Peach Wine Recipe – Summer In A Glass
If you are looking to make a sweetly scented, summery tasting wine then this peach wine is a winner. A lightly coloured, almost pinky, orange coloured wine with fruity fragrances and simple to make too, all you need is a glut of peaches (or nectarines) and a few basic
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Peaches Are Great For Wine Making
Peaches have quite a high sugar content in comparisons to fruits like berries at the same time they have quite a lot of acidity which makes them a great fruit to make wine with.
The sugar content can also be boosted if you let the peaches ripen further. Peaches like nectarines, bananas, pears and similar fruits continue ripening after being picked. This process can also be speeded up by keeping them in brown paper bags or next to bananas. This additional ripening boosts the sugar content which makes them all the better for winemaking.
The trick is, of course, getting the peaches overripe without them going bad. This is something you have to decide for yourself, much like a vintner deciding when to harvest their grapes. The thing to remember though is the riper the peaches the better the wine.
Can You Use Nectarines?
Nectarines are pretty much exactly the same as peaches so you can use them interchangeably. The only difference between peaches and nectarines is that peaches have fuzzy or downy skin.
We do not remove the skin when making the wine so it doesnβt matter which you use. If there is a choice then use the ripest or sweetest fruit you can find.
Preparing Peaches For Wine Making
Peaches are easy to get ready for winemaking although it is laborious it is pretty simple to work your way through a batch of peaches.
As with any fruit make sure you give them a good wash under running water.
As I mentioned you want the peaches as ripe as possible without being rotten. If you have any bad spots on the peaches trim these away with a knife.
You now need to remove the stones from the peaches. Some peaches are grown with stones that slip out easily others you may have to trim around with a knife. You know which one is going to be easier.
Cut the peaches into quarters and you are good to start making wine with them.
What Youβll Need To Make Peach Wine β Makes 1 gallon / 4.5 litres
- Small Fermenting Bucket
- Demijohn
- Large Pan
- Syphon
- Fine Straining Bag
- Airlock & Bung
- Potato masher
Peach Wine Ingredients
- 1.8kg Peaches (stones removed cut into small pieces, skin left on)
- 4.5 litres Water
- 900g Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Acid Blend
- 1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
- 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
- 1/4 tsp Wine Tannin
- 1 Campden Tablet
- 1 sachet of Yeast.
Method
Begin by heating half the water in a large pan. Stir in all the sugar to dissolve, and keep an eye on it to ensure the sugar doesnβt scorch on the bottom of the pan. Bring the pan to a boil and simmer for a few minutes and remove from the heat.
While the water and sugar are heating add the straining bag and place it in the sanitised fermenting vessel. Add the prepared peaches and mash the fruit to begin breaking it down. Once the peaches have been thoroughly broken up secure the fruit in the bag.
Pour the hot sugar solution over the peaches in the fermenting vessel and give everything a mix. Add the remaining water which will drop the temperature down. Allow to cool to room temperature and then add a crushed Campden tablet and stir.
12 hours after the Campden tablet add the acid blend, yeast nutrient, pectic enzyme and wine tannin. Allow 24 hours before proceeding with the next step. If you want to take a hydrometer reading now is a good time to do so.
After 24 hours it is time to pitch the yeast. Rehydrate as per the packet instructions or alternatively pitch by sprinkling directly onto the surface of the wine must. Secure with the lid and airlock.
After a few days, the fermentation should spring into life. Each day you will need to give the fruit in the bag a gentle swirl and stir to keep things rotated and ensure a good extraction. Do this for 7 days before lifting out the bag with the now spent peaches. Allow to drain thoroughly without squeezing and secure the fermenter with the lid and airlock again.
Allow the peach wine 2 – 3 days to settle. The majority of fermentation will have died down and now is the time to transfer the wine to a demijohn. Syphon the wine to a demijohn and secure with a bung and airlock.
Allow the wine to condition and mature in the demijohn for at least 3 months, but preferably, for longer, 5-6 months would be great. Rack to a clean demijohn at intervals as sediment builds up.
After conditioning, the wine should be clear, as I say the wine will improve considerably as it matures. Sample the wine and if you want you can back sweeten to taste and stabilise the wine using this guide for help. Bottle the wine and set aside as long as your patience will hold out.
This peach wine is a great, light summer drinking wine and really worth the effort, so give this a go and you wonβt be disappointed.
Hey great site!
Can tinned peaches be used for this recipe?
You can use tinned fruit as long as there are no preservatives in it. Best of luck
I thought that adding a cam don tablet would stop fermentation ?
Campden tablet alone won’t stop fermentation but will inhibit it until we add our own yeast. The reason to add during racking and other processes is that it will remove some of the oxygen introduced during the process.
Thanks buddy ππ
Is spring water the best to use in wine making
Spring water is great as it has no chlorine or other flavours that can be contributed from tap water. If you cannot use spring water, however, you can let tap water sit overnight and the chlorine will dissipate. The alternative is to treat tap water with Campden tablets.
Thanks again ππ
I have just started the cherry recipe, tomorrow morning I will be adding the yeast and then rock and roll!
I have a quick question about this recipe though which I’d also like to start…Is the weight of the fruit before or after removing stones? I know it probably wont make much difference, but worth knowing which way you did it π
I weighed the fruit with the stones. You are correct, I don’t think it would make that much difference.
If you canβt get hold of fresh peaches can you use dried peaches I like sweet wine so out of the two which would be best
Hey, just finished canning peaches and decided to make some wine while peaches are in season here in the Northwest and read your recipe. First of all, I plan to make a 5 to 6 gallon batch and wondered if multiplying your recipe would produce the same results ?
I weighed the peaches I just canned and they averaged about 200g ea. and the stone was 9 to 10g if that helps anyone. I noticed you mentioned 4.5 liters, that amount equals an imperial gallon, but in a 6 U.S. gallon batch it’s a wash, about 22 liters either way.
Multiplying the ingredients in the recipe will work out correctly. You won’t need to add multiple sachets of yeast depending on the type you buy. Most home brew wine yeasts will ferment 5 gallons on their own so you’ll just need to multiply the other ingredients by the amount of your recipe.
Cheers