I love summer cantaloupe so I gave this a shot. I didn't look up anything, I just wanted to see how it would turn out. I scraped and mashed 2 big cantaloupes. I wanted to try wild yeast so I added a couple grapes and raisins and kept it in a wide bowl for a few days stirring at least once a day. I saw bubbles so I put it into a 2 gallon jug after a few days. I tested the gravity and it was a little weak so I added about 3 cups of sugar.
It bubbled very weakly in the jug. After 2 weeks total time I noticed some mold on the top of the mash so I racked it to a gallon jug. I checked after an overnight and there wasn't much happening. The juice itself has a bit of a vinegar taste which has me a little worried but that may change with time. I added some wine yeast and yeast nutrient to kick start the batch. Maybe it will overpower the vinegar taste.
I drank a glass that wouldn't fit into the gallon jug. No bad effects. A little like drinking cantaloupe kombucha. I added a splash of yeast since the wild yeast wasn't doing anything. It's bubbling away now with an airlock. It will be an interesting experiment.
October 9 2019 - It's still bubbling but a bit more slowly and is completely opaque. I'm being patient but I'm interested to know what's happening in there. The color has changed too. Hopefully I'm not making a biological weapon :-)
The final thought: This turned out badly. I don't know if it got some weird yeast in it or if cantaloupe is just no good to make wine from. Thus far it's the only batch that I've poured down the drain. It had a rancid-vinegar taste to it. No bueno. :-)
