# Grapefruit Wine?



## xanxer82 (Oct 19, 2009)

I have a half gallon 100% container of white grapefruit juice. no additives.
I was wondering if it would even turn out to be a wine if processed, if it would and what would it take to become a tasty wine and maybe some advice on how to go about making it.
I know acid plays a big part of it but I'm not sure if i can get an acid test kit. just yet at least.

Does everyone look at fruit juices and fruits and wonder what it would be like to ferment them after getting into wine making?


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## Tom (Oct 19, 2009)

for a 1/2 gallon I wouldnt do it. Not sure what Grapefruit would taste like by itself. Maybe you can mix it with a sweeter fruit?
A TA test kit is a "MUST". Put it on your next order. I would not just add acid blend or sugar just because its in the recipe. Also make sure you have a hydrometer and use it. Fruit wines should start @ 1.085. Most recipes are high in alcohol and low in flavor


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## xanxer82 (Oct 19, 2009)

I do have a hydrometer. used it today 
i was thinking about mixing it with some 100% tangerine. acid test kit will be on my next order. along with a 3 gallon carboy and another primary fermenter.


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## Tom (Oct 19, 2009)

There you go keep collecting. Maybe a pound of k-meta as well.
Why not list what you have for suggestions for next order?


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## vcasey (Oct 20, 2009)

I don't know, I think maybe make a mead. The tart of the grapefruit and the sweet of the honey would most likely mix well together. Kinda like cranberries &amp; honey. I have had a grapefruit wine, not bad but don't know if I would make more then a gallon just to test.
VC

Forgot to add I would go with a really light honey 1st &amp; 2nd choice would be Tupelo and my 3rd Orange Blossom.


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## xanxer82 (Oct 20, 2009)

tepe said:


> There you go keep collecting. Maybe a pound of k-meta as well.
> Why not list what you have for suggestions for next order?



I have an order from George on the way as I type this.
100pk of campden tablets
6. gal better bottle
#10 drilled stopper
mix stir

My next order I'm going to try to get...
3 gal carboy
drilled stopper
a third airlock
1lb kmeta
we choc rasp port kit 
more no rinse cleaner
a second hydrometer
a smaller fermenter for the 3 gal batches
acid test kit

also on my wish list is
the portugese double lever corker
or the italian floor corker


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## xanxer82 (Oct 20, 2009)

vcasey said:


> I don't know, I think maybe make a mead. The tart of the grapefruit and the sweet of the honey would most likely mix well together. Kinda like cranberries &amp; honey. I have had a grapefruit wine, not bad but don't know if I would make more then a gallon just to test.
> VC
> 
> Forgot to add I would go with a really light honey 1st &amp; 2nd choice would be Tupelo and my 3rd Orange Blossom.



I think a mead would be fun to try to make.


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## pelican (Oct 20, 2009)

I make fruit juice wines so yes, I often look at juice and think "hm, how would THAT one be?". Although I like grapefruit just fine, I think grapefruit juice all by itself would make a wine that I might not be so fond of. Myself, I would do a blend of grapefruit with white grape juice, and definitely be working the acid test kit.

For a gallon batch - again some folks say why bother, but I say why not? especially when experimenting -- 

I'd probably start with 2 cans of welches white grape juice frozen concentrate, the 1/2 gallon of grapefruit juice, then check the SG at that point - add about a quart of water, check the sg again, and then mix up some sugar syrup (which I do at about a quart at a time, 4 cups sugar, about 1 cup or so water just enough to wet the sugar and heat it up till it's syrupy and clear). Then I would add the sugar syrup by 1/2 cups at a time stirring well, testing the sg after really mixing it in. If I overshoot the SG then add water to dilute back to the 1.085 level (1.080 is fine in my book too). And, test the acid again. If the acid is too high, you can add calcium carbonate to lower it before fermentation - but I try to get the mix of sugar, water, and high acid juice at a decent acid level to start with in my "by guess or by golly" technique described above.

Then, I would add a smidge of tannin, maybe 1/8tsp dry tannin powder, some pectin enzyme, yeast nutrient and yeast energizer -- wait 12 hours, and add campden tablet (kind of optional since it's prepared juice but worth adding anyway). then wait 24 hours to pitch the yeast.

You can of course use honey instead of sugar syrup. It won't be mead in some people's book since it's not ALL honey, but you can call it what you like, it's your wine!

