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Ruchik Randhap

Food & Memories of Mangalore

Pineapple Peel Wine

October has barely begun and I am already in the mood to celebrate Christmas 🙂 Indian winters are nothing to be excited about but the season brings with it a lot of cheer and warmth. Speaking about cheer – the last quarter of the year is always the best time of the year. Infact, the festive season here usually starts around mid August and ends when a brand new year is ushered in. I am so looking forward to all the festivities, colour and cheer that will soon follow.
In preparation for Christmas and all the goodies that will soon follow on my blog, I thought it was an ideal time to post this recipe of the pineapple peel wine that I tried making early this year. Although it is a quick wine that is ready in less than two weeks, I allowed it to take its own sweet time to mature and now, after several months it is ready to face the world. Err, it has gone through stringent quality tests though and has been served to a few guests who have given it the thumbs up – so technically it has already faced the world.
The best part about this wine is that it is made with an ingredient that is usually considered a waste  – the peel of the pineapple that is discarded without a second thought as soon as the fruit is cut. Sugar is the only ingredient that contributes to the ‘cost’ of this wine – since it makes a small batch it is ideal for consumption at a simple family gathering than a large party.
So the next time you buy a pineapple, don’t discard the peel – make some wine out of it, wait for a couple of months before you serve this golden wine that exudes the warmth and colour of the shining sun! Go make some for Christmas, pour a little for yourself and enjoy some home made cheer!!

Pineapple Peel Wine

Prep time: 10 mins + 13 days | Cook time: Nil | Yield: approx 1.25 litres
You Need:
  • peel of 1 medium sized pineapple (discard the crown)
  • 3 cups sugar * see notes before proceeding
  • 3 cups potable/drinking water (boiled and cooled water)
  • 1/8th tsp yeast
  • 1 egg white well beaten
Method:
1. Transfer the peel into a large (approx 2 litres) glass/ceramic jar and add the water, sugar, yeast, egg white and stir well.
2. Cover with the lid, do not fasten it (alternatively just cover the mouth of the jar with a thick cloth). Keep undisturbed in a clean, dry place of your kitchen for 3 days.
3. After 3 days, strain the liquid through a clean muslin cloth into a clean vessel. Discard the peel and transfer the liquid back into the jar and cover. The wine will be ready for consumption after 10 days.
4. If you wish to keep it longer, fasten the lid of the jar and keep in a cool, dry place till you are ready to serve. Decant before serving.Notes:
1. Do ensure that the pineapple is washed thoroughly before peeling it. It is a waste of precious juices and flavours if you wash the peel afterwards.
2. Egg whites is normally used in winemaking as it is one of the fining agents used for the purpose of clarifying the wine. Egg whites, clay or other compounds help precipitate dead yeast cells or other unwanted solids out of a wine.

3. A lot of people have written in saying that the wine turned out too sweet. I believe this has a lot to do with the sweetness of the pineapple used. Before you use the sugar, do taste the pineapple. If it is extremely sweet, reduce the sugar to 2 cups instead of 3. If the pineapple is sour then you can use 3 cups of sugar. If the wine still turns out too sweet for your tastebuds, the only way of adjusting the sweetness (that I can think of) is to make another fresh batch of wine minus the sugar this time. While serving, mix the two into a glass and adjust accordingly.
Post updated on 2nd Oct, 2012 with the second note
Post updated on 19th Oct, 2012 with the note on potable/drinking water
Post updated on 9th Jan, 2016 with note on adjusting sweetness

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Out of curiosity, what is the purpose of the egg white? Will the egg white not go bad if kept outside?

    Also, is the end taste sweet or like dry wine?

    Reply

  18. Hey sweetie!! Beautiful recipe. One doubt can the same recipe be used for different fruits.??? Like apple or pears.?? Am a bit scared to try it out because its playing with bacteria and yeast… But most of your wine recipes look similar. How do i know if the wine has gone bad or not.??? I certainly don't want to drink it and find out any suggestions.?

