First prickly pear wine

[crwagner89]

Recently came across some prickly pears at the local grocery store so I decided to try them out. The flavor is really good... like a cross between watermelon and kiwi. The fruit is so packed full of seeds that it's hard to eat them, so naturally I decided to turn it into wine. The flavor is a little on the light side, so I bought as many as I could hoping to keep it 100% juice. There were only 22 pears that were ripe and unfortunately it wasn't enough to get me a gallon, but the wine still tastes really flavorful. Prickly pears are low in acid and sugar, so some additions were made there. Here's the recipe, let me know if you have any questions.

(Makes 1 gallon)

• 22 Prickly pears (peeled and cut into smaller pieces)
• Sugar – 675 g (aiming for 11.5% PA)
• Water – Enough to make 1 gallon
• Acid Blend – 4.5 tsp (aiming for 0.6% TA)
• Tannin – 1/8 tsp.
• Campden Tablet
• Pectic Enzyme – Recommended Dosage
• Nutrient – Fermaid O - Recommended Dosage
• Goferm - Recommended Dosage

A few notes, I did not boil or heat the fruit in any way. I mashed it in a pulp bag and topped it off with water to reach a little over a gallon (accounting for pulp volume). The pulp and seeds were left in the primary for a week before transferring to the carboy. SG was at about 1.020 when I transferred, and still going steady. The color of this wine is amazing. Let me know if you have any comments/questions. Cheers!

 

[heatherd]

The color is really pretty!

 

[crwagner89]

Thanks! I'm really hoping it stays that way. I've heard that it loses it's color over time, but I'm hoping the acid that I added will help prevent that. Prickly pear juice is pretty low in acid, which might explain why some people see that color change.

 

[hounddawg]

just athought but on my light flavored fruitsaadda touch ofcrab apple, you get abetter finish andmy colors seem to holdbetter, as for your color,, VERY NICE
Dawg

 

[Mismost]

my prickly pear finished white....I did boil my fruit, next time I would not. The pears were from a very dry year....I have seen much prettier fruit. Still have several bottles aging...August will be two years. Last tasting was just kinda mehhhh.

Will try again. I hope your color holds, that is real nice.

 

[crwagner89]

just athought but on my light flavored fruitsaadda touch ofcrab apple, you get abetter finish andmy colors seem to holdbetter, as for your color,, VERY NICE
Dawg

I've never heard of adding crab apples for acidity, that's a great idea. Do you get much apple taste in your wines doing that?

 

[hounddawg]

i'm from the ozark mountians, the old timers had to use what the land provided, i usecrab apples instead of grape tannings, my apple/pear/crab apple is very popular, i only makecountry wines and i go asoldschool aspossible, wheither it is my elderberry, my cherry, my strawberry , black berry an so on, the crab apple dose magic for the taste, i try to only make for me and family, but word got around, i have customersthat are rowcrop farmers with 8000 acresand more of prime rice ground, bussiness owners, local pollitcitions, and high up members of the judisal system, they even sent questions to circut judges across the country,, to see if what i do is legal, i let them buy the fruit, corks, capsules, labels and rent my wine bottles the wine isfree, for every case i get for my self 1 an 1/2 case that i move, and all legal, this i did not want, but you gotta go with the flow and any one turns me in my record of wine making is on record even buy judishal systems far from me, as well youcan ask JOHNT an VACUUMPUMPMAN about my wines, again i did not want this attetion, i worked many years in cities as superentendent doing comerical retail consturtion, soi am more then happy to just stay in the woods talking to my horses, dextercattle, geese, and chickens, and no they never answer me..... where i am from their is no wine supply, and so on, every piece of equipment i get online, including any chhemicals and yeasts, as and example on crab apple useageon apear/apple/crab apple blend, i use 20 lbs yellow delious apples, 20 lbs granny smith green apples and 40 lbs of pears and 3 lbs of sargents yelloscrab apples, i have no crab apple trees i use only sargents crab apple bushes, now come time to back sweeten after 1to 2 yearsof bulk aging i use certified organic, klsher, non gmo granular honey, not liquid and not powdered, only granular if interested i can give you some sites for honey and other things, the only way i am able to get crab apples is grow them of find bushes or trees on oldcattle ranches, crab apple is my hardest to come by ingreteant by far,,,, but well worth it, now with ranular honey and crabapple after aging you will only taste yourfruits or berries, and i run my ABV up to 16 to 18% but with a year bulk aging you can not tasteany alcohol, but dont drink 2 glasses and drive, it is very sneaky to say the least, my customersare all high stress type people and use it to dreink a glassat bed time and sleeep like a baby, their wives on the other haand drive em crazy to get cases of each type all togetrher, but since i enjoy making wine, and big wigswanting it is a ego trip from hell, strange for me, i've never been into eagos but the thought others appesseate my wine dose please me, others on here know worlds more then me, but like say a EC KRAUS RECIPE,, I REPLACE INGERETANTS FOR NATTURAL INGERTEANTS LIKE CRAB APPLE, AN GRANULAR HONEY, and most important is time, but if i can help you in any way i'm more then happy to. these people have helped me worlds and all they ask is you helpo others, i am pround to be part of these nuts,,, lol
Dawg







UOTE=crwagner89;634547]I've never heard of adding crab apples for acidity, that's a great idea. Do you get much apple taste in your wines doing that?[/QUOTE]

 

[hounddawg]

that poundage for my apple pear/crab apple blend is for one 6 gallon carboy, tons of flavor, elder berry, sour chherry blackberries are stronger flavors so i use 5lbsof fruit or berry per gallon of water,
Dawg