Probably have left SOMETHING out so don't take this as gospel, just food for thought. Oh, and have a 1 gallon glass jug handy as your secondary for when the primary fermentation stage is done which should be in a couple 3-5 days after pitching the yeast.

For a yeast suggestion I would go EC-1118 as the standby. Good clean ferment, very tolerant of non-optimal conditions and neutral on the flavor profile. Just a good all rounder.

Sweeten at finish to taste if it's too dry/tart.


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## xanxer82 (Oct 20, 2009)

Thanks for the advice pelican. I'm gonna have to get some 1 gal jugs somehwere that won't charge an arm &amp; a leg.


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## vcasey (Oct 20, 2009)

Go to a local health food store for the 1 gallon jugs. You may need to drink the apple juice inside or just ferment it - your choice




!
And yes a traditional or show mead is just honey &amp; water (&amp; yeast). A melomel is honey &amp; water + fruit (&amp; yeast). Just calling it a mead is shorter &amp; easier. I just have forgotten to mention lately that I'm lazy. Following is a short list of some of the other names a fermented honey type drink can be called.
<ul>[*]Acan A Native Mexican version of mead.[*]*Acerglyn*— A mead made with honey and maple syrup.[*]*Braggot*— Braggot (also called bracket or brackett).
Originally brewed with honey and hops, later with honey and malt— with
or without hops added. Welsh origin (bragawd).[*]*Black mead*— A name sometimes given to the blend of honey and blackcurrants.[*]*Capsicumel* is a mead flavored with chile peppers.[*]*Chouchenn* is a kind of mead made in Brittany.[*]*Cyser*— A blend of honey and apple juice fermented together; _see also cider_.[*]*Czwórniak*— A Polish mead, made using three units of water for each unit of honey[*]*Dwójniak*— A Polish mead, made using equal amounts of water and honey[*]*Great mead*— Any mead that is intended to be aged several
years. The designation is meant to distinguish this type of mead from
"short mead" (see below).[*]*Gverc* or *Medovina*— Croatian mead prepared in Samobor and many other places. The word “gverc” or “gvirc” is from the German "Gewürze</span>" and refers to various spices added to mead.[*]*Hydromel*— Hydromel literally means "water-honey" in Greek. It is also the French name for mead. (Compare with the Spanish _hidromiel_ and _aquamiel_, Italian _idromele_ and Portuguese _hidromel_). It is also used as a name for a very light or low-alcohol mead.[*]*Medica*— Slovenian, Croatian, variety of Mead.[*]*Medovina*— Czech, Serbian, Bulgarian, Bosnian and Slovak for mead. Commercially available in Czech Republic, Slovakia and presumably other Central and Eastern European countries.[*]*Medovukha*— Eastern Slavic variant (honey-based fermented drink)[*]*Melomel*— Melomel is made from honey and any fruit.
Depending on the fruit-base used, certain melomels may also be known by
more specific names (see cyser, pyment, morat for examples)[*]*Metheglin*— Metheglin starts with traditional mead but has herbs and/or spices added. Some of the most common metheglins are ginger, tea, orange peel, nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon, cloves or vanilla. Its name indicates that many metheglins were originally employed as folk medicines. The Welsh word for mead is _medd</span>_, and the word "metheglin" derives from _meddyglyn</span>_, a compound of _meddyg</span>_, "healing" + _llyn</span>_, "liquor."[*]*Morat*— Morat blends honey and mulberries.[*]*Mulsum*— Mulsum is not a true mead, but is unfermented honey blended with a high-alcohol wine.[*]*Omphacomel*— A mediæval mead recipe that blends honey with verjuice; could therefore be considered a variety of pyment (_qv_).[*]*Oxymel*— Another historical mead recipe, blending honey with wine vinegar.[*]*Pitarrilla*— Mayan drink made from a fermented mixture of wild honey, balché tree bark and fresh water.[*]*Pyment*— Pyment blends honey and red or white grapes. Pyment made with white grape juice is sometimes called "white mead."[*]*Półtorak*— A Polish mead, made using two units of honey for each unit of water[*]*Rhodomel*— Rhodomel is made from honey, rose hips, petals or rose attar and water.[*]*Sack mead*— This refers to mead that is made with more
copious amounts of honey than usual. The finished product retains an
extremely high specific gravity and elevated levels of sweetness. It derives its name, according to one theory, from the fortified dessert wine Sherry (which is sometimes sweetened after fermentation and in England once bore the nickname of "sack");<sup id="cite_ref-16" ="reference">[</span>17]</span></sup> another theory is that the term derived from the Japanese drink sake, being introduced by Spanish and Portuguese traders.<sup id="cite_ref-17" ="reference">[</span>18]</span></sup>[*]*Short mead*— Also called "quick mead." A type of mead recipe
that is meant to age quickly, for immediate consumption. Because of the
techniques used in its creation, short mead shares some qualities found
in cider (or even light ale): primarily that it is effervescent, and often has a cidery taste.<sup ="noprint Template-Fact" title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from February 2007" style="white-space: nowrap;">[_citation needed_]</sup> It can also be champagne-like.[*]*Show mead*— A term which has come to mean "plain" mead: that
which has honey and water as a base, with no fruits, spices or extra
flavorings. Since honey alone often does not provide enough nourishment
for the yeast to carry on its lifecycle, a mead that is devoid of
fruit, etc. will sometimes require a special yeast nutrient and other enzymes to produce an acceptable finished product. In most competitions (including all those using the BJCP style guidelines as well as the International Mead Fest) the term "traditional mead" is used for this variety.[*]*Sima* - a quickly-fermented Finnish variety, seasoned with lemon and associated with the festival of vappu.[*]*Tej*— Tej is an Ethiopian mead, fermented with wild yeasts (and bacteria), and with the addition of _gesho_. Recipes vary from family to family, with some recipes leaning towards _braggot_ with the inclusion of grains.[*]*Trójniak* — A Polish mead, made using two units of water for each unit of honey.[/list]


