Pear Wine Recipe: Capturing Orchard Pear-fection in Every Sip

Want to try making wines from scratch?

Pear wine is one of the BEST STARTING HOMEMADE WINES that you can explore.

You can drink an amazing alcoholic beverage in the comfort of your home and enjoy the less hassle way of drinking!

Do you want to create such a recipe? Let’s go through the process of making this properly and wonderfully!

Pear Wine: Flavor You Can Create at Home!

Autumn is the season for pears.

You’ll be able to see pears served EVERYWHERE as fruit slices, pastries, desserts, juices, wines, and more during this season!

Among these varieties, wine is among the most popular choices to create at home.

This is because of two things:

• The process is simple and easy.
• It matures perfectly, just in time for the summer.

Nothing beats a refreshing pear wine bottle once the summer heat hits.

And to ensure that you’re able to make the MOST REFRESHING PUNCH, you will need to get yourself the best pears in the market.

Quick Pear Buying Guide

Fruit wines mostly depend on the sugar amount in the fruit.

That said, this wine recipe will need the FRESHEST AND RIPEST PEARS to enhance the wine’s flavor:

• Natural Sweetener – The natural sugar from the fresh pears AND the added sugar from the recipe will contribute to a flavorful fermentation of the pears.
• Consistency – The riper the pears, the easier it will be to mash them in the end.

If there are NO RIPE PEARS available to you, look for a pear tree in your neighborhood!

Otherwise, you can buy some of the unripened pears instead.

Just follow these quick steps to make sure they are ripe well enough for the wine:

• Put the unripened pears in a paper bag
• Store and leave the bag for a few days to a week
• Start the winemaking process once they turn into very ripe pears

These are quick fixes when you finally find yourself buying some ripe pears in preparation for the wine!

Remember the rule of thumb: the more sugar in the pears, the better the resulting wine.

Your pear wine recipe will work best if you secure yourself with the best pears available.

Pear Wine Recipe: Learn How to Make Your Wipe!

This homemade pear wine recipe is QUICK AND EASY.

With basic ingredients you can find at home, you’ll be able to make pear wine comfortably! The preparation time for this recipe is around 60 minutes.

Let’s start!

Ingredients

• 5 pounds Pears
• 1 pound of Golden Raisins
• 3 pounds Granulated Sugar or Brewing Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Pectic Enzyme
• 1 piece Campden Tablet
• 1 piece Yeast Nutrient Tablet
• All-Purpose Wine Yeast Starter
• Water

Equipment

• Straining Bag
• Potato Masher
• Hydrometer
• Crock
• Bottle or Carboy
• Flour Sack Towel
• Elastic Band

Step-By-Step Procedure

Here is a step=by-step procedure on how to properly execute the recipe!

Step 1: Preparation of Ingredients

You need to ensure that your ingredients are well-prepared before cooking them.

Let’s start with your RAISINS AND PEARS.

Raisin Preparation

1. Prepare 1 pint of water in a bowl for boiling.
2. Boil in one pound of your whole raisins for five minutes.
3. Let it cool down, and start preparing your pears.

Pear Preparation

1. Wash and trim your pears off their stems, and blossom ends.
2. Remove the pear seeds for a less bitter-tasting pear wine.
3. Pour 4 cups of boiling water over the pears.
4. Crush and mash your pears in a bowl. You may use a potato masher or a straining bag or manually crush them with your hands once warm.
5. Add Campden tablet as juice is being extracted to prevent spoilage and browning.
6. Set aside for now.

Make sure that your pears are FULLY RIPE when you prepare them. Otherwise, wait for a few more days or weeks before mashing them.

Step 2: Preparation of the Slurry Mixture

This step will prepare your mixture for the INITIAL FERMENT of your fruit pear wine.

1. Mix the raisins and pears into a one-gallon crock mixture.
2. Pour 4 liters of boiling water into the mixture.
3. Cover this setup with a clean flour sack towel and secure it with an elastic band.
4. Set aside and let the mixture sit for a while.

