Wine Recipies

Jamun Wine
A Small Peg of Informatin

Jamun is an Indian fruit which has a beautiful colour and a distinct flavour of its own. It is
known for its Diabetes curing properties(not verified by any source though a lot of theories are
available). The wine after being made has dark purple colour and a distinct jamun flavour. Pease
try the fruit before you make the wine to find out for yourself whether you like the taste or not.
the wine takes 4 to 6 months to be completely fit for consumption but if required one can hve it
after 2/3 months. This wine complements Idian food very well and also Indo-Chinese cuisine.
Ingredients
1) 3 kg of Jamun
2) 1 lt water(boiled and to be cooled slightly but should yet be hot)
3) 750 gm sugar
4) 5 gm citric acid
5) 20 gm yeast
Method
1) Deseed the jamuns and squash them by hand.
2)Add the sugar, hot water citric acid and the activated yeast and stir.
3) Strian after two weeks but keep stirring it occassionaly.
4)Rack after two months and thereafter repeat the racking process till the wine clears.
Red Wine the Old Style

There is hardly anything to tell about this most loved of all wines. It is a less dry and hence a
perfect lady's wine. It is easy to make too provided you dont mind crushing the grapes by hand.
Do not feel that you are the only brain master and run it in the mixer.The best grapes are the
nasik grapes. dark slightly oblong ones. Buy the grapes round the months of February and
March. At that time the Grapes are fully ripe and have the perfect taste for wine making.
Ingredients
1) 2 kg Black grapes
2) 15 gms yeast
3) Vitamin B capsules 2
4) 1 kg Sugar
5) 1 lt boiled and cooled water
Method
1) Before crushing the grapes remove the stalks
2) Sprinkle the vitamin B Capsules
3) Add the yeast and citric acid and leave it for 7 days and water.
4) Press the pulp into the juice everyday.
5) Then strain the juice into a clean sterilized jar.
6) Rack every two months.
Tea & Mint Wine
A Small Peg of Information

This is a very refreshing wine. At the end of the day it soothes your senses to have the flavour
and coolness of mint in your mouth. This wine takes a lot of time to clear about 3 to 4 months
but let me assure you that it does not take a very long time for this wine to polished off the bottle.
Ingredients.
1) 100 gms peppermint leaves.
2) 1.2 lts. hot tea(strong or light is as per your choice)
3) 250 ml white grape juice
4) 10 gms yeast
5) 750 gms sugar
6) 2 gms citric acid
Method
1) Place sugar and white grape juice in a jar.
2) Add the washed and bruised(crushed) mint leaves(excluding stalks).
3) Strain the hot tea into it. Stir to mix the sugar.
4) When cool add the citric acid B cap. and the yeast.
5) Cover and leave aside for 5 days.
6) Strain into a clean sterelized jar.
7) Rack when wine clears(approx three/ four months).
Rose Wine
Rose has always been associated with atistocracy in India. You may serve this wine to people
youconsider to be special. This is a very lightly flavoured wine . It compliments 'Biryani' very
well. The best season to make this wine is in the months of March and April when the roses are
in full bloom and rose petals are easily available. Also one must be carefull to use only the red
rose petals which have a typical rose fragrance. Avoid hybrid long stemmed roses because they
lack the fragrance. This wine takes about 2 months for preparation but can be consumed at any
time of the year.
Ingredients
1) 250 gms red rose petals
2) 150 ml Red Grape juice (packaged but without sugar or preservatives).
3) 500 gms sugar.
4) 1.5 lts. water(boiled and hot)
5) 2 gms citric acid.
6) 10 gms yeast
Method
1) Place petals with sugar and grape juice in a jar.
2) Pour the hot water on it stir to dissolve the sugar.
3) When cool add remaining ingredients.
4) Keep for 4 days Pressing the petals into the juice evryday.
5) Strain and keep aside.
6) Rack after two months and add another B capsule.
Ginger Wine
Have you ever tried to find an Indian who does not like "Ginger." Try it and I assure you it will
be quite difficult. Ginger is the most common if not the most important ingredient in any indian
household. It has a wonderfully tangy flavour and according to Indian Ayurveda is said to have
medicinal properties for curing common couch & cold and various stomach ailments. This wine
is lightly flavoured and ideally should be had with food which is also light in flavour.This wine
does not take a lot of time to be prepared. Give it a month and it is ready for consumption. An
impoartant tip would be to keep it in the refgirator after racking to help it to clear.
1) 450 gms Bananas
2) 1.5 lts. water + 250 ml water
3) 250 gms kishmish/raisins (chopped)
4) 50 gms ginger (grated)
5) 750 gms. sugar
6) 2 gms citric acid
8) 20 gms yeast
Method
1) Peel and chop the bananas and boil in 250 ml water for 20 mins.
2) Put sugar, chopped kishmish and grated ginger.
3) Strain the Banana pulp into it.
4) Pour 1.5 lts. boiling water on it.
5) Add the rest of the ingredients.
6) Ferment for 4 days.
7) Then strain and leave aside(stir twicw daily).
8) Rack after 4 weeks.
Homemade Watermelon Wine Recipes
The first cultivated watermelon dates back to Egypt over

5,000 years ago. Since then, it has become one of the
world's most popular fruits. Grown in over 96 countries,
there are now over 1200 different varieties of the
melon. In the United States, it is the most commonly
eaten melon.
Many winemakers experiment with using watermelons
to make wine to varying degrees of success. Because of
the watery consistency and delicate taste, it can be
rather challenging for the melon flavor to hold up
through the wine's fermentation process. Subsequently,
some of the best watermelon wines are also flavored
with other types of fruits such as berries or grapes.
However, it is still possible to create a solely
watermelon wine if the juice extracted is sweet and
strong in flavor. For this, it is essential to use the
highest quality, ripe watermelons. Here are two recipes
for watermelon wine. One uses exclusively watermelon,
and the other uses a combination of grapes and melon.
Homemade Watermelon Wine Recipe
2
5
1
1
1
1
large ripe watermelons

lbs sugar
1/2 teaspoons acid blend
Campden tablet
1/2 teaspoons yeast nutrient
packet Champagne yeast
Extract juice from watermelons using juicer. Discard

pulp. This should produce 1- gallons of juice. Pour
into primary fermentation container. Add sugar, acid
blend, crushed Campden tablet, and yeast extract.
Cover and let sit for 1 day. Uncover and add yeast.
Cover again and stir once daily for 1 week. Let rest
another week without stirring. Rack into secondary
fermentation container a nd attach airlock. Let rest for
3 months. Rack into bottles and let age for one year.
Homemade Watermelon Grape Wine Recipe

1 10 lb watermelon
3 lbs green grapes
Juice of 2 lemons
4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pectic enzyme
1 Campden tablet
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
1 packet wine yeast
Extract juice from watermelons using juicer. Discard
pulp. Add juice to primary fermentation container. Add
lemon juice. De-stem and crush grapes in bowl. Add
crushed grapes to container. Crush Campden tablet and
add to container. Stir in sugar and stir until dissolved.
Cover container and let rest for 12 hours. Add pectic
enzyme and yeast nutrient. Let rest for 12 more hours.
Add yeast. Cover and let ferment for 1 week. Strain
liquid into secondary fermentation container. Attach
airlock and ferment for 1 month. Rack once a month for
three months. Rack into bottles and age for 1 year.
Making Homemade Orange Wine
Widely available throughout the year, the two most

common varieties of oranges are the Navel and the
Valencia. The Navel orange is in season from November
through May and is easy to spot because of its
distinctive button-like formation opposite the stem.
These oranges are perfect for eating as they peel easily
and are seedless. The Valencia orange, which is in peak
season during the summer months, is extremely juicy,
sweet, and thin-skinned. This makes it an ideal juicing
orange. Less common varieties of oranges that are
equally as delicious are Moros, otherwise known as
"blood" oranges because of their vibrant red interior
and Mandarins that are sweeter, yet smaller than other
oranges.
If you have a large quantity of oranges on hand, they
can make both orange wine and the specialty from the
south of France called "vin d'orange," which is an
orange-flavored wine. Both are relatively simple to
make and delicious.
Orange Wine
10 lbs very ripe oranges
6 lbs granulated sugar
2 gallons water
teaspoon grape tannin
2 teaspoons yeast nutrient
1 ounce wine yeast
Boil the two gallons of water in a large stockpot. Peel
the oranges, carefully removing all of the pith.
Separate the oranges into sections and remove the
seeds. Place orange sections into a blender and liquefy.
Place liquefied oranges, sugar, tannin, and yeast

nutrient into primary fermentation container. Add
boiling water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Cover
and cool until mixture is room temperature. Add yeast,
cover, and ferment for one week. Strain liquid through a
finely meshed bag, and transfer to a glass secondary
fermentation container. Seal with airtight lid, and rack
once a month for four months. Stabilize, wait one week
and rack into bottles. Age at least one year before
drinking.
Vin D'Orange
8 bottles inexpensive dry white wine (preferably
Riesling or Chenin Blanc)
5 cups brandy
6 cups sugar
10 oranges cut into quarters
2 lemons cut into quarters
3 cinnamon sticks
Pour the wine, brandy, and sugar into a large, sterilized
pickling jar. Stir ingredients until sugar has dissolved.
Add the oranges, lemons, and cinnamon sticks and seal
the jar tightly. Place in a dark, cool location for 6 to 8
weeks. Pour into smaller bottles. Serve chilled.
Homemade Wheat Wine Recipes
Almost everyone knows that the traditional Japanese wine

