Special winemaking concentrates are just that: concentrated fruit juice
that you can use to make fruit wine. Many types of concentrates are
available to home winemakers. I tend to like a heartier, more robust
wine, so I often will add a bit of fruit beyond what the can of
concentrate contains. Let’s take a look at two examples.

Most concentrates for winemaking have handy recipes right on the can.

In this example, you’ll learn to make a plum wine from concentrate with
some fresh plums added to enhance flavor. Often the concentrates will
include a recipe within or on the packaging itself that makes either 3
or 5 gallons (11.4 or 18.9L); make only 3 gallons (11.4L) if you want a
denser wine with a fuller fruit flavor and body.

For this plum wine, start with the fresh fruit one day ahead. Heat up water.

Choose ripe, unbruised fruit.

Remove the pits gently.

Put the fruit in the primary.

Add the warm water and the campden tablet, then partially cover the
primary and let it sit at room temperature. The following day, add the
concentrate to the primary and continue by following the label
instructions.

Making wine from a concentrate can be a very simple process, yet, me
being me, I carried out a bit of an experiment with the next example.
I’d read that using the skin of a kiwi was recommended, and then I’d
read that using the skin of a kiwi was not recommended. I had intended
to make this batch of kiwi wine straight from the concentrate can, but
alas, my curiosity about the “taint factor” of kiwi skins and whether a
concentrate augmented with fruit was a vast improvement over a straight
concentrate got the better of me. Follow my steps below to carry out the
experiment for yourself.

Start with a kiwi concentrate, following the concentrate directions on
the can to create a 3-1/2-gallon (13.2L) batch using a little less sugar
to compensate for the fruit.

Pour the concentrate into the primary fermenter.

Add the yeast to start the fermentation.

After fermentation has started, wash and prepare the kiwis.

Leave the skins on for one batch.

Peel the kiwi for the other batch.

Rack 1 gallon (3.8L) onto the fruit without skins, 1 gallon (3.8L)
onto the fruit with skins, 1 gallon (3.8L) into a jug, and the remaining
liquid into a 1/2-gallon (2L) jug, so that you have two primaries: one
with skins, and one without.

When it is time according to the instructions, rack the wine out of the primary into separate containers.

Let the wine ferment. In one glass container is kiwi with skins; in the
second container is kiwi without skins. Both were treated with a Campden
tablet. Rack the other gallon (3.8L) (the one with no fruit) into a 1
gallon (3.8L) jug and add a small amount of sugar to it to balance out
the lack of fruit. Rack the balance into a 1/2-gallon (2L) jug, and save
it to use for topping up when racking the wines off of the fruit.
Finish the wines according to concentrate instructions.