Pear wine is a pretty complex drink that is truly delightful to all the senses. Making pear wine can be a fabulous way to use up those leftover pears from your trees, however, there are a whole plethora of different recipes out there so it can be hard to choose. Don’t worry, we have your back!
If you don’t want to actually make the wine, then we also have some brilliant brands for you to choose from that will awe your guests and keep it rocking all night.
How to Make Pear Wine
We won’t lie to you — producing wine by yourself does take some effort but it is seriously worth it.
You Will Need:
- 5 lbs (1828g) pears
- 10L food safe bucket
- Funnel
- Steriliser
- Straining bag
- Long spoon
- 5L fermenter
- Air lock and bung
- Siphon
- 2 campden tablet (crush them)
- Demi john
- 1 sachet wine yeast
- 2 tsp pectolase
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- ½ tsp potassium sorbate
- 1 tsp citric acid
- 1 kg brewing sugar
- 250 ml white grape concentrate
How to Do It:
1. Wash the pears
2. Cut the pears, making sure to save the juices
3. Put them all into a big saucepan along with a gallon (4.5L) of water and boil
4. Once boiled, turn it down to a simmer for 10-15 minutes
5. Put the brewing sugar into the fermenting bin
6. Mix, mix, mix
7. After it has cold, pour in the grape concentrate, citric acid, pectolase, yeast sachet and yeast nutrient
8. Cover with the lid
9. Leave in a warm area for a whole 24 hours
10. Transfer to a sterilised demi john
11. Fit the water-filled airlock and leave it alone for the fermentation to carry on
12. Siphon the wine out of the sediment into a different demi john
13. Add the potassium sorbate and campden tablets into the siphoned wine
14. Take off the airlock
15. Put your hand over the top of demi john
16. Swish gently to get rid of the fizz
17. Do this until all of the fizz has vanished
18. Put the airlock and bung back on
19. Move this into a cooler place
20. Once you can see that the wine is fully clear, siphon it into sterilised wine bottles
21. Cork the bottles
22. Label it
As you can now see, it does take quite a lot of doing but you really won’t regret it — especially when you can subtly mention to your guests that you made it yourself!
Pear Wine Brands — The Reviews
If the above is just too much effort (understandable really) or you simply don’t have the time to put into it (also understandable, life gets super busy, right?), then have a look at these gorgeous wines that are just as delicious.
Rustenberg Straw Wine
Price: £13.49
This wine comes all the way from the Coastal Region in South Africa and is classified as a sweet, dessert wine — perfect for those after dinner cheesecakes!
Along with the obvious notes, you will experience tones of honey, peach, lemon and marmalade which make for a complex but delicious drink. It is sure to delight your guests; many people state that it is their favourite wine of all time.
Cave de Turckheim Alsace Grand Cru Riesling
Price: £22.99
The winery which produces this Riesling is situated right on the slope where a raging battle took place in the past. Even if you don’t like the wine, the vineyard itself is a true historic phenomenon which is definitely worth a visit.
Pear and citrus notes feature heavily in this one, alongside subtle petrol aromas which finish in a steel-like manner.
St Michael-Eppan Pinot Grigio
Price: £11.99
St Micahel-Eppan’s Pinot Grigio is produced in Alto Adige, the northern region of Italy where multiple manufacturers make some of the country’s best wine.
You will notice the pear and citrus flavours immediately on the palate, which are complemented by aromatic tones which poke out from the top. It is said that this tipple can be enjoyed alongside a variety of foods, or alone if you prefer, providing a very versatile drink.
Barefoot Pinot Grigio NV
Price: £6.89
This one is produced in the state of California. Experts have deemed Barefoot’s Pinot to be very dry, yet still with a fresh character.
On the nose, you will experience the beautiful pear sensation in addition to citrus notes. Once the drink touches your palate, you will be hit by lemon and lime zests, some more pear, as well as melon.
For the price point, you can’t really go wrong — especially when it is so versatile and suits any time of the day, with or without a meal.
Yellow Tail Pinot Grigio
Price: £7.00
A family situated in Yenda, a little Australian town, started this company (Yellow Tail) many years ago and have continued to make beautiful wines ever since.
In particular, their Pinot Grigio contains an assortment of pear, apple and passionfruit flavours which combine gorgeously into an amalgamation of pleasure. Be careful though, it goes down as if it were juice so you will have to keep an eye on your intake!
Terra di Nonno Vermentino
Price: £8.99
Promoting a concentrated straw colour, this wine comes straight from Italy and contains wild herb, floral, citrus and pear aromas. However, on the palate, the lemon and orchard fruits are more noticeable than anything of the herbs (although they still come into play, of course).
As a side note: the vineyard has suggested that this should be drunk by December 2020 so there is no need to rush; take the time to enjoy the wine.
II Papavero Pinot Grigio
Price: £9.99
We couldn’t end on a wine that wasn’t Italian, could we? No! This one is dry in style and harbours a pale yellow-green colour which is visually appealing.
The aromas you’ll experience are that of juicy pears, lemons, limes, nectarines and an overall fruit salad-esque vibe. Since the fruit flavours are so strong, you probably won’t be surprised to find that they are heavy on the palate too — in a good way!
Now, go forth and conquer the pear wine making or drinking world, you have no excuse now!