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Watermelon Wine Recipe: Tips for Making Watermelon Wine

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Aug 25, 2024 • 3 min read

This fruity alcoholic beverage will be a hit at any summer party. Read on to learn how to make watermelon wine.

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What Is Watermelon Wine?

Watermelon wine is a fermented alcoholic fruit wine made with fresh watermelon juice, sugar, and wine yeast. Fruit wine is a fermented alcoholic drink (sometimes called “country wine”) made from any fruit juice other than grape juice. Although the term “wine” conventionally refers to a beverage made of grapes, the process of making fruit wine—allowing yeast to feed on the sugars in fruit and become alcohol—is the same. However, fruit wine tends to be far sweeter than traditional wine made from fermented grapes, making it a popular dessert beverage.

What Does Watermelon Wine Taste Like?

Watermelon wine tastes like its namesake fruit and has distinct notes of sweetness from the added sugar. Depending on the length of the fermentation process and the specific ingredients in the mash, watermelon wine can range in taste from tangy and funky to soft and mellow.

Additionally, the intensity of the fruit wine’s watermelon flavor will vary depending on the ripeness of the fruit.

4 Tips for Making Watermelon Wine

Follow these tips to craft a refreshing batch of homemade wine:

  1. 1. Choose the right fruit. Seek out a juicy, ripe watermelon for your watermelon wine. An underripe, watery melon won’t have enough flavor to add taste to your wine, even after the fermentation process.
  2. 2. Change up the sweetener. Adjust the sweetness and flavor of your wine by substituting honey, agave, or another sweetener for the granulated sugar. If you prefer a less sweet wine, reduce the added sugar by a quarter or half cup.
  3. 3. Sterilize your containers. Thoroughly sterilize each of your vessels before fermenting and bottling your homemade watermelon wine to prevent bacteria from developing in your brew, which can encourage spoilage.
  4. 4. Store in a cool, dry place. Like conventional grape wine, make sure to store your homemade fruit in a cool, dry place. While it’s fermenting, cover your carboy—the large vessel where your brew will undergo long-term fermentation—with a dark T-shirt to block further light.

Homemade Watermelon Wine Recipe

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9 Ratings | Rate Now

makes

1 gallon

prep time

45 min

total time

45 min

Ingredients

Note: The total time does not include more than 6 months of inactive time.

  1. 1

    Add the sugar, water, acid blend, tannin, and crushed Campden tablet to a large, sterilized jar or bucket and stir to combine.

  2. 2

    Slice the watermelon into cubes and discard the rind. Place the cubed watermelon into a large bowl and lightly mash it to form a chunky pulp.

  3. 3

    Pour the watermelon pulp through a nylon straining bag, and squeeze the juice into the fermentation vessel.

  4. 4

    Tie off the bag with the remaining fruit pulp inside. Submerge the bag inside the liquid.

  5. 5

    Cover the fermentation vessel with a clean towel and place it in a cool, dry place to rest for 24 hours.

  6. 6

    The next day, add the yeast nutrient and wine yeast to the vessel and stir to incorporate. Replace the towel cover with a clean one.

  7. 7

    Allow the watermelon wine to ferment for 5–6 days, stirring once per day during the primary fermentation. By day 5, the sugar level (which you can measure with a hydrometer) should drop as the yeast converts it to alcohol.

  8. 8

    After one week, when the fruit within the bag is gooey, remove the mesh bag from the vessel and discard the fermented pulp.

  9. 9

    Siphon the wine into a large glass carboy. Try not to disturb the sediment as you transfer the clearest liquid into the bottle.

  10. 10

    Fit the carboy with an airlock, allowing 4–5 inches of space between the liquid and the bottom of the airlock.

  11. 11

    Store the wine in a cool, dark place to ferment.

  12. 12

    After 3 weeks, siphon the wine into a clean carboy again and reattach an airlock. Repeat this process after 3 months.

  13. 13

    After 6 months, when you can no longer see bubbles moving through the airlock or around the top of the wine, siphon the wine into glass wine bottles and seal them with a corker.

  14. 14

    Taste the wine. If the flavor is to your liking, serve it immediately. Alternatively, continue aging the wine in the bottles for up to 2 more years.

Learn more about mixology from award-winning bartenders Lynnette Marrero and Ryan Chetiyawardana. Refine your palate, explore the world of spirits, and shake up the perfect cocktail for your next gathering with the MasterClass Annual Membership.