This is a recipe for a particularly refreshing melomel. A melomel is a honey based fruit wine.

Ingredients

  • 1kg of Honey
  • 300g of sugar
  • about 1.4 kg of Feijoas
  • 3 mandarins
  • 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient
  • 1 teaspoon of Pectolase
  • Wine yeast ~SN9

Method

  • Gently boil the honey in about 2 x the volume of water and skim off the scum that floats up. Do this for about 10 minutes or until the honey and water mix is not giving off any more scum.
  • Scoop out the feijoas and add to the still hot honey and water mix.
  • Add 300g of sugar (or more honey if you have it)
  • Add 3 peeled and de-pithed mandarins. Break the segments before you chuck them in the mix to ensure the yeast can get at it.
  • If you are the type who adds sodium metabisulphate to the mix to sterilise it, do it at this stage.

  • Leave for 24hours in a covered bucket.

  • Add the pectolase, yeast nutrient, and yeast. You may want to get the yeast going in a starter bottle first, but I have found that it is an unnecessary step if the yeast is fresh.
  • Make up the quantity to 4.5L in the bucket.
  • Ferment in the bucket for about 10 days. Stir the cap in twice a day. (In hindsight I would suggest transferring it to the demijohn after about 5 or six days when it is still reasonably active. This should ensure the brew is strong enough to resist contamination but will still have extracted a large amount of the flavour from the fruit.)
  • Transfer to a demijohn fitted with an airlock. (Straining it as you do so.)

  • Allow it to ferment out.

  • Rack into another demijohn when activity has pretty much stopped.
  • It should clear quickly. Leave for a minumum of 3months before consuming. Ideally leave it for at least 6 months.