Wine is a language of the world, notably enjoyed by many after a hectic day or during a celebration.
We don’t really need a good excuse to enjoy some quality wine.
Yet, when we think of wine, we usually think of a drink made with grapes; but in reality, it is possible to make wine with a host of different types of fruits, flowers and even by using honey!
Unfortunately, it is difficult to find these sorts of wines in the supermarkets.
This doesn’t have to stop you and you can enjoy these innovative and tasty wines by making them yourself.
To show you how, we have provided you with 10 grape alternatives in the list below.
A few important notes before we begin:
- Always remember to add campden tablets to water as they act as a sterilizer.
- The taste of homemade wine is often stronger which you can experiment with over time until you find your ideal strength.
- The equipment required to make your own wines are usually found in brewing kits or specialised (online) stores.
Alright. Enjoy our list!
1. Blackberry Wine Recipe
Most of us will remember the great feat of running into the woods searching for wild blackberries as children.
The reward of finding those small juicy bunches were some of the most fun and exciting childhood adventures of our youth.
For many of us, since those first expeditions, filled with curiosity and delicious fresh berries, shop bought blackberries have never lived up to our expectations.
Blackberry wine recipe is a great grape alternative and is perfect for those colder seasons, easy to make, and a lot of fun!
Ingredients per 1 gallon (6 bottles) of blackberry wine
- 3.5 pounds of blackberries
- 2.5 pounds of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- 1 teaspoon of red wine enzyme (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- red wine yeast (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- 1 teaspoon of pectin enzyme (optional, it helps to break down all solids after the fermentation)
- 1 teaspoon of citric acid or 1 organic lemon juice (optional – some people like it)
- 1 campden tablet (optional – for sterilization)
- make sure to add enough water to make 1 gallon
How to make it?
- Gently crush your blackberries in a sterilized and sizeable brew bin.
- Boil 4 pints of tap water mixed with pectin enzymes and pour over your crushed berries and stir well. Leave the mixture to stand for around 12 hours.
- Dissolve sugar in 3 pints of water and add to the berry mixture. Then leave it to cool.
- Add both yeast nutrient and red wine yeast and stir together well. Leave the mixture in a dark location for 6 or 7 days. Stir the mixture on a daily basis.
- Strain the blackberry mixture into another sterilized bin then pour the liquid into a demijohn. Tap the demijohn and leave the liquid to ferment in a dark place for about six to seven weeks.
- Transfer the mixture into another bin by straining it then add the mixture to a demijohn. Leave the mixture in the demijohn for a further 6 weeks.
- Rack your liquid into a new demijohn then leave it to ferment for 4-8 weeks.
- Start bottling your tasty wine using the cork taps to seal. Let it mature a little longer then enjoy!
2. Blueberry Wine Recipe
Fruity beers have seen an upward trend in popularity over the recent past and that surge doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
These fruity, sharp and eye-catching beers can be matched with an exceptional blueberry wine – and believe us, it’s much better in a wine!
Blueberries alike grapes need little preparation before being made into wine which makes them a perfect grape substitute.
So why not tempt your friends with a great blueberry wine recipe at your next dinner party!
Ingredients per 1 gallon (6 bottles) of blueberry wine
- 3.5 pounds of fresh and ripe blackberries
- 2.5 pounds of granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- 1/2 teaspoon of pectin enzyme (optional, it helps to break down all solids after the fermentation)
- 1 teaspoon of citric acid or 1 organic lemon juice (optional – some people like it)
- 1 teaspoon of red wine enzyme (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- red wine yeasts (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- potassium sorbate (optional – stabilizer)
- 1 campden tablet (optional – for sterilization)
- make sure to add enough water to make 1 gallon
How to make it?
- Using your hands or a potato masher, lightly crush your blueberries in a sterilized container.
- Add sugar to your blueberries and stir until it dissolves.
- Pour in 1 gallon of water mixed with citric acid, petric enzyme, and yeast nutrient. Let the mixture rest 48 hours while stirring it on each day.
- Add sugar until the mixture reaches a gravity reading of 1.090 (you will need a hydrometer for this). Let it rest for a further 24 hours and the mixture should turn a blue-purple shade.
- Add red wine yeast then store away out of light for a week.
- Strain your mixture into a new sterilized demijohn then leave to ferment for a further month.
