How to Make Lychee Wine

The lychee (Litchi chinensis) tree bears an edible fruit with a tough skin, juicy pulp and a large central seed. The white flesh is sweet with a texture like grape and lychee wines are available commercially in wine shops and specialty grocery stores. The following recipe will make a dry or sweet white wine from the lychee fruit that will store well.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 1 gallon water
• 5 lbs fresh lychees
• 2 1/2 lbs fine sugar
• 1/4 oz citric acid
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1/4 tsp tannin
• Chablis wine yeast

1. Begin heating the water. Peel the lychees and remove the stone. Chop the remaining fruit and add it to the sugar in the primary container. Pour in enough boiling water to make one gallon of liquid and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

2. Add the remaining ingredients. Note the requirement for additional tannin for lychee wine because this fruit is not acidic enough by itself. Cover the primary container with a cloth.

3. Allow the mixture to stand undisturbed until it is fermenting vigorously. Stir it each day for five days.

4. Strain the liquid through a nylon sieve into the secondary container and fit an airlock. The pulp now may be discarded. Rack every 30 days until the wine clears and does not drop any sediment. This step is especially important for lychee wine.

5. Stabilize the wine and sweeten to taste if needed. Wait 10 days to ensure that fermentation has stopped before racking into bottles.

Resources

• Learn more about lychee products at Lychees Online.