If you've never tried pear wine, you're in for a treat! Pear wine is light, refreshing, and floral. It's also really easy to prepare! It can be enjoyed with dinner or dessert. Have a glass with this delicious pear pie recipe!
The first time I tasted pear wine was in Venice, Italy—and it was absolutely divine. To this day, I wish I had brought an entire case back home to the States. So, when I began experimenting with homemade wines, I knew I had to try recreating that unforgettable experience. My first batch turned out to be a pale, crisp white wine with a beautifully delicate pear flavor.
The next batch came from wild pears we foraged from an old, abandoned orchard. I made a few tweaks this time—replacing half the white sugar with brown sugar and adding a single vanilla bean. To my surprise, the wine blushed into a soft rosé, still carrying that delicious pear flavor and subtle floral undertones. It wasn’t quite like the one I had in Venice, but honestly? It was still pretty darn good!
This is a wonderful wine to enjoy on a summer night with a Mediterranean charcuterie board loaded with your favorite cheeses, crackers, and fresh fruit.
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Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pears: Four pounds of pears. I used wild pears that we picked from an orchard. Feel free to use any variety that you have. However, make sure they're not moldy.
- Sugar: I added 2 cups white sugar and 2 cups brown sugar for a total of 4 cups or 2 pounds of sugar.
- Yeast: I used Premier Blanc yeast champagne.
- Vanilla Bean: 1 vanilla bean (optional) but adds a nice flavor.
Other Ingredients: You'll need acid blend, pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrient.
Other Helpful Tools
Bottles/Corks/Corker: Most people begin by bottling their wine in flip-top bottles. However, as they continue to make wine, they graduate to wine bottles, corks, and a corker.
Sanitizer: All of your equipment needs to be sanitized every time you make wine. You have various options, including a concentrated liquid sanitizer (Star San) or a powder that can be diluted in water (1-Step).
2 Gallon Plastic Fermenting Bucket: The primary fermentor is used for the first 5-7 days to get your fermentation/must going. Although it comes with a lid, I recommend covering it with a breathable fabric and securing it with a rubber band. The fabric keeps out the bacteria while allowing some oxygen\ in to help the yeast get started.
Strainer/Mesh Bag: You can add your fruit to a mesh bag while it's fermenting or dump everything inside the primary fermentor bucket. If you decide to use the bag, you'll squeeze the bag to extract the fruit juice and toss the solids that remain in the bag. If you add the fruit directly inside the primary fermentor, you will need to strain the contents of the bucket before transferring it to a carboy.
1 Gallon Jug: You will need a one-gallon carboy, also called a demijohn, which is used for fermenting and clearing the wine. Having at least 2 is ideal, especially when racking or transferring the wine from one carboy to another for clearing.
Mini Auto-Siphon & Tubing: The siphon and tubing are used when transferring the wine from one carboy to the next and also for bottling the wine. A bottling wand also comes in very handy but is not required.
Air Lock and Bung: The airlock goes into the bung, and the two together are used to cap the carboy when it is fermenting and clearing. The airlock keeps oxygen and bacteria from contaminating the wine while allowing the CO2 to escape.
Hydrometer & Test Jar: A hydrometer is used to figure out the amount of alcohol your finished wine contains. This is done by taking readings of the specific gravity or SG at the beginning, during, and at the end of the fermentation process.
Funnel: You'll need a funnel for straining the fruit, especially if you don't use a mesh bag. I like this funnel.
Jug: A small creamer like this one comes in handy when taking SG readings.
This wine-making kit is the one I recommend because it has almost everything you need!
How to Make Pear Wine
Before you begin, sanitize all of your equipment, your work area, and your hands. Find out how here.
- Wash pears, then chop into cubes. Discard the cores or use them to make vinegar (see apple cider vinegar recipe). Add chopped pears to the primary fermentor bucket or the must bag inside the bucket, then tie the bag.
- Add 1 gallon of water to a stockpot, along with granulated sugar and brown sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar. Simmer until hot, but not boiling, then carefully pour into fermenting bucket.
- Slit vanilla bean down the middle and add to the bucket. Once syrup is cool, add acid blend, pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrient. Take SG reading using a hydrometer (mine was 1.072).
- Activate yeast into ½ cup warm water and once frothy, stir into the wine must. Cover with a dishcloth or napkin and secure into place with a rubber band.
- Stir daily and take SG reading after day 3. When SG reading reaches 1.030 (day 4—7), remove the mesh bag from the fermentor bucket and squeeze pear juice back into the bucket. Rack pear juice into a one-gallon container or carboy. Leave room for expansion.
- Fill airlock halfway with sanitizer solution or water and fit into the bung or screw cap. Store the carboy away from heat and direct sunlight at 70°F - 85°F.
- After a month, the specific gravity should be around 1.000. It's time to transfer the wine into a clean carboy and leave the sediment behind. Clear anywhere from one to three months. Rerack as needed.
- Once the wine is done clearing, taste it to see if it needs sweetening. If you prefer sweet wine, add ¼ to ⅓ cup of simple syrup or pear juice and ½ teaspoon wine stabilizer to discourage fermentation.
- Take a final SG reading with your hydrometer and use an ABV (Alcohol By Volume) Calculator to figure out the alcohol percentage. Write the percentage down in a notebook or wine journal.
- Bottle pear wine and age it for at least 6 months to a year, then enjoy!
Pro Tips
- The longer you let the wine clear, the better the results will be!
- Don't toss out the lees (dead yeast that collects on the bottom of the carboy and fermenting bucket). Add it to your compost bin instead!
- If you don't have enough wine to fill all 5 bottles, flip-top bottles can be used for the rest.
More Homesteading Recipes
Recipe
Amazing Homemade Pear Wine
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 lbs pears
- 1 gallon water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2½ teaspoon acid blend
- ½ teaspoon pectic enzyme
- 1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
- 1 packet premiere blanc yeast
Instructions
- Before you begin, sanitize all of your equipment, your work area, and your hands. Find out how here.
- Wash pears, then chop into cubes. Discard the cores or use them to make vinegar. Add chopped pears to the primary fermentor bucket or the must bag inside the bucket, then tie the bag.
- Add 1 gallon of water to a stockpot along with granulated sugar and brown sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar. Simmer until hot, but not boiling, then carefully pour into fermenting bucket.
- Slit vanilla bean down the middle and add to the bucket. Once syrup is cool, add acid blend, pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrient. Take SG reading using a hydrometer (mine was 1.072).
- Activate yeast into ½ cup warm water and once frothy, stir into the wine must. Cover with a dishcloth or napkin and secure into place with a rubber band.
- Stir daily and take SG reading after day 3. When SG reading reaches 1.030 (day 4—7), remove the mesh bag from the fermentor bucket and squeeze pear juice back into the bucket. Rack pear juice into a one-gallon container or carboy. Leave room for expansion.
- Fill airlock halfway with sanitizer solution or water and fit into the bung or screw cap. Store the carboy away from heat and direct sunlight at 70°F - 85°F.
- After a month, the specific gravity should be around 1.000. It's time to transfer the wine into a clean carboy and leave the sediment behind. Clear anywhere from one to three months. Rerack as needed.
- Once the wine is done clearing, taste it to see if it needs sweetening. If you prefer sweet wine, add ¼ to ⅓ cup of simple syrup or pear juice and ½ teaspoon wine stabilizer to discourage fermentation.
- Take a final SG reading with your hydrometer and use an ABV (Alcohol By Volume) Calculator to figure out the alcohol percentage. Write the percentage down in a notebook or wine journal.
- Bottle pear wine and age it for at least 6 months to a year, then enjoy!
Notes
- The longer you let the wine clear, the better the results will be!
- Don't toss out the lees (dead yeast that collects on the bottom of the carboy and fermenting bucket). Add it to your compost bin instead!
- If you don't have enough wine to fill all 5 bottles, flip-top bottles can be used for the rest.
Hilda Sterner says
I hope you enjoy this wine as much as I do!