- Rack the mix and let it rest for one more month. Repeat if not satisfied with the result.
- Bottle your wine but wait a further three months to ensure a fabulous tasting blueberry wine!
3. Recipe From Fresh Apples
Apple wine recipe provides the perfect refreshment on a summer’s day spent with good food and even better friends and family.
Apple has been a key flavour in cider and beers for years but is less well known for its appearance in wine.
With a smooth consistency, a magnificent apple wine will rival both beer and cider options.
Our recipe will even match them for their alcohol content with apple wine mostly featuring between 5-8%.
If you doubt our delicious apple wine then come and try it yourself.
Ingredients per 1 gallon (6 bottles) of apple wine
- 8 pounds of fresh apples
- 1.5 pounds of granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon of citric acid or 1 organic lemon juice (optional – some people like it)
- 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- 1/2 teaspoon of wine tannin
- 1/2 teaspoon of pectin enzyme (optional, it helps to break down all solids after the fermentation)
- 1-2 campden tablets (optional – crushed and dissolved, for sterilization)
- make sure to add enough water to make 1 gallon
Preparation
- Add chopped raisins and 1 gallon of boiling hot water to a pot and simmer for around 10 minutes.
- Let the mixture cool before adding sugar. Simultaneously add chopped apples to the mixture. Move the contents into a sterilized bin and ferment for around 8 hours.
- Add the additional ingredients, give it a thorough stir, then leave to rest for 5 days.
- Strain your contents into a demijohn and store for around 3 weeks in a dark and cool setting.
- Rack your wine to another demijohn then leave for 3 more weeks.
- Bottle your tasty wine and let it mature for around one more month. Taste and enjoy!
4. Recipe From Raspberries
If you ever hear someone saying that dry fruit wine doesn’t exist. They clearly haven’t tried raspberry wine.
Raspberries are one of the most popular berries due to their refreshing tartness that contrast with natural sugars.
This sets the aside from other flavoured wines and literally puts them firmly in their own class.
Their sweetened qualities smoothly pass the fermentation test whilst their tartness keeps their flavours magnificent.
Even the most educated tastebuds will be surprised that this fruity wine remains so dry.
Get your raspberry wine recipe and impress your next guests with its fabulous taste!
Ingredients per 1 gallon (6 bottles) of raspberry wine
- 3.5 pounds of fresh red raspberries
- 1 pound of granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid or 1 organic lemon juice (optional – some people like it)
- 1/2 teaspoon of pectin enzyme (optional, it helps to break down all solids after the fermentation)
- 1 campden tablet (optional – crushed and dissolved, for sterilization)
- white wine yeast
- make sure to add enough water to make 1 gallon
Preparation
- Dissolve sugar in 1 gallon of boiling water then leave to cool before pouring into a clean basis.
- Add raspberries to your syrup then leave for around 1 hour.
- Juice 1 lemon and add it to the mixture along with some yeast nutrient. Stir the mixture and leave to stand for 1 day.
- Add white yeast to the mixture and leave for 1 day.
- Strain the mixture into a sterilized basin. Transfer the liquid to a demijohn and let it rest for 5 to 7 days.
- Complete the racking process by moving it to a new sterilized demijohn. Leave the liquid to ferment for 2 months and repeat if not satisfied.
- Bottle the wine and enjoy some refreshing raspberry wine!
5. Cherry Wine Recipe
Our Cherry wine recipe is dancing with flavours and beaming with colour.
It is one of the most versatile fruit wines on our list; it is sweet and full, bold yet tangy, and can be poured with an array of different meal types.
If you are looking for a wine to suit the variation of courses on your dinner menu, then look no further!
Simple to make, this cherry wine is a perfect match with lots of different meals across all three courses.
Ingredients per 1 gallon (6 bottles) of cherry wine
- 6 pounds of fresh cherries
- 2 pounds of granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- 1 teaspoon of citric acid or 1 organic lemon juice (optional – some people like it)
- 1 teaspoon of pectin enzyme (optional, it helps to break down all solids after the fermentation)
- 1 campden tablet (optional – crushed and dissolved, for sterilization)
- wine yeast
- make sure to add enough water to make 1 gallon
Preparation
- Add cherries to a brewing bin and gently crush them.
- Add 1 gallon of boiled water with dissolved sugar to the cherries, and leave it to rest overnight.
