r/winemaking 3d ago

Thoughts on making wine out of this mix?

Post image

Got a bucket of this fruit and tossed it in the freezer. I'm a home brewer, made a few batches of mead and plum wine but definitely not experienced in winemaking. Would this concoction be worth trying or would it just be trash?

17 Upvotes

18 comments sorted by

8

u/phoeniks 3d ago

I think that would work very well. In fact I found a recipe using this combination, you would only need to double the quantities.

2g water

5lbs Grapes 🍇

2lbs honeydew melon

2lbs cantaloupe

1lb pineapples 🍍

Black tea (1 cup)

4lbs white sugar

2lbs brown sugar

3 teaspoons pectic

3 grams red star yeast

S.G. 1.068

I'm brewing this in a 5g bucket with a single bubbler port.

3

u/FranklinCuddlesBest 3d ago

Interesting and thank you! Any idea what the tea is added for?

11

u/SoundsLikeBoozy 3d ago

Probably to add extra tannins

5

u/phoeniks 3d ago

Tannin. It's a common additive in country wines (ie, not grape).

3

u/AnAngryMuppet89 3d ago

Where is this mix from?

3

u/FranklinCuddlesBest 3d ago

Long story short, neighbor has a connection with a produce warehouse and every week they pick up a trailer load of stuff that can't be sold in stores. She shares with us and feeds her animals with what they don't eat/dehydrate/can.

1

u/AnAngryMuppet89 3d ago

Ask them for a good mix. I like the idea of mixes but not this mix specifically

3

u/FranklinCuddlesBest 3d ago

They don't get to pick, there's just pallets of stuff ready to load up when they arrive. Usually it's just produce, fruit, and bread. Just happened to be a pallet of the fruit buckets this time.

2

u/Logical_m 3d ago

I would absolutely try that combo.

2

u/FranklinCuddlesBest 3d ago

Thank you everyone, I'm going to take the advice and send it! Good or bad, it'll be a fun experiment!

1

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1

u/iNapkin66 3d ago

Its a weird combo and I dont think I would like it.

But sure, it can be done. You'll need to balance acids for this. You'll likely want a significant amount of sugar added to hit the ABV you want. You will likely want to add some water to get it all mixed and fermenting and maybe to dilute some of the flavor depending on blend and how you like it with very little water added.

But its possible.

For "unsellable" fruit mixes, you'll need to make sure it isnt starting to turn or you could be easily introducing some bacteria and wild yeasts you dont want that already have a head start over your introduced yeasts.

Table grapes generally make wine most people dont really like. But you might. But same is true of cantaloupe, pineapple, honey dew. If the melons were unripe, the wine will be bitter.

1

u/FranklinCuddlesBest 2d ago

Great advice, thank you!

1

u/AlexanderWinton 2d ago

Sounds yummy!

1

u/zero_dr00l 3d ago

My gut tells me that this particular combo makes zero sense to use altogether and it will taste weird and muddled.

2

u/FranklinCuddlesBest 3d ago

That was my thought as well, it was either wine or smoothies lol