Pumpkin Wine

3 1/2 - 4 lbs grated pumpkin
1 gallon water
6 oranges
2 lbs raisins
1 campden tablet
4 cups sugar
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp yeast nutrients
wine yeast



Heat water to boiling. Grate pumpkin. Pour boiling water over grated pumpkin and raisins (these are for tannins, to give the wine some body). Add in the juice squeezed from six oranges (for acidity and hints of orange). After cooling down to about 100 degrees, add in the campden tablet, pectic enzyme, nutrients, and sugar and let sit overnight.

The next day add in your yeast, I used Lalvin EC 1118 and was pleased with the results. Stir once daily for three days.

After three days, decant the liquid into a primary fermentor ( a strainer might be of some use here, depending on how fine your grated pumpkin is), seal with an airlock, and allow to ferment for thirty days. Rack the wine into a secondary fermentor. Continue to rack every three months until satisfied with clarity, and then bottle! The wait is well worth it!

Does this seem like a lot of work? I promise it's not. An hour here and there for a few days, then an hour every few months, and voilà, you have wine!

Note: The campden uses sulfur to kill wild yeasts that might naturally be on your pumpkin or in your raisins. Something that I often do instead of using the campden tablet is to bring the mixture to 170 degrees (77 degrees Celsius) or above for at least 20 minutes. This is adequate to kill off the wild yeasts and most if not all other present bacteria. Be sure to still add in your pectic enzyme once the mixture has cooled to about 100 degrees (any hotter and the enzyme will become denatured and your wine could end up cloudy).