I remember when, as a small child, my grandparents brought home a bottle of fruit wine they had bought that had a pear in the bottle. It still is one of the most interesting and unique novelty items I have every come across. In fact, the practice of growing pears in the bottle dates back hundreds of years, to Alsace, France where pear brandy is a local tradition.
Growing these "Pears-in-Bottle" starts in late May, when the small pear will still fit in the neck of the bottle. The correct way to do this is to slip the pear in, while still on the branch, and tie the bottle to the tree so that the bottles neck faces down. This helps to prevent condensation from building up inside the bottle and ruining the fruit. The bottle should be left in place until ready to harvest, typically in late August.
Once the pear is fully grown, and the bottle has been harvested, the only thing to do is to rinse the bottle out as thoroughly as possible, and add the wine! We have included a recipe for pear wine below, or you can simply purchase a bottle and use that!
Pear Wine Recipe
(It is strongly advised that you read further on proper wine-making techniques before attempting to make your own wine!)
Pears 4.5 lb
Sugar 1 lb
1 lb Potassium Sorbate
Citric Acid
Water 1 gallon
Pectic Enzyme
Wine yeast
Yeast nutrient
Chop up the pears and place into a large fermenting bin. Add the sugar and citric acid to the bin and then boil the water and pour in. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved then leave to cool. Once cool, add the pectice enzyme, stir and leave for 24 hours. Add the yeast and nutrient and then place in a warm place. Stir daily for 5 days then rack off into a carboy and fit a bung and airlock. Rack off for the first time after 3 months. Prior to bottling, add the potassium sorbate to stabilise and prevent additional fermentation.