Country wines tend to be really simple to make and this Pear wine recipe is no different. With all country wines, of course, the most important part of creating a delicious wine is pushing the flavour of the fruit to the forefront. The good thing about pears is they’re full of juice, sugars, and a distinct yet delicate flavour that really works well in wines.
Pears are harvested and available in the autumn. If you have a pear tree then you’ll have no problem making this recipe. If not then make this wine during the harvesting season the shops will be full of them, and you should have no problem finding enough pears for the recipe. It’s a good wine to make and put aside to mature, the ideal time to open the first bottle will be in the summer. This pear wine recipe makes a perfect summer wine, both refreshing and crisp.
Table of Contents
Pears Ready For Making Wine
This wine recipe calls for fresh, ripe pears. Most shops sell unripened pears if you’re buying unripe pears put them in a paper bag and leave them for a few days to a week until they’re ripe enough. This is important both in terms of consistency because we are going to mash the pears and ensure we have as much sugar available in the pears as possible. This will create a better wine.
It is the sugar in the fruit along with the sugar we add that creates the alcohol in the wine, the more sugar in the pears the better the resulting wine.
Gathering The Ingredients
This pear wine calls for some additives to get the best results, they are all fairly simple and should be part of any country wine maker’s arsenal. You’ll need Campden tablets, an acid blend, yeast nutrients, tannin, and pectic enzymes. All these items will be available from any home brew shop or online.
I have gone into a bit more depth as to what these additives do in this guide on country wine making so please check that out.
In basic terms the Campden tablets sanitise the pears and prevent browning, the pectic enzyme stops the wine from hazing, the tannin provides body to the wine which would feel thin and dry otherwise and the acid blend balances the wine. Pears do not have enough acids on their own and the acid blend will help create a better-balanced finished wine.
As I mentioned previously you want ripe pears to make the most of this wine recipe, what they look like though doesn’t really matter, as long as they taste good.
How To Make Pear Wine
What You’ll Need To Make Pear Wine – Makes 1 gallon / 4.5 litres
The equipment you’ll need to make this pear wine is fairly straightforward if you’ve made wine before you may have everything you need, if not you can pick up the extra items in our shop here:
- Fermenting Bucket
- Demijohns
- Large Pan
- Potato Masher
- Syphon
- Fine Straining Bag
- Airlock & Bung
As for the ingredients in this recipe, you’ll need the following:
- 2kg of Ripe Pears
- 1kg of Sugar
- 4 litres of Water
- 2 tsp Acid Blend (if you are using tart apples use less acid)
- 1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
- 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
- 1/4 tsp Wine Tannin
- 2Campden Tablet
- 1 sachet of Yeast (we recommend Lalvin EC-1118)
Pear Wine Recipe Method
Sanitise your fermenting bucket and potato masher before starting.
Begin by combining half the water and all of the sugar together and bring to the boil
To get the pears ready for the wine wash them thoroughly, remove the stalks and remove the cores, there is no need to peel them.
Cut the pears into chunks and drop into the straining bag in the bottom of the fermenting bucket, add one crushed Campden tablet and begin mashing the pears with the sanitised potato masher.
Once the pears are mashed pour the hot sugar water solution over the pears in the fermenting bucket. Add the remaining cold water which will bring the temperature down. Tie the top of the straining bag to keep the pears inside.
Add the wine tannin and the yeast nutrient and leave to cool for an hour or two. After this add the second Campden tablet and leave for at least 24 hours.
After at least 24 hours add the pectic enzyme and stir in with a sanitised spoon after this add the yeast as directed on the sachet. Cover the fermenter and attach an airlock to the lid.
Agitate the straining bag and stir with a sanitised spoon every day to extract as much flavour from the pears as possible.
After 5 days lift out the straining bag full of pulp and squeeze gently. Syphon the wine off the sediment into a demijohn. Attach a bung and airlock and leave for 2 – 3 weeks.
After 2 – 3 weeks the fermentation should have finished. Check the gravity with a hydrometer it should be around 1.000sg.
Once fermentation is finished rack the wine to a clean sanitised demijohn to clear. Leave the pear wine for 2 months to clear, rack again if necessary, check the racking and clearing guide for further information on this subject.
Once cleared syphon into clean sanitised bottles and cork. This pear wine is best aged in bottles for a few months. After this, the pear wine can be served chilled.
As with most fruit wines, this pear wine recipe is best stored away for a few months before enjoying. I like to put one or two bottles aside for as long as possible to see how the flavours develop. Pears make a nice mild flavoured wine to enjoy on a warm spring or summer day, try and wait until then to start drinking. Although I will always tend to sneak a bottle early.
