# Zucchini Wine



## St Allie

ZUCCHINI WINE 

5-6 lbs fresh zucchini, chopped 
2-1/2 lbs finely granulated sugar 
1 11-oz can Welch's 100% White Grape Juice Frozen Concentrate 
1-1/3 tsp acid blend 
1/2 oz fresh ginger root thinly sliced 
1 crushed Campden tablet 
6-1/2 pts water 
1 tsp yeast nutrient 
Hock, Sauternes or Champagne yeast 

Bring 3 cups water to boil and dissolve sugar in it completely. Set aside. Meanwhile, Select, wash and chop the unpeeled zucchini cross-wise into 1/2-inch pieces. Mix all ingredients except the yeast in primary, cover, and set aside for 10-12 hours. Add activated yeast and recover primary. Stir every 6-8 hours for 3 days, then strain off solids and transfer liquid into secondary. Press solids lightly and hold liquid from them, covered. When vigorous fermentation subsides, add reserved liquid, top up if necessary, and attach airlock. Rack after 4 weeks, top up and reattach airlock. Rack again after additional 4 weeks. If wine has not cleared, add amylase according to instructions and set aside additional month. Fine with Bentonite if desired, rack 10 days later, stabilize and sweeten to taste. Wait 3 weeks before bottling to see if wine is indeed stable. Wine should be aged 3 months after bottling.

Gallon batch

Source:

Jack Keller's Website


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## VineRipe

Allie, I never in the world would have thought of making zucchini wine. From what I gather, folks will try just about anything in wine making. One of the things that makes it so interesting, I think.

Now if I can just figure out how to juice that 'possum I caught last night....


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## Old Philosopher

VineRipe said:


> ...Now if I can just figure out how to juice that 'possum I caught last night....



Vita-Mix. It would juice a rock!


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## Old Philosopher

Okay, Allie, I ran this by SWMBO since we have three huge zucchini sitting here. Reaction was 'bleah!'. So tell me, what would you say it tastes like?


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## St Allie

OP..

even banana wine doesn't taste like bananas after the fermentation process.. i would say it would end up being a dry table white..

might be worth doing a gallon as an experiment.. it's heading into summer here.. if I get given courgettes this year.. I'll give it a go..

Allie


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## jtstar

Allie 
Did you do the Zucchini wine if you did how did it taste


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## St Allie

I spent the end of december and the whole of january cleaning my holiday home. That's why all my primaries & secondaries are empty at present. I have just got a few courgette plants into the veg garden now I'm back and hope to get a few courgettes out of them before autumn. If I have enough, will do a gallon batch and let you know what it was like.. 

Allie


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## jtstar

Allie 
I have some ground Zucchini in the freezer how would you go about using this if you had it to make a gallon size batch 
Jack


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## St Allie

the recipe above is for a gallon batch.. how much zucchini do you have?

Allie


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## jtstar

We have alot not sure how much but we put up alot for bread


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## St Allie

You'll need to get it out of the freezer and weigh it. we can work from there.

Allie


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## jtstar

Do I need to have a strainer bag or can it be fermented likes grapes


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## St Allie

If it's ground up and you don't like mess, use a strainer bag.

I don't bother with strainer bags and strain it through muslin and squeeze it out, when it's moved to secondary. 

how much have you got?

Allie


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## jtstar

I have about twelve pounds


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## St Allie

you could double this recipe Jack..

http://scorpius.spaceports.com/~goodwine/zucchiniwine.htm

I'd be inclined to use a fruit juice as the base, rather than water.. So apart from a small amount of boiling water initially.. top up the rest of the wine with say, a storebought applejuice?.. otherwise I think this will be a bit thin? (there're no raisins in the recipe either)

and use 6lb zucchini per gallon to give it more body.. throw in a couple of bananas too.

What are your thoughts?

Allie


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## jtstar

That sounds like a very good ideal I think I will put it together I will keep you posted


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## St Allie

if you are going to throw in the bananas, boil them in the water, strain off the banana pulp and pour the banana water over the must.. it'll save you straining out more lees later.

this could be quite interesting .. oh and keep the SG around 1.080-1.090..

unless you want to cellar it for ages of course.