You can set this aside anywhere from 24-40 hours. Take this time to prepare the next few ingredients for quicker fulfillment of the next steps.

Step 3: Add the Yeast Nutrient and Sugars to the Slurry Mixture

After you have finally set your mixture, you may now introduce the other ingredients that will turn it into pear wine.

1. Add 1 teaspoon of the yeast and yeast nutrient per one gallon of liquid. Wheat can be used as an alternative and additive.
2. Dissolve brown and white sugar in 4 liters of water in a separate medium stockpot over low heat. Slowly bring this to a boil and immediately set aside to cool to lukewarm.
3. First, add 2 liters of COLD WATER to the fruit mash mixture, then slowly add the rest of the LUKEWARM SUGAR WATER.
4. Stir well to evenly distribute the brown and white sugar throughout the mix.

Ensure that everything is fully dissolved and well-blended.

Store this new mixture in a WARM PLACE for three weeks. Use the same setup with a clean flour sack towel for proper safekeeping.

Step 4: Ferment the Pear Wine

Fermenting the homemade wine happens in FIVE WEEKS.

We’ll divide this section accordingly so you can be properly guided as such.

Week 1 – Week 3

The following steps should be done continuously for THREE WEEKS:

1. Stir the mixture every day.
2. Mash any settling fruit pulps if there are still any. You can do this against the side of the crock or any large food-safe container.
3. Keep sealed with the same flour sack towel.

Remember to store the mixture at room temperature throughout the entire fermentation duration.

Keep it TIGHTLY SEALED to avoid fruit flies getting into your homemade wine.

Ensure that your containers are NOT made of aluminum or any reactive metal! This will otherwise degrade the quality of your pear wine.

This officially ends the first phase of the pear wine fermentation.

End of Week 3

As you begin the wine’s secondary fermentation at the end of Week 3 will see you REMOVING THE SOLIDS from the concoction.

1. Strain the mixture through a jelly bag or flour sack towel. Do this while SQUEEZING out extra liquids.
2. Return the liquid to the crock or container.
3. Set aside at room temperature for another TWO WEEKS.

You should essentially have the PURE LIQUID PEAR WINE that you will ferment for a few more days.

Doing so should fully enhance the flavor by then.

End of Week 5

The end of the second phase of the pear wine fermentation will finally give you the FINISHED WINE.

All you need to do is clean and filter the liquid off any remaining sediments.

1. Strain the liquid through layers of cheesecloth or flour sack towel. Repeat this until you end up with a clear liquid without any sediments left in the container.
2. Store back the clear wine in the crock or container for AT LEAST TWO DAYS.

Additionally, any cloudy liquid that you may end up with can be allowed to settle for another round.

Simply draw off the clear liquid back into the original stock, and you’re good to go!

Step 5: Bottle the Pear Wine

Congratulations, you’re finally done making pear wine!

The next and FINAL step is to transfer the wines into their final containers.

However, there are additional preparations that you must follow to ensure the safety of the drink:

1. Transfer the pear wine to a clean bottle or container.
2. Momentarily put a balloon over the bottle’s opening so the gases can escape.
3. Wait for the balloon to stop inflating and then accordingly cork the bottle.
4. Store and set aside in a cool and dark location for however you like. A minimum of 6 months is usually recommended for the best pear wine flavor.

These steps will remove any yeast still present in your wine.

Keep your hose off the bottom of the crock when you start to siphon wine to leave the wine dregs.

You’ll end up with the PERFECT PEAR WINE for the summer!

Tips for Making Pear Wine: Here’s How You Can Make Pear Wine Even Better!

Here are some tips and tricks you can utilize to make your future Pear Wines taste even better than it already does!

1. Control Your Alcohol Level

Remember how we said that sugar is your wine’s best friend?

Well, that is still true! Although, to some extent, TOO MUCH SUGAR can also degrade your pear wine experience.

This is because more sugar contributes to higher alcohol levels.

