# Tropical wine question



## RobertChartier (Apr 20, 2015)

Hey all, need some feedback on a tropical wine I am contemplating.

I'm looking at trying a wine consisting of Orange, Pineapple and Banana flavors.

My question for you, is what ratio to go with. I'd like the flavors to be balanced. I don't want to make it such that one flavor dominates all the other flavors.

Since there's so much experience here, I figure someone has information on which flavors would be more forward in this sort of mix.


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## BernardSmith (Apr 20, 2015)

I don't have an answer but what I might do is make a batch of the three juices and blend them in different proportions and see which you prefer (the banana may be tricky as banana wine does not taste exactly like banana)


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## Kraffty (Apr 20, 2015)

I'm thinking Bernard's suggestion makes good sense. My understanding is that Orange is kind of tricky also.
Mike


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## salcoco (Apr 20, 2015)

I would suggest making each separately and then blending.
Otherwise the pineapple will predominate follow by orange then banana. the higher acidity fruit will dominate.


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## RobertChartier (Apr 21, 2015)

Hmm. The banana information is troubling. If it doesn't actually taste like Banana it could throw everything off. Perhaps I'll skip the banana entirely and just go with Pineapple and Orange.

1 3 Gallon batch of each should net me a decent amount, with a bit of one or the other left over. 

Seems like I'd have orange left over, from what you all are saying. Relative flavor strengths and all that.


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## WildBillCiarbino (Apr 21, 2015)

There is a variant of Dragon Blood called "Tropical Daze" if i'm not mistaken...maybe that's a good place to start?

it's about halfway down on the page:
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33076&page=10#post396440


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## Winenoob66 (Apr 21, 2015)

Tropical Daze

Water to about six gallons
20 cups of white granulated sugar (looking for a SG between 1.085-1.090)
8 cups Honey use to bring SG up to desired amount
2 48 oz Cans Dole Pineapple Juice
1 tsp. tannin
4 tsp. yeast nutrient
2 tsp. yeast energizer
3 Tbsp Acid Blend
3 tsp. pectin enzyme
12 lbs. of Mixed Fruit Blend (Pineapple/ Peach/Mango/Strawberry/Grape) 
I put the fruit in a nylon drawstring bag or two if necessary, this will make for a 
much cleaner brew. I take a spring clamp and hold the drawstring in place so 
I don't have to fish for them later.
Yeast, 1 gram of yeast per gallon of Must. Lalvin 71B-1122 & ICV D47 blend,
( you can use any of the following as well. DV10, QA23 - (Saccharomyces cerevisiae 
bayanus
Go Ferm 1.25 Gram per each gram of yeast used
1/2 -1 Oak Infusion spiral stick
2 oz untoasted oak.
Add 1/4 tsp. Potassium Metabisulfite
Add 3 tsp. Potassium Sorbate
Sparkolloid
Sugar or honey for Back sweetening - 4 cups


Preparation: Add to Fermenting bucket

20 Cups of Sugar
2 gallons of hot water, stir until completely dissolved
Add Honey, take SG reading, add until you reach 1.090
2 - 48oz Cans of Dole Pineapple Juice
3 tsp acid blend
1 tsp. tannin ( I prefer Tannin riche, it imparts a nice sweetness to wine)
4 tsp. yeast nutrient
2 tsp. yeast energizer
3 tsp. pectin enzyme
Stir well to incorporate all of the dry ingredients.
12 lbs of Mixed Fruit Blend (Pineapple/ Peach/Mango/Strawberry/Grape), thawed. 
I put the fruit in a nylon drawstring bag or two if necessary; this will make for a much 
cleaner brew. I take a spring clamp and hold the drawstring in place so I don't have to 
fish for them later.
1/2 - 1 Oak Infusion Stick
2 oz untoasted Oak helps reduce any vegetal flavors I add in nylon drawstring bag 
or grain steeping bag.
20 oz chopped and re-hydrated raisins placed in Nylon drawstring bag
Add the remaining water up to the 6 -6.5 gallon mark, taking into consideration 
the volume of the mesh bags.
Take an SG reading, you want the must to be between 1.075 1.090


I let this sit overnight, with a heat mat wrapped around the fermenter, a brew belt 
would do too, just until it reaches 85 degrees.

This yeast can handle 80-85 degrees with no problems.


The following Day:

I take my selected yeast, 1 gram per gallon of must and rehydrate as follows:
I heat a half cup of water to 120 and add 7.5 grams of Goferm (1.25 g per gram of 
yeast used), add to the water and mix it in. When the water cools to 110-115 add 
the yeast, just sprinkle on top and let it rehydrate, let sit for 15 minutes or until you 
see it starting to foam (reproduce), then add cup of the must. This will give it a 
source of food to continue to reproduce and multiply, and it will get the yeast 
acclimated to the temp of the must.

Let sit for 5 mins and add to the primary.

Stir Primary Vigorously!

Every Day:

Check temp
Check specific gravity
Squeeze juices from fruit pack into fermenter---remove fruit pack: Temporarily 
place in sanitized bowl bucket.
Stir primary to introduce a little oxygen into must, the yeast will need it.
Replace fruit pack
Cover primary
When specific gravity (SG) reaches greater than 1.000, do the following:
Squeeze juices from fruit pack into fermenter---remove fruit pack: Discard fruit.
Rack to cleaned and sanitized six gallon carboy
Add 1/4 tsp. Potassium Metabisulfite (stir)
Add 3 tsp. Potassium Sorbate (stir)
Degas very thoroughly: I cannot emphasize this enough!
Add Sparkolloid as per package. Add hot mixture to carboy.
Allow to clear undisturbed for about 1 week

When wine is clear:

Carefully rack off of lees into cleaned & sanitized six gallon carboy

Back sweeten, if you are going to use sugar, I would make a simple syrup, 
2 cups sugar to 1 cup water, heated just shy of a boil, you will see it turn to a syrup, 
make sure you stir constantly, you will probably need double that amount.
Back sweeten to your own taste.

Remember! The sugars will blend with the fruit flavors over time, and the sweetness 
will come forward.

Do not over-sweeten!

Allow wine to clear free of all sediment: This may or may not require more racking 
over the next few weeks.

This can be made as a traditional Dragon Blood variant using sugar, or as a Melomel 
by using honey in place of sugar.

Members have made this wine with varying results and a host of adjuncts to make 
it their own.

cohenhouse77 substituted golden raisins , and three pounds of kiwi. Jrvernon 
added 6 cups of brown sugar and added 3 pounds of fresh kiwi and 1 pound if 
peaches.

The options for this wine are truly endless but as long as you carry on the spirit 
and intention of this wine you have made a Tropical Daze, a delightful summer 
drink using a multitude of fruits, and the oh so thirst quenching citrus many of 
us reach for as the damp chill of spring comes to an end.

Salud!


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