    Reply

  19. Hi Supriya!
    Thanks so much for your comment. Well, I am not so much of a wine expert, but I guess you can use the same recipe for different fruits – however this particular one is an instant wine that is ready in less that two weeks, but since the science of yeast is still something I have not mastered, I won't be able to promise you that the outcome will be the same. Yes, I always make very small batches of wine because I don't entertain too many guests and I don't have storage space. A wine that has gone bad will definitely smell very foul and taste like vinegar. If you have not used clean & sterilized equipment (jars, vessels, ladles etc) during the preparation stage then chances are that you will see fungus floating on top – a big sign that something has gone terribly wrong – then sadly, you will have to chuck everything out into the drain.So yes, the 3 indicators are very very bad smell, appearance of fungus and the like and taste of vinegar – I think if you let your senses guide you, you won't go wrong. Good luck!

    Reply

  20. Hi Shireen

    the wine looks so beautiful and crystal clear,
    few questions

    1)Do we need to boil the water as nothing is mentioned above
    2)also can we use the ineer part of the pineapple
    3) does the skin of the pineapply really give that flavour , i mean will it not taste bitter

    4)you said "Transfer the peel into a large (approx 2 litres) glass/ceramic jar and add the water, sugar, yeast, egg white and stir well"
    will the egg white not smell if kept out also will the wine not get the smell of raw egg
    Sorry fo such weird questions

    Alos is there any other wine that can be made i ahve heard of Beetroot wine , Jamun wine have you tried them, i ahve made grape wine , but a little different than what youa hve mentioned, want to try the Ginger wine and the Pineapple wine

    rgds
    Pretty

    Reply

  21. Hi Pretty,

    Thanks for the compliment. Here are the answers to your questions:

    1)Yes, you need to use potable water (drinking water – boiled and cooled) – will update my recipe accordingly.

    2)By inner part of the pineapple u mean the flesh/fruit right? – Yes, but this recipe is only to utilize the peel when you've finished eating the inner part/fruit. There are recipes for pineapple wine made with the fruit part, however my recipe is only for the peel.

    3) The skin of the pineapple does give a good flavour – it won't be bitter as you are adding equal amount of sugar. Try it to believe it! 🙂

    4)Yes the egg white will smell for the first couple of days but not stronly, if you read my notes are other comments below, egg white is used for clarification/purification of the wine and is essential

    There are plenty of wine recipes – I have the beetroot wine recipe, but not tried yet, I plan to try out one wine in every 6 months cuz I don't have a lot of storage space at home, when I do make them, I will post the recipe for sure.

    Happy wine making Pretty!

    Reply

  22. hey thank you so much Shireen i will definately try this as christmas is nearing and by that time this will be ready trying the Ginger and the Pineapple wine soon will update the photots soon
    Thanks a million and last but not the least

    U ROCK 🙂

    Rgds
    Pretty

    Reply

  24. Hello Shireen,
    have been a silent fan of your blog since a long time. Not sure why I never got down to type a compliment, but I admire the detailing you give with each recipe. I have tried the sannas, tarle kadi, chicken sukha and it has all turned out yummy.
    Now am trying this pineapple wine, and this is the first time I am venturing into wine making. Have been enjoying mom;s wine making since childhood , but till date never asked her recipe nor did I bother to watch her prepare it. But when your pineapple recipe came up, I had pineapple at home and hence I took the courage to try it. I am currently on the 7th day of the wine making process and my doubt is why has the wine not got the yellow color tinge that I see in your wine? I have followed the exact procedure and the exact measurements. Could I be missing some trick in the procedure? Can you clarify please.
    Another doubt is, does this wine taste very sweet? or medium sweet?
    As soon as its done, shall send u the pics.

    -asha

    Reply

  25. Hi Asha,

    Thanks so much for your beautiful note and words of appreciation! So glad to know that you have tried and liked many of my recipes and you like the detailed instructions as well.

    To answer your doubt, the colour matures as time passes by. Like I have mentioned in my introduction above, I made this wine around early Jan of 2012 and it has matured over a period of time and hence the colour. The colour of your wine may vary slightly as fruits and veggies are not usually uniform in terms of flavour and colour.

    Although it is meant to be an instant wine (in terms of preparation time) I would recommend you to keep it aside for at least 2 months to mature so that the flavour & colour deepens

    Good luck Asha and do let me know how it turns out!!

    Regards
    Shireen

    Reply

  26. Thanks Shireen for the reply. I shall surely let you know how the wine turns out. I can already see the slight color change as you said. Not sure if I can stay for 2 months without finishing the wine, as it is my first attempt. Shall try this once again and store that for 2 months.
    Is this wine very sweet?

