Red Tomato Wine

[Jovimaple]

I have made 2 batches this year, using a variety of tomatoes. The first is aging after racking off the gross lees. The second just finished fermentation and has been racked.

The first batch tastes like a white wine with just a touch of flavor that nobody can figure out until I tell them it's tomato. "Oh, that's what that flavor is!" I haven't tried the second batch yet - I will sample when I rack off the gross lees.

This wine is in progress, so I don't know if I will be making more corrections or if I will backsweeten.

Here's the recipe so far (this ended up as 1 US gallon + some for topping off):

6 lbs ripe red tomatoes
5 cups sugar
Water to just under 1 1/2 gallon
1 tsp yeast nutrient
2 1/2 tsp acid blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/2 tsp tannin
1 campden tablet, crushed

For the first batch, I put the chopped tomatoes in a mesh bag. For the second batch, I put them directly into the fermenting bucket. When I racked the second batch, my racking cane kept getting clogged. However, it was much easier to clean the tomato bits and seeds out of the fermenting bucket than cleaning the mesh bag. I haven't decided which way I will do it next time . . .

For both batches, 24 hours after putting together the ingredients, I pitched Lalvin D-47 yeast rehydrated in 1 cup of 100* F water for 15 minutes.

Note: For the second batch, I doubled the amount of tomatoes and other ingredients, and I put in a full 2 gallons of water (rather than just adding water to must to raise it to a certain amount like on the first batch). I ended up with enough to rack to a 3 gallon carboy plus a little extra to top off. I used 1/8 tsp of kmeta instead of campden tablets for this batch. I suspect I will have closer to 2 gallons when done - tomato wine has a LOT of lees.

Edited to add batch 1 S.G. started at 1.081 and ended at .990. Batch 2 started at 1.072 and so far is down to .998.

Pictures:
Batch #2, about an hour after racking from fermentation bucket:


Batch #1 after racking off of gross lees:


So far, I'm really intrigued by the taste of the first batch. I usually go for sweet wines but I may not end up backsweetening this at all.

I plan to bottle in 375 ml bottles just to have more. I may have to double the number of tomato plants in my garden next year . . .

 

[VinesnBines]

I used 3 lbs per gallon (frozen) for my batch. I treated them just like grapes and fermented on the skins. I didn't siphon off the pulp but pressed lightly through a sieve. If I had more I would have used my wine press. Hopefully I can do that next year. It is still dropping sediment after I transferred from primary. I'll have to check my notes, but I think I started it in mid September. My husband can taste the tomato; I can't so much. Anyway it tasted great from the start, not like the fig that although a beautiful color was gagging tart out of primary.

I'll see about posting some pictures and he recipe later.

 

[Jovimaple]

Yesterday, I racked batch #2 off the gross lees and ended up with two 1 gallon carboys and one 1.5 liter bottle. I added 10 slightly crushed black, green, and white peppercorns to one of the 1 gallon carboys.

As with my first batch, the taste is very interesting. I think there is more tomato flavor than in the first batch, but that may just be timing since it’s been sitting on the gross lees for almost 2 weeks; the tomato flavor may fade a bit now that it is racked off the lees.

At this point, I am undecided on whether I will backsweeten either batch. I have no idea how the taste will change throughout the process, so I suppose the taste nearer to whenever I decide to bottle will drive that final decision.

So far, I am very pleased with this experiment!

 

[Ohio Bob]

I also have tried making tomato wine and have similar issues about the gross lees clogging everything. One batch tasted like Chardonnay and no one knew it was tomato. The last two tasted like watered down tomato juice, basically undrinkable. I suspect the acid level is a culprit. Do you measure acid level or just follow the recipe?

Back to the clogging issue, have you experimented with different juicers to get more free run juice and less pulp?

 

[VinesnBines]

I started with three gallons after racking to primary (October). After a month I lost another gallon to gross lees. I'm now down to two gallons. I added oak to one gallon; I expect I'll need a little back sweetening for both gallons. Does anyone have any idea how to avoid so much loss due to settlement? I strained the pulp from primary and was shocked at the amount of sediment in secondary.

I think I may try a small batch with juice only. I have a couple gallons of juice in the freezer that I've strained off canned tomatoes so all I'll waste is yeast and sugar. (This she says after swearing to stop silly experiments).

 

[Jovimaple]

I also have tried making tomato wine and have similar issues about the gross lees clogging everything. One batch tasted like Chardonnay and no one knew it was tomato. The last two tasted like watered down tomato juice, basically undrinkable. I suspect the acid level is a culprit. Do you measure acid level or just follow the recipe?

Back to the clogging issue, have you experimented with different juicers to get more free run juice and less pulp?

No, I will probably just use a mesh bag going forward. That's what I have done for all my other fruit wines.

I opened a bottle from my first batch tonight. I still like it! There definitely is a tomato aftertaste.

