Watermelon wine is a refreshing, fruity fruit wine that is especially suitable for drinking in the summer. Today, we will introduce in detail how to make watermelon wine from 20 catties of watermelon. It's a fun and creative DIY project that's perfect for home production. Whether it's used as a party drink or a homemade gift for a friend, watermelon wine can bring unexpected surprises and joy. Let's take a look at how I made it.
1. Preparation of raw materials
Before making watermelon wine, you first need to prepare enough ingredients. In order to make 20 catties of watermelon wine, we need the following raw materials:
1. Ingredients
- Watermelon: 20 pounds (choose ripe, fresh watermelon with a pronounced sweetness and aroma)
2. Excipients
- Sugar: Appropriate amount (generally about 2 catties according to personal taste)
- Yeast: Appropriate amount (generally dry yeast, about 20 grams)
- Water: To taste
- Lemon: 2 (to adjust acidity and add flavor)
- Koji: to taste (if you prefer a richer taste, you can add some rice koji)
3. Utensils
- Cleaned plastic or glass fermentation vats
- Stir bar
- Filters
- Wine bottles (for wine filling)
- Thermometer (for easy control of fermentation temperature)
- PH test strips (optional, for pH measurement)
Second, the brewing steps
Now we can start making watermelon wine. The whole process takes about two weeks to a month, depending on the activity of the yeast and the ambient temperature.
Step 1: Prepare the watermelon
1. Choose watermelon: Choosing watermelon is also crucial, pick 20 pounds of ripe watermelon in the market. Ripe watermelons have a smooth skin with a vivid color and a crisp sound when struck. This is a sign that the watermelon is ripe.
2. Wash the watermelon: Wash the watermelon thoroughly with clean water to remove the soil and pesticide residues on the surface. The surface can be gently brushed with a brush to ensure it is clean.
3. Cut the watermelon: Cut the watermelon in half and scoop out the flesh with a knife, removing the seeds as much as possible. Try to keep the pulp intact and not over-chopped so that the juice can be extracted in subsequent steps.
Step 2: Juicing
1. Juicing process: Put the dug watermelon pulp into the juicer to squeeze out the sweet watermelon juice. Be careful not to use overheated utensils when juicing, as the high temperature may kill the yeast and affect the fermentation effect.
2. Strain the juice: Strain the watermelon juice with a strainer to remove the pulp and impurities, leaving the pure watermelon juice. This step can be chosen according to personal taste, and if you like a rich texture, you can leave some pulp.
3. Measure the amount of juice: the juice squeezed out will generally be about 15 catties. Depending on the watermelon, it may vary.
Step 3: Prepare the juice
1. Adjust the sugar content: Pour the filtered watermelon juice into the fermentation vat and add the appropriate amount of sugar. The amount of sugar can be decided according to the personal taste and the sweetness of the watermelon, and 2 catties of sugar is usually recommended. The sugar helps the yeast to ferment, which is converted into alcohol and also enhances the taste of the watermelon wine.
2. Add the lemon: Squeeze out the juice of 2 lemons and add to the watermelon juice. Lemon juice can increase the acidity of the watermelon wine, add flavor and avoid overly sweet and greasy drinks.
3. Dissolve the sugar: Stir the mixture well with a tamper to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved in the juice.
Step 4: Add yeast
1. Prepare the yeast: According to the package instructions, remove an appropriate amount of dry yeast, about 20 grams. You can choose either fruit wine yeast or regular dry yeast, the former has a better taste.
2. Soak the yeast: Soak the dry yeast in a small amount of water to soften and let it stand for 10 minutes. This activates the yeast and enhances its activity.
3. Mixed yeast: Pour the soaked yeast into the juice and stir well. At this point, you'll see a lot of tiny bubbles forming, indicating that fermentation is about to begin.
Step 5: Fermentation
1. Seal the fermentation vat: Seal the mouth of the fermentation vat with plastic wrap or use a special fermentation lid to ensure that the environment inside the vat is suitable for yeast growth and avoid the invasion of miscellaneous bacteria.
2. Set the temperature: Place the fermentation vat in a warm place, the optimal fermentation temperature is 25-30 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is too low, you can wrap it in a towel to increase the temperature.
3. Fermentation observation: Observe the fermentation regularly over the next few days. Usually after 1-2 days, foam will begin to appear on the surface, and at the same time, there will be bursts of fruity aromas.
Step 6: Filtration and bottling
The fermentation time is generally 7-14 days, depending on the climatic conditions and yeast activity. Once the fermentation is complete, we do the filtration and bottling.
1. Detection of fermentation completion: Fermentation completion is marked by a significant reduction in bubbles and an increase in the clarity of the wine. It can be judged by the taste and texture, and if there is no obvious sweetness and the flavor of the sake is obvious, fermentation can basically be considered complete.
2. Filter the wine: Strain the wine through a strainer to remove sediment and residual pulp. This step is important to avoid affecting the taste of the wine.
3. Bottle: Fill the filtered wine into a pre-prepared bottle, which is cleaned and dried. Leave some room for later gas release.
4. Sealed storage: Seal the bottle and place it in a cool, dry place for post-maturation, generally standing for more than 30 days, the taste will be better.
Step 7: Taste and enjoy
When the watermelon wine is done, it can be shared with family and friends on a special day, or as a refreshing drink at a party. Whether you drink it straight or use it to make a cocktail, watermelon wine can bring you unexpected pleasures.
1. Enjoy chilled
Put the watermelon wine in the refrigerator and cool it before drinking, with the iced taste, you can better enjoy the freshness of the watermelon and the mellow aroma of the wine.
2. Mix cocktails
Watermelon liquor can be used to make a variety of cocktails, paired with sodas or other juices, to create a wide variety of drinks. For example, watermelon wine with lemon juice and mint leaves is refreshing and delicious, making it perfect for summer.
3. Precautions
1. Cleanliness and hygiene: All utensils must be kept clean throughout the brewing process to avoid the invasion of miscellaneous bacteria.
2. Control the temperature: Too high or too low a temperature during fermentation will affect the quality of the wine, so it is important to ensure that the temperature is moderate.
3. Drink in moderation: Although watermelon wine is good, drink it in moderation and do not overdo it.
IV. Conclusion
Homemade watermelon wine is a fun and rewarding activity. With the above detailed steps, I believe you can easily make delicious watermelon wine at home. Whether it's enjoying the process, or tasting the finished product, it's a joie de vivre. I hope that every winemaking lover can harvest happiness and beauty in this process. Let's enjoy home-brewed watermelon wine together! Finally, if you think this article is helpful to you, please like and forward it!