Allie


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## jtstar

Thanks for the information I was wondering about the bananas


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## St Allie

you're welcome.. why are you still here?

get moving young man!

Allie


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## jtstar

Well I am off to the kitchen to try a new wine recipe thank you for your help


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## jtstar

One more question before I get started on the apple juice would you use unsweetened juice or sweetened juice.


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## St Allie

anything as long as it's free from sorbate/preservatives.


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## jtstar

St Allie said:


> anything as long as it's free from sorbate/preservatives.



Well Here it is I used the same recipe that you posted at the begining of this post with some changes. I used light brown sugar and apple juice and banana's in my recipe. I used two banana's boiled in two cups of water then I followed the recipe and boiled three cups of water and added the amount of sugar that it called for except I used the light brown sugar and set it aside then I mixed all the ingridentents together then I tested the sg it was well over 1.09 so I had to four cups of water and that brought it down to 1.084 I did take a little slip of the juice and it tasted really good. At this time it has a yellow to light golden look I am excited to see the final product


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## jtstar

jtstar said:


> Well Here it is I used the same recipe that you posted at the begining of this post with some changes. I used light brown sugar and apple juice and banana's in my recipe. I used two banana's boiled in two cups of water then I followed the recipe and boiled three cups of water and added the amount of sugar that it called for except I used the light brown sugar and set it aside then I mixed all the ingridentents together then I tested the sg it was well over 1.09 so I had to four cups of water and that brought it down to 1.084 I did take a little slip of the juice and it tasted really good. At this time it has a yellow to light golden look I am excited to see the final product



I took one cups of water and added one half cup of light brown sugar and brought that to a boil to make sure the sugar was desolved then I added that to four cups of cold water before adding the yeast to make sure I didn't kill the yeast then about two hour later I added two cup of the mixture to the juice mix when I got home tonight the mix was fermenting really good
P.S. the Zucchini I used was ground up with a meat grinder with large size holes


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## BettyJ

Wow- I would be interested in how that turns out! I am a fan and follower of Allie's style of winemaking


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## jtstar

Well with all the changes that I did to this recipe I ended up with about two cups short of two gallons of wine so I topped off with apple juice now it is under airlocks to finish fermemting


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## jtstar

Well it has been almost two weeks since I put this wine together so I have a pile of lees sitting on the bottom of the one gallon carboy and you can see it starting to clear at the top of the carboy. looking forward to the next two week so I can take an sg and a taste test of this wine to see how it is coming along will keep everyone posted


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## Wade E

Man, you people are diehard and will ferment anything! Is this for drinking or cooking?


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## jtstar

I hope this is for drinking It is one of Allies recipes that she helped me modify when I mixed it up it tasted really good


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## Wade E

Okay, Ill take your word for it then!


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## lloyd

St Allie, I Enjoy your posts your zucchini recipe is very clear and informative. Could you post your favorite cider recipe in the same style?


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## jtstar

lloyd said:


> St Allie, I Enjoy your posts your zucchini recipe is very clear and informative. Could you post your favorite cider recipe in the same style?



You might try to pm St Allie and asking her for her favorite cider recipe I have not seen her on here for awhile


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## lloyd

I did pm once but there is no hurry and I imagine she is a very busy person. My juice is in the freezer and can wait. what 's your latest project?


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## jtstar

my last adventer was the zucchini wine that is mentioned here in this thread with a few modiefication that St Allie recommended that I try it has only been three weeks since I put it together it is a honey colored will post more in a week when I rack it for the first time


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## St Allie

lloyd said:


> St Allie, I Enjoy your posts your zucchini recipe is very clear and informative. Could you post your favorite cider recipe in the same style?



hiya Lloyd..

Sorry about that.... thought I had replied to you..