    -asha

    Reply

  28. Hi Shireen… loved this recipe and tried it the 1st time with exact measurements from your recipe… but had to discard the batch within 3 days coz' it started to develop white fungus on top… could've been coz' the peel was floating up top and those exposed to the air started to rot out…so I tried it a 2nd time adding only half the water and complete sugar so tht the peels were immersed in s sugary syrup then filtered out the peels and added the remaining half water… been about 10 days now.. so far so good…during the 2nd attempt I did not add the beaten egg whites.. only water, yeast, sugar and pineapple peels… am not sure if its a good idea to add egg whites now… What would you suggest?

    Reply

  29. @ Anita, Sad to hear that your 1st attempt didn't quite work out. The only reason I can attribute to the peel rotting is maybe it was not immersed completely in the liquid and had a small chance of not being cleaned properly (surface of the peel) – maybe! I am just guessing. I am not much of a wine expert so I am not sure you can add the egg whites now (unless u intend to keep it to ferment really long – like another 2 weeks at least). Maybe you can just let it be for now. See if this version works for you. Do revert with your feedback! I'd love to know how your wine turned out!

    Reply

  30. hi shireen,

    thanks for the recipe. i'm at the end of the initial fermentation and ready to strain the solids out.

    one small point of clarification: in your 3rd step, do you cover the jar with the cloth again or seal it with a lid after straining?

    thanks!

    peace,
    garrry

    Reply

  33. Hi Glitterbunny: So sorry for the delay in responding to your query. Decanting means filtering the wine and transferring the clear liquid into a bottle for storage. You will need a clean, dry wine bottle or a decanter (a bottle meant for the purpose available in crockery shops, but usually expensive). Once your wine that has been sitting in your jar all these days is done – you see the sediment has settled down and clear liquid on top, simply pour the wine through a funnel placed over the clean dry bottle/decanter. Be careful not to shake the jar as the sediment may get agitated and muddle up your clear wine. You may line your funnel with a clean, dry muslin cloth to catch any sediment. Then cork the bottle .and place in a cool dry place

    Reply

  35. Hi Shireen. I was just wondering if that 3 cups of water that you are referring is 1cup of boiled water, 1cup of cooled water and 1cup of potable/bottled water?? And can I use any ind of yeast??

    Reply

  36. Nicole Do: Not sure what you mean!

    Jideh: 3 cups water = potable water means drinking water or water that has been boiled and cooled. I hope this is clear now 🙂 I used active dried yeast..you can use any yeast

    Reply

  37. Woah thanks!! :)) Can I ask another question to you? How many liters can I make in this wine following your measurements and your ingridients?

    Thanks a lot Shireen!! This wine is awesome! 🙂

    Reply

  39. Hi Shireen, thanks for the recipe, your pics are amazing…

    My query is,

    1) Can you specify the amount of water in milliliters (ML) required for wine and

    2) Can you make a video of the entire process?

    Thanks,
    Shrikant

    Reply

  40. @ Shrikant: Sorry for the delay in responding to your query. You need 750ml of water. 1 cup = 250 ml

    I will consider making a video of the entire process but at the moment I am tied up with several things. I hope my instructions are helpful enough to help you make the wine. Should you have any difficulty please feel free to write to me at ruchikrandhap@gmail.com

    Reply

  42. Tried this recipe and it is going well. Smells fantastic! I am days away from bottling but the wine is still a touch cloudy? I am a home wine maker and happen to have some wine finings to help clear things up! Can't wait to try this quick recipe while I wait for my others to age!

    Thanks!

    Reply

  43. Hi!

    Not sure why I am having issues posting to comments? I'll try one more time, hope this works!

    I am currently working on a batch of this wine. Just days away from bottling! Not sure that the egg helped much with clarification, my wine is still a little cloudy but smells amazing! As a home wine maker I happen to have some wine finings I am using to clear my wine. Can't wait to try this while I wait for my other wines to age!

    Thanks for the recipe and I'll let you know how it turns out! What a great idea for leftover pineapple peels!

    Reply

  44. @ H Blanchard: Thanks so much for the feedback! I think the cloudiness will get better in a few days. You could definitely use your wine finings. I have made this wine just once so I am sorry I am not able to help you with some better suggestions to clear it. With time it will get clearer

    Reply

  48. @ Unknown: I guess the pineapple you used must have been really sweet. The best way to adjust this is to make another batch without sugar and then mix the two in small quantities before serving

    Reply

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