← Seasonal recipes

Grapefruit Wine

First time

In season January to December · makes 4.5 L · target OG 1.088

A winter citrus; the airlock/headspace habit with a bitter fruit that rewards a light hand.

You will need

  • Grapefruit5
  • Sugar1.2 kg
  • Raisins, chopped250 g
  • Wine yeast + nutrient1 sachet
  • Waterto 4.5 L

Method

  1. 1

    Sanitise. Pare a little zest from the grapefruit (no white pith — it is very bitter), then squeeze the juice.

  2. 2

    Dissolve the sugar in warm water; add the juice, a little pared zest and the chopped raisins; top to 4.5 L (reading ~1.088), leaving headspace for a lively ferment.

  3. 3

    Pitch the yeast and nutrient; fit the airlock with water in it.

  4. 4

    Ferment out, rack, and top back up as it clears.

  5. 5

    Bottle bright — a crisp, faintly bitter, refreshing citrus white.

  6. 6

    Go easy on the zest; grapefruit bitterness builds.

What this one teaches you

  • · The airlock and headspace

Make a free account to copy this into your own recipes and record a batch against it.

An original MakeWine recipe.