My cider is very simple.. pick all the apples off the trees.. leave on the front porch for a week or so to soften. Then run them all through my breville juicer. Add citric acid to the primary at the rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon and campden tabs pour the apple juice onto the citric acid as it comes out of the juicer.. Pitch yeast the next morning, ferment out as usual.

I blend all the different types of apple juice to get a good flavour. Don't add any water and use a cider yeast, if it's available to you ( cider yeast improves the flavour of the finished cider). I ferment mine out on the natural sugars so you'll end up with 5-7% abv roughly... depending on the apples that year. you can add sugar to alter the finished abv if you prefer.

This year I threw all the pears into the juicer as well and blended the lot together. Finished sweeter due to unfermentable sorbates in the pears. 

if you make it with just apples .. you can leave it dry or sweeten to taste.. last year I sweetened some of the cider with an apple syrup I found in the supermarket ( it was designed to go over pancakes), this worked really well.. you will have to sorbate though if you sweeten..

hope that helps..

Allie


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## jtstar

Here it is I just rack my Zucchini wine for the first time the sg was .994 not sure how to tell what the Alcohol content is. I was a little surprise about the flavor it was good but it still has a little bite to it.


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## lloyd

At .994 I think it would be considered very Dry. You could use a vinometer. I got mine from E.C. Kraus Home wine and beer making supplies Independence Mo. U.S.A. you pour a little of the wine in the cup and let it drip out the bottom make sure there are no bubbles in it then turn it over and read the meter It is a little difficult to read but I use a magnifying glass male sure you have a good sample with no sediment in it as the cappalliary in the tube is very small. Does anyone else have any other suggestions on finding your Alcohol content? Or more info on the use of the vinometer? if so please reply. thanks., Lloyd


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## jtstar

Thanks I will have to keep that in mind the next time I order supplies
Jack


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## jtstar

This is our Zuccini Wine Allie


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## St Allie

hey jtstar,

looking good..

what will you backsweeten with?

Allie


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## jtstar

Not sure if I will back sweeten it yet I like my wine on the dry side will have to wait and see on how it turns out still have time to decide that it is still pretty young


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## jtstar

Hi Allie it's been around eight months now since I put together the zucchini wine it has cleared and I will bottle it this week it has a taste of it own not sure what it taste like and it has good body not sure yet if I will back sweeten it yet I have two gallons so I might keep one gallon dry and one back sweeten


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## St Allie

sheesh it's been ages since we started that one.. have you got any courgettes in the freezer from this season?

you might have to do this one annually..

Personally I think the apple juice was a good call.. if you still want to sweeten some of it..I'd be inclined to sweeten the gallon with a supermarket apple syrup if you can get it? Worked well with my cider..

when you say it has a bite.. is that strong alcohol or a pepperiness?

Allie


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## jtstar

It's been awhile since you have seen this thread brought up so here it is. The wine is ready to be bottled but I have a question before I bottle it how much of the chemical do I put in it to stabilize on a one gallon carboy


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## St Allie

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of potassium sorbate per gallon is the recommended dosage.


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## jtstar

Last night I added 1/2 tsp. per gallon and Camden tablet per gallon. I was wondering what do you think about putting it in the frig for a couple of weeks before I bottle it


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## St Allie

does it have a high acid content?


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## jtstar

St Allie said:


> does it have a high acid content?



Not sure if it has a high acid content I have not gotten an acid kit yet.


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## jtstar

St Allie said:


> does it have a high acid content?





jtstar said:


> Last night I added 1/2 tsp. per gallon and Camden tablet per gallon. I was wondering what do you think about putting it in the frig for a couple of weeks before I bottle it



This morning I poured both gallons into a five gallon pail and use a long handle wooden spoon to stir up the wine to degas it I did that about four times then put it back into their gallon carboys


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## toavsfam

If I wanted to make a 5 gallon batch would I really need 5 packets of yeast


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## Cinnamon

*Zucchini Rhubarb combo?*

I have way too much zucchini, but also have quite a bit of rhubarb. I'm thinking combining the two. Last year I combined watermelon with rhubarb - came out pretty good. Rhubarb is highly acidic, and zucchini requires an acid blend. Thoughts on the combo?


