Pumpkin Wine: Any tricks?

Joel, I've made pumpkin wine a number of times, and it is one of my favorite wines. I like to freeze the pumpkin before I use it for making wine. I started with freezing pumpkin chunks, but then I shredded the pumpkin and then froze it (which I prefer now). I prefer to use sugar pie pumpkins, although pie pumpkins will do okay. This wine is good at 1 year, but very nice at 2 years. Good-luck. Darlene Wisconsin

Thank you very much Darlene, you were actually who I was hoping would answer, as I figured you'd have good input. :) WIll look around a few places for sugar pie pumpkins(have ingredients for enough other wines to last me a month, course, by that time the pumpkinds will be gone, so I have until end of good pumpkin season to try to find some sugar pie pumpkins).

Last question, jsut to be sure(guessing the answer is no from what you said, but would rather ask and be sure), do you cook the pumkin at all? or can I jsut use it raw for wine. Which would be fine for me, as plan to have oven busy baking pumpkin seeds. :)

Joel

Joel, You're right, I don't cook the pumpkin at all, but use it raw - just shred the pumpkin flesh & freeze, and avoid the seeds and strings (cook the seeds to your heart's content). I would try a farmer's veggie stand or a food store which can tell you the pumpkins are pie or sugar pie. These pumpkins are way smaller than the larger jack-o'-lantern pumpkins. Where do you live? I have pulled my sugar pie pumpkins out of my garden, and they've been sitting in my basement for at least a couple of weeks...waiting for me to deal with them. Darlene Wisconsin

I'm in Oklahoma City, which makes me suspect I missed local ones already, being as we're warmer and have earliert season than you do(at least, assuming you're same type of seasons/weather as northern IL, where I grew up). Next year I'll have to hit the farmer's market earlier(though I'll still check it this week), I suspect. Will probably end up with the pie pumpkins from grocery store. Smaller than jack o lanterns of course(this is first year I remembe rseeing them, which is what prompted my questions). Don't think they're sugar pie pumpkins, but being pie pumpkins at least, should be better than jack o'lantern type pumpkins

Joel

I would think you have a week or so left...longer season to grow them maybe...? Besides the other ideas -do you have a Home Depot near you? One year, our local Home Depot had very cheap pie pumpkins sitting around - you might try calling first. Pie pumpkins should do fine, just don't get the big ones. Good-luck. Darlene

Just so you all know, others read and benefit from your threads. I am now on the hunt for sugar pie pumpkins! woo-hoo!

DAve

Dar V wrote:

Hey Joel, I live 45 minutes NW of OKC. Did you find any sugar pie Punk'ns? Stu

Not yet, checking buy for less, the super walmart on NW side, and Albertsons. That rpetty much leaves Homeland and the farmer's market over in bethany, assuming that's not shut down for the season. Hope to check those tomorrow/this weekend. I'll let you know.

Joel

I 've been back and forth about making a batch of pumpkin wine. After reading a different discussion on this group I'm not sure if I want to look for pie pumpkins or some kind of squash. Ahh, what does it matter, I'm a rookie, probabally come out horrible anyway.

The best pumpkin pie is made form butternut squash or yams. Consider that.

Ray

Can you make a pumpkin pie without pumpkin? I have made sweet potato pie before, I did not like it as much as pumpkin pie.

Really, if you are making wine out of butternut squash then it is butternut squash wine. Different animal altogether IMO.

Of course there are some purists who claim that the only WINE is the fermented juice of the grape. BTW - I am not one of those.

Well according to the feds (and the EU I beleive) it is true. The word wine is based on the the latin "vinum" for vine. Here in the US if you want to market a non-grape wine you have to state what type of fruit went into it on the label. Like "strawberry wine". That causes problems when people want to market blended wines too.

Anyway that is where that arguement comes from. In the end it is all semantics.

Yabbut pumpkins grow on vines, too....

I am making pumpkin wine this year. i am using carving pumpkins instead of pie pumpkins though. Looking in the archives people say that it does not taste like pumpkin anyway. I am also using more pumpkln per gallon than the other recipes to try and offset any lack of sugar/flavor the carving pumpkin has.

The reason i am using the carving pumpkins is that I hate to seem them sit outside and rot after halloween. I am freezing the pumpkin like other people have said, but i am not going to shred it...just cut it into chunks. I may press the pulp when I am done as well.

Has anyone made this and left the skin on the pumpkin? I am looking for a quick and dirty method on this one.

Hi. I am making pumpkin wine for the first time. I am also cutting into chunks - 15 pounds for 3 gallons (13 pounds of sugar pie pumpkin and 2 pounds of small carving pumpkins, cause I ran out). It's in the freezer now. I also am interested in any experience. Skins on.

Another question. If I put the chunks/pulp into a nylon bag prior to adding the boiling water, do I lose some flavor? I just hate to have it in the primary floating and then trying to figure out how to get it separated. But if everyone else does it this way, then I will do it. Just wondering.

Good luck, Droopy, let's compare notes in a while. I am using Jack's recipe times 3 for three gallons.

DAve p.s. Why is my place starting to look like a primary/carboy factory? I have 1 gallon of Welch's frozen grape juice in a carboy, 6 gallons of cranberry in a carboy, two primaries with Apple Cider/Juice (blending a

1 (cider) and 2 gallon (juice) recipe into a 3 gallon carboy), and now pumpkin. Hard to believe I just started this hobby in August. :*)

Dro> I am making pumpkin wine this year. i am using carving pumpkins

I haven't started my punkin yet, was out of town and wouldn't have been here to stir it. Was wondering if Droopy or Dave had any luck with chunks/skin on. I doubt I will use a grain bag to begin with, but may use it going into the secondary. I'll also use carving becuse I couldn't find any sweet pie.

Has anyone used spices, cloves, cinimmon? I plan to add some, not sure what yet, or when to add them. Stu

I have not had any problem leaving the skin on so far.

I am just about ready to rack to secondary....the wine tastes fine (for stuff in primary) The chunks are still in there, they did not break up too much. And the pumpkin flavor is very slight. I would be carefull on how much you ameolerate with grape based adjuncts (juice/raisins).

Well, mine has been in a secondary for a few days now. Here is what I learned.

1. Use course nylon bag, i used a fine one and it took forever to get the pumpkin to drain out.
2. chop into cellphone size chunks, freeze, thaw, and then shred in foodprocessor worked great. the freezing makes it easier to shred and makes it ready for the yeast.
3. once pumpkin is out of primary, my hydrometer would not work well, since the stuff (must, sorry) was very dense. Once in secondary, the lees falls quickly to the bottom. I must have 2 inches on the bottom of pumpkin lees. I put into secondary 11/25 and will re-rack 12/25 and then stablize if clear on 3/25 (sweeten and bottle 4/04) and let it sit in bottle for a year.
4. taste - well, it's real pumpkin-y at this point. bright orange but becoming clearer. I ensured I made enough for a 3 gallon secondary plus

1 750ML bottle so I could top it up.

1. temperature is important. i kept mine at 75 and seemed to bubble down faster. used a padded heating pad on low setting.

Sure hope this works, as I made 3 gallons. :*) Good luck, let me know how it goes. spices and things sounds good to add prior to serving, not sure I'd do it while the yeast is working it's magic. Hmm. don't know.

DAve

StuPedaso wrote: