Suitable Fruit for Winemaking

Rare is the fruit that is not just gagging to be fermented.

Below is a list of those we can account for.

Apple.

Can be bought very cheaply when in season, ie late summer, or acquired from friendly neighbours. Use windfalls, eaters, crab or cookers, whatever you can get hold of. Use anywhere between 5-10lb. Nice dry or sweet.

Blackberry.

Another very common home wine. Has the capacity to produce wine of criminal gorgeousness.

Bilberry.

Impossible to find, but expensive bottled variety is fine.

Elderberry.

Probably the most common red wine. A little coarse, but good for blending. 2 or 3lb is plenty, but go easy on added tanin and acid.

Grape.

Considered cheating. You need tons of grapes - about 8lb a gallon. Squeeze out the juice and dilute it if you want. Ferment on red skins for more colour.

Orange.

Squeeze the juice, use the rind. Avoid the white pith like the plague. Makes a nice dry apertif. About a dozen required. Doesn't need additional acid. (What? Really?)

Peach.

This tastes lovely. Peaches are dead cheap in august. Choose the red ones, this will give a brilliant colour. 3lb - 4lb is plenty.

Pear.

Tom's first wine. 5lb - 7lb.

Plum.

Great colour, but you must really like plums as it tends to be very strongly tasting. If you use too many the wine tastes of bacon crisps. Use 4-6lb say. Don't make it to dry either.

Rhubarb.

Hard to do well on its own, but can be used as a base for combination recipes. The leaves are poisonous, so avoid them. About 3-4lb. Quite acidic. Add the sugar without any water and leave for a day or two before continuing as normal.

Sloe.

OK, but best to make sloe gin instead!