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## Old Philosopher

Cinnamon said:


> I have way too much zucchini, but also have quite a bit of rhubarb. I'm thinking combining the two. Last year I combined watermelon with rhubarb - came out pretty good. Rhubarb is highly acidic, and zucchini requires an acid blend. Thoughts on the combo?



I'll be following the replies to this one with interest. I'm getting tired of rhubarb crisps, BBQ sauce, and zucchini bread.


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## Cinnamon

Old Philosopher said:


> I'll be following the replies to this one with interest. I'm getting tired of rhubarb crisps, BBQ sauce, and zucchini bread.



I started the zucchini rhubarb wine today - making a 5 gallon batch using 5 lbs. rhubarb, 20 lbs. zucchini. Other ingredients pretty much the same as above x 5, but no acid blend. I'll update every so often.


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## jtstar

I got a carboy of rhubarb going right now that when it's ready I am going to add some cinnamon flavoring to it


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## Cinnamon

That sounds very good. My Rhubarb Zucchini is still in the carboy - haven't had time to bottle it. But it smells wonderful.


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## Luciousonion

St Allie said:


> ZUCCHINI WINE
> 
> 5-6 lbs fresh zucchini, chopped
> 2-1/2 lbs finely granulated sugar
> 1 11-oz can Welch's 100% White Grape Juice Frozen Concentrate
> 1-1/3 tsp acid blend
> 1/2 oz fresh ginger root thinly sliced
> 1 crushed Campden tablet
> 6-1/2 pts water
> 1 tsp yeast nutrient
> Hock, Sauternes or Champagne yeast
> 
> Bring 3 cups water to boil and dissolve sugar in it completely. Set aside. Meanwhile, Select, wash and chop the unpeeled zucchini cross-wise into 1/2-inch pieces. Mix all ingredients except the yeast in primary, cover, and set aside for 10-12 hours. Add activated yeast and recover primary. Stir every 6-8 hours for 3 days, then strain off solids and transfer liquid into secondary. Press solids lightly and hold liquid from them, covered. When vigorous fermentation subsides, add reserved liquid, top up if necessary, and attach airlock. Rack after 4 weeks, top up and reattach airlock. Rack again after additional 4 weeks. If wine has not cleared, add amylase according to instructions and set aside additional month. Fine with Bentonite if desired, rack 10 days later, stabilize and sweeten to taste. Wait 3 weeks before bottling to see if wine is indeed stable. Wine should be aged 3 months after bottling.
> 
> Gallon batch
> 
> Source:
> 
> Jack Keller's Website


I started this receipt back in September/October and it is still VERY dark - it actually looks like ale - I have added clarifiers as instructed...does the wine actually turn clear/white or does it stay dark. Just a point - it doesn't taste bad...


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## BigDaveK

Luciousonion said:


> I started this receipt back in September/October and it is still VERY dark - it actually looks like ale - I have added clarifiers as instructed...does the wine actually turn clear/white or does it stay dark. Just a point - it doesn't taste bad...


Haven't made this but it's on my list.
Should be clear by now but I would expect some color from the skin.
Shine a flashlight through and/or how does it look in a glass?
Just curious - good enough to make again?


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## Luciousonion

BigDaveK said:


> Haven't made this but it's on my list.
> Should be clear by now but I would expect some color from the skin.
> Shine a flashlight through and/or how does it look in a glass?
> Just curious - good enough to make again?



Hopefully, can open these files.....I have attached pictures of the wine in various stages - 1st is right after removing solids and putting into the carboys, 2nd is after the first racking, 3rd is after the 2nd racking and Current is what it looks like now. I did put more white grape juice in it to sweeten it. But is it going to stay that dark? Isn't that strange? Regarding the question about taste - the wine really isn't bad at all!!! Kinda dry in my book so I would like to make it sweeter but right now the color has got me baffled.....thoughts anyone?


