Pear Wine

[Ivywoods]

As you cut up, add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the bowl to keep them from turning brown as you cut them up. Stir as you go In it.

Yes. I always do this when I can (preserve) fruit. I can a lot of peaches, pears and apples.

 

[Ivywoods]

I just got in from picking pears. There are a lot of blemishes. I have no idea what kind of pears they are. I picked up a couple that appeared to be ripe but they aren't as sweet as I had hoped. Anyway they are in my basement and as they ripen I will get them cleaned up and freeze them. I'm not sure how many pounds I picked. I'll just have to wait to see how much juice I can get.

 

[DizzyIzzy]

There is a pear tree up the road from me that is absolutely loaded with pears. I asked the lady if I can pick some and she said I could have all I want. I'm going to pick some to can and I want to pick enough to make at least a 3 gallon batch of wine. I can freeze them until I'm ready to start fermentation and in the meantime I want to get everything I need. It sounds like I need to get some white raisins. What is the consensus as to the best yeast for pear wine. I have EC-1118 but perhaps its not the best for this.

Oh-in return I'm going to take this lady some canned peaches, pears and applesauce. She is elderly and has trouble getting around.

That will be a kind and wonderful barter...........................DizzyIzzy

 

[Daboyleroy]

takes time to clear…….but well worth the wait
gallon was the left over juice
yes I added to them to about 1” below airlocks
been tasting along the way…….oh my goodness……great

 

[Ivywoods]

Daboyleroy that looks good!

 

[franc1969]

I just got in from picking pears. There are a lot of blemishes. I have no idea what kind of pears they are. I picked up a couple thatView attachment 77941 appeared to be ripe but they aren't as sweet as I had hoped. Anyway they are in my basement and as they ripen I will get them cleaned up and freeze them. I'm not sure how many pounds I picked. I'll just have to wait to see how much juice I can get.

Those look beautiful, and tasty. I keep Cotes des blanc and 71b on hand for things like this, with other yeasts for darker fruits. The 1118 will be very neutral, if you don't know what you have or are looking to keep it mild.

 

[Ivywoods]

Those look beautiful, and tasty. I keep Cotes des blanc and 71b on hand for things like this, with other yeasts for darker fruits. The 1118 will be very neutral, if you don't know what you have or are looking to keep it mild.

I don't know what I have and have no idea how they will turn out. I've read a lot of posts that their pear wine has turned out weak tasting so I want to try to use as much juice as possible and little if any water.

 

[Ivywoods]

"Cotes des blanc and 71b" I am wondering what advantages these are for pear wine.

 

[Raptor99]

Pear wine can turn out weak tasting because pears don't have a really strong flavor. I've tried a few things to enhance the pear flavor:
* Use lots of pears and little or no water
* Add acid blend to bring the pH to around 3.4 or 3.5
* Add some powdered grape tannin to the primary (depending on the pear variety)
* Consider using a yeast that ferments more slowly. EC-1118 ferments vigorously, which drives off some of the fruit flavor. Cotes des blanc is on my list of yeasts that I eventually want to try. Look at a yeast chart for one that "enhances varietal flavor."
* Fermenting at a lower temperature is supposed to preserve more of the fruit flavor. I do that by freezing my pears and then starting fermentation during the winter when my kitchen is cooler.
* Consider aging on oak chips (if you add tannins or oak, you need to age it for at least 6 months)
* Back sweeten before bottling

 

[Ivywoods]

Pear wine can turn out weak tasting because pears don't have a really strong flavor. I've tried a few things to enhance the pear flavor:
* Use lots of pears and little or no water
* Add acid blend to bring the pH to around 3.4 or 3.5
* Add some powdered grape tannin to the primary (depending on the pear variety)
* Consider using a yeast that ferments more slowly. EC-1118 ferments vigorously, which drives off some of the fruit flavor. Cotes des blanc is on my list of yeasts that I eventually want to try. Look at a yeast chart for one that "enhances varietal flavor."
* Fermenting at a lower temperature is supposed to preserve more of the fruit flavor. I do that by freezing my pears and then starting fermentation during the winter when my kitchen is cooler.
* Consider aging on oak chips (if you add tannins or oak, you need to age it for at least 6 months)
* Back sweeten before bottling

Wow! Great suggestions. I plan to freeze the pears as they ripen and use as little water as possible. I have some grapes (a small amount) that I was thinking of adding to it. I have acid blend and will look into getting some yeast as you suggested. Thank you!

 

[franc1969]

"Cotes des blanc and 71b" I am wondering what advantages these are for pear wine.

Cotes des blanc is fruitier, has less alcohol tolerance than EC1118 or KV1116. Slower, less vigorous as mentioned. Mentioned as better for country -type wines. 71b (and MA33 if you can get that) metabolize a larger portion of malic acid than other yeasts. Important if you have high malic (as do lots of fruits) and don't want to go though MLF. Also much less vigourous, I had trouble seeing that it was alive at first. Just a quiet fizz until finished. I get both dead cheap <$1, and can keep them on hand, along with yeast nutrients and DAP.

 

[mikewatkins727]

I just got in from picking pears. There are a lot of blemishes. I have no idea what kind of pears they are. I picked up a couple thatView attachment 77941 appeared to be ripe but they aren't as sweet as I had hoped. Anyway they are in my basement and as they ripen I will get them cleaned up and freeze them. I'm not sure how many pounds I picked. I'll just have to wait to see how much juice I can get.

From the shape and color they would be Barlett pears. I would recommend Côte des Blancs yeast and ferment at a cool temperature.

 

[Ivywoods]

From the shape and color they would be Barlett pears. I would recommend Côte des Blancs yeast and ferment at a cool temperature.

That was my guess but I wasn't sure. I just ordered some 71B yeast. Do you think the cote des blancs would be much of an advantage over that? The area when I will be fermenting stays 68-72 degrees. It's in my basement.

 

[Venatorscribe]

Yes they are Bartlett pears. In countries outside of the US they are know as Williams Pears or their correct name ' Williams Bon Chretien'. I have a large tree out back and harvest over 80 kg of pears from them each year. The pear by itself is quite neutral in flavour so i normally blend in a kilo or two of blueberries or as I did this year I comingled with 1.2 kg of guavas. As regards yeasts - I’ve tried them all. First work out how many bottles of still wine vs a sparkling cuvee then use different yeasts that will enhance flavours. If you are making a sparkling then there are a number of champagne styled yeasts - the normal being EC1118 is ok but then there are some very good cider yeasts. Although approx three yeasts ago I shifted my focus to using Belgian Tripel beer yeast. This yeast does amazing things which subtly enhances the mouthfeel and overall profile.. But I do encourage you to make some still versions. I like making a Rosé blend by adding a very small quantity of Pinot noir or Sangiovese that I fermented three or four years ago.
Any questions feel free to ask.

 

[Ivywoods]

Yes they are Bartlett pears. In countries outside of the US they are know as Williams Pears or their correct name ' Williams Bon Chretien'. I have a large tree out back and harvest over 80 kg of pears from them each year. The pear by itself is quite neutral in flavour so i normally blend in a kilo or two of blueberries or as I did this year I comingled with 1.2 kg of guavas. As regards yeasts - I’ve tried them all. First work out how many bottles of still wine vs a sparkling cuvee then use different yeasts that will enhance flavours. If you are making a sparkling then there are a number of champagne styled yeasts - the normal being EC1118 is ok but then there are some very good cider yeasts. Although approx three yeasts ago I shifted my focus to using Belgian Tripel beer yeast. This yeast does amazing things which subtly enhances the mouthfeel and overall profile.. But I do encourage you to make some still versions. I like making a Rosé blend by adding a very small quantity of Pinot noir or Sangiovese that I fermented three or four years ago.
Any questions feel free to ask.

Wow! Thank you! There's more information there than I am prepared to try. I'm a beginner and I'm not looking to make a sparkling wine. I've used the EC 1118 with success on all my fruit wines but shied away this time due to several people saying it removes a lot of flavor and I didn't want to use it on an already light flavored fruit. I'm planning to combine my pears with some grapes I just harvested today and am freezing until the pears are ripe. They are still quite green.

 

[Venatorscribe]

Hi, re the ripeness of the pears. Just one thing you need to be aware is that pears ( and in particular this type) ripen from the inside. So it is very easy to miss the exact moment of ripeness. And you can end up with a pear that looks perfect on the outside but is brown and mushy in the middle. Once they are off the tree I give mine a max of two weeks. Even two weeks can be too long for some of them. Cut out the core and any bad spots then add k-meta, pectinase and freeze until you have all the fruit processed and you are setup and ready. You’ll need to add sugar, tannin and acid. I only use tartaric. Don’t bother with oak. If you have a pH meter then your pre-ferment is best configured to pH 3.3 to pH 3.5. It makes a big difference with final mouth feel. I understand your reservation with EC1118. However in the scheme of things it does an ok job if there a problems with a stuck fermentation. The MA33 that somebody mention is also very good. The yeast options are endless and offer a lot of fun when thinking through the issues. As I mentioned earlier - I use a beer yeast for my cider type sparkling cuvee and a standard AW4 white wine yeast for the still. Also before bottling fermentation you will need to back sweeten the pear wine and I can give you some indications when you get to that point. Pears provide you with an excellent base wine to experiment with in terms of blending and co-fermenting, as you are doing with the grapes. All the best.

 

[Ivywoods]

Venatorscribe-thank you so much. I will keep all this in mind and will be able to refer back to it as I get this going.

 

[Venatorscribe]

I forgot - I also cut up a round of dried figs and add that to the fermentation. Pre- soaking the cut figs In some boiling water and add that on top of the pears ( that are thawing ) in the fermentation bucket. It adds a goodly amount of nutrition for the yeast and helps with colour development. BTW I live in the Southern Hemisphere so my pear picking and fermentation happens in Feb. The nice thing about a soft pear wine is that you are able to start drinking it around six months after development. So I like to vary my pear wine drinkS by having a fresh vintage, and a few nights latter having an older one. Like all well made wines - pear matures beautifully. In my glass tonight is my Feb 2021 Pear Rosé. Nicely chilled despite the fact that it is Winter in NZ at present. enjoy the hard work in front of you.

 

[Ivywoods]

It looks very nice! New Zealand-It's on my bucket list to visit someday!

 

[DizzyIzzy]

I don't know what I have and have no idea how they will turn out. I've read a lot of posts that their pear wine has turned out weak tasting so I want to try to use as much juice as possible and little if any water.

I like to enhance the fruit flavors of most of my wines by adding some 100% fruit concentrate, and reducing the quantity of water used.............................DizzyIzzy