# watermellon



## david1 (May 29, 2009)

Hello all ! Been gone a while, work an all, still making apple, 2 batches more, would like to try watermellon. My carboys are 6 gallon, most recipies call for 15 lbs watermellon centers, and that seems to be a little shy for 6 gal. any ideas and recipies would be appreciated


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## Tom (May 29, 2009)

I would double the #'s since its mostly water.


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## ffemtreed (May 29, 2009)

I made two seperate gallons of watermelon last year and they were both horrible. I had to add artifical watermelon flavoring to them just to taste any hint of watermelon. I was hoping that the watermelon flavor would come out in time, but I opened a bottle last week (9 months after bottling) and it seemed to get weaker. 

This summer I am going to try using watermelon as a mix with something light to see if I can get the flavors to enhance.


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## MoWine (May 29, 2009)

I made a batch (1 gallon) a couple years ago. It came out real weak and a bad taste of rine.


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## joe (Sep 4, 2009)

*Watermelon*

I have made a lot of mead and have always had good luck, other than on batch i put cloves in. Would like to try watermelon as I can get watermelons for nothing or close to it, at least towards end of the season. But, i have never heard anything good said of making watermelon wine. I would like to talk to someone or read some posts on some successful batches and how they happened. I would use straight juice, honey and/or sugar, and an aggressive yeast like 1118. Any help would be appreciated


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## Madriver Wines (Sep 5, 2009)

The best way is to juice the watermellon and use 100% juice not 50/50 water and juice. Also cut the thin layer of green "skin"off first. This will help with the rind taste. There is just something about a watermellon wine that is green!!
Steve


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## joe (Sep 5, 2009)

*watermelon*

I actually did not intend to use any rind and thought i would juice the meat of the melon


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## Midwest Vintner (Sep 5, 2009)

Madriver Wines said:


> The best way is to juice the watermellon and use 100% juice not 50/50 water and juice. Also cut the thin layer of green "skin"off first. This will help with the rind taste. There is just something about a watermellon wine that is green!!
> Steve



x2. also, you want to keep it cooler than most wines because it will spoil before enough alc. gets in to protect it during fermentation. i would recommend keeping it in the refrig until you put in the yeast.

not a good wine, imo, and i love watermelons.


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## Madriver Wines (Sep 5, 2009)

This is my first try with watermellon so not sure what to expect. It was in the living room with the AC so that may have been a blessing in disguise.


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## joe (Sep 7, 2009)

I may rethink making watermelon wine. I have other things available. Dont know that I want to go to a lot of work and some expense to take a chance on getting a batch that may not be good anyway. But the watermelon will be free so maybe one five gallon batch.

Should be getting some pears and everthing I have heard about pear wine is good.


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## djrockinsteve (Jun 10, 2011)

I have been getting watermellons lately. I removed all the meat from them and froze them in ziplock bags. I've found that the meat weighs slightly more than half the total weight uncut. This is for the seeded mellons.

Aldi's has them for 3 bucks a large mellon. G. Eagle is asking 6.99 for the exact same brand and size. If there ain't some markup there.

Strawberries are 1.00 a pound too this week.

Anyway maybe Sunday I'll weigh all of my mellons and see what I have. I plan on doing a batch of mellon and strawberries, and another batch of straight mellon but simmered down to increase the flavor.

We'll see if I can pull these 2 off.


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## jokalotus (Jun 10, 2011)

Im kinda new and never have i made watermelon wine but having that in mind here goes.

What about juicing the watermelon meat and then reducing it by 25%-50% might that evaporate a lot of the water and leave more flavor?


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## Julie (Jun 10, 2011)

jokalotus said:


> Im kinda new and never have i made watermelon wine but having that in mind here goes.
> 
> What about juicing the watermelon meat and then reducing it by 25%-50% might that evaporate a lot of the water and leave more flavor?



That might not be a bad idea for no other reason than this might prevent if from spoiling. I have made watermellon in the past some success and some not successful. You have my interest in this.


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## Deezil (Jun 10, 2011)

I've wondered about a double boiling method for reducing the watermelon juice, because I've heard that simmering it gives the juice a cooked taste that never leaves.. Food for thought, i havent actually tried any of it yet...


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## closetwine (Jun 10, 2011)

Deezil said:


> I've wondered about a double boiling method for reducing the watermelon juice, because I've heard that simmering it gives the juice a cooked taste that never leaves.. Food for thought, i havent actually tried any of it yet...



I wonder where you heard that!  But yes simmering it down will change the flavor, and it will not change. However Doles makes a watermelon refridgerated juice (most do not have sorbate or any other inhibitors and they are 100% juice). I'm going to look into f-paking with that after simmering it down. That might bring the flavor back.


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## Sliverpicker (Aug 9, 2011)

SO.... How goes the Watermellon? I have the earge to make some, now that summer is finally in the PNW!! 

The negative note I have read are making me a little leary..


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## Julie (Aug 10, 2011)

watermelon is risky, it is doable but watermelon juice spoils fast and while I have made it in the past and really enjoyed it, I won't make any more.

Try using strawberries with your watermelon and do not add any water. Use as many watermelons you need to fill a 5g carboy, you will probably need to do this in two primary buckets to ensure you have enough for a 5g carboy.

Also, keep your must on the colder side when you adding your peptic enzyme and sulfites.


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## mrpoland (Aug 10, 2011)

I made watermelon wine and it was very bad. I mixed it with water so maybe that was the problem. My friend made it from pure juice and it was not good either. Even 6 months in the bottle didn’t help, it was worse.

How you want to evaporate the water from the juice? By boiling the juice? I never tried but I think the taste will not be nice, not mentioning about the smell. I will look forward to read more about this experiment if somebody is going to try….


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## djrockinsteve (Aug 10, 2011)

I need to rack mine off of the sediment soon. It has kept it's (or most of) beautiful color. I will have to top off with another wine, prob. a tropical blend as to make up for the displacement of the sediment.


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## Sliverpicker (Aug 10, 2011)

So I just had a few good thoughts...

1: Why not just skip the Camden Tablets and the 24hr waiting period? This would shorten the time the juice has to go bad. You may end up with some odd yeast but does that really matter?!

2: Are you fermenting in a bucket or carboy?.. The carboy would seal the juice with CO2 faster and therefore again shorting the amount of time it is exposed to air.

Think I may be off to the store for some watermellons...


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## Julie (Aug 10, 2011)

Sliverpicker said:


> So I just had a few good thoughts...
> 
> 1: Why not just skip the Camden Tablets and the 24hr waiting period? This would shorten the time the juice has to go bad. You may end up with some odd yeast but does that really matter?!
> 
> ...



I won't do that, put the camden tablets in, just keep the juice cold while waitng out the 24 hours and fermenting in a carboy will slow down the fermentation and possibly cause a stuck fermentation and if this happens with a watermelon, the juice has a bigger chance of spoiling. Also, you better have a yeast starter going full blast because this stuff needs to hit the floor at a run.


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## djrockinsteve (Aug 10, 2011)

That is why I froze my melon so I wouldn't have to use any sulfite. I kept the buckets cold as the melon thawed in the buckets. As soon as it reached 60 degrees I added pectic enzyme, then 12 hours later and still chilly I added my yeast.

It took off right away. I'm going to try to rack it tomorrow and I'll update.


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