This guava wine recipe has a soft blush color and an enticing tropical-fruit aroma. It’s a simple homemade fruit wine to brew in your kitchen. This makes a great light tropical beverage or blending wine! It’s a refreshing summer sipper with bright acidity and lush flavors.

Note that this recipe uses fresh or frozen guava pulp, not candied dry guava paste. Check the freezer section of a good grocery store, or make your own pulp with fresh guavas. I’ll explain both methods, so no matter what you’re working with, you can get right into the wine making!

Serving Ideas & Pairing Suggestions

This guava wine has a light, fruity rose color and character. It’s great paired with spicy food or tropical fruit and citrus-based desserts.

It would be lovely as a dessert wine with a fruity pavlova, a citrus-curd tart, or pineapple crepes. Or pair it with a fruity mango or pineapple salsa, guacamole, and tostones (fried plantain chips) or tortilla chips. Try it with fish or shrimp tacos or ceviche, a creamy and hot Thai coconut curry, or grilled meats and seafood.

Blend your guava wine with other light white or blush wines to make a summer sangria or party punch, or try it in cocktails or with a draft of soda water on ice to make a fun spritzer.

two wide-mouth glass fermenters filled with guava wine and elderberry wine, in front of a bowl of cherry tomatoes from the garden.

Guava Wine Recipe Ingredients

Guava puree or fresh guavas:

The easiest way to make this guava wine is with frozen guava puree. If you are using frozen or canned guava pulp, check the ingredient label and make sure it doesn’t have any added potassium sorbate, which would prevent your wine from fermenting.

If you are working with a source of fresh guava fruits, or your local stores don’t carry frozen guava puree, no worries! There are a few more extra steps to make this recipe with whole fresh guava fruits, but you’ll have complete control over the process:

To Make Fresh Guava Puree: Start with soft, ripe guava fruits. Wash them well and trim the stems. Dice or quarter them roughly, then puree in a food processor or blender. Strain the puree through a food mill or press it through a wire sieve to remove the fibers and seeds and make a smooth pulp… then proceed with the recipe as with frozen pulp!

Sugar:

This recipe uses granulated white sugar to boost the specific gravity and provide additional food for the wine yeast. You could substitute a light floral or orange blossom honey to make a guava mead, but the substitute quantities have not been calculated for you. We’ll make one in the future though and post a recipe when we do!

Other additives:

Pectic enzyme (optional), acid blend or citric acid granules, yeast nutrient, wine tannin, and KMS Campden tablets.

Wine yeast:

I prefer to use a white wine yeast, or one that is good for fruit & country wines. Lalvin QA23 or an equivalent would be an excellent choice to accentuate the tropical fruit notes from the guava.

I used a packet of CL23 from Vintner’s Harvest for the initial pitch on this wine. The packet had been stored in the fridge, but was fairly old, so when the fermentation was still sluggish after a few days, I pitched some additional EC-1118 (Champagne yeast, a partial packet), and that did the trick to get a vigorous fermentation going!

labeled ingredient photo for guava wine recipe.

Kitchen equipment needed

1 gallon jar or wide mouth fermenter for primary fermentation
1 lid with airlock for gallon jar, or butter muslin & twine to cover
1 gallon jug or demijohn for secondary fermentation & clearing
1 lid or stopper with airlock for jug or demijohn
1 fine mesh drawstring nylon brewing bag (optional for this recipe, but makes racking & removing fruit sediment easier)
1 stainless or plastic long-handled spoon
hydrometer & test jar or refractometer to measure specific gravity (density) and to monitor fermentation progress (OG & SG readings)
siphon tubing & racking cane or autosiphon (cane & autosiphon are very helpful but not necessary for a one gallon batch)
no-rinse brewery cleaner & sanitizer (I use PBW to clean brewing equipment, rinse well, and then Star-San or a homemade sulphite solution to sanitize, but you can use a no-rinse cleaner/sanitizer like One Step if you prefer).
wine bottles & corks with a corker, or swing-top bottles.