Let’s briefly discuss why this may not be ideal for most drinkers:

• Too much alcohol content results in a WATERY pear wine
• Higher alcohol levels tend to numb the tongue to taste the flavorful and clearer wine

It would be best to keep a HYDROMETER with you to control the alcohol levels.

Use the potential alcohol scale on the device and try to maintain levels of around 10% to 12%.

2. Use Good Wine Yeast

Add yeast to help BREAK DOWN THE PEAR FRUIT FIBER.

Better wine is usually produced when the pectic enzyme is added.

This is because it helps extract the flavor from the pears as it facilitates the breakdown of the pectin enzyme in the fruit.

Pear wine can also be made with Lalvin EC-1118 yeast, Champagne yeast, or suitable alternatives.

3. Use Ripe Pears

Following Tip #2, the enzymes from the yeast can only do so much.

Make sure that you use the FRESHEST AND RIPEST PEARS when you make pear wine.

The natural sugars in the pears released during fermentation are important to simulate the pear wine flavor.

Here are some more rules of thumb you can follow regarding the pear winemaking process:

• The pears should be SOFT without being subjected to rot. This will make them EASIER TO MASH for future use.
• Pears that ripe at faster rates than other pears can be put in a bath of sulfite solution to prevent the overripe of your pears.

Simply, ripe pears give the wine more pear character.

Otherwise, choose them early on in their life cycle, and you’ll get flavors that taste closer to apples.

4. Choose an Appropriate Storage Container

Bottles are the most popular homemade pear wine containers.

There are TWO TYPES of bottles that can handle the carbonation build-up in these wines:

• Plastic Pop Bottles
• Swing-Top Beer Bottles

A carboy is another common alternative to bottles for clearer wine storage. You can choose any of these options to fit your lifestyle better.

Ensure to attach an AIR LOCK to these containers before storage.

4. Modify Your Pear Wine Experience

You can give your homemade pear wine some added punch.

One trick is simply introducing unique ingredients to your wine if you want MORE CHARACTER OR SPICES.

Here are some highly recommended ones you should try adding:

• Candied Ginger
• Black Peppercorns
• Acid Blend

What Is an Acid Blend?

An acid blend is usually a powder made from the most common fruit acids: malic acid, tartaric acid, and citric acid.

Instead, most recipes will have this component in lemon juice or fresh citrus fruits.

The acid blend helps in raising the acid levels of various homemade wines for a few reasons:

• Low acidity wines tend to taste flat
• High acidity wines tend to taste sour

Better tasting and better quality wines have well-balanced acidity.

The resulting product should be a bright, crisp, and smooth wine.

Can Alcohol Also Serve as Additives?

Others make pear wine commercially and add pear brandy.

The resulting fortified wine retains its fruit wine flavor with the added alcohol content and new taste.

Just remember that when adding more alcohol, you should add it just DAYS before your settling period ends.

The Difference Between Pear Cider and Pear Wine

Homemade cider and wine have the same basic ingredients: pear fruit, sugars, and yeast.

However, the fermenting process can result in TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF PUNCH.

This depends on the amount of time the liquid mixtures spend time fermenting:

• Cider – A cider is bottled EARLY before the yeast consumes all of the mixture’s sugar.
• Wine – A wine undergoes the entire process of fermentation to consume most of the present sugars.

From this, it can be seen that ciders are generally SWEETER than pear wines.

More importantly, cider is also characterized by its SPARKLING quality.

It may not have as much alcohol present as wines, but you will still get the fizzy feeling you can expect from soft drinks.

Quick and Easy Cider Recipe

To help differentiate ciders from wines better, you can use this cider recipe as a quick reference.

You will see how the pear cider is essentially a result of the PRIMARY FERMENTATION.

1. Subject your mixture to primary fermentation for up to TWO WEEKS.
2. Stop and open the wine container to see some bubbling in the airlock. Let the bottle sit at room temperature for one week to carbonate.
3. Transfer to the refrigerator or cooler storage places once the pear cider is carbonated.

You can TEST THE EXTENT OF CARBONATION by squeezing in the containers or peeking through the glass bottle lids.