 

[Rice_Guy]

# Freezing should be a good first step like this year. # Second step for me would be transfer to a fine mesh nylon bag and press. The tomato skins and pulp would act as a filter aid to trap fine suspended matter. (if you are in the mid south parboil rice hulls are available which make a filter aid) (pressing in a sieve creates more fine suspended matter) (apple processes use diatomaceous earth to make a bed to pump the slurry through said bed), # Third step would be ferment and process as you did. # in this process with alcohol in the system you want to minimize air exposure (acetaldehyde formation) but to increase the yield I would be tempted to drip dry the wet pulp in a fridge over night to see how much more was collected

I used 3 lbs per gallon (frozen) for my batch. I treated them just like grapes and fermented on the skins. I didn't siphon off the pulp but pressed lightly through a sieve. If I had more I would have used my wine press.

$ the new ferment should be cleaner since you have a fine particulate separation already, most of the fine particulate will be in the solids which you use in cooking. $ this could be cleaned more by running through a paper filter (coffee filter held in a grocery store plastic frame/ milk house filter) the filter will blind at some point at which point I would let it drip in a pitcher in the fridge. (since this does not have alcohol you don’t make acetaldehyde).

Does anyone have any idea how to avoid so much loss due to settlement? I strained the pulp from primary and was shocked at the amount of sediment in secondary.. . . I think I may try a small batch with juice only. I have a couple gallons of juice in the freezer that I've strained off canned tomatoes so all I'll waste is yeast and sugar.

 

[VinesnBines]

So Rice_Guy, you are suggesting that I freeze the tomatoes, thaw and press (like white grapes), strain solids and then ferment? I may be achieving that by using the juice off home processed tomatoes and the juice I saved from canning. I guess my experiment may not be completely hair brained?

Thanks! I had read to ferment on the skins for more tomato flavor but in that event I have to plan on large amounts of sediment.

 

[She’sgonnakillme]

Never had Tomato wine, can someone advise what one should expect as far as flavor? What’s the appeal for making wine out of tomato vs another fruit? I am ver curious about this topic.

 

[VinesnBines]

This is my first batch so I'm not sure how to describe the taste. Not quite tomato juice but it has a tomato flavor, especially on the back end.

The appeal? As George Mallory said, "Because it is there." Also, what to do at the end of summer when I'm out of canning jars and don't want to buy more.

 

[Ohio Bob]

As evidenced by all of the above comments, tomato wine can be a challenge. That’s part of the intrigue. 2nd, you can grow tomatoes for a fraction of the cost as grape vines, and don’t have to do it every year if you don’t want to. 3rd, mine tasted like Chardonnay, not counting the years it tasted like tomatoes soaked in water.

 

[She’sgonnakillme]

Fair enough, I’m intrigued and it makes sense if one has a lot of aging tomatoes, just not sure I would go out and buy the amount I would need as tomatoes aren’t the cheapest to buy where I live.

 

[Rice_Guy]

So you are suggesting that I freeze the tomatoes, thaw and press (like white grapes), strain solids and then ferment? I may be achieving that by using the juice off home processed tomatoes and the juice I saved from canning. I guess my experiment may not be completely hair brained?

Basically yes, the factory filters push cloudy juice through a filter cake.
Having a fine mesh bag and relatively low force should let you create a cake on the skin of the filter bag, and change the tomato from a very thin slurry into a wet pulp (something the consistency of toilet paper) at which time you can increase the pressure to push more liquid out. Tomato cells are soft enough that lots of force early in the process would operate like a meat grinder and reduce the average particle size so it wants to stay suspended.

I like the idea of settling the pulp and now fermenting your frozen supernatant.
Basically from a process point of view get as much fine material removed early in the process as possible. Once you have created alcohol you should keep the air out which makes the task harder., , , by the way, the juice in most wine kits is cleaned with bentonite before being concentrated and packaged as a kit. ,, You didn’t mention trying to compact the lees, it would be worth putting the lees in a jug and trying a clarifier whenever you see a high loss in the lees.

 

[TCPT18]

My experience in tomatoe was using unripened green matos at the end of the growing season. Had 20# of green grape tomatoes. I believe I made 3#. The end result was an interesting white wine. I feel it is likened to a vino verde.
As to why tomato wine? 1. The fruit would go to waste so why not try. 2. It is fun to challenge tasters to figure out what kind of wine they are having (no winners yet...) 3. Its always fun to try something new.

 

[VinesnBines]

I would not buy tomatoes to make wine. It is an interesting way to use up the garden excess and empty the freezer.

 

[HillPeople]

We use ripe to over-ripe cherry tomatoes fermented like red grapes with K1-V1116. till dry.
Slight hint of tomato, but most people think it's a Sauvignon Blanc.

 

[vinny]

How long do you age?

 

[HillPeople]

Minimum 9 months.