Homemade Apricot Wine How To Make Apricot Wine In Your Kitchen

Apricot Wine – lush, aromatic, and requires a little finesse

Fermentistry.com

Every summer, my Apricot tree erupts in a riot of golden fruit, more than any jam jar or pie crust could handle. But as any winemaker knows, abundance isn’t a problem, it’s an invitation. Enter Apricot Wine, lush, aromatic, and deceptively easy to make when you know the secret. Even for beginners.

No tree? No worries. Peak season apricots (usually affordable at markets) work beautifully. The method is forgiving, the ingredients minimal, but the result? Pure elegance. After years of testing, I can confidently say, a well-made apricot wine is sunshine fermented. Its honeyed notes, subtle acidity, and velvety finish make it the star of lazy picnics and dinner parties alike.

So grab your fermenter and your patience, today we’re turning Apricots into liquid gold.

To Start Making Apricot Wine

Ingredients For Making Apricot Wine

• 2 kg (4.4 lb) Ripe Apricots
• 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) Sugar (Demerara is best, White sugar is fine)
• Water 4.5 Liters (1.2 US Gallons) (1 Imp Gallon)
• Wine Yeast (we recommend a premium wine yeast: Lalvin RC 212 which specifically supports color, structure, mouth feel with a fruit forward flavor)
• Wine Nutrient Salts
• Pectinase 5 gm (1 teaspoon)
• Citric Acid 15 gm (3 teaspoons)
• Campden Tablets or 10% Sodium Metabisulfite solution

Equipment For Making Apricot Wine

At first glance, the equipment list might seem intimidating, but don’t let it deter you. Most of these items are likely already tucked away in your kitchen. And here’s the best part, you won’t need everything at once. The process unfolds in stages “Days”, meaning you can even gather equipment as you go. The list below is the complete list of every piece of equipment you’ll need over the coming days and weeks.

• Primary Fermenter. Where your first Fermentation takes place
• Secondary Fermenter. Same as Primary Fermenter, used for Racking
• Fermenter Airlock. To let Carbon Dioxide escape and keep air out
• Food grade plastic bucket and lid 10 Liter (2.6 US Gallons) (2.2 Imp Gallons). Used for Juice Extraction
• Alcohol Hydrometer
• Measuring Cylinder 100 ml or tall glass (needs room for your Hydrometer to float freely)
• Brewing Siphon
• Large Funnel with narrow neck
• Glass Jar and Lid
• Kitchen Measuring Spoons
• Kitchen Long Handle Spoon
• Kitchen Measuring Jug
• Kitchen Scales
• Kitchen Sieve
• Kitchen Bowl
• Kitchen Stock Pot (larger than 5 Liters (1.3 US Gallons) (1.1 Imp Gallons)
• Kitchen Potato Masher
• Note book and pen
• Water Filter Jug. Used to remove Chlorine from tap water (you may not need this)

Apricot Wine Flavor Profile

Following our recipe you’ll make a wine with the following flavor profile. As your wine ages, this flavor profile will subtly change. Apricot wine has a fruit aroma with the flavors of Apricot, Honey and Mellon.

• Sweetness: medium-dry
• Acidity: medium
• Tannin: low
• Alcohol: medium
• Body: medium
• Flavor intensity: light
• Finish: medium

Acidity Of Your Apricot Wine

Let’s talk about the acidity of your Apricot Wine and why it’s so important to get it right. Too little acidity, and your wine tastes flat, too much and it tastes like an unripe lemon. Musts low in acid are also susceptible to bacterial infection. For the home wine maker there is a sweet spot, between a pH of 3.0 and pH 4.0. Following our recipe, you’ll create a Must with an approximate pH 4. This is a safe place for our less experienced winemakers.

Here’s the fun part, you can tweak the pH like a flavor dial depending on the flavor profile you are designing. Those of you with access to a pH Meter, you can tweak this setting by adding Citric Acid to create your own flavor profile. Always take the time to taste your Must after making an adjustment and make additions of Citric Acid a quarter teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired level.

How To Make Apricot Wine

We’ve structured the winemaking process into distinct “Days”, each marking a critical phase in your Apricot Wine’s lifecycle. Notice how the early stages demand regular, successive actions, followed by extended periods of patience as nature works its magic. Before diving in, we recommend reading through the entire guide to understand the timeline, so you know when to act and when to wait. This is the key to crafting exceptional Apricot Wine.