However, it will be best to measure the temperature for more accurate timing: cider is best bottled at 20 degrees Celsius.

The process of fermenting slows down at cooler temperatures.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

We know how you may still have some questions regarding the pear wine-making process!

How to Make Pear Wine: The Role of Enzymes

Enzymes are crucial in the process of making pear wine. They mitigate the adverse effects of enzymes found in the fruit.

In this homemade pear wine recipe, several ingredients are incorporated to counteract the enzymatic and bacterial influences from the fruits and other components:

• Pectic Enzyme: This reduces the pectin content in pears.
• Campden Tablet: It eliminates wild yeast and harmful bacteria present in the foundational ingredients.
• Yeast Nutrient: This component nourishes the yeast.

In essence, these ingredients amplify the taste of the sweet pear wine.

The Significance of Yeast in Pear Wine Recipes

Yeast plays a pivotal role in fermenting pears into wine. Being living organisms, wine yeasts expend energy during the fermentation process.

This underscores the importance of feeding them their nutrients when making wine. Providing them with the necessary nutrients ensures the fermentation process remains unhindered.

Do Pears Offer Nutrients for Yeast in Making Pear Wine?

Indeed, pears contain nutrients that yeasts can utilize. However, there are two primary reasons why additional yeast nutrients and energizers are essential:

1. Pears often lack the most crucial nutrients required for yeast growth.
2. As pears ripen, they no longer naturally replenish their nutrients.

For optimal fermentation of the wines, it’s vital to source quality yeast nutrients.

What’s the Ideal Consistency for Mashing Pears in a Recipe for Pear Wine?

The best consistency for your pears is a mushy, slush-like texture. There’s no need for a sauce-like or watery consistency. Simply cubing and crushing the pears should suffice, allowing the enzymes to rapidly break down the fruit fibers.

Why is this crucial?

• It provides a larger surface area, making the pear more susceptible to enzymatic reactions.
• The fiber structure of the pear pulp can be disrupted with ease.
• This method ensures maximum flavor and sugar extraction from the pears.

Understanding the significance of mashing consistency is vital, as the preparation of pears is more crucial than one might assume.

What Potential Risks are Associated with Using Pears in a 5 Gallon Pear Wine Recipe?

Creating wine with pears presents two primary challenges:

1. Methanol Production: Although pears have reduced pectin levels compared to other fruits, contamination can introduce the wine to bacteria that thrive on pectin, leading to methanol production.
2. Pear Vinegar: Wines can transform into vinegar if exposed to air due to bacteria.

To mitigate these risks, it’s imperative to use sterilized equipment. Moreover, when exposing the liquid mixtures to external conditions, swift action is necessary. Always ensure that your airlocks are securely fastened during storage.

How Do You Make Pear Wine: Understanding the Racking Process

Racking wine refers to the transfer of wines from one container to another. This technique is predominantly used in the fourth step of the fermentation process, where liquid mixtures undergo filtration across multiple containers over a span of 5 weeks.

Grapes are a popular choice for wine-making due to their comprehensive nutrient profile, which feeds the yeast.

They continue fermenting until either all sugar is consumed or the alcohol content reaches a level lethal to the yeast (approximately 18 ABV). It’s worth noting that sulfites are often added to commercial cider and wine to halt premature fermentation.

Start Making Pear Wine at Home Today

Nothing sounds better than spending the summer with a most refreshing homemade punch glass.

Luckily, the process of making homemade pear wine is CONVENIENT AND EASY.

You just need to be patient. Wine-making is a craft that you cannot rush!

With just FIVE SIMPLE STEPS, you can spend your summers sipping on pear wine that YOU make at home:

1. Prepare your ingredients
2. Prepare your slurry mixture
3. Add sugars and yeast nutrients to your mixture
4. Ferment the wines
5. Bottle the resulting wines

Save some time and make BOTH CIDER AND WINE from the same batch of pears.

Most importantly, just have fun! Be creative with your country wines.