Fig wine

[mavisstwineco]

Anyone here have experience making fig wine? I'd like to know how it turns out. Also, if you have a recipe I'd like that as well. My friend has a big tree and tells me I can have as many as I need. So I'm willing to try it I need to know if its good enough to make a bunch or just stick to a small batch.

 

[gird123]

My motto -> If it is free make a bunch! Others that know more will post.

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques6.asp I think most would say double the fruit and half the sugar (probably want a sg of about 1.085). I have never made fig wine.

one of 10 can't miss country wines.
http://www.winemakermag.com/stories...inemaking/2-10-cant-miss-country-wine-recipes

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg1119205916680.html

 

[jamesngalveston]

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques6.asp

 

[saramc]

I have made several batches of fig wine but fig mead is my favorite. Another used a blend of fresh and dried figs, 5-6# fresh/1# dried per gallon. Dates and bananas make great add-ins too. Unfortunately this is one wine I always add a bit of this, more of that to, no recipe kept. I like Montrachet and Premier Cuvee and Cotes de Blanc for this one, and a year minimum bulk aging.
Fresh figs if frozen/thawed will yield a great amount of juice too. Think about adding some spices, like vanilla, star anise, cardamom (chai blend would be great). Since figs are quite sweet tread lightly on sugar/honey addition initially. You get a better idea if you wait 24hr after enzymes and another 24hr after k-meta, then check SG and adjust it.

Do you know the cultivar of this fig tree, or the skin/pulp color? I have 50+ different cultivars of fig trees growing in containers right now, quite enchanted with them. Weird, I know.

 

[Stressbaby]

Great posts and replies!

Sara, 50 varieties, that's crazy! I was just thinking about fig wine as I see my figs coming on. I have Panachee, Black Mission, Chicago Hardy, and Petite Negri in container and I took the chance and planted out my IT Golden Honey in the ground and (Woohoo) it made it through the winter with just some mulch. FYI, UC Davis has a ficus germplasm repository; if you are a collector, there is no better source. But I'm told that all of their cuttings will have fig mosaic virus. Link.

I had a bit of pomegranate in the freezer, not enough for a batch alone, but I was thinking of making an "Old World Fruit" wine with pom and fig.

 

[jamesngalveston]

I have too many fruits getting ripe at the same time.
i have figs,mustang grapes, muscadines, wild cherries, and mayhaws and strawberries.
not sure if i am going to have room to make wine from all .

 

[jamesngalveston]

Saramc......compared to other wines you have made...how is the fig.

 

[saramc]

Saramc......compared to other wines you have made...how is the fig.

Wow what a difficult question. People who I serve it to cannot believe it is fig, though not many people are familiar with figs outside of fig newtons & not many realize there are 500+ named cultivars, nor that they can be grown essentially anywhere on the planet. When I serve this wine or the mead people swear it is a golden sherry, I never tell them it is fig until after they taste. (I do ask for allergy disclosure at the door) I find it is now one wine/mead that I tend to horde, which means it is time to make 6gallon batches instead of three. It is quite an easy sipper, and even those who prefer semisweet wines come back to ask for more of the dry fig wine/mead. Is a great port-style wine, last one I used grappa which I had oaked before I added it. I now want to make a sparkling sweet fig mead later this year.

 

[pwrose]

I am no fig expert however here is my opinion,
I made a 3 gallon batch using 20 lbs.
At first taste it was very sulfur(y) but I have had wines
taste that way and turn out great (this was one of them)
After clearing back sweetening and aging for about 6 months
the next taste was great. It tasted like apple wine at first then
the fig flavor followed. Apple wine is not at the top of my list
of favorites but I like it, but my x-brother-in-law loves apple
wine. When I let him try it I didn't tell him what it was his
first guess was apple, then he swore it was a blend. When I
told him it was fig he move it to the top of his list of favs.

So to sum it up make as much as you can of it, it is worth it
especially if the figs are free.

 

[mavisstwineco]

I've got a huge tree to harvest from. I think I'll Start with 6 gallons. Your opinions are much appreciated