How much peaches for three gallon batch?

[Donatelo]

I have 10 pounds of fresh peaches. I would like to make a 3 gallon batch of peach wine(melamed). I can get more peaches. how much would you recommend for a 3 gallon batch?
I haven't found many peach recipes on here. My thoughts are to make a light peach wine and call it "California Cowboy Peach Wine". Just something light. Around 10 %.ABV.

 

[Scooter68]

I've used as little as 3 1/2 lbs but the flavor was a bit light. I've had super solid peach wine with 6 lbs or more per gallon.
Be prepared (at 6 lbs and up) to have to wait 2-3 days before you can get a good SG reading. The must is like pudding initially. And of course bag the mashed peaches/skins.
I've tried:
A blender (No, No !!)
A ricer, (Lot of manual work) and
A Juicer (Omega auger). Ok.
Next time I will use a wire potato masher. King sized one I bought 2 feet tall.
BUT the results are worth the work and waiting.
One more thing use LOTS of pectic enzyme as soon as you start cutting the peaches up.
1st One gallon with 4 1/2 lbs = Meh
2 nd Three gallons with 24 lbs = Fantastic
3rd Three gallons with 24 lbs = 11 months in still clearing
4th Two gallons 12 lbs and 1/4 vanilla bean 10 months in almost clear.

Good luck and try not to eat too many while prepping them. I bought over-ripe fruit for all but first batch.

 

[Donatelo]

Do you have a good recipe? How much sugar ?. What additives?

 

[Scooter68]

On batch 2 I used 20 dark red sweet cherries to add more color doesn't affect flavor at 20 cherries / 3 gallons

 

[Scooter68]

Sugar to the SG wanted. I'm out of town let me look for my recipe. You can really use any fruit wine recipe just change fruit of course, double (or triple) the pectic enzyme qty. And skip tannin. And I always shoot for a PH of 3.4-3.6 with acid blend


In California waiting for birth of grandchild number 4 .

 

[Donatelo]

Great info. I have "The Joy of Winemaking" and "Winemaking" by J. Andersen. Thanks for your help.

 

[Scooter68]

SG of 1.075 to a finish of .995 will get you to 10.5% ABV.


Once you taste a full-bodied peach I don't think you'll want anything less. Good luck. Oh and I actually kept some of the skins and pulp from one batch - used as a bit of topping on vanilla I've cream. (Warning it will contain alcohol!! ).

That's where the idea for the peach vanilla wine came from.

Good lucl on that.

 

[Donatelo]

Got them peeled and cutup in the freezer. Will defrost tomorrow and place in my nylon bag. Getting everything gathered to start this .

 

[Bleedaggie]

Got them peeled and cutup in the freezer. Will defrost tomorrow and place in my nylon bag. Getting everything gathered to start this .

I’d be interested in the recipe. Especially if you’re happy with how it turns out.

 

[Scooter68]

At the risk of info overload, or being overly opinionated...
I've looked at several web pages with peach wine recipes and found them disappointing. Several recommend too little fruit. (As low as 13 lbs for 5 gallons???) Others recommend low amounts of peaches and add raisins, or bananas or white grape juice. The rational seems to be to add body to the wine and bolster flavor.
To me....A pure peach wine with 6 lbs or more per gallon of RIPE peaches will bowl you over with fragrance, when you open a bottle. As for body... I consider a peach wine as a white not a red wine and body isn't as critical as the pure peach fruit aroma and flavor. That's my two-cents. As for the exact recipe I think you could use a blueberry recipe Change the fruit add more pectic enzyme and go with it.

Great on the prep work. First thing afyer thawing - hit them with pectic enzyme as you mash/crush them.

 

[Donatelo]

BleedAggie, as per your request:

Peach or apricot Wine
Get the ripest fruit you can and wash it well. It should be soft and fragrant. No need to peel the fruit but remove any bruises and the pits. You can also use frozen fruit. Just put them frozen in the bag.
3 gallons fresh water
6 cups sugar
9 pounds ripe peaches or apricots
Zest and juice of 6 lemons(or 4 teaspoons acid blend)
1 teaspoon Tannin
2 teaspoons yeast nutrient
3 Campden tablets (crushed)
1 ½ Teaspoons pectic enzyme
1 packet of EC-1118 yeast

Put 1-gallon water and sugar on the stove to boil. This is to dissolve the sugar. Put your fruit in a nylon straining bag. Place in your primary fermenter. Wash your hands and crush the fruit as much as you can. Pour the hot sugar water over the fruit. Pour the rest of the water in to bring the temperature down quickly.
Add the yeast nutrient, lemon juice, zest, and tannin, but wait until the temperature has cooled to add the crushed campden tablets. Twelve hours later add the pectic enzyme.
Check the Specific Gravity and record it. It will seem high due to the pulp. Cover and add an airlock. 24 hours later add the yeast. Stir the must and take the SG daily.
After about two weeks, remove the bag Let drain, but not squeeze. Check the Sg. If it is above 1.040, let it rest for another week. Rack the must into your secondary fermenter, leaving behind the sediment. Rack the wine off the sediment two more times. You don’t want any off flavors. Check the SG.
After the wine has fermented out (about 6 months), taste the wine. You can add a stabilizer and back sweeten. At this time bottle and label it. After a year, chill and serve.

 

[Donatelo]

the 6 cups of sugar yielded only SG of 1.040. I added sugar until it came up to 1.065. This will give me about 9.5%, ABV if I can get it down to a SG of .992. Wound up with 11 cups of sugar total.