use the concentrates in all my fruit wines...

Every book you read has different ideas...and it is just the opinion of that author.


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