Watermelon wine with cooked watermelon

[Penndre]

I was wondering if anyone has had success making watermelon wine with cooked watermelon?? I found a recipe that calls for cooking the watermelon to help break it down and help keep it from spoiling. Now that it has been three months, I am wondering what in the heck I was thinking. Have racked it twice now and maybe I shouldn't have, but we tried it and this is the first homemade batch I've questioned if I was going to toss my cookies! Any insight or suggestions?? Thank you!!

 

[Julie]

Can you give more info? What was your Sgt, what is it currently, did you test for phone, what yeast did you use and what is the problem that you are having?

 

[BernardSmith]

Hi Penndre and welcome. Recipe or no recipe - what is the purpose of cooking the watermelon? If you want to concentrate the sugars best method is to freeze it and allow it to gently thaw while you collect the first half or even first third of the juice. Cooking watermelon does not sound like a good idea, sorry.

 

[AkTom]

I have read several times "Don't cook watermelon!" I wouldn't even heat it. As said above, freeze and thaw.

 

[Julie]

Actually the reason that it is recommended to cook watermelon is because the juice will very rapidly and cooking it slows down the spoilage.

 

[Penndre]

I'm not near my notes but I know we followed the recipe for starting SG. It's dry now at .996. we used Montrachet yeast. The problem I'm having is it has a terrible smell, not rotten but like cooked squash (weird right? Lol I cooked it, what did I expect?!) But I was wondering if anyone who has tried cooking it has gotten any positive results with aging. Is it hopeless?! (I'm beginning to wish I asked here first and taken my chances on spoilage!!)

 

[Julie]

I have made it in the past but I haven't cooked the watermelon. To be honest, I would add k-meta to it if you haven't already and let it sit for a couple of months and see what you have then. If you still have a bad smell, then I would pitch it.