- Add yeast nutrient, citric acid, and wine yeast and leave it for 1 day.
- Opt for a different yeast nutrient if you find that the mixture does not bubble. Once bubbling, leave the wine in a dark place for around 1 week. Mix the wine 2 times per day.
- Once the bubbling has ceased, strain the wine into a clean demijohn then leave to ferment for around 1 month.
- Rack the wine for 2 month periods as many times as you feel necessary.
- Bottle your mouth watering cherry wine and enjoy!
6. Grape Wine Recipe
No surprises here. Grape wine is toasted worldwide and can be bought anywhere.
So why would we ask you to make your own? For the fun of it of course!
Ingredients per 1 gallon (6 bottles) of grape wine
- 6 pounds of fresh grapes
- 3 pounds of granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- 1/2 teaspoon of pectin enzyme (optional, it helps to break down all solids after the fermentation)
- 1 campden tablet (optional – crushed and dissolved, for sterilization)
- white or red wine yeast
- make sure to add enough water to make 1 gallon
Preparation
- Crush your grapes with whatever means possible but make sure to remove all the stems.
- Strain your grape juice into the clean brewing bin and aim for a gravity measurement of around 1.095 if you are making white wine, and 1.078 if you are making red wine (this will require the help of a hydrometer).
- Leave the mixture for 1 day.
- Add wine yeast and leave to ferment for 1 week.
- Strain your wine into a clean demijohn and let rest for a minimum of 3 weeks in a dark and cool environment.
- Now it’s time to rack the wine. Use different demijohn and leave it like this for another month or two.
- Lastly, wine needs to mature. Leave it in demijohn for another 6 months in case of a whites and up to a year if you are making red wines.
7. Banana Wine Recipe
Bananas believe it or not have been fundamental in the making of wine and beer in three different continents.
Generations have passed down and enhanced the use of bananas in their brewing processes and some specialised tastebuds claim to be able to identify the town the wine is from because of the bananas they use.
Because of its niche sourcing, you are very unlikely to come across a bottle of banana flavoured wine unless you opt to make it for yourself.
If you are offered one, make sure you say yes as you can be sure that it has been made to a high standard.
Or why not become that special host that offers their guests an amazing and truly unique glass of wine.
Even though it is not so orthodox, It is also not so bananas to make banana wine. So try it for yourself, and go bananas!
Ingredients per 1 gallon (6 bottles) of banana wine
- 3.5 pounds of fresh organic bananas
- 1.5 pounds of granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- 1 teaspoon of citric acid or 1 organic lemon juice (optional – some people like it)
- 1 campden tablet (optional – crushed and dissolved, for sterilization)
- white wine yeast
- make sure to add enough water to make 1 gallon
Preparation
- Chop up the bananas and their peels and place them into a large pot. Add sugar and one gallon of boiling water then stir thoroughly. Cook your mixture at a low intensity for around 45 minutes. Whilst cooking simultaneously crush the fruit; we recommend a potato masher for this task.
- Chop some raisins then add them to a clean brewing bin.
- Allow the mixture to cool before straining it.
- Add the additional ingredients then leave for around 5 days in a dark setting. Stir the mixture each day.
- Transfer the liquid to another demijohn via straining. Let the mixture rest in a dark and cool environment for a minimum of one month.
- Rack your wine and let it ferment for a minimum of 3 months. Repeat this process until you are satisfied.
- Bottle your tasty new wine and be prepared to impress your guests.
8. Recipe For Pineapple Wine
If reading this without ever hearing about pineapple wine you probably deserve a relaxing holiday.
Also popular in three continents where they have perfected the use of pineapples in wine making. Often their specialised techniques remain closed secret family recipes..
A few commercial wineries specialising in the use of pineapples do exist in some distant and often remote locations; so to get a real authentic pineapple it comes down to your own wine making efforts.
However, when you manage to make this slightly dry and immensely tasting white wine you will twill not stop thanking yourself, and your friends may not stop thanking you either.
The high amounts of sugar in pineapples make it suitable for extended fermentation whilst the fruit’s natural sourness prevents it from turning cloyingly sweet.
Another convenience in making pineapple wine is that you don’t need your own pineapple farm to make outstanding wine.
Instead, a trip to your local supermarket to pick up some tinned pineapple will suffice. There are lots of great reasons to start making this amazing pineapple wine.
Pineapple wine has been compared to a cross between a Southern American Sauvignon Blanc and Italy’s fabulous Pinot Grigio.
Try it for yourself and treat your senses!
Ingredients per 1 gallon (6 bottles) of pinapple wine
- 3.5 pounds of fresh pineapples (without the peel and core)
- 1.5 pound of granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid or 1 organic lemon juice (optional – some people like it)
- 1 campden tablet (optional – crushed and dissolved, for sterilization)
- white wine yeast
- make sure to add enough water to make 1 gallon
How to make it?
- Put chopped pineapple and raisins into a clean brewing bin.
- Dissolve sugar in boiling water then leave to cool for around 10 minutes.
- Pour and stir this syrup into the fruit. Let it rest overnight.
- Add citric acid, yeast nutrient, and wine yeast to the mixture and leave for 1 day.
- Leave the bubbling wine for 1 week whilst stirring daily.
- Transfer the wine into a clean demijohn via straining. Leave the full demijohn for 1 month in a dark and cool environment.
- Rack your wine repeatedly until satisfied – minimum 3 times (periods of 2 months).
- Bottle your impressive pineapple wine and enjoy as though you are on holiday!
9. Recipe For Muscadine Wine
Although muscadine wine is not on the top of many people’s wine bucket lists, it is a must for our American friends.
Muscadine wine is a sweet wine and produced from 100% American grapes making it a bit of a national glass.
Stemming back to the 16th century you will find americans making dry wines and port-type wines using the muscadine grapes.
Its use originated in Florida but rapidly spread across the south east of America.
Muscadine’s well-known superfood qualities are easily traced in their wine uses, making for a super wine too!
Ingredients per 1 gallon (6 bottles) of muscadine wine
- 3 pounds of fresh pineapples (without the peel and core)
- 2.5 pound of granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- 1 campden tablet (optional – crushed and dissolved, for sterilization)
- red wine yeast
- make sure to add enough water to make 1 gallon
How to make it?
- Peel your muscadine grapes and place them in a basin to be mashed.
- Dissolve sugar in 1 gallon of boiling water.
- Strain your grapes in a clean brewing bin. Follow this up by adding the sugared water, yeast nutrient, and wine yeast. Stir the mix together and let it stand 7-10 days.
- Strain your wine into a clean demijohn and allow it to ferment for 3 weeks in a dark and cool setting.
- Rack your wine to a new clean demijohn and leave for a further 3 weeks. Repeat if necessary.
- Bottle the wine and return in a few years to pour with an exquisite cheese platter.
10. Strawberry Wine Recipe
Have you ever heard of something more dreamy than strawberry wine?
Picture the flamingo pink bottle and imagine the sweet burst of alcoholic strawberries tingling in your mouth.
This dream is made real by following our simple recipe.
Making strawberry wine is not the easiest of fruit wine tasks to undertake due to the vast amounts of sediment they tend to leave behind after long fermenting periods.
This is due to their high levels of sugar content.
An extra careful eye is needed and likely more effort will be placed on the straining and racking processes.
Yet, this little bit more care and attention is undoubtedly worth it – if you don’t believe us just ask the famous English poets who have tended to fantasize and romanticize about it for decades.
Ingredients per 1 gallon (6 bottles) of strawberry wine
- 5 pounds of fresh pineapples (without the peel and core)
- 1.5 pound of granulated white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid or 1 organic lemon juice (optional – some people like it)
- 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient (different brands might slightly differ so make sure to follow the instructions on the pack)
- 1 campden tablet (optional – crushed and dissolved, for sterilization)
- wine yeast
- make sure to add enough water to make 1 gallon
How to make it?
- Dissolve sugar into 1 gallon of boiling water before adding strawberries. Leave this mixture in a clean brewing bin and leave overnight.
- Mash up the mixture and leave for 1 day.
- Strain your wine into a clean bin. Add yeast, yeast nutrient, and citric acid and leave the mix for 1 week.
- Once the mixture has ceased to bubble, let it ferment for a further 3 weeks. Repeat if you feel a second fermentation is needed.
- Rack your wine into a new demijohn when it has stopped fizzing. Allow it to ferment for a second course of 3 weeks. Again, repeat if you feel necessary.
- Once your wine has matured in the bottle, serve it up with a delicious dessert!
See more related articles on Wineladybird:
