How to Make Homemade Wine With Vegetables

  • 5-10 hours
  • Intermediate
  • 300-1500
What You'll Need
3 cups white sugar
1 packet yeast
8 cups vegetables
2 cups raisins
2 oranges
Strainer
Water
Empty 1 gallon milk jug
Balloon
Elastic band
Small funnel
Wine bottles
Corks
Corking machine
What You'll Need
3 cups white sugar
1 packet yeast
8 cups vegetables
2 cups raisins
2 oranges
Strainer
Water
Empty 1 gallon milk jug
Balloon
Elastic band
Small funnel
Wine bottles
Corks
Corking machine

While amateur vintners commonly produce homemade wine using various fruits, vegetable wine is another delightful option. Many different in-season veggies will work nicely to give you a unique vintage to share with friends.

Step 1 – Choosing the Vegetable

Decide on the type of vegetable wine you would like to make. Consider the following vegetables for the best wine: carrot, corn, cucumber, sweat pea, pumpkin, sweet potato and zucchini. Keep in mind the time of year and choose a vegetable that will be in season.

Step 2 – Preparing the Ingredients

Peel the skin from the vegetables and chop into fine pieces. Put the pieces into a large pot. Cover the vegetables with water. Boil the water and simmer for 25 minutes until the vegetables and water have been reduced into one liquid. Use the knife to chop the raisins. Put the raisins and the sugar into the vegetable mixture. Cut up the oranges into thin slices. Place the slices into the vegetable mixture. Allow the mixture to sit overnight.

Step 3 – Mixing the Ingredients

The next morning, strain the vegetable mixture of any pulp. Add the yeast. Pour the strained liquid into the empty milk jug through the funnel. Put the lid on the jug and thoroughly combine the ingredients in the jug. Add warm water to the ingredients until the jug is full. Replace the lid and shake the jug. Remove the lid.

Step 4 – Fermenting the Wine

Take the balloon and stretch the opening over the top of the jug. Secure the balloon over the top of the jug with the elastic band. Place the jug of wine in a warm dark spot in your home. The temperature of the area should be about 70 degrees F. As the wine ferments, the gases produced will expand the balloon. The fermentation process should take about 4 weeks.

Step 5 – Preparing the Wine Bottles

Rinse and dry the wine bottles in hot water. Soak the wine corks in water for about two hours. Rinse them in warm water.

Step 6 – Bottling the Wine

Place the clean wine bottles directly below the container of wine. Put one end of the siphon tubing into the wine in the container. Inhale the air from the siphon until the wine begins to flow into the tubing. Insert the other end of the siphon into a wine bottle. Fill the bottle with the wine until it is about an inch from the top. Continue with the rest of the bottles.

Step 7 – Corking the Bottles

Rent a corking machine from a wine making shop. Insert the clean corks with the corking machine.

Step 8 – Labeling the Bottles

Use your computer to create wine labels for your wine. Print the labels on to label format paper. Attach the labels to the wine bottles.

Step 9 - Storing the Wine

Store your home made wine in a location where temperature is between 55 and 60 degrees F.