Homebrew RecipesRecipes for all kinds of home brewing – lager, wine, stout – the works

Rosie, I, too, chased a recipe for pure watermelon wine for some time. I finally obtained one, but after making the wine I discarded it. It simply is an inferior wine by itself. It lacks body and is thin. Further, the watermelon flavor, which is what I expected and wanted, did not survive fermentation very well. The taste was bland and very tired. It tasted similar to a soft drink that has gone flat. No–the soft drink would still taste better. I guarantee you that pure watermelon wine, at least made from that particular recipe, would be a huge disappointment to you.

• 6-1/2 lb watermelon
• 1/4 lb dried elderberries
• water to 1 gallon
• juice and zest of 2 lemons
• 5-2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• wine yeast

I have several recipes for excellent “watermelon wine,” but each and every one of them requires the addition of another fruit to give the wine body and additional flavor. This is not unusual in winemaking. Many of my favorite wines require adding raisins, figs, dates, or some other fruit to the ferment to save what otherwise would be an unacceptable wine. I hope you will not be too disappointed by this, but instead will rejoice that you have several options available to you for making excellent watermelon wine.

I have already posted a recipe for watermelon-peach wine. I will post one below for watermelon-elderberry wine and another for watermelon-grape wine. Each of these (including the watermelon-peach) uses just enough of the second ingredient to enhance the watermelon flavor without overwhelming it. I hope you will try one of these.