How to Make Guava Wine

numbered photo grid showing guava wine mise en place, mixing the sugar & guava pulp in a nylon bag in the fermenter, the wine must with water added, and pitching yeast the next day.

prep equipment & dissolve sugar:

Sanitize your primary fermenter (either a one gallon glass jar or small food grade bucket with an airlock, or crock and muslin cover).
Clean and sanitize all of your other equipment. Assemble all ingredients and measuring tools.
Weigh out the sugar and add it to the fermenter with half of the water.

add guava pulp:

See recipe ingredient section above for instructions on how to process fresh guava fruit into pulp, or simply use frozen guava pulp from the store.
Add the fresh or frozen guava pulp to a clean and sanitized fine-mesh nylon brewing bag. I like to add either glass fermentation weights or a sanitized 4 oz mason jar to help keep the bag submerged in the fermenter.
For this recipe, the nylon bag is optional, but will make racking and removing the larger fruit sediment easier later on!
Add the fruit bag to the sugar mixture in the fermenter, and stir. Use a stainless spoon to press the bag down into the liquid until it is submerged (it may still float up if you haven’t added weights, this is ok.

add other ingredients & check OG:

Add the pectic enzyme & acid blend. Stir and wait 30 minutes to an hour for the enzyme to work.
Add the yeast nutrient and wine tannin (tannins can interfere with the action of the pectic enzyme). Stir again with your sanitized spoon.
Take a hydrometer reading (or make sure to use a temperature chart to adjust the reading if you take it while your must is still warm).
Write the original specific gravity (OG) down in your brew-log or on a label on the fermenter (I like to use painter’s tape and a sharpie to label the wine vessel as well as taking notes in my recipe sheet).
Crush one campden tablet (KMS) over the cooled must, and cover with the lid and airlock or tightly secure a fabric cover (you want to let out CO2 but keep out fruit flies… I prefer a lid and airlock but some people like to do a more open traditional fermentation).

pitch yeast & ferment:

Wait a full 24 hours for the campden tablet to work and dissipate, then add your packet of wine yeast.
Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the wine must (or re-hydrate according to manufacturer’s instructions and pitch into your fermenter).
Replace the lid and airlock. Place in a warm, dark place and check on it frequently. It should show signs of fermentation after 6-12 hours, with vigorous bubbling in the airlock within 48 hours.
If it isn’t fermenting, check the temperature and move it into a warmer place. If it still doesn’t take off, you may need to repitch with a fresh packet of wine yeast.

remove fruit bag & first racking:

After about two weeks, or when the fermentation has greatly slowed (between 10-20 days), check the SG and make note of it.
Using a sanitized spoon or clean hands, remove the nylon bag from the fermenter, and gently squeeze to extract all the liquid. If you didn’t use a strainer bag, instead of racking, you may want to gently pour your wine through a sanitized fine filter funnel into your fermenter.
Rack (siphon from fermenter into jug) into your secondary fermentation container (probably a glass jug or carboy). Replace the airlock.

check SG, rack again & bulk age:

If your wine has thrown a lot of sediment in the container, you can carefully rack it into a clean and sanitized fresh jug after a few weeks. This is optional, for better clarity or an extended bulk aging (between 2-6 months).
You may want to do a third racking a few days to a week before bottling (being careful to minimize splashing so that this delicate wine doesn’t oxidize) to get your wine very clear.
If you are doing a long aging before bottling, You may want to add a trace amount of sulphites to protect the wine from oxidation and infection. Rinse the jug or carboy with sulphite solution before racking, or add a fraction of a campden tablet.
When your wine is perfectly clear and the SG has not dropped in at least two weeks, it’s safe to rack & bottle and cork or cap your guava wine. Make sure it’s fermented all the way before bottling. This, plus added clarity from less sediment, is a good reason to let your wines age in the jug before bottling them.

bottle your guava wine:

Bottling Notes: If you want to bottle your wine with residual sweetness (or especially if you want to back-sweeten them with additional honey or sugar), you should add wine stabilizer (potassium sorbate) to keep it from re-fermenting in the bottles. A little bit of bottle fermentation can add sparkle, but a lot can push out the corks, or worse, make bottle grenades, or at the least, add sediment to your wine you worked so hard to get clear.
Bottle your finished guava wine in sanitized swing top or wine bottles with new corks. Swing top bottles are convenient and good for short term storage. Bottles with corks are better if you plan to age your wine for more than a few months. I like to use half-size 375 ml split bottles for fruit wines like this one.
Wash and scrub your bottles with a bottle brush or bottle washer, rinse well, and then sanitize with a no-rinse sanitizer. Rinsing the bottles with a sulphite solution is good for bottling wines as it will both sanitize the bottles and add a bit of protection to the wine against oxidation at bottling.
Clean and sanitize any tubing, racking canes, bottling wands, or other equipment before using it.
Siphon your wine into a bottling bucket, and fill bottles using the bucket spout (or tubing and a bottling wand). For small batches like this, after racking it off any sediment, you can carefully decant your wine into the clean and sanitized bottles using a funnel.
Cork or cap the bottles with an appropriate closure. For corking, a floor or bench corker works best, though you can try the hand held twin-lever ones if you don’t have many bottles. These are best operated with a friend to hold the bottle. If you don’t have either, you can use swing-top (Grolsch-type) bottles for short-term storage.

Cellar & Age Your Guava Wine

Wine bottles with natural corks need to sit upright for a day or two before being turned on their sides for storage to make sure they don’t leak. Corks need time to fully expand after being compressed in the corker, then the corks should be in contact with the wine so they don’t dry out.
If you used synthetic corks, you can store your bottles either upright or on their sides.
Swing top or crown-capped bottles should be stored right-side up. These bottles are best for shorter term storage, no more than 18-24 months.
Label & cellar-age your guava wine for at least one month somewhere cool and dark. It is safe to drink immediately but tastes better with a bit of time to mellow. Sample some periodically and take notes to find what you prefer!

Did you make this guava wine recipe? Share your pairing ideas and thoughts in the comments!

Homemade Guava Wine

Alewyfe

This guava wine has a soft blush color and an enticing tropical-fruit aroma. It's simple to brew and makes a great solo or blending wine! It's a refreshing summer sipper with bright acidity and lush flavors.

Note that this recipe uses fresh or frozen guava pulp, not candied dry guava paste. Check the freezer section of your grocery store, or make your own pulp with fresh guavas (see recipe notes).

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Primary Fermentation Time 14

Total Time 90

Course Drinks

Cuisine American, Contemporary

YIELD gallon

Equipment

1 gallon jar or wide mouth fermenter
1 lid with airlock for gallon jar, or butter muslin & twine
1 gallon jug or demijohn
1 lid or stopper with airlock for jug
1 fine mesh drawstring nylon brewing bag (optional, but makes racking & removing fruit sediment easier)
1 stainless or plastic spoon
hydrometer & test jar or refractometer
siphon tubing & racking cane or autosiphon
no-rinse brewery cleaner & sanitizer

Ingredients

24 oz fresh or frozen guava pulp (see notes to use fresh guava)
7 pints water (112 fluid oz: US pints)
2 ¼ lbs sugar (36 oz)
1 tbsp acid blend or citric acid
½ tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp yeast nutrient (Wyeast wine yeast nutrient or similar)
1 tsp wine tannin (use colorless oak gall tannin if possible to preserve delicate color)
1 each KMS Campden tablet
1 packet wine or champagne yeast

Instructions

prep equipment & dissolve sugar

Sanitize your primary fermenter (either a one gallon glass jar or small food grade bucket with an airlock, or crock and muslin cover).
Clean and sanitize all of your other equipment. Assemble all ingredients and measuring tools.
Weigh out the sugar and add it to the fermenter with half of the water.

add guava pulp & additives

Add the fresh or frozen guava pulp to a clean and sanitized nylon brewing bag. I like to add either glass fermentation weights or a sanitized 4 oz mason jar to help keep the bag submerged in the fermenter.
Add the fruit bag to the sugar mixture in the fermenter, and stir. Use a stainless spoon to press the bag down into the liquid until it is submerged (it may still float up if you haven’t added weights, this is ok.
Add the pectic enzyme & acid blend. Stir and wait 30 minutes to an hour for the enzyme to work.
Add the yeast nutrient and wine tannin (tannins can interfere with the action of the pectic enzyme). Stir again with your sanitized spoon.
Take a hydrometer reading (or make sure to use a temperature chart to adjust the reading if you take it while your must is still warm). Write the specific gravity (SG) down in your brew-log or on a label on the fermenter.
Crush one campden tablet (KMS) over the cooled must, and cover with the lid and airlock or tightly secure a fabric cover (you want to let out CO2 but keep out fruit flies… I prefer a lid and airlock but some people like to do a more open traditional fermentation).

pitch yeast & ferment

Wait a full 24 hours for the campden tablet to work and dissipate, then add your packet of wine yeast. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the wine must (or re-hydrate according to manufacturer’s instructions and pitch into your fermenter).
Replace the lid and airlock. Place in a warm, dark place and check on it frequently. It should show signs of fermentation after 6-12 hours, with vigorous bubbling in the airlock within 48 hours. If it isn’t fermenting, check the temperature and move it into a warmer place. If it still doesn’t take off, you may need to repitch with a fresh packet of wine yeast.

remove fruit bag & first racking

After about two weeks, or when the fermentation has greatly slowed (between 10-20 days), check the SG and make note of it.
Using a sanitized spoon or clean hands, remove the nylon bag from the fermenter, and gently squeeze to extract all the liquid. If you didn't use a strainer bag, instead of racking, you'll want to gently pour your wine through a sanitized fine filter funnel into your fermenter.
Rack (siphon from fermenter into jug) into your secondary fermentation container (probably a glass jug or carboy). Replace the airlock.

check SG, rack again & bulk age

If your wine has thrown a lot of sediment in the container, you can carefully rack it into a clean and sanitized fresh jug after a few weeks. This is optional, for better clarity or an extended bulk aging (between 2-6 months).
You may want to do a third racking a few days to a week before bottling (being careful to minimize splashing so that this delicate wine doesn't oxidize) to get your wine very clear.
If you are doing a long aging before bottling, You may want to add a trace amount of sulphites to protect the wine from oxidation and infection. Rinse the jug or carboy with sulphite solution before racking, or add a fraction of a campden tablet.
When your wine is perfectly clear and the SG has not dropped in at least two weeks, rack & bottle and cork or cap. Make sure it’s fermented all the way before bottling. This, plus added clarity, is a good reason to let your wines age in the jug before bottling them.

bottle your wine

Bottle your finished guava wine in sanitized swing top or wine bottles with corks. Swing top bottles are convenient and good for short term storage. Bottles with corks are better if you plan to age your wine for more than a few months.
Wash and scrub your bottles with a bottle brush or bottle washer, rinse well, and then sanitize with a no-rinse sanitizer. Rinsing the bottles with a sulphite solution is good for bottling wines as it will both sanitize the bottles and add a bit of protection to the wine against oxidation at bottling.

cellar & age

Bottles with natural corks need to sit upright for a day or two before being turned on their sides for storage to make sure they don’t leak. Corks need time to fully expand after being compressed in the corker, then the corks should be in contact with the wine so they don't dry out. If you used synthetic corks, you can store your bottles either upright or on their sides.
Label & cellar-age your guava wine for at least one month somewhere cool and dark. It is safe to drink immediately but tastes much better with time (sample some periodically and take notes to find what you prefer)!

Notes

Bottling Notes: If you want to bottle your wine with residual sweetness (or especially if you want to back-sweeten them with additional honey or sugar), you should add wine stabilizer (potassium sorbate) to keep it from re-fermenting in the bottles.

A little bit of bottle fermentation can add sparkle, but a lot can push out the corks, or worse, make bottle grenades, or at the least, add sediment to your wine you worked so hard to get clear.

Keyword beverages, brewing, fermentation, foraging, fruit wine, hedgerow wine, homebrew, summer, tropical, wild food, wine

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a bountiful harvest of bartlett pears in a sunny window, with a photo of pale pear wine being poured into glasses in the foreground.

BREW: How to Make Guava Wine

Serving Ideas & Pairing Suggestions