How to Make Fruit Wine at Home — A Complete UK Guide
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Can you make wine from any fruit?
Yes — almost any fruit can be fermented into wine. The classics are elderflower, blackberry, raspberry, elderberry, plum, damson, gooseberry, apple, and rhubarb. What you need from your fruit is fermentable sugar, acidity, and enough flavour compounds to produce an interesting wine. Fruits that are low in sugar (like elderflower) need more added sugar; fruits that are high in acid (like rhubarb) may need the acidity balanced with calcium carbonate.
What do you need to make fruit wine?
- Fresh, ripe fruit — 1–2kg per litre of finished wine depending on fruit type
- A 5-litre fermentation vessel or PET demijohn for a 4.5-litre (6-bottle) batch
- Airlock and bung
- Steriliser
- A dedicated wine yeast — Gervin GV11 for red/dark fruit wines (blackberry, elderberry, plum) or Gervin GV5 for lighter fruit (elderflower, gooseberry, apple)
- Brewing sugar or ordinary white sugar
- Yeast nutrient — essential for fruit wines, which are nutrient-poor
- Pectolase (pectic enzyme) — breaks down pectin to produce clear wine
- A hydrometer for monitoring fermentation
- A fine-mesh straining bag for pressing fruit
Step-by-step: basic fruit wine recipe
Step 1 — Prepare your fruit. Wash thoroughly and remove any mouldy or damaged pieces. Crush or chop to release juice. Place in a sterilised fermentation vessel or bucket.
Step 2 — Add Campden tablet and pectolase. Crush one Campden tablet per 4.5 litres and add to the fruit. This kills wild yeasts and bacteria. Also add pectolase according to instructions — this prevents pectin haze in the finished wine. Leave 24 hours before proceeding.
Step 3 — Add water and sugar. Add warm water to your target volume and dissolve the sugar completely. Aim for an OG of 1.080–1.090 for a wine of around 11–12% ABV. Use your hydrometer to check.
Step 4 — Add yeast and nutrient. Sprinkle the wine yeast and a teaspoon of yeast nutrient on top of the must. Fit the airlock and leave to ferment at 18–22°C.
Step 5 — Strain after 3–5 days. Once the vigorous fermentation slows, strain the fruit solids out through a straining bag or muslin. Transfer the liquid to a clean demijohn and fit the airlock.
Step 6 — Rack and clear. After 2–4 weeks when fermentation is complete (confirmed by hydrometer), rack the wine off its sediment into a clean vessel. Fine with wine finings and leave to clear for 1–2 weeks.
Step 7 — Bottle. Once clear, add a Campden tablet to stabilise and bottle. Most fruit wines benefit from at least 2–3 months in the bottle before drinking — resist the temptation to drink it too young.
How much fruit do you need per litre of wine?
| Fruit | Amount per 4.5 litres |
|---|---|
| Blackberry | 1.5–2kg |
| Elderberry | 1.5kg |
| Raspberry | 1.5kg |
| Plum / Damson | 2kg |
| Apple (juice) | 4.5 litres pure juice |
| Elderflower | 1 litre florets |
| Rhubarb | 2kg |
Tips for great fruit wine
- Use citric acid to balance sweetness and add freshness — especially important for low-acid fruits like elderberry
- Frozen fruit works well — freezing breaks down cell walls and releases more juice and flavour, and it's easier to source year-round than fresh
- Be patient — fruit wine improves dramatically with age
Browse our wine making supplies and everything you need for fruit wine — sugar, citric acid, yeast nutrient, pectolase, and fermentation equipment — at BrewCo UK.