Cantaloupe Wine

[bein_bein]

I started a cantaloupe wine last night but haven't added yeast yet. I remember a freind saying how they made a cantaloupe wine but they were very disappointed in the results. I think they said it was kinda ..thin, I guess would be the best way to describe it. Which got me thinking as I looked at this recipe, maybe I should add about 6lbs of golden raisins to this wine, or would a white grape concentrate be better?? Whaddya think guys/girls??

Ingredients

• Musk Melon 18-19lbs
• Kiwi Fruit 4
• water 5.5 gal
• Cane Sugar 12 lbs
• Acid Blend 12tsp
• Tannin 3 tsp
• Nutrient 6 tsp
• Lalvin KI-V1116 yeast 1 pkg
• 3 tsp pectic enzyme

 

[wyntheef]

Looks kinda familiar. You may want to look at the pineapple wine thread from yesterday and today.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Perhaps a few cups of strawberries?

 

[bein_bein]

Ok...so I did a little more research and found (which many of you probably already knew) that raisins help improve the 'mouth feel' or body of a wine by adding tannins ( as well as some residual sugar and flavor) Since I already have tannin added to the batch I'm thinking I should just continue with the recipe as is with no more additions. (Can you over-tannin a wine??) Although the strawberry addition sounds intriguing...

 

[kiljoy]

I think you can certainly over tannin a wine. If your mouth shrivels up, it’s too much…

Adding bananas to a wine also increases body. Some raisins can have sulfite in them.

 

[bein_bein]

.....Adding bananas to a wine also increases body....QUOTE]
So would I just slice and put them in the straining bag w/my fruit(and how many for 6gal)?? Or would we be better off making a 1gal batch of heavy bodied banana wine to blend with the Cantaloupe wine??

 

[kiljoy]

I’ve read on here about people making a “banana mash”. I’m not exactly sure what that is. I used one or two in my grapefruit wine. I just mashed them and tossed them in the primary. If you mush them with a little sugar, it draws the liquid out and makes it smoother.

 

[kiljoy]

Here was another discussion on the same subject. Hope it helps.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=888&highlight=bannana

 

[Sacalait]

Today I started an orange wine (5gals) with a recipe from J. Kellers site. I had reserved 7lbs of bananas 4~ weeks ago and were very mushy. Mashed and boiled them without the skins with a little water and added to the must. With the bananas and tannin (1 1/4tsp) I think the mouth feel dilemma is solved.

 

[bein_bein]

Thanks Sacalait, if I had some mushy bananas here I would probably do that. But since the cantaloupe is ready to have the yeast added and my bananas are not near ripe enough, I think I'll have to go with the banana wine to add body to this wine. Good to know for future purposes though..again thanks.

 

[Hillbilly Bill]

Banana Soup

Here is another thread you may want to take a look at...

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4863&highlight=banana+soup

 

[Julie]

Bein Bein,

I make a wine that I call Tropical Breeze. It has cantaloupe, peaches and honeydew melons. I love this wine, it has a fantastid taste. If you do not like your cantaloupe wine, maybe you should make a batch of peaches and honeydew or one or the other and do a blend.

Julie

 

[outdoorsmadness]

correct me if im wrong, but white grape juice dosent have a lot of tannins dose it or is that just white wines that dosent? it seems to me that that would maybe just give it more body, but what do i know.

 

[ryankelley]

An experienced wine maker I know said mush melon wine wasn't worth it. I was going to give it a try, but decided not to because I haven't heard anything good about it.

 

[bein_bein]

Thanks for the ideas guys/gals. I think we're gonna make a banana wine for using as a blend to add body. We'll have to see how this batch works out and keep track of the options presented here if/when we do another batch...

 

[Laurie]

Julie, would you share your recipe for your tropical breeze? I would be very interested. thanks Laurie

 

[smurfe]

I did a Cantaloupe wine once with a very similar recipe. I didn't add the Kiwi though. It was ok, nothing special. I was hoping of a more fresh fruit cantaloupe flavor than was there. It was on the thin side as well.