Step 1: Prepare The Apricots

Wash any dirt off your whole Apricots with tap water. At the same time separate the fruit from any leaves and stems. Place your clean fruit aside ready for removing the stones.

Your goal is to remove all stones from your Apricots and have 2 kg (4.4 pounds) of stone free fruit when you’re done. Using a kitchen knife, slice around the middle of the Apricot following the line in the middle. It really is this easy! Once your cut is all the way round, simply twist and pull and the Apricot will be in two halves.

Pull out the stone with your fingers, and place the stone free Apricot halves in a clean bowl. Repeat this process until you have done about 10 Apricots. At this point weigh your Apricots, remembering to account for the weight of the bowl. Add additional Apricots until you reach the 2 kg (4.4 pound) target weight. Finally, remember to slice an extra Apricot for you to eat fresh.

Step 2: Apricots Need Clean Equipment

The cornerstone of wine making success lies in the meticulous cleanliness and sanitization of your equipment. The first step is to ensure all equipment is thoroughly cleaned using standard detergent or better PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash). Persistent stains can be effectively removed with a quality bottle brush or a soft cloth. Any glass or plastic equipment that is cracked or chipped must be discarded as these defects can become a breeding ground for bacteria.

Once the equipment is impeccably cleaned, it’s time for Sanitization. We highly recommend chemical sanitization due to its residual effect, which continues to protect your equipment for a period after the initial treatment. We recommend using Sodium Metabisulfite. Check out our article How to Clean and Sanitize Winemaking Equipment for a detailed guide.

On Day 1, you need to clean and Sanitize the following items:

• Food grade plastic bucket and lid 10 Liter (2.6 US Gallons) (2.2 Imp Gallons). Used for Juice Extraction
• Kitchen Stock Pot
• Kitchen Potato Masher
• Kitchen Measuring Spoons
• Glass jar and lid

Step 3: How To Extract The Flavor From Apricots

Using your cleaned and sanitized Food Grade Plastic Bucket, add all your washed Apricots. Using a kitchen Stock Pot, bring 4.5 Liters (1.2 US Gallons) (1 Imp Gallon) of Water to the boil then carefully add the boiling water to the Bucket. Leave this to sit for 5 minutes with the lid off so the fruit can soften. Using your Potato Masher, press down on the Apricots for a few minutes to release the fruit pulp and color. The liquid will become a cloudy orange. You don’t need to mash the fruit completely, use enough pressure to break them up a little and release the flavor from the Apricots.

Put the lid on the Bucket and press down firmly, leaving one side of the lid open a little, we want air and heat to escape. Place your bucket in a warm safe place away from light. It needs to sit for 1 day.

Step 4: Make A Yeast Starter For Apricot Wine

The fact is, it’s just better to make a Yeast Starter. A Yeast Starter is created by adding your Yeast to a sanitized Glass Jar with water, sugar and Wine Nutrient Salts. The primary purpose is to check your Yeast is active before you add it to your precious fruit juice. There are other advantages as well.

Learn all about creating your own Yeast Starter from our article How To Make A Yeast Starter. Make your Yeast Starter on Day 1.

On Day 2, you need the following supplies:

• Apricot Juice (Must)
• Pectinase 5 gm (1 teaspoon)
• Campden Tablet (1 tablet) or 1 Teaspoon 10% Sodium Metabisulfite solution

On Day 2, you need to clean and sanitize the following equipment:

• Kitchen Measuring Spoons
• Kitchen Long Handle Spoon

Step 5: Add Pectinase To Apricots

Once the bucket of Apricots and liquid is cool, after about 1 day (24 hours), add 1 teaspoon (5 gm) of Pectinase and 1 crushed Campden Tablet to the Bucket of fruit and liquid. The Pectinase is to help extract the juice from the Apricots. The Pectinase needs to sit on the fruit for 24 hours before it’s complete. Replace the lid on the bucket and take a minute to carefully swirl the mixture around.

I’ll explain what we just did. We added the Campden Tablet (Sodium Metabisulfite) to kill any Wild Yeast that might get into our juice known as “Must“. Swirling our Must achieves 2 goals, mixing the Sodium Metabisulfite through the solution and mixing Oxygen into the solution. Oxygen is needed by the Yeast during Primary Fermentation. We’re getting the Must ready for the Yeast that you’ve got growing in your Yeast Starter.

On Day 3, you need the following supplies:

• Apricot Juice (Must)
• 2 kg (4.4 lb) Sugar (Demerara is best, White sugar is fine)
• Campden Tablet (1 tablet) or 1 Teaspoon 10% Sodium Metabisulfite solution
• Wine Nutrient Salts 5gm (1 teaspoon)
• Citric Acid 15 gm (3 teaspoons)

On Day 3, you need to clean and sanitize the following equipment:

• Primary Fermenter
• Fermenter Airlock
• Measuring Cylinder 100 ml or tall glass (needs room for your Hydrometer to float freely)
• Kitchen Potato Masher
• Kitchen Measuring Spoons
• Kitchen Long Handle Spoon

Step 6: Get Your Apricot Juice Ready For The Fermenter

We need to clean and sanitized the Primary Fermenter, Measuring Cylinder, Kitchen Potato Masher, Kitchen Measuring Spoons and Kitchen Long Handle Spoon. Put aside some Sanitizing solution, we’ll use this later in your air lock. Using you Potato Masher, press the fruit in your bucket to break them up. The fruit pulp will float in the juice.

Step 7: Dissolve Sugar Into The Apricot Juice

To the Primary Fermenter, add the following ingredients, while carefully measuring each with your Kitchen Measuring Spoons or Kitchen Scales:

• Wine Nutrient Salts 5 gm (1 teaspoon)
• Citric Acid (1.5 teaspoons)
• 0.8 kg (1.8 lb) Sugar (note this is 2 thirds of the sugar).

Pour the Apricot juice and fruit pulp from the bucket into the Primary Fermenter over the dry ingredients. Use your long handle spoon to stir the mixture. Stir until you can feel the sugar is dissolved into the solution. Stirring is also a good way to add air to your mixture.

Step 8: Note The Specific Gravity Of Your Apricot Juice

Pour out 100 ml of your Apricot Must (juice) into your Measuring Cylinder and place this on your kitchen bench top. Place your Alcohol Hydrometer into the liquid and spin with your fingers. Spinning the Hydrometer causes it to clear any bubbles and to settle more quickly.

Step 9: Add Yeast To Your Apricot Juice

To your Primary Fermenter we’re now ready to add the Yeast. It’s time to add your Yeast Starter to the Apricot Must and start the fermentation process. A successful Yeast Starter is creamy and bubbly and this tells us it’s ready for use. Tighten the lid on your Yeast Starter jar, shake the jar for a few seconds. Now pour off half of the Yeast Starter into your Apricot Must in the Primary Fermenter.

Put the lid on your Fermenter, insert the Airlock (filled with Sanitizer). Gently swirl the mixture around in your Fermenter. Do this for 30 seconds.

Carefully move your Primary Fermenter to a warm dark place. Keep it at approximately 20 Celsius (70 Fahrenheit). This is where your Yeast Starter will come to life and convert your Apricot Must into wine.

Step 10: Let Your Apricot Must Ferment

From Day 3 to Day 28 you will have see vigorous Fermentation where there are bubbles on the surface of your Must and gas bubbling through your Airlock. By Day 22, Fermentation will start to slow. This is normal, there is nothing to worry about. Leave your Fermenter and let the Yeast work hard for you.

On Day 28, you need the following supplies:

• 0.4 kg (0.9 lb) Sugar (the sugar you set aside in Day 3)
• 1 Campden Tablet or 1 teaspoon 10% Sodium Metabisulfite solution

On Day 28, you need to clean and sanitize the following equipment:

• Secondary Fermenter. Same as Primary Fermenter, used for Racking
• Fermenter Airlock. To let Carbon Dioxide escape and keep air out
• Alcohol Hydrometer
• Measuring Cylinder 100 ml or tall glass. Needs room for your Hydrometer to float freely
• Brewing Siphon

We need to clean and sanitized the Secondary Fermenter, Measuring Cylinder, Alcohol Hydrometer, and Brewing Siphon. Put aside some Sanitizing solution, we’ll use this later in your air lock.

Step 11: Rack Your Apricot Wine

It’s time to set your Apricot Wine up for aging. To do this we need to transfer it from the Primary Fermenter to the Secondary Fermenter, leaving behind the Sediment and fruit pulp. The Sediment and fruit pulp, known as the Lees, gradually settles during Fermentation leading to the natural clarification of the wine. The technique employed to remove wine from the Sediment is referred to as Racking. Read our article Racking Wine The Expert Guide for a detailed explanation of the process.

Step 12: Note The Specific Gravity Of Your Apricot Wine

Pour out 100 ml of your Apricot Wine into your Measuring Cylinder and place this on your kitchen bench top. Place your Alcohol Hydrometer into the liquid and spin with your fingers. Spinning the Hydrometer causes it to clear any bubbles and to settle more quickly. Take a note of the reading.

Step 13: Add Sugar To Your Wine

Take the sugar you set aside on Day 3 and add this to your Apricot wine in your Secondary Fermenter. The Yeast in your wine will now start converting this sugar into alcohol and boost the alcohol in your wine. We add sugar in parts so that we don’t overwhelm the yeast with too much all at once.

Step 14: Aging Your Apricot Wine

You’ve transferred your Wine into your freshly sanitized Secondary Fermenter using the Brewing Siphon. Put the lid on your Fermenter and insert the Airlock (filled with Sanitizer). Move your Fermenter to a dark cool place where it can rest for 5 months. At this stage you have Fermented Apricot juice which is technically Wine. Leaving it to Age is the secret to transforming from just Fermented juice into a good Wine. Aging is the secret.

On Day 180, you need the following supplies:

• Sodium Metabisulfite solution

On Day 180, you need to clean and sanitize the following equipment:

• Alcohol Hydrometer
• Measuring Cylinder 100 ml or tall glass. Needs room for your Hydrometer to float freely
• Brewing Siphon
• 4 Flip-top or Swing-top Wine Bottles 1 Liter (33 fluid ounces) each in Brown or Green Glass

Before transferring the wine from your Fermenter, you must clean and sanitize each Flip-top bottle and Lid, your Measuring Cylinder, Alcohol Hydrometer, and Brewing Siphon. This is essential, so take your time and make sure each piece of equipment is carefully prepared.

Step 15: Note The Specific Gravity Of Your Apricot Wine

Pour out 100 ml of your Apricot Wine into your Measuring Cylinder and place this on your kitchen bench top. Place your Alcohol Hydrometer into the liquid and spin with your fingers. Spinning the Hydrometer causes it to clear any bubbles and to settle more quickly. Take a note of the reading. Expect to see a reading between 1.005 and 0.990.

Step 16: Bottle Your Apricot Wine

Carefully place your Fermenter on a benchtop without stirring or disturbing your wine. We want to keep any sediment on the bottom. Remove the lid of the Fermenter and insert your Siphon. As with Siphoning between Fermenters, place your bottles below the level of your Fermenter, on the floor. Prime your Siphon and transfer your Apricot wine into each Bottle filling to 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) from the lid. Replace the cap and push the clamp down.

A Label Makes Your Wine Memorable

Labelling each of your precious bottles is important. A professionally labeled wine bottle elevates your wine from “homemade” to “artisanal.” An attractive label enhances perceived quality, making your wine more appealing for gifting, competitions, or personal pride. Our labels are designed to reflect the care you put into your craft, ensuring your Apricot Wine looks as incredible as it tastes.

Join hundreds of home winemakers who trust our expertise. Browse our collection today and give your wine the presentation it deserves.

Patience is a Winemaker’s Greatest Skill: Mastering the Art of Perfect Homemade Wine

In the world of winemaking, patience isn’t just a virtue it’s a necessity. The journey from fruit to glass is a meticulous process that cannot be rushed. Each step, from processing the fruit into Must to allowing the wine to age gracefully, requires time and careful attention. The art and science of winemaking is a testament to the adage, “good things come to those who wait”.

Just as a fine wine develops its complex flavors and aromas over time, so too does the winemaker’s craft evolve with experience and dedication. There are no shortcuts in this age-old tradition, every bottle of wine is a celebration of human artistry, nature and especially time. The sooner you start making wine, the sooner you’ll be enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Conclusion: Making Apricot Wine

From selecting the ripest Apricots to savoring that first glass of your finished wine, this journey is a masterclass in patience, precision, and the quiet magic of fermentation. What begins as humble fruit transforms into a wine of surprising depth, where the subtle flavor of Apricots mingles with honeyed notes and a whisper of melon.

Let’s be clear, great Apricot wine isn’t an accident. It’s the result of understanding fermentation, respecting the ingredients, and embracing the process with curiosity. That’s the winemaker’s privilege, to turn simplicity into something extraordinary.

To my fellow vintners, this is your invitation to craft something remarkable, your own Apricot Wine. And when you “pull the cork” on your first bottle, don’t forget to share your victory with us. We’d love to read all about it.