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## BigDaveK

Did you add more Campden when you racked. I noticed the recipe didn't mention adding more. Some people add more campden (k meta) at every racking, some every other racking.

The large headspace is a concern and the darker color. I'm wondering if it oxydized?

Hopefully one of the old timers will add their thoughts.


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## winemanden

BigDaveK said:


> Did you add more Campden when you racked. I noticed the recipe didn't mention adding more. Some people add more campden (k meta) at every racking, some every other racking.
> 
> The large headspace is a concern and the darker color. I'm wondering if it oxydized?
> 
> Hopefully one of the old timers will add their thoughts.


I made Zucchini wine years ago - will have to try to find my notes, I get a bit forgetful cos of age. It turned out to be a decent enough white wine, but not a show stopper. As in your recipe, I included white grape concentrate, no ginger, but the minor details I can't remember off hand. 
Do you always make your wine on the kitchen counter? It's not ideal, but these days, because of lack of space, I have to make mine in the spare bedroom.
Two thoughts. Headspace, you definitely need to get those carboys filled up. As BigDaveK said, it could be oxidising. You also need to keep out the light because that will eventually darken them.
Do they taste different, because one is definitely darker, it maybe oxidising faster.
Keep them in the dark and well topped up.
I hope they turn out fine.


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## Luciousonion

Thanks for the comments. I am going to rack it again into smaller carboys. I last thing I added to it was chitosan. I have two more packets that I can add to the wine once I rack it into the smaller carboys - do you think I should? I did move the carboys into the basement and wrapped them both in towels to block out as much light as possible. I think the different colors is due to the different amount of zucchini that I added to the recipe....the lighter of the two has about 18 - 20 lbs of zucchini while the darker has about 15 - 16. Just a note - the wine actually doesn't taste bad - kinda dry but it can be sweetened. It is the dark color that is concerning........


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## BigDaveK

Luciousonion said:


> Thanks for the comments. I am going to rack it again into smaller carboys. I last thing I added to it was chitosan. I have two more packets that I can add to the wine once I rack it into the smaller carboys - do you think I should? I did move the carboys into the basement and wrapped them both in towels to block out as much light as possible. I think the different colors is due to the different amount of zucchini that I added to the recipe....the lighter of the two has about 18 - 20 lbs of zucchini while the darker has about 15 - 16. Just a note - the wine actually doesn't taste bad - kinda dry but it can be sweetened. It is the dark color that is concerning........


I've never used chitosan. I think of time as another ingredient and let them clear on their own. Using it is up to you and your amount of patience.

This is interesting - I looked at the recipe again and also did some research on zucchini. There's no pectic enzyme in the recipe but I found that zucchini _does_ have pectin! You may have pectin haze.


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## winemaker81

Luciousonion said:


> Thanks for the comments. I am going to rack it again into smaller carboys. I last thing I added to it was chitosan. I have two more packets that I can add to the wine once I rack it into the smaller carboys - do you think I should? I did move the carboys into the basement and wrapped them both in towels to block out as much light as possible. I think the different colors is due to the different amount of zucchini that I added to the recipe....the lighter of the two has about 18 - 20 lbs of zucchini while the darker has about 15 - 16. Just a note - the wine actually doesn't taste bad - kinda dry but it can be sweetened. It is the dark color that is concerning........


What dosage of chitosan did you add? Also, how long ago?

All fining agents have pluses and minuses, and a typical minus is that over-dosage can strip things from the wine. There's relatively little detailed information on kieselsol and chitosan, so I can't state the negatives of chitosan. I recommend not dosing again unless deemed absolutely necessary.

If the wine smells and tastes good, don't worry about the color. Posting pictures will help.

Fruit and vegetable wines benefit from at least a bit of backsweetening.


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## VinesnBines

I made a zucchini wine once. It was very clear. Yours looks badly oxidized. The flavor was pretty neutral. Like Winemaker_81, if the taste is good, don't both about the color, though an oxidized wine may begin to have off flavors. Maybe try turning it into a sherry or madeira.


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