Homemade Watermelon Wine Recipes

The first cultivated watermelon dates back to Egypt over 5,000 years ago. Since then, it has become one of the world's most popular fruits. Grown in over 96 countries, there are now over 1200 different varieties of the melon. In the United States, it is the most commonly eaten melon.

Many winemakers experiment with using watermelons to make wine to varying degrees of success. Because of the watery consistency and delicate taste, it can be rather challenging for the melon flavor to hold up through the wine's fermentation process. Subsequently, some of the best watermelon wines are also flavored with other types of fruits such as berries or grapes. However, it is still possible to create a solely watermelon wine if the juice extracted is sweet and strong in flavor. For this, it is essential to use the highest quality, ripe watermelons. Here are two recipes for watermelon wine. One uses exclusively watermelon, and the other uses a combination of grapes and melon.

Homemade Watermelon Wine Recipe

2 large ripe watermelons
5 lbs sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons acid blend
1 Campden tablet
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast nutrient
1 packet Champagne yeast

Extract juice from watermelons using juicer. Discard pulp. This should produce 1- ½ gallons of juice. Pour into primary fermentation container. Add sugar, acid blend, crushed Campden tablet, and yeast extract. Cover and let sit for 1 day. Uncover and add yeast. Cover again and stir once daily for 1 week. Let rest another week without stirring. Rack into secondary fermentation container a nd attach airlock. Let rest for 3 months. Rack into bottles and let age for one year.

Homemade Watermelon Grape Wine Recipe

1 10 lb watermelon
3 lbs green grapes
Juice of 2 lemons
4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pectic enzyme
1 Campden tablet
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
1 packet wine yeast

Extract juice from watermelons using juicer. Discard pulp. Add juice to primary fermentation container. Add lemon juice. De-stem and crush grapes in bowl. Add crushed grapes to container. Crush Campden tablet and add to container. Stir in sugar and stir until dissolved. Cover container and let rest for 12 hours. Add pectic enzyme and yeast nutrient. Let rest for 12 more hours. Add yeast. Cover and let ferment for 1 week. Strain liquid into secondary fermentation container. Attach airlock and ferment for 1 month. Rack once a month for three months. Rack into bottles and age for 1 year.

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