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## xanxer82 (Oct 20, 2009)

Wow thanks for the trove of info


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## pelican (Oct 21, 2009)

xanxer82 said:


> Thanks for the advice pelican. I'm gonna have to get some 1 gal jugs somehwere that won't charge an arm &amp; a leg.



If you can tolerate it, jug wine that comes in a 4 liter glass jug gives you wine and a small secondary. I've used the jug wine for topping up some of my 'experiments' (not kits). I've also blended some basic jug wine with an overly strong tasting fruit wine result and managed to make something palatable out of it.

Apple cider from a coop - and you can even make apple wine out of it then!

Or, check craigs list, garage sales, a relatives garage or attic, second hand stores etc. Ask around folks who might have that sort of thing laying around.

You can also buy from a home brew store for about $5 each (plus or minus).


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## xanxer82 (Oct 21, 2009)

I bought a 4l jug of merlot from the store today. its thin and probably not very tasty but just right for cooking with... After it's gone I'll start that grapefruit and peach/white grape mixture  I just to oder some yeast.


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## vcasey (Oct 21, 2009)

When you order some yeast get some extras, Red Stars Cotes des Blanc &amp; Montrachet as well as Lalvin 71B, EC1118, and K1V1116 are good choices to keep in stock just in case you find something that needs to be fermented.
VC


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## xanxer82 (Oct 21, 2009)

Red start came with my WE VR Bergamias kit. I may order as few in the next couple of days


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## Tom (Oct 21, 2009)

vcasey said:


> When you order some yeast get some extras, Red Stars Cotes des Blanc &amp; Montrachet as well as Lalvin 71B, EC1118, and K1V1116 are good choices to keep in stock just in case you find something that needs to be fermented.
> VC


Don't forget RC212 !


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## pelican (Oct 21, 2009)

There are other places on the web that present explanations of various wine yeasts and when to use them, what they are good for, but this is a nice handy chart of wine yeasts and the differentiation between them. 

http://www.winemakermag.com/guide/yeast


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## xanxer82 (Oct 21, 2009)

I gotta find a yeast that can deal with the acidity of the grapefruit. I'm gonna check out that link, pelican.


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## vcasey (Oct 21, 2009)

Yeah I forgot about RC212, not one I use a lot. Any of the yeasts listed will work just fine for the wine. I tend to hold off using EC1118, not because it will not do the job, its great and will eat through anything. But more because I like to have a yeast of last resort just in case the others decided not to play nice. 
VC


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## xanxer82 (Oct 21, 2009)

So that one last yeast is like a silver bullet. hmm makes sense.
I'm gonna order a few different types and experiment fermenting things.


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## xanxer82 (Oct 29, 2009)

I ordered 5 packs or RC212


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## xanxer82 (Nov 6, 2009)

Ok so I mixed up the must last night 64 oz. white grapefruit juice and 64 oz. of welches white grape/peach. I got the sg to 1.85 with the help of a little simple syrup, less than 2 cups. Pitched the RC212 and then went to bed.
I woke up to a nice yeast head on the must and the aromas of grapefruit and peach. It's a one gallon batch so I think it'll go fairly quick in primary so I'm going to use a glass jug from some Rossi (really cheap merlot) and the balloon method to airlock when ready. 
I really need to invest in a 3 gallon carboy...










I plan on back sweetening a bit.


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## pelican (Nov 7, 2009)

Looks like you are on your way !


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## Waldo (Nov 8, 2009)

I'd also invest in a smaller primary for those smaller batches too. A trip to the donut shop for a free 2 -3 gallon bucket will usually take care of that requirement


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## xanxer82 (Nov 8, 2009)

Yeah. The free frosting buckets seem to be just around 4 gallongs. I need something smaller


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## xanxer82 (Nov 9, 2009)

I g
ot a bunch of new toys today from george.
I racked my grapefruit wine today. 
Gotta buy more corks. like 50 or so.
i also need to figuer our what size stopper to use with 1 gallon jugs like this.
I know I'm gonna need some isinglass for this. Also some sorbate.
This just was a screw cap jug from really cheap carlos rossi merlot
SG was at 1.0


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## Tom (Nov 9, 2009)

So, What "new toys" did you get?


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## xanxer82 (Nov 9, 2009)

tepe said:


> So, What "new toys" did you get?



Here is what arrived over the weekend...

No. Quantity Price Total Description
5400 1 $8.99 
$8.99 Acid Test Kit
4660 1 $3.49 $3.49 Plastic Spoon 18 
inch - Food Grade
4877 1 $10.99 $10.99 Auto Siphon 3/8 
inch
5396 1 $4.99 $4.99 Plastic Test Jar
5108 2 
$0.35 $0.70 Grommet for Hole in Bucket Lid
6300A 1 $1.99 
$1.99 Wine Tannin - 1 oz.
6150B 1 $2.49 $2.49 Bentonite - 
1 lb.
6120C 1 $5.49 $5.49 Acid Blend - 1 lb.
6382A 
1 $8.99 $8.99 Dry Pectic Enzyme - 1 lb.
6012B 1 $4.99 
$4.99 Potassium Metabisulfite - Powder, 1 lb.
6368A 1 $1.49 
$1.49 Yeast Nutrient, 2 oz. powder
14871 1 $56.69 $56.69 
Blueberry Shiraz
0903 36 $0.00 $0.00 Fruit Medley 
#1
4401 1 $4.49 $4.49 Vintners Reserve Bergamais Labels 

Next order will be corks, sorbate and isinglass. maybe a few more small things like some more drilled bungs and airlocks. maybe even a 3 gallon carboy..

Hopefully I get enought $$$ for christmas to get my floor corker and another kit.


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## Tom (Nov 9, 2009)

next order get 1# if nutrient as well. You be surprised how fast it goes once you start fruit and juice wines. And its closer than you think


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## xanxer82 (Nov 9, 2009)

Yeah, I was kind of unsure about the nutrient. But since I'm already playing around with making wine from random juices, I suppose that time is getting closer.


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## pelican (Nov 10, 2009)

I use #6 stoppers with the one gallon jugs myself


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## xanxer82 (Nov 10, 2009)

Number 6 will work? Great I think I will have that on my next order. Right now I have a band and some plastic. It's working but I don't like it.


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## xanxer82 (Nov 19, 2009)

today the SG was .994 for the past couple of days. I added kmeta in 1/4 cup of water.
So, I decided to add .75 tsp of bentonite dissovled in about 1/2 cup of water.
I got vreative and took the tip off of myplastic racking cane and degassing by stirring.
I have some isinglass but I'm unsure how much to use since one packet is meant for 6 gal and I dont want to waste it all or ruine my 1 gallon wine
Should I let it clear with the bentonite and wait? or add some isinglass?
how much would I add?


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## vcasey (Nov 19, 2009)

For small batches I would never add the whole packet, once you open the packet you need to use it ASAP. I'll usually just wait to clear of bunch at once or take a bit when I'm clearing something else. To degas a small batch I just split it into 2 jugs and place my hand over the top and shake it real well. A bit of a warning - it can spew if you are not careful so remove your hand slowly.
VC


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## xanxer82 (Nov 19, 2009)

Looks like the bentonite and degassing is already starting to work.


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