"sake" is made from rice. However, many people are
unaware that other grains can be used to make
flavorful wines. Home winemakers frequently use both
wheat and barley to create unique wines that are more
similar in taste and appearance to whiskey than to fruit
or grape vintages. Over time, a properly aged wheat
wine will be a deep, golden brown in color with a
smooth, rich flavor.
Wheat wine is considered to be a traditional beverage
of Wales, and while it is not commonly drunk anymore,
there are still winemakers there who specialize in
producing it. This wine lends itself very well to home
winemaking, as it requires few ingredients and little
effort. Yet, the results are surprisingly good. Here are
two simple wheat wine recipes that are definitely worth
a try. Both produce hearty blends that are well worth
the wait.
Homemade Wheat Wine (Traditional Recipe)
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1
1
2
4
1
lbs brown potatoes cut into small pieces (do not peel)
lb washed wheat
gallon water
lbs raisins
lbs unrefined sugar
ounce yeast
Boil water in large pot. Place all other ingredients,

except yeast into large, sterilized glass container. Pour
water into container and stir. Cool until room
temperature. Add yeast and stir. Cover for two weeks,
stirring twice daily.
Strain wine through a finely meshed bag and pour into

another glass jar. Close jar loosely. Store in a dark,
warm location. Skim any froth that may form. When
froth has stopped developing, and no gas bubbles can
be seen, fermentation has ceased. Seal jar with a cork.
Let wine rest for at least one year, preferably two years
before drinking.
Homemade Wheat Wine Recipe
1
1
1
1
4
3
1
gallon water
lb whole wheat
lbs chopped raisins
lb potatoes chopped
lbs brown sugar
lemons
ounce yeast
Boil water. Place wheat, raisins, potatoes, brown sugar,

and the rinds of the lemons into a large, clean glass jar.
Pour water into jar and stir. Cool until room
temperature, and add yeast. Close jar and let wine
ferment for one month in a dark, warm location. Strain
into glass bottles and seal. Let rest for at least one year
before enjoying. ow to Make Spiced Wine
Spiced wine is one of those beverages that lends itself

perfectly to sitting in front of a fire on a cold winters
evening. Its served hot and served in mugs. Traditionally
called mulled wine or Gluwein in Germany where it is
widely available in the fall and winter at open-air markets.
It is easy to make and can be a nice alternative to brandy
or eggnog.
To make spiced wine, you will need:
Large saucepan
Strainer or sieve
2 bottles of dry red wine (no need to spend a fortune on
these bottles, the cheaper the better)
cup water
cup sugar
5 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
1 lemon, sliced
1 orange, sliced
Place water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in

saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer for five to ten minutes.
Add the wine and lemon and orange slices. Simmer for one
hour. Strain fruit and spices and pour wine into cups. Serve
hot with cinnamon sticks for stirring. Wine vinegars of
India
Anisha Sharma
Views: 9414
The ripe jamun fruit is a carminative, digestive, coolant and liver stimulant. Jamun
vinegar has similar properties.
Far from the bottled, chemical vinegars sold in India is a world of home-produced, indigenous
vinegars.
Wine unless stabilized by suitable additives quickly commences to turn into vinegar. The
regional cuisines and traditional medicine of India has long used the comparatively easier-tomake vinegars from fruit, plants and even fish! While the Indian wine industry has not really
started making wine vinegars commercially, we take a closer look around home to appreciate
traditional vinegars of India.
Hamdard Dawakhana a dimly lit shop selling Unani medicine in Nazirabad, Lucknow is just one
such place where traditional Indian Wine vinegars are available.
Jamun vinegar
Among them, 'Jamun ka sirka' made from ripe Jamun fruit goes very well with a raw onion salad,
the erstwhile owner Atiq Ahmed had once told me. This was food as medicine he said. Jamun
vinegar is not only an appetizer, it also aids digestion. Which is why, I recognized later that salad
with a tangy-sweet, purple, aromatic jamun vinegar dressing is not a novelty at Indian meals.
Anyone who has tasted mangos pickled in jamun vinegar would agree about the use of this wine
vinegar in Indian cuisine.
Ayurvedic view
Jamun in Ayurvedic terms is an astringent and sweet fruit. Vinegar is made from the juice of
slightly unripe, tangy purple jamuns, which are otherwise eaten with a dash of salt, and a great
favourite of village kids who pelt stones at the fruit that hangs high in bunches on tall, glistening
trees.
If it is the sweeter ones that they'd rather have, they simply take their pick from the spread of
fruit fallen under the tree, which lands there in varying shades of ripeness and over-ripeness,
smelling of wine-in-the-making.
The ripe jamun is a carminative, digestive, coolant and liver stimulant and jamun vinegar has
similar properties.
CDRI, Lucknow
Jamun is favoured for its diabetes controlling powers. Tests at the Central Drug Research
Institute, Lucknow, indicate that ingesting the alcoholic extract of the seeds reduces the level of
blood sugar and glycosuria.
Sugarcane vinegar from North India
The Unani medicine shop I mentioned also stocks sugarcane vinegar. But of course, sugarcane
being a gift to the world from India, we'd be the first ones to know its uses, right?
Ganne ka sirka has its uses as food and medicine. The Parsi and Christian community in India
has retained the sugarcane vinegar in their kitchens. As a commercial product, sugarcane vinegar
made by the Navsari's EF Kolah & Sons since the year 1885, is popular.
Wine vinegar was long used by Roman soldiers in the field to purify drinking water. The acetic
acid therein killing off germs.
Coconut Vinegar from Kerala
We heard of a coconut farmer from Kerala willing to sell his formula for making coconut water
wine to anyone who'd see the commercial opportunity. No news on that as yet. Yet, coconut
vinegar has long been in use. And the place to find them readily is at FabIndia.
Toddy Vinegar from Goa
Vindaloo, a Goan dish with Portuguese decent uses toddy vinegar. This Goan vinegar teems well
with traditional Goan recipes.
Apple Cider Vinegar from Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh with its bountiful apple harvest is right on track selling apple cider, but I
daresay, apple vinegar may not have roots in local cuisine. Apples are not part of the original
flora, but come from European settlers.
Kombucha Vinegar from Auroville
Auroville produces Kombucha vinegar. It also comes in fennel flavor.
Fish 'n' Tamarind Vinegar from Coorg!
Vinegar made from fish and tamarind? The answer is yes at Coorg. It finds many uses in local
cuisine.
Is chemically produced vinegar different from natural, wine vinegar?
Vinegar results from fermentation of ethanol to ethanoic (acetic) acid, the concentration kept at
4-8% for table purposes and upto 18% for pickling. Wine vinegars have an advantage over the
chemically-produced ones. They preserve the goodness of the fruit they come from, with the
medicinal aspects intact. Vinegar may have got its name from a French translation meaning sour
wine, but has been traditionally part of almost every world cuisine.
http://www.brewof.com/
I made this Mint wine last April. Its a really sweet dessert wine with a subtle mint taste.... Even
though you can consume it after 30 days, the wine looks little cloudy. I got this very clear wine
after keeping it for almost 6 months. So I suggest you allow this wine to age for approximately 6
months after which you will get a mild mint flavored clear wine.
Mint Wine Recipe

Ingredients:
Mint -2 bunches or 4 cups chopped
Sugar 1 kg
Water 3 liter
Lemon juice cup

Lemon zest of 2 lemons
Yeast tsp
Method:
Thoroughly wash mint leaves and chop and place it in a big vessel.
Bring half of water to a boil and pour boiling water over mint.
Mix and cover the vessel with a lid and stand for around one hour.
Strain the mint liquor into a sterilized fermentation bottle / bharani.
Boil the remaining water and cover the strained mint leaves with boiling water and wait for
another one hour, strain into the bottle and discard the leaves.
Add all of the other ingredients to the bottle like sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and yeast.
Stir the mixture well until all of the sugar has completely dissolved.
Cover the bottle and stir the mixture every day for 30 days.
After 30 days, strain the mixture through a cheese/ muslin cloth into clean and dry bottles and
use.
After 30 days you can consume the wine, but it will be little cloudy and not very clear. If you
allow the mint wine to stand for 6 months you will get a very clear wine like in the picture.
Last month I decided to experiment by making orange wine. I am glad I did because the result
has exceeded all my expectations. It has a very unique zesty flavor that is quite distinct from
other types of wine. So far all those who have tasted it have loved it. The wine is ready in less
than a month and is quite strong tooso you dont need to wait months for it to mature. If you
like to have a unique wine this Easter try this, its easy to make with easily available ingredients
and you can have a blast with family and friends :)....
Orange Wine Recipe

Ingredients:
Oranges -10
Sugar 1 kg
Water- 4 liter
Yeast tsp
Method:
Wash oranges and wipe it with a kitchen tissue or clean cloth.
With a citrus peeler or vegetable peeler thinly peel the orange zest without the white part.
Extract the juice from the oranges and keep aside.
Boil sugar, water and orange zest in a big vessel.
When the mixture begins to boil, add orange juice and bring it to a nice boil and turn off
the flame.
When the mixture becomes lukewarm, add yeast and transfer the mixture to a sterilized
glass bottle / bharani, cover it and leave for 14 days stirring daily.
After 14 days, strain the mixture through a cheese/muslin cloth in to a clean dry bottle.
Keep this again for 7 days untouched. After 7 days strain the wine again, pour it in to
clean dry bottles and use.
I got this recipe from my aunt a few years back. She gave me a bottle of this wine
and the recipe when she visited me while I was holidaying in my home town. The moment I
tasted the wine I was in love with it and it is now one of our favorites. Guava / perakka is not
easily available here and when I found some a couple of months back I immediately made this
wine. This wine is very sweet which mellows with ageing. I think the addition of kalkandam /
rock sugar gives it a very nice taste and whoever has tasted this wine so far has given it 5
stars :) :). Thanks to Sally aunty for giving me this recipe.
See the colour difference of the wine: This picture taken immediately after I made the wine...
....And this one is taken 6 months after its now light golden color.
Homemade Guava Wine Recipe / Perakka Wine Recipe
Cooking time 10 minutes

Ready in 42 days
Yield about 5 liters
Ingredients:
Guava / Perakka 1 kg (not overly ripe)
Sugar 1 to 2 kg (depending upon the sweetness of guava)
Boiled cooled water 4 liters
Yeast 1 tbsp ( I only used tbsp)
Kalkandam / Rock Sugar 250 gm
Method:
Wash and then wipe guava with a clean cloth.
Dice guava into small pieces.
Put diced guava pieces, sugar, water and yeast into a clean sterilized bottle/ bharani; mix
well and cover the bottle with a clean cloth or with lid little loosely.
Stir this mixture for 21 days.
After 21 days strain the mixture through a clean cheese cloth / muslin cloth into a clean dry
vessel.
Clean and sterilize the bottle / bharani or use another sterilized bottle and pour the strained
wine and add kalkandam / Rock sugar mix well until kalkamdam / rock sugar dissolves.
Keep this again for another 21 days and thereafter strain the wine again and pour it into
clean dry bottles.
"Wine is a living liquid containing no preservatives. Its life cycle comprises youth,
maturity, old age, and death. When not treated with reasonable respect it will sicken and
die."
- Julia Child
Recently when I found good dark colored beetroot I bought some to make
wine and squash . Mom used to make this wine very often; its very easy,
does not require daily stirring and will be ready to drink in 14 days . If
you have not tasted beetroot wine believe me its very tasty and resembles
grape wine in color and taste. Try to get dark colored beetroot for this
wine. Immediately after making, the wine will be very dark in color and
will become clear and transparent with aging
Wish you all a Very Happy Easter!!!
Beetroot Wine Recipe

(Recipe Source- My Mom)
Preparation time 20 mints
Cooking time 25 mints
Ready to use in 14 days
Ingredients:
Beetroot 2 Kg, grated
Sugar - 2 Kg
Water -5 liter
Yeast - 1 teaspoon
Lime juice- from 4 limes
Method:
Wash beetroot, peel off the skin and grate using a grater or food
processer.
In a big vessel add grated beetroot along with water and boil.
Reduce the heat to medium and boil for 10-15 mints.
Turn off the heat and let it to cool to lukewarm.
Strain the boiled beetroot water using a strainer or cheese cloth into a
bharani (earthen pot) or glass bottle and discard the grated beetroot.
In a small bowl take cup lukewarm water, sprinkle yeast and 1 tsp
sugar, mix and leave to rise.
Add the yeast mixture, sugar and lime juice to the strained lukewarm
beetroot water in the bottle and mix well until the sugar dissolves.
Once the mixture is cooled completely close the bottle with the lid and
keep aside for 14 days untouched.
After that strain the mixture again; bottle and use.
Note: Check out this post for Tip on Wine making.
Homemade Mango Wine Recipe / Manga Wine

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Its November already and hardly 52 days left to Christmas :).... Like I asked in one of my last
years post have you started your Christmas preparations like soaking fruits for Christmas cake
or making wine etc? This year I dont need to soak much fruits as I have some left over from last
year but wine I need to check if there is enough to last till Christmas ;).... And if in case you are
looking for a nice Christmas cake or wine please check my old posts.... Now we will proceed to
todays wine recipe. This wine was made after a phone conversation with my neighbor and
cousin Saira.... during one of our chats the topic of wine making came up and we got the idea of
Mango Wine..... for a week Mango wine was in my mind and I was thinking how it would taste
etc..... so on my next grocery shopping I bought a kilo of ripe mangoes.....Since my Guava Wine
was a huge hit I decided to follow the same recipe and after the fermentation period I gave a
bottle to my cousin to taste and according to her husband this is my best trial :)..... I am waiting
for next summer so that I can buy some Indian Alphonso Mangoes and try this wine one more
time.... I know its not mango season now, but if you are a wine lover and whenever you get hold
of some good quality mangoes do try this I am sure you will love it.....

Ready in 42 days
Ingredients:
Ripe Mangoes / Manga 1 kg
Sugar 1 kg (or more depending upon the sweetness of mango)
Yeast tbsp
Method:
Wash and wipe mangoes with a clean cloth.
Peel and dice mango into small pieces.
Put diced mango pieces, sugar, water and yeast into a clean sterilized bottle/ bharani; mix
After 21 days strain the mixture through a clean cheese / muslin cloth into a clean dry
vessel.
Clean and sterilize the bottle / bharani or use another sterilized bottle and pour the
strained wine and add kalkandam / Rock sugar mix well until kalkamdam / rock sugar
dissolves.
clean dry bottles.
Homemade Nellikka Wine Recipe / Amla Wine / Indian Gooseberry Wine Recipe
(with out yeast)
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How are your Christmas preparations coming up? Have you made any wine or baked your
Christmas cake yet? I plan to bake my fruitcake tomorrow... Todays recipe Nellikka /
Gooseberry wine is very familiar to most Keralites.... It is a very common wine like Grape wine
back home.... Like my earlier Grape Wine, this is also a No Yeast wine.... so it is very mild.... if
you desire you can add 1 teaspoon of yeast to make it strong..... However since gooseberry has a
lot of medicinal value I prefer to avoid using yeast... I made this just before Christmas last
year.... so its got a really nice colour with age.... Do try it if you get hold of gooseberries.....
Homemade Nellikka Wine Recipe / Amla Wine / Indian

Gooseberry Wine Recipe {without yeast}
Ingredients:
Nellikka / Amla / Indian Gooseberries - 100 nos.
Water - 3 liter
Sugar - 1 1/4 kg
Method:
Wash the gooseberries & remove/wipe water and put it in a big clean sterilized bharani /
bottle .
Boil sugar & water and add boiled water to the Gooseberry.
When it become cool tie the bottle with a clean cloth or close with lid little loose.
Stir this mixture every day. After 20 days strain the mixture strain the mixture through a
cheese/ muslin cloth in to a clean dry vessel.
Pour it in to clean dry bottles and use.
Homemade Rice Wine / Ari Wine

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Have you all started your Christmas preparations? Making wines, soaking fruits for Christmas
cake etc.... to be frank this year I have not even soaked the fruits for my Fruit Cake which I used
to do in Sept/Oct every year.... now I have just started chopping fruits and will have to finish it in
a couple of days.... but I am happy that my wine stock is ready..... I have five different types of
wine in stock; most of them are only a bottle each and are left overs from last year.... I
experiment making different types of wine in small amounts and this Rice wine was one such
trial.... It has a very unique taste and aroma..... just after making, this wine looks white in color
and after a couple of months it will attain this clear light golden color like in the picture.... so
kick start your holiday season by making this wine at home.... I will be posting my other wine
experiments soon....So stay tuned :)....
One more thing before we proceed to the wine recipe; if you are looking for a nice Christmas
Fruit Cake do try the cake I posted last year ....I use that recipe every year and I can guarantee
that you will thoroughly enjoy it :) ......
Homemade Rice Wine / Ari Wine

Ingredients:
Rice -500 gm (you can use either Basmati Rice or Par-boiled rice)
Sugar-1 kg
Lime juice and zest of 2 limes
Yeast-1 tsp (I only added tsp)
Raisins- 100 gm
Boiled and cooled water- 3 liters
Method:
Put the rice, sugar, minced or chopped raisins, lime juice and zest into a clean sterilized
bharani / bottle and cover with boiled and cooled water.
Stir well, sprinkle yeast; mix well and cover the bharani / bottle.
Stir this mixture every day for 3 to 5 minutes.
After 14 days, strain the mixture through a cheese/ muslin cloth in to a clean dry vessel.
Pour it in to dry bottles and use.
Jack Fruit Wine Recipe / Chakka Wine Recipe

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May this Christmas fill your hearts with warmth, peace and joy!
Have a Holy and a Blessed Christmas!
Hope all of you are ready for Christmas celebrations with family and
friends..... Todays Christmas special recipe is Jack Fruit Wine or Chakka
Wine.... I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Vimala sometime back.....
since it is difficult to get Jack Fruit / Chakka here, or highly priced if available,
I never got a chance to try it.... On my last vacation to Kerala there
were a couple of jack fruits left over from that season at my moms place.....
I love chakka and I ate ripe chakka to my heart content that day....
I even asked my aunt to make some Chakka curry/ puzukku too with
unripened chakka Chakka curry with kadumanga pickle is heavenly! So
even after eating ripe chakka Chula/ jack fruit bulbs morning,
afternoon and evening there was a lot left over..... and she was planning to
make chakka halwa.... Then I thought about this wine recipe and told her will
make some wine..... so we both made the wine that day and by the time I
left Kerala the wine was ready..... so I took a bottle of wine from there and
was waiting for the wine to age..... so here is how we made the wine....the
quantity of water and sugar depends upon the chakka / jack fruit you use....
You may have to + or - water and sugar accordingly.....
Jack Fruit Wine Recipe / Chakka Wine Recipe

Ingredients:
Jack fruit pulp -1 kg (Add enough water to cover 1 kg chakka chula/ ripe jack
fruit bulbs and cook well on slow fire. Then beat well in the mixie. This is jack
fruit pulp. This should weigh 1 kg).
Sugar- 750 gm to 1 kg
Water 2 liter
Yeast tsp
Method:
Make a syrup of sugar and water.
Dissolve yeast in cup warm water.
Mix yeast solution and the jack fruit pulp with the sugar syrup and pour
in to a clean sterilize bottle / bharani.
Close the mouth of the bottle/ bharani and secure tightly with cloth
tied over the mouth.
Keep aside for 15 days.
Strain and keep for another three days.
This wine mellows with age and is best after a month or more.
Thanks to,
Saira, Mohan uncle and Elsy aunty for the beautiful wooden board in the
picture Uncle made it exactly as I wanted, Thanks a lot :)....
To my sister in law for the Jack fruit wine recipe,
To my aunt for making the wine for me.
Tips for making Homemade Kerala Wine

66
Since I get a lot of messages and e-mails expressing doubts and seeking clarifications on wine
making, I thought of sharing these tips that should help while making wine at home. I am not a
trained wine maker or chemist...... These are tips learned from books and several years of wine
making......
Wine fermenting in a bottle
If you are a novice at wine making, its best to stick to a trust worthy recipe and follow it
to the dot. Some have a habit of altering every recipe they try but I suggest following the
recipe at least once before you start experimenting.
Always use the best fruits for making wine.... Over ripe or under ripe fruits are a big no
for making wine..... Fruits should be cleaned and drained well.... Its advisable to wipe
fruits with a clean kitchen towel or cloth. There should not be any water on it or the wine
will become sour.
Use a bottle with a wide mouth.... always use earthen or glass bottles.....Do not use plastic
bottles.
Don't fill the bottle to the brink. Always leave at least 4 of the bottle empty. While
fermenting some fruits will plump and rise to top of the bottle, if there is no space in the
bottle there are chances of overflowing.
All the utensils & bottle should be clean & dry. If there is water the wine will become
sour. Bottles that are used for making or storing wines should be sterilized (wash with hot
water) and wipe them.
Most of the recipes ask for daily stirring this is to ensure all the ingredients are mixed.
Stir at least 3-5 minutes every 24 hours.
It is advisable to use a new wooden spoon for stirring the wine. But do not use the same
spoons used for making curry.
You should strain the wine on exact day mentioned in the recipe.
For straining the wine, use a nice clean cloth. It is better to use this cloth only for this
purpose.
If the recipe says rack the wine for a couple of weeks, you should not stir, open or shake
the bottle during this time. This is to clear up the wine so that it looks better and flows
better when poured. Always remember to bottle or re- stain the same day mentioned in
the recipe.
On the day of making the wine, mark all the dates on the calendar so that it becomes
easier to remember.
Strain the wine very slowly without shaking the bottles, so that you can strain clear wine
from the bottle. If you have a Siphon use it to transfer wine.
If possible, use dark coloured bottles to store wine, so that it wont change color. (I
usually store in the big bottle itself inside the cupboard).
Never close the bottles lid tightly.
Use good quality yeast in the wine. If you are staying in the Middle East, I would suggest
adding half the amount of yeast if you are making the wine during summer time. In the
Middle East the outside temperature is really high and wines ferment easily.....so use of
less yeast yields better results.
No matter how careful you are in rare cases you might find a light greenish or white spots
in the wine. This is fungus growth. Immediately remove it with a spoon and add 60ml of
alcohol to get rid of it.
Finally, wine making is easy but a time consuming process that needs a lot of patience.
be very careful if you want your wine to be edible or your kitchen sink is destined to have
it :D...... If the wine becomes sour it will taste worse than vinegar......
Cherry Wine Recipe

769 769
True love is like a fine wine, the older the better ~ Fred Jacob
This post was pending since Christmas.... Somehow never published it at that time. Since it is
Valentines Day today I see a lot of red, pink & chocolate colored posts all over the blog world, I
thought of adding some red colour to my space as well even though its pretty late for a
Valentines Day special :D....... Wishing all my romantic readers A Happy Valentines Day!
Cherry Wine
Preparation and Cooking Time about 30 minutes
Ready to use after 35 days
Yield 5-6 liters
Ingredients:
Fresh cherries - 1kg
Sugar - 1.25kg
Water - 4 liters
Yeast - 1/2 tsp
Method:
Separate cherries from its stalk and wash the cherries well. Wipe water from each cherry
very well and keep aside.
Boil the water and keep aside to cool down slightly to lukewarm.
In a big bharani / bottle add sugar, cherries and lukewarm water, stir well. Sprinkle yeast
on top and mix well after 5 minutes.
When the mixture cools down tie the bottle with a clean cloth or close with lid little
loose.
Stir this mixture every day for 5 minutes and try to mash the cherries with the back of the
wooden spoon while stirring.
After 20 days, strain the mixture through a cheese/ muslin cloth in to a clean dry bottle.
Keep this again for 14 days untouched. After 14 days strain the wine again, pour it in to
clean dry bottles and use.
Sending this to Susan for YeastSpotting.
Jaathikka Wine / Nutmeg Fruit Wine

66
You will find Jaathi / Nutmeg Tree in the backyard of many homes in Kerala. People usually
collect the nutmeg and mace and discard its fruity yellow cover. It is really good for making
pickle, wine, chammanthi etc.... Back home we used to make a lot of wine and pickle with it.
When in season you can collect a lot of these fruits in one or two days and since the fruit wont
stay for long, even inside the fridge, you have to make wine or pickle with it immediately.....
Jaathikka Wine tastes really good and this is my hubbys favorite. I got some Jaathikka thodu
from my sister in laws backyard on my last vacation....Hope you will try this wine when you get a
lot of Jaathikka.... I am sure you will enjoy this wine :).....
(Jaathikka picture courtesy Roopak Thomas)
Jaathikka Wine / Nutmeg Fruit Wine

Ingredients:
Jaathikka Thodu / Yellow fruity cover of Nutmeg -1 kg
Sugar- 1 - 1 kg
Boiling water - 3 bottles (750ml bottles)

Yeast-1/4 tsp
Method:
Put chopped jaathikka and sugar in a bharani / bottle and add boiling water and
mix well.
When warm sprinkle yeast and mix well.
When the mixture cools down, tie the bottle with a clean cloth or close with lid
little loose.
Stir this mixture every day for 5 minutes.
After 20 days, strain the mixture through a cheese/ muslin cloth in to a clean dry
bottle.
Keep this again for 20 days untouched. After 20 days strain the wine again, pour
it in to clean dry bottles and use.
Sending this over to Kerala Kitchen hosted by Ria this month, featuring dishes inspired by
Kerala :)...
Homemade Grape Wine without Yeast

90 90
Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let
him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. ~ Lord Alfred Tennyson
After my Ginger Wine post, I got requests for wine recipes that dont require yeast as some folks
are intolerant to yeast.Then I realized I had never posted my Grape wine recipe that doesnt
require yeast. I got this recipe from my moms sister and recently when I got hold of some dark
grapes I made this wine. Always remember to select the best grapes for this wine and all the
utensils used should be dry. So here I am ringing in the New Year with one of the best
Homemade Grape Wine recipes I have...

Ingredients:
Black Grapes -1kg
Sugar - 1.25 kg
Water - 4 liter
Cloves - 20 nos.
Method:
Boil the water and keep aside to cool.
Separate grapes from its stalks and wash the grapes well.
Wipe water from each grape very well with a clean cloth or kitchen towel.
In a big bharani / bottle add sugar and grapes; mash it very well with hand or potato
masher.
Then add boiled and cooled water, stir well.
Tie the bottle with a clean cloth or close with lid little loose.
Stir this mixture every day for some time.
After 14 days, mash the grapes once again & strain through a cheese/ muslin cloth.
If the wine tastes sweeter you can add a little more boiled and cooled water to it.
Crush 20 cloves a little and tie this in a small piece of clean cloth.
Pour the wine in to a clean dry bottle.
Add 1 table spoon Vanilla Essence & cloves pouch in it.
Keep this again for 30 days untouched. After 30 days strain the wine again, bottle and
use.
NOTE:
All the utensils & bottle should be clean & dry. If there is water the wine will become sour.
Don't fill the bottle to the brink. Always leave 1/4 bottle empty.
Wishing you all a New Year filled with new hope,

new joy and new beginnings!!!
90 90

Ingredients:
Black Grapes -1kg
Sugar - 1.25 kg
Water - 4 liter
Cloves - 20 nos.
Method:
masher.
use.
NOTE:

90 90

Ingredients:
Black Grapes -1kg
Sugar - 1.25 kg
Water - 4 liter
Cloves - 20 nos.
Method:
masher.
use.
NOTE:

Mixed Fruit Wine!
84 84
In water one sees one's own face;
But in wine one beholds the heart of another. ~ French proverb
My mom was a great cook; she used to make a variety of wines, jams, pickles and squashes I
learned the basics of wine making from her and I have since experimented with different types
..Since this is my moms birthday week, I thought of posting a few recipes that I learned from
her Its still difficult to accept that she is no more in this world.. I miss sharing my ups and
downs and my never ending talks with her, but unfortunately God had different plans... I hope
she is watching us from heaven Today I am sharing one of my most successful wine recipes.
And with Christmas only two and half months away and for those who wanted to have
homemade wine its high time you started making it at home
Mixed Fruit Wine

Ingredients:
Mixed Fruits- 1kg (I used a mix of apples, oranges, peaches, grapes & strawberries)
Sugar-750 gm
Water-4 liter
Yeast-1/4 tsp
Method:
Wash and clean the fruits and finely chop them and put them in clean big wine bottle.
Boil water and sugar and pour this boiled water into the chopped fruits.
When it becomes cool add yeast and tie the bottle with a clean cloth or close with the lid
a little loose.
After 20 days strain the mixture to a clean bottle and keep this again for 2 weeks
untouched.
Slowly strain the upper part of the wine to small bottles and enjoy!
Ginger Wine Recipe

11 11
Making good wine is a skill. Fine wine is an art.
~ Robert Mondavi, "Harvests Of Joy," Autobiography
Recently I have received several requests for Ginger Wine recipe. So today I am sharing the
recipe that my mom used. Its very easy to make and the best thing is you dont need to wait days
for the wine to age before drinking as it will be ready in two days time. But of course the longer
the wine ages the better it tastes! I like wine to have its natural color for each wine and so I
never add caramelized sugar. If you want your ginger wine to be red in color just add
caramelized sugar syrup. I hope you enjoy the unique sweet and slightly spicy flavor:)....
Ginger Wine
Ingredients:
Ginger-250gm.
Sugar -1 1/4kg
Dried Red chillies -10nos.
Citric Acid-2tsp.
Caramelized Sugar Syrup (optional)
Water -3 1/2bottle (measure in a 750ml bottle)
Method:
Boil water, sugar, grated ginger and chopped chilies together. Reduce the flame and
simmer for about 20 minutes. Turn off the gas and keep aside for one day.
On the next day drain the syrup in to a big glass bottle and add citric acid.
Add cooled caramelized sugar syrup if desired at this stage.
Keep aside for one day and drain the wine without shaking the bottle and pour in to small
bottles.
For Caramelizing the sugar heat 3 tablespoons of sugar until it becomes dark brown on
medium flame. Add 1/2-cup hot water to the browned sugar and boil. Turn off the gas and
mix with the wine when it becomes cool.
Note:
sour.
Carrot Whisky / Carrot Wine!
11 11
Enjoy this Christmas Season with Carrot Wine!!!
Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized. ~
Andre Simon, "Commonsense of Wine"
Ingredients:
Carrot -3kg
Orange -2 nos
Lime -2 nos
Sugar -2kg
Raisins -300 gms (chopped)
Whole wheat - 1/2 kg
Water -5 liter
Yeast - 1 tbsp
Method:
Clean & chop the carrots and boil with 5 liters of water.
Transfer this to a bharani or a big glass bottle and add lime & orange juice & peel. (Cut
the orange & lime in half, and extract the juice, using a citrus fruit juicer. Remove the
orange peel and scrape off any white pith from the inside. Chop up the peel and mix it
with the carrot mixture).
Then add sugar. When the mixture becomes cool, add raisins, whole wheat and yeast.
Tie the bottle with a clean cloth and keep aside the mixture for 3 weeks.
Stir this mixture everyday for 5 minutes.
After 3 weeks strain the mixture to a clean bottle and keep this mixture again for 3 more
weeks untouched.
After that slowly strain the upper part to small bottles and use.
The peach colour of this wine will change to a richer whisky colour with aging!
Note:
sour.

511 511
Its November already and hardly 52 days left to Christmas :).... Like I asked in one of my last
years post have you started your Christmas preparations like soaking fruits for Christmas cake
or making wine etc? This year I dont need to soak much fruits as I have some left over from last
year but wine I need to check if there is enough to last till Christmas ;).... And if in case you are
looking for a nice Christmas cake or wine please check my old posts.... Now we will proceed to
todays wine recipe. This wine was made after a phone conversation with my neighbor and
cousin Saira.... during one of our chats the topic of wine making came up and we got the idea of
Mango Wine..... for a week Mango wine was in my mind and I was thinking how it would taste
etc..... so on my next grocery shopping I bought a kilo of ripe mangoes.....Since my Guava Wine
was a huge hit I decided to follow the same recipe and after the fermentation period I gave a
bottle to my cousin to taste and according to her husband this is my best trial :)..... I am waiting
for next summer so that I can buy some Indian Alphonso Mangoes and try this wine one more
time.... I know its not mango season now, but if you are a wine lover and whenever you get hold
of some good quality mangoes do try this I am sure you will love it.....

Ready in 42 days
Ingredients:
Ripe Mangoes / Manga 1 kg
Sugar 1 kg (or more depending upon the sweetness of mango)
Yeast tbsp
Method:
Wash and wipe mangoes with a clean cloth.
Peel and dice mango into small pieces.
Put diced mango pieces, sugar, water and yeast into a clean sterilized bottle/ bharani; mix
After 21 days strain the mixture through a clean cheese / muslin cloth into a clean dry
vessel.
Clean and sterilize the bottle / bharani or use another sterilized bottle and pour the
strained wine and add kalkandam / Rock sugar mix well until kalkamdam / rock sugar
dissolves.
clean dry bottles.
Dates Wine / Khajoor Wine Recipe

30 30
My mom and my aunt

were the best wine makers in our family....and I too have inherited some of their talent ....so far I
have experimented with a large variety of wines from different fruits and vegetables.....and most
of the experiments were a success .....so here I am sharing with you one such success to
celebrate the Christmas season.....Christmas celebrations are simply not complete without Fruit
cake and wine....Enjoy this Christmas with Dates Wine!!!!!
Ingredients:
Dates-2 kg
White Grape Juice-250 Grams
Citric Acid-25 Grams
Sugar-1 kg
Water, boiled and cooled-4 liters
Yeast-1 table spoon
Method:
Sterilize all equipment before use.
Chop then boil the dates gently for 1/2 hour with 2 litres of water.
When cool, strain in a bharani/ bottle and add in the grape juice concentrate. Add the
citric acid, yeast and top up the water to around 4.5 liters with cool water. Keep the bottle
air tight.
Wait until fermentation is compete, for 21 days. Stir this mixture every day with a
wooden spoon. Strain this mixture using a cheese cloth or muslin cloth, into a clean dry
vessel on 21st day and leave to clear.
Rack into clean bottles when completely clear and stable. Store for up to 2 years.
Homemade Christmas Wine, The Kerala Way

by: Ammini Ramachandran
in: Holidays w/recipe
12.13.13 -
Christmas in Kerala, that sunny tropical strip of southern India along the Arabian Sea, is a
somber festival with more faith and religious fervor than mere celebrations. It is observed as a
religious holiday and Kerala Christians all add the flavor of their native culture, be it in the music
or food or spirits.
Churches are decorated with candles and flowers, and service is held at midnight on Christmas
Eve. Traditionally, Christian families of all denominations, often dressed in formal clothes, go to
church for the midnight mass. Christmas Day is celebrated with feasting and socializing with
family and friends.
More on Zester Daily:
Celebrate India's harvest festival with bean salads
Monsoon food rituals
Sweets for Diwali, the festival of lights
Essential curry leaves

Kerala Brahmin getaway
Rituals vary by region so the menu for the Christmas feast differs by village and household. Even
though the feast often includes roast duck and mincemeat dishes, palappam, which is made with
rice and coconut and served with meat or chicken stew, is also popular. Sweets such as rose
cookies and diamond cuts are usually homemade like cookies in Western countries.
Christmas dinner, especially among Kerala Catholics, is not complete without a glass of
homemade sweet grape wine and a piece of plum cake a moist, brown cake with plenty of
nuts, dried fruits and fragrant spices.
In old times the ritual of making wine at home would begin in October. Though tropical Kerala
does not have the ideal weather for winemaking, it is a longstanding tradition for Christmas.
These days, many depend on store-bought wines and Christmas cakes, but a few still make wine
at home.
These wines are very sweet, and most often spiced, and belong to the dessert wine category.
Traditionally, wine is made in a pale brown ceramic jar called cheena bharani or simply bharani,
which is a remnant of the ancient Indian Ocean trade with China.
The recipe for sweet grape wine is a typical wine recipe, but the fermentation is much briefer.
The process is stopped before all the sugar turns into alcohol. The recipe also uses equal amounts
of grapes and sugar, resulting is a very sweet wine.
Grapes arent grown in Kerala, but winemakers can get Bangalore Blue, Anab-e-Shahi, Gulabi
and Bhokri variety grapes from neighboring regions in India. The variety isnt particularly
important, however, as any dark red grape will do.
The red color of this wine is from the red pigment in the grape skin. Grapes give the flavor, sugar
adds sweetness, yeast is for fermentation and spices impart aroma. The strength of the wine
depends on the amount of wheat or barley used, which also acts as a clarifying agent. Egg white
is used to make the wine clear.
It is essential to begin with a sanitary environment and absolutely clean equipment before
starting the process of making wine. Used bottles, in particular, should be sterilized before they
are used again.
Homemade Kerala Christmas Wine

Makes 16 cups
Ingredients
2 pounds sweet dark grapes, washed and stalks removed and wiped dry
1 teaspoon dry yeast

2 pounds sugar
18 cups water, boiled and cooled to room temperature
cup wheat kernels
4 cloves
1-inch cinnamon stick, crushed
1 egg white
Directions
1. Clean and dry a glass or ceramic jar.
2. Crush the grapes thoroughly and place them in the jar.
3. Dissolve yeast in 2 tablespoons of lukewarm water and set aside for 10 to15 minutes. Then
add the proofed yeast, sugar, water, wheat and spices to the crushed grapes. Stir well, until the
sugar is completely dissolved.
4. The contents should fill only of the jar. During fermentation carbon dioxide is formed and
released. It is ideal to cover the jar with a piece of clean cheese cloth and tie with a piece of
kitchen twine. Keep it in cool dark place to ferment.
5. For the next two to three weeks open the jar once a day and stir the contents well using a clean
dry wooden spoon. Initially the crushed grapes would be floating in the liquid, but after a couple
of weeks these will begin to settle at the bottom of the jar.
By the end of the third week, the mixture would stop foaming. Depending on the weather
conditions, it may take more or less days for the fermentation process to stop.
6. When the fermentation stops, strain the liquid through a clean cheese cloth into another clean
jar and discard sediments. Keep the wine in a glass container for two or three days, closed and
undisturbed for the finer sediments to settle down. Drain the clear wine to another bottle and
discard the remaining sediments.
7. Mix the egg white into the wine and leave it in the container. Keep the container closed for a
few more days. The wine will become clear. Drain the wine once more to remove any remaining
sediments.
8. Bottle in dark bottles and store in a cool, dark place.
Top photo: Christmas wine and Christmas cake in Kerala, India. Credit: R.V. Ramachandran
Home Made Grape Wine

June 9th, 2009
Wine symbolizes celebration and festivals among many Keralites.

Christmas, Easter and many Catholic Weddings are incomplete without sweet tasting wines.
Back Home in Kerala, Wine is usually made using Grapes, Ginger, Pineapple, Chambanga
(Rose Apple) and so on. That wine is very sweet unlike the wine which we get in US and most
of the other countries. It is not as strong as the Commercial Wines and has a sweet taste similar
to grape juice or Dessert Wine. Home Made Wine used to be my favorite drink during
Christmas and Easter.
Colored Caramelized Grape Wine

I decided to make Grape Wine for our First Christmas in Charlotte. My friends liked the wine
and my friend Hanna had been asking for the recipe for a long time but I was too lazy to write
about it. Finally, I made up my mind and here is the recipe for Home Made Grape Wine.
Traditionally, in Kerala, wine is made in a Ceramic Jar called Bharani. Since I didnt have a
Ceramic Jar, I bought a brand new Glass Jar for making Wine. I selected pinkish red color
grapes for this wine. You can use any variety of sweet grapes for making wine but red grapes
would give a nice color to the wine.
Ingredients
1. Seeded or Seedless Grapes 2 lbs or 1 kg approx

2. Sugar 4 lbs (double the quantity of grapes)
3. Water 4.5 liters (Boiled and Cooled or you can use distilled/purified water)
4. Active Dry Yeast 2 tsps
5. Luke Warm Water 1/2 Cup (for dissolving the yeast)
6. Cinnamon Stick 1 (optional)
7. Cloves 3 (optional)
8. Sugar 1/2 Cup (For Caramelizing)
Preparation Method
1. Clean the Ceramic/Glass Jar and allow it to sun dry before using it for making
wine.
2. Boil water and allow it to cool completely.
3. Clean and wash the grapes well and remove the stalks.
4. Dissolve yeast in luke warm water and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes so that
it rises.
5. Mash the grapes using a wooden spatula or crush the grapes with your
hands. Add half the quantity of sugar (2 lbs) to the crushed grapes and mix
well.
6. Transfer the crushed grapes and sugar mixture to the ceramic/glass jar. Add
the dissolved yeast to the jar.
7. If using cinnamon and cloves, add it to the jar. This will give the wine a very
nice spicy aroma and flavor.
8. Add boiled and cooled water to the jar. Mix everything well. Keep the jar
closed and airtight for around 21 days.
9. You will notice air bubbles forming on the top when fermentation is taking
place.
10.Stir the mixture with a wooden spatula every day for 21 days. (Some people
stir it on alternate days but I stirred it daily!)
11.After 21 days, strain the grape pulp mixture into another vessel using a
muslin cloth or a clean unbleached cotton cloth. Add the remaining 2 lb of
sugar and mix well. The Wine will be hazy at this stage.
12.Keep it for another 21 days so that the sediments settle down and the wine
becomes clear. Strain the mixture again using a muslin cloth without
disturbing the sediments. If you wish to caramelize the wine, you can do it a
few days before straining. My wine had a light pink color because of the
grapes I used.
13.For coloring the wine, I caramelized sugar and added it to the wine and it
changed into a rich golden color. You can add the caramelized sugar to the
wine a few days before straining it for the second time from the glass jar.
Please refer below for details on coloring the wine.
14.Store the wine in clean, dry glass bottles. While serving, pour it carefully
without disturbing the sediments. The longer the wine is stored, the better
the taste.
Grape Wine Getting Fermented

Procedure for Caramelizing Sugar
1. Take a saucepan and add 1/2 cup sugar.
2. Place it on medium heat and keep on stirring continuously till the sugar melts
and becomes a dark brown color. Keep scraping down the sides of the pan so
that the sugar gets caramelized evenly.
3. Remove from fire and place the pan in ice cool water so the sugar doesnt get
burnt.
4. Add 4-5 tbsps of hot water to this sugar syrup and mix well. Cool and add the
syrup to the wine in the glass/ceramic jar and mix well.
5. The wine will attain a darker color after a few days.
6. For cleaning the pan after use, add water to the pan and bring it to a boil and
throw away the solution.
Caramelized Sugar
Note
I had to keep the wine for 21+21 = 42 days before using it, since it was
pretty cold over here in December. But if you live in a moderately hot place
like Kerala, wine will ferment quickly and it will be ready in around 21 days.
Once the wine is fermented, there will be no air bubbles on the top. This
indicates that the wine is ready to be strained.
Some people add egg whites and wheat kernels for quicker fermentation but I
didnt use that for my wine.
You may skip the spices like Cinnamon and Cloves.
You can increase or decrease the amount of sugar used to suit your taste
buds.
Ingredients
DIRECTIONS
Black or Red Grapes - 5 kg

