Few homemade wines capture the taste of a British summer quite like strawberry wine.
Made from fresh, ripe strawberries, this popular country wine is packed with fruit character, a beautiful colour and a delicate aroma that's completely different from traditional grape wines.
It's also one of the most rewarding wines a home winemaker can make during the summer months.
June and July are peak strawberry season across much of the UK, making it the perfect time to turn surplus fruit into something special.
Whether you've picked your own strawberries, bought them from a local farm shop or simply found yourself with more than you can eat, strawberry wine is a fantastic way to preserve the flavour of summer.
In this guide we'll walk through a simple one-gallon strawberry wine recipe suitable for beginners and experienced winemakers alike.
Ingredients
- 1.8kg fresh strawberries
- 1kg brewing sugar
- 1 teaspoon citric acid
- 1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
- 1 teaspoon pectolase (pectic enzyme)
- 1 crushed Campden tablet
- 1 sachet wine yeast
- Water to 1 gallon (4.5 litres)
Equipment Required
As with any wine recipe, ensure all equipment is thoroughly cleaned and sanitised before use.
Preparing the Strawberries
The quality of your fruit will have a huge impact on the finished wine.
Choose ripe, fragrant strawberries with plenty of flavour.
Avoid mouldy or damaged fruit, as this can affect both fermentation and taste.
Wash the strawberries thoroughly before removing the stems.
Roughly chop or crush the fruit and place it into a sanitised fermentation bucket.
You don't need to turn them into a puree. Breaking the fruit up is enough to help release the juice during fermentation.
Day 1
- Add the crushed strawberries to your fermentation bucket.
- Pour over approximately 3 litres of boiling water.
- Add the sugar and stir until fully dissolved.
- Add the citric acid and mix thoroughly.
- Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
- Add the crushed Campden tablet and stir well.
- Cover the bucket and leave for 24 hours.
The Campden tablet helps suppress unwanted wild yeast and bacteria that may be present on the fruit.
This gives your chosen wine yeast the best possible start when fermentation begins.
Day 2
After 24 hours have passed, it's time to prepare the wine for fermentation.
By now the Campden tablet will have done its job, helping suppress unwanted microorganisms while allowing the strawberry flavour to begin infusing into the liquid.
- Add the pectolase (pectic enzyme).
- Add the yeast nutrient.
- Pitch the wine yeast.
- Stir thoroughly.
- Cover the bucket and fit the lid loosely or use an airlock if available.
Pectolase is particularly important when making strawberry wine.
Strawberries naturally contain pectin, which can cause stubborn hazes in the finished wine.
Adding pectolase helps break down the fruit and improves juice extraction while encouraging a clearer finished wine.
Within 24 to 48 hours you should begin seeing signs of fermentation.
Common indicators include:
- A foamy cap forming on the surface
- Small bubbles rising through the liquid
- A noticeable fruity fermentation aroma
- Visible activity when stirring
During primary fermentation, stir the must once or twice daily using a sanitised spoon.
This helps keep the fruit submerged and promotes even extraction of flavour, colour and aroma from the strawberries.
Primary Fermentation
Allow the wine to ferment in the bucket for approximately 5 to 7 days.
During this stage, the yeast will convert sugar into alcohol while extracting colour and flavour from the fruit.
You'll notice the strawberries gradually losing colour as their flavour transfers into the wine.
The fermentation should be kept between 18°C and 22°C for best results.
If temperatures drop too low, fermentation may slow significantly. If you're struggling with a stalled fermentation, our guide on why wine stops fermenting covers the most common causes and fixes.
A simple brewing thermometer can help you keep conditions consistent.
Transferring to a Demijohn
Once primary fermentation begins to slow, it's time to separate the wine from the fruit.
Strain the liquid through a sanitised straining bag or sieve into a clean demijohn.
Try to extract as much liquid as possible without forcing excessive pulp through the strainer.
Top up with cooled boiled water if necessary, leaving minimal headspace.
Fit an airlock and bung before returning the demijohn to a cool, stable location.
This stage marks the beginning of secondary fermentation and maturation.
The narrow neck of the demijohn helps protect the wine from unnecessary oxygen exposure while allowing fermentation to finish cleanly.
Secondary Fermentation and Clearing
Once transferred to the demijohn, fermentation will continue at a slower pace for several weeks.
During this period, you'll notice sediment gradually collecting at the bottom of the vessel as yeast and fruit particles settle out of suspension.
This is completely normal and an important part of the winemaking process.
Leave the wine to ferment until hydrometer readings remain stable for several days.
If you're unsure whether fermentation has finished, always trust the hydrometer rather than airlock activity alone.
A hydrometer remains the most reliable way to determine whether fermentation is complete.
Racking the Wine
Once a layer of sediment has formed, the wine should be racked into a clean demijohn.
Racking simply means siphoning the wine away from the sediment using a syphon while leaving the deposits behind.
This helps improve clarity and prevents unwanted flavours developing from prolonged contact with dead yeast.
Many strawberry wines benefit from being racked every two to three months until they become clear.
If significant sediment continues to appear, repeat the process as required.
Patience during this stage is often rewarded with a brighter, cleaner finished wine.
How Long Does Strawberry Wine Take to Clear?
This is one of the most common questions new winemakers ask.
Strawberry wine can sometimes take longer to clear than expected because strawberries naturally contain pectin.
This is why pectolase was added at the start of the recipe.
Most batches will clear naturally within a few months, although cooler storage conditions often help speed up the process.
Resist the temptation to bottle cloudy wine too early.
A little extra patience can dramatically improve the appearance of the finished product.
Bottling the Wine
Once fermentation is complete and the wine is clear, it's ready for bottling.
Carefully siphon the wine into clean, sanitised wine bottles using your bottling equipment, taking care not to disturb any remaining sediment.
Many winemakers choose to add a crushed Campden tablet during the final stages of maturation to help protect the wine during storage.
If you plan to sweeten the wine before bottling, make sure it has been properly stabilised first.
This helps reduce the risk of renewed fermentation inside the bottle.
How Long Should Strawberry Wine Mature?
Technically, strawberry wine can be enjoyed relatively young.
However, like most country wines, it improves significantly with a little patience.
Most home winemakers find that strawberry wine begins to show its best character after three to six months of bottle ageing.
The fresh fruit flavours become more integrated and the wine develops a smoother, more balanced finish.
If you can resist opening the first bottle immediately, you'll usually be rewarded.
Common Strawberry Wine Making Mistakes
Using Under-Ripe Fruit
The flavour of the finished wine can only be as good as the fruit you start with.
Always use ripe, fragrant strawberries whenever possible.
Skipping the Pectolase
Many stubbornly cloudy strawberry wines can be traced back to insufficient pectolase.
This small addition can make a huge difference to clarity.
Bottling Too Early
Cloudy wine may continue dropping sediment after bottling.
Allowing the wine to fully clear before bottling will generally produce better results.
Ignoring Hydrometer Readings
Never assume fermentation has finished simply because the airlock has stopped bubbling.
Hydrometer readings provide a far more reliable indication of fermentation progress.
Final Thoughts
Strawberry wine is one of the most rewarding country wines a home winemaker can make during the British summer.
It captures the flavour and aroma of fresh strawberries in a way that few other homemade wines can match.
While it requires a little patience during clearing and maturation, the results are well worth the wait.
Whether you're making your first country wine or adding another recipe to your collection, strawberry wine remains a fantastic seasonal project for June and July. You might also enjoy our Elderflower Wine Recipe or Blackberry Wine Recipe for more summer fruit wines to try.
Need supplies? Browse our range of Wine Making Supplies, Wine Yeast, Campden Tablets, Demijohns and Hydrometers to get started.