Has anyone made fig wine before? If so how did it come out?

Hi Vince,

I'm in the process of making a batch right now. The fermenting stage is pretty much complete. It will be awhile before it's racked and fully cleared though. I used fgis from the unk Hiakel tree I've mentioned a few times.

My initial thoughts? I don't think it's going to turn out that great. Not that good fig wine can't be made. I just don't think my first go-round at fig wine is going to be a highly successful batch. Also I'm thinking that dark figs or at least ones with a red interior would certainly make a prettier looking wine than white figs. Maybe even better tasting.

I'll let you know more after this batch finishes in a few months.

I have a batch of Concord Grape and one of Persimmon wine working at this time as well.

If you want a fig wine recipe this site has one, among hundreds of other wine recipes:
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/index.asp  

Hi Bill,

Thank you for the insight and the link. Very interested to hear how your fig and other wines finish up.

Whenever I had made wine, from anything but grapes, it hasn't come out that palletable unless I back sweeten it with simple syrup. I had a strawberry wine we made in 07 that smelled awesome, was crystal clear but peeled the enamel off ones teeth. I got the grape wine thing pretty work out but the fruit eludes me still.

We're in the same zone. Did you grow the Concords? We have a few one year old Marquettes vines that are my first go at grape growing. The master plan is to move out to CO in a few years and start a small vineyard and orchard so I am "trying" to make as many mistakes on a small scale instead.

Keep on fermenting...

You're welcome Vince. The sight I provided the link to is one of the best sites to learn anything you need to know about wine making. The only batch of Strawberry wine I ever made was from a recipe from that site.

It's all about the yeast man. For strawberry it seems to be best to use a yeast that doesn't finish to complete dryness (such as Red Star's Cote des Blancs). The one I made finished with just enough unfermented sugar to make it mildly sweet with a delicate flavor. The color was a nice clear pink. It was quite tastey especially for those who don't like a dry wine.

I prefer dry red wines myself. One of the best wines I made was from blackberries. I used a yeast that finished to complete dryness. It came out heavy bodied and dry - just the way I like it :) .

If it cant run away - ferment it! 

As I have learned. I used ec-1118 on my Strawberry space shuttle fuel and it was King Tut bone dry. At that time I thought everything should have a starting brix of at least 27.

Nowadays I like 24.5 for my reds and 23 for my whites. I recently was in a unforseen baking pinch and used some my winemaking yeast (Lavlin RC-212) to bake a few baquettes, worked out wonderfully. I dubbed them my burgundy baguettes.

Vince,
I made fig wine a couple years ago from an unk Portuguese black fig. The taste was good, a dry rose-like flavor. A bit sweet but that can be changed during the process.
Sue

Vince,
I have been making wine for almost a year now, and apprentice with a top winery in my state.  WinePressUS is a great forum...you can get answers there, whereas Jack Keller is more or less a blog with slow, to little, response due to schedule, etc.
   That being said, I have a fig mead that is currently bulk aging.  It is doing quite well.  It looks like a golden sherry.  I am just 1 month into it, it dropped clear last week.  Ask me in 11 months or more.   Figs are one of the sweetest fruits out there, so I did not have to use a lot of honey to get my SG to where I wanted it.   I racked last week, I tasted it at room temp and chilled---and I was quite happy with it.  Time will tell.
   Just remember to "serve no wine before its time".   The quickest turn around for a wine I have come across has been "Skeeter Pee" which is typically ready in 3 months, or wines made from jam/jelly---can usually be consumed once clear, but 6 months is preferred.  Though, my red raspberry melomel, boysenberry, and chocolate strawberry are all at 7 months mark and quite tasty even this young...so I can only imagine how they will be in 5 more months.
   I have at least 10 wines in bulk aging, and have 2 others that are ready to be bottled.

Here is my recipe PER GALLON:

3.5# fresh frozen figs--thawed

2.5# honey

water to 1 gallon

1/2 tsp yeast nutrient

Yeast energizer, if needed

1/2 tsp pectic enzyme

1 campden tablet, initially and then as needed  (I prefer K-meta)

1 vanilla bean, split

1 Darjeeling black tea bag

5 pieces of candied ginger

2 slices dried lemon    1 slice dried orange

5 grams Epernay II Wine Yeast or D47      

Adjust using tartaric acid after ferment is complete, if needed

 OG goal 1.085-1.090

Goal Total Acid: .45-6%

Wash figs, remove stems, then freeze overnight until ready to use.  Freezing the figs allows in breakdown of the fruit cells, allowing more juice to be produced.  Thaw figs prior to use, then chop/smash them. Place them in straining bag and in primary. Cover with the honey and add 1/2 gallon of boiling water. Add the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the yeast.  Place lid on primary and after 12 hours fish out the tea bag and discard.  Place lid back on primary and allow to rest for 12 more hours.  24 hours after starting remove straining bag and gently press all juice from the bag. Set pulp bag to the side. Add remaining water to 1 gallon level.  Check SG and add more honey, if necessary, to reach desired starting point. Add hydrated yeast to the surface of liquid in primary (use yeast energizer if necessary). Put straining bag back in primary, may want to weight down with marbles so bag remains submerged. Wait 10 or 12 hours before stirring the melomel.  Gently squeeze the straining bag at least twice a day, stir the melomel twice daily.  On the 5th day or when SG reaches 1.010 or lower (whichever comes first), strain/press and discard the pulp. Transfer the melomel to carboy and attach airlock. When bubbles can no longer be seen rising through the wine rack off the lees. Add Campden per process and may add Sparkolloid at this time to assist in clearing.  Siphon into a storage container, top up, and then start racking every 60 days thereafter until no more sediment drops. Use Campden per process.   When finally clear, rack to clean carboy and add Campden and sorbate per package instructions. Allow to rest for 1 week and then back sweeten with sugar syrup.  Allow to rest for 1-2 weeks after sweetening to ensure fermentation does not resume and then bottle.  Allow to age for at least 6 months after bottling.

NOTE: Check TA after ferment is complete and adjust as needed with tartaric acid or acid blend.  Also, use yeast nutrient and yeast energizer as necessary to help ensure a healthy ferment.

Additional note:  At 12 hour mark, chucked in 1 cup of sweet dates that had been chopped, skin of one banana, 2 ripe bananas…all covered with enough boiling water and allowed to make a “date banana soup”, added to primary when cooled.

Alan,
I bet you might actually be shocked at how sweet even one of your "not so sweet" fig varieties actually is.  Especially if you freeze the fruit and then thaw, you change the sugar level to something even sweeter.   For a $40 investment you can purchase a refractometer and with a drop of juice you can quickly check the Brix level and see what the sugar level is.   I have learned in working with fruit something may taste so-so on the tongue, but when I check the Brix level it is actually a sweet fruit.

sara - i think your friends and neighbors are lucky

Alan....no, no boiling of wine ingredients done. At least not in my wine.  I may use a boiling water to help liquefy and homogenize the honey and steep certain fruits or herbs, but I don't boil it.  You may end up with a cooked, molasses taste in your finished product and many times the resulting wine appears to be oxidized...not a good thing.
    Actually it is a given for any winemaker worth their salt to know to allow any hot ingredient to come down to a certain temperature before incorporating certain things. We don't include it in our instructions because it is a "basic".  ANY fruit or starchy vegetable will have an increased sugar level if placed in refrigerator or freezer.  I used to gasp when people told me they kept their raw potatoes in refrigerator, such havoc for diabetics.