Sugar
- 2 1/2 kg
Water
- 2 1/2 litres
Yeast - 1/2 of Baker`s Yeast or any good wine yeast
Step 1. Firstly, make sure the jar or the container used for wine making is cleaned well
and sanitized. Porcelain jars or earthen pots are ideal. However, for those who cannot find
a pot or jar, can go for an air tight bucket too.
Step 2. Wash the grapes well. Try to get fresh grapes to make good quality wine.
Step 3. Put the grapes in the jar or the container and crush them well so that the fleshy
part of the grapes is well separated from the skin to extract the juice out of it.
Step 4. Once the grapes are well crushed, keep it closed for sometime.
Step 5. Meantime, boil water in a pan and add the sugar. Stop boiling once the sugar is
completely dissolved in the water.
Step 6. Let it cool.
Step 7. Now, its time to add the sugar solution to the crushed grapes.
Step 8. To this, add 1/2 a packet of good quality yeast, preferably wine yeast and stir the
mixture well with a sanitized wooden spoon.
Step 9. Close the jar or the container tightly and keep it aside for 3 weeks for
fermentation.
Step 10. Stir the contents every alternate day and check if the sweetness of the solution
has lessened.
Step 11. Once the sweetness is almost gone, sieve the contents using a muslin cloth.
Make sure the sediments are not disturbed while straining out the contents.
Step 12. To the sieved solution, add 1/2 kg sugar caramel and let it set for another 2
weeks. Do not open the jar during this period. The sugar caramel solution is added for
extra color.
Step 13. After 2 weeks, open the jar and transfer the contents to glass bottles with corks
tops or air tight tops.
Step 14. Note:
1)Do not use cinnamon sticks or cardamom to the wine as it might spoil the natural taste
of it. Fermentation should be natural for a good quality wine and hence these ingredients
have to be avoided. There is no need to add rum or brandy to this as the sugar itself
transforms into alcohol during fermentation.
Step 15. This quantity can give you at least 5 liters of grape wine.
Make Wine at Home: Easy and Cheap Home Made Red

Wine Recipe
I always had the desire to enjoy drinking something I made myself. Did a lot of researching on
how to make wine at home and all I got was wine making methods which was meant to be
executed in the USA which uses things like wine fermenter kit, hydro meters, capdem tablets
and those kind of stuff which you dont get here in India.
I wanted to prepare wine using just materials available in any standard Indian kitchen and not
spending too much money. This search for the indianized wine making technique did not yield
any results and I kept trying asking friends and relatives.
At last, I got the opportunity to talk to one pattima (old lady), mother of a good friend, whos
been making wine for years, got the recipe of ingredients, and proportions from her and she ran
me through telephone the methodology, tips and tricks of the process. Within 2 hours of talking
to her, I was all set to go!
This guide is for all you people out there, who like me, at least once, want to brew what you
drink.
This guide will yield a minimum of 4 litres of wine. Caution: You need a lot of patience, You
need to wait up to 42 days to get the wine ready and you will have to dedicate at least 2 minutes
everyday till then to this process of making wine.
Ingredients:
Black Grapes: 1.5 Kgs
The grapes can be seedless, but definitely need to be black. There is a variety of grapes in which
the inside is also black/dark brown, if you get that its good, if not the black grapes variety with
dark green inside is also good
Sugar: 1.5 Kgs
Needs to be clean white sugar, try to get a good brand like parrys sugar which does not have any
dirt or discoloration
Yeast: 15 grams
This you get in any spencers daily or any supermarket for that matter. Usually you would find it
in the section where they stock essences, food colouring etc. Its called Activated dry yeast ,
any brand and a small 25 gm packed would do (you need just 15 grams)
Whole wheat: 50 grams
, all the supermarkets stock only 5 kgHad a tough time getting this packets. Went to a normal
palasarakku kadai (general provisions) and got it packed off.
Egg (just the white): 1
Veggies dont get dejected. This is not really necessary. I was told this is just to create a good
flavour. This can be skipped.
Water: 2.6 ltrs
purified water.
Materials / Tools Required:
Ceramic jar:
Big enough to hold 1.5 kgs of grapes + 2.6 lts of water + 1.5 kgs of sugar. Should have 20% free
space after adding all this. Preferably must have a lid. Best bet is to use the oorga jaadi (ceramic
pickle jar) or if you dont have any ceramic jars, plastic or metal also would do. Should have a
narrow opening because during fermentation, the vessel has to be airtight. So smaller the mouth,
easier to seal
Wooden pestle / masher:

This is nothing but the lowly wooden tool your mom makes to smash potatoes or paalak / keerai.
We will use to smash grapes
Long wooden spoon:
should be long enough to reach the bottom of your wine jar.
Love and Support: Any quantity
Along with all this interest and support from other family members to make the wine making
experience a memorable one
All the ingredients and tools required

The basic ground rule in wine making is keeping things clean and sterile. This to ensure
that the brew does not get contaminated with bacteria which may spoil the brew instead of
allowing it to ferment. If the brew gets spoiled only thing you can do is to flush it down the
drain.
Ready, Get Set:
1. Boil the water: Boil the water for at least 3-4 mins to make it as pure as
possible and kill any bacteria or germs in it. After boiling let it cool. The water
has to be back to room temperature before you can use it
2. Sterilize the ceramic Jar: Simply pour boiling water in the jar till the brim and
leave it for 5 mins to sterilize the inner of the jar. Remember, the jar I used
was ceramic, so it could stand the heat. Dont try this if you are using plastic
jar
3. Clean the grapes: Remove the stem of the grapes. Wash at least 3-4 times in
water to ensure all the dirt/dust/chemical sediments from fertilizers and
insecticides are removed. Drain the water; if possible spread the grapes on a
wide tray to allow it to dry off the excess water.
4. Clean the wheat: Clean the 50 gms of wheat with water, rinse 3-4 times and
ensure they are dry again.
Cleaned and dried grapes

Rock and Roll Part 1
1. Put the grapes in the jar
2. Use the wooden smasher to smash the grapes. The motive is to rupture the
grapes NOT to juice them. So need not crush them so hard to juice them out,
but ensure each grape is ruptured
3. Pour in the cooled water
4. Prepare the yeast: Preparing the yeast is simple. Just follow the instructions in
the carton to activate the yeast. Take some lukewarm water (40-50 C), say
100 ml water, add 2 tsp of sugar (you can take some off sugar you have set
aside already), and add the 15 gms of yeast into it (usually around 3 tea
spoons) and mix them well.
5. Pour the prepared yeast into the jar
6. Add the wheat into the jar
7. Beat the egg white and add it into the jar
8. Add HALF the sugar into the jar i.e (750 grams).
9. Use the wooden spoon to mix the contents. You need not try to dissolve the
sugar. Just a couple of stirs so that the contents are evenly mixed.
10.Close the jar with its lid and then wrap plastic covers on top of the jar to
make the jar 100% air tight.
Pestle used to rupture the grapes
Wheat added
Closeup shot of the ruptured grapes
Covered and sealed jar
Stored in a cool dry place

Once you have done this, keep the jar in a cool, dark & dry place. But ensure the jar is
accessible. Why accessible? Read on
Daily Duties:
1. From Day 1 to Day 21, even if you forget to brush your teeth, you shouldnt
forget to do the things below
2. Daily, at a set time, you need to carefully open up the jar
3. Use the wooden spoon to stir the contents, just enough that the contents are
evenly mixed. Ensure the spoon is 100% clean and dry every time
4. Close the jar back, make it airtight and put it back in the cool, dark, dry place
where it belongsThis process has to be repeated for the next 21 days,
Everyday.
Rock & Roll Part 2

Here comes the important and little bit difficult part, where again, keeping it clean is the key.
This needs to be done around the 22nd day.
Materials / Tools needed
1. Large, fine holed filter. The ones usually found in juice shops
2. Disposable Surgical gloves
3. Somebody to help
Steps Involved
1. Open up the jar
2. Slowly pour out the contents of the jar into the filter.
3. The filtered liquid has to be caught with another clean, sterilized vessel
4. Glove one hand and squeeze out the soggy half-ruptured grapes, the grape
skins and seeds through the filter
5. Finally after emptying the jar, the clear filtered liquid will be caught in the
vessel below
6. Used the gloved hand to scoop put any sediments left out in the ceramic jar
7. Then pour the contents of the vessel back into the ceramic jar
8. Then add the second half (remaining) sugar (i.e remaining 750 grams) into
the jar and stir lightly
9. Close the jar, make it air tight as before and put it back into the cool, dry,
dark place
Filtering the brew
Squashing the grapes with a gloved sterile hand
Filtered Brew
Patience!! Wait for another 21 days. The good news is that now no more or opening of jar is
required. 21 days is the bare minimum. The older the wine gets, the better. Better means, its
tastes better and more importantly it gets stronger!!
Taste it . Finally!!
1. After a total of 42 days, you can open up the jar and gently take out the clear
wine on top and fill it up in a sterilized glass bottle.
2. Usually, the sediments are in the bottom and the clear wine on top. So its
important you dont shake the container too much and just use a small glass
to scoop out the clear wine on top. Alternatively you can use a pipette or a
siphon mechanism to do so
3. You neednt empty the jar. Just take out the clear wine from the top and close
the jar airtight and put it right back.
4. Keep repeating the process, till the wine lasts! Just ensure the jar is airtight
everytime you put it back
5. Thats it, you have officially made wine at home!!!!!
Absolut Wine just used the solid glass bottle of absolut vodka to hold the wine. The wine
disappeared (gobbled up) within 20 mins of taking this shot!
Try Variations
In theory any acidic fruit can be used to make wine. Everything from gooseberries, pineapples,
strawberries can be used to make wine. The basic fermentation process is as mentioned. So its
up to you to try variations. You might be lucky to get a good wine sometimes, and other times it
might get spoilt. But what the heck, trying is the fun. So please try variations and share the
results so that others can try too. I am planning to try the same with white grapes next
Send me a bottle
Share the booze! They say joy spreads when you share it. Send me a bottle once its done. Will
raise a toast for you when I drink it !!
Why you should make wine at home
1. At less than Rs.200 for the ingredients, you get around 4 litres of wine. Thats
the cheapest alcohol. Clean, pure, unadulterated liquor. And this wine IS
STRONG and 600 ml or 2 glasses guarantees a nice high.
2. Home made wine, is certainly MUCH MUCH MUCH better than the Golconda
wine which you get at TASMAC, which actually is not wine at all.
3. Making Wine at home is really a wonderful experience and should be taken
up at least once with the family.
4. Wine is always a part of a celebration, plan ahead and make wine just in time
for Christmas, birthday or anniversary
5. Wine making is one of the oldest skills recorded in history and i suppose wine
is the oldest alcoholic drink known to man. So be proud that you know how to
make it
6. Wine making is one of 75 things a man must do at least once in his life time
(see slide 55).
Let me know your testimony of success and failures trying this. Also let me know if there are any
ways to improve or tweak this recipe. Will be very happy to hear if there are any other
recipes you may know. Cheers!
Update 06, April 2012: Feel free to change the proportion of sugar added to suit your taste.
I have got constant feedback that the wine was a little too sweet for some peoples tastes. So
if you want a less sweeter wine, reduce the sugar to around 1 Kg. Based on my experience a
bare minimum of around 750 1 Kg of sugar is required for proper fermentation and so
anything beyond that is going to make the wine sweeter. So feel free to play around with
the amount of sugar.
Update 17, January 2013: Excited and happy to see that so many people are interested in
making wine at home and find this post/article useful. I receive so many comments every
week and unfortunately am not able to reply to them immediately like I used to (due to
time constraints). However, most of the questions people ask are already answered in the
post itself or in the comments section. So kindly read through before you ask a question. I
have also installed disqus which is an easier way to comment and discuss about wine
making. Hope you find disqus useful. Cheers! and keep posting comments!!
Update 03, April, 2013: This post is 4 years old now!! Cheers!
Homemade Grape Wine (Kerala) | Pure Grape Wine~My Mom's Recipe

(Christmas Delight)
Pure grape wine with a slice of plum cake is the remarkable delight of Kerala Christmas and I
miss this so much from my mom.Every year she used to plan it well in advance and there are a
variety of snacks ,cakes and wine.I still remember when we were at Bangalore,Dad used to buy
baskets of black grapes from the nearby vineyard as it was very cheap out there and we used to
enjoy walking in the vineyard and admire those hanging ones on the climbers.Lovely memories
and when wine gets ready dad helping mom in straining and pouring it into bottles.We used to
carry it to Kerala and gift our relatives too.Last year some how I couldn't preapre wine and the
year before that I tried wine with pineapple and ginger too .That is also good will post sometime
later as I don't have the clicks.But at the top I rate grape wine as the best among these.This is my
second attempt with grape wine.
"God made only water, but man made wine." -- Victor Hugo
My passion for wine started right from the childhood days having grown up in a Town with the
majority of Christian Communities!..
There are hundreds of methods of making wine all over the world, but I've strictly stuck to the
Central Kerala recipe, here.I would highly recommend this method as this had been cent percent
successful to me with the Perfect Outcome!!.
"People spend too much time tasting wine; not enough time drinking it" --Andre Tchelistcheff
Yes, I am in the above category of "people.. not a lover of wines but would love to sip a little,
sense and appreciate the deep taste of the heavenly drink!..
My own proverb for wine would be'Knowing and appreciating wine can be compared to the knowledge of appreciating Diamonds
as it needs skill to differentiate between the good, better and the best!..'
And so when my better half turned back a couple of months ago with a box fully packed with
bunches of deep red juicy grapes fresh from the vineyards, I was overjoyed!!
A part of it was passed over to relatives, a part went to make Grape juice preserve and a part was
saved to make Wine!..
I made a litre of Grape wine from:
Red Grapes (with seeds)-300gms
Sugar-300 gms
Water-800 ml-boiled and cooled
Active dry yeast granules-2 tsps
Water boiled and warm-100ml-for dissolving the yeast
Wheat a tbsp(optional)
1 egg white(optional-I avoided)
Sugar for colouring-4 tsps more or less
Fermenting Wine.
Clean & wash grapes well.Remove the stalks.Wipe them dry one by one and crush with your
finger tips.
Transfer the crushed grapes in a ceramic jar(I used the traditional Bharani, cleaned well enough
and sun dried)..Add half the quantity of sugar (150 grams),water,egg white yeast dissolved in
water and wheat.Mix well using a clean sun dried wooden spatula.Keep this airtight for 3
weeks(21 days) stirring with the wooden spatula every alternative day.
On the 22nd day, strain the mixture using a muslin cloth and discard the pulp. Add the balance
sugar to the wine.
Wine 'before' and 'after' colouring.
Colouring the wine by caramelisation.

In a clean dry wok, add the sugar kept for colouring (3 tsps) place on fire, stirring continuously
till the sugar melts and acquires a deep reddish brown hue; taking care not to burn.Now add
about 1-2 tbsps of hot water to this syrup little by little and mix well.Cool and add this whole
syrup to the wine. Mix well.The wine would have attained a beautiful deep red colour by now.
Store the wine in a clean bottle closed with a cork & use. There would be a cloudy formation
towards the bottom of the bottle.Need not worry.Pour out to wine glasses carefully not to disturb
the sediment as far as possible.
The uncaramelised glass of wine you see here is slightly cloudy as it was poured out from the bottom.I reserved just
200 ml before colouring, to blog :) and finally ended up in disturbing the fine sediment :D..
"I made wine out of raisins so I wouldn't have to wait for it to age." -- Stephen Wright
Well, I too was a little impatient to wait till three weeks.So I actually used 3 tsps of yeast and
fermented for just 10days as the temperature was quite warm here. I would taste the wine every
time while stirring the jar and strained the wine when it reached its stage of fermentation(10
days).This strictly depends upon the outside temperature, the amount of sugar and yeast in the
mixture.Wheat(starch) and egg white(protein) are used to speed up the process.I avoided both.
Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages" -- Louis Pasteur
Palappam (Kerala Rice Crepes)

Here is a long overdue post. Palappam (Rice Crepe) is a common Breakfast food in
Kerala which is served with Vegetable or Meat Curries. I have been getting many
requests for the traditional Palappam recipe made by soaking and grinding Rice. I
used to make Palappams with Rice Flour but after having laid my hands on a lovely
Preethi Mixie, I started grinding rice for Palappams. The recipe for Palappam varies
from region to region or probably household to household. Some use Grated Coconut,
while other use Coconut Milk. Some use Whole Dairy Milk instead of Coconut Milk.
Some use Yeast for fermentation while others use Coconut Water or Toddy. Palappam
is often served for Christian Weddings. It goes well with Fish Molee, Vegetable
Stew, Egg Roast, Kerala Chicken Curry and so
on
Kerala Palappam
I make Appams for parties and whenever we have guests. Though it is time
consuming, the end result is well worth the effort.
Ingredients
1. Raw Rice 2 cups (Use any short or long grain rice)
2. Cooked Rice 3/4 cup approx
3. Yeast 1.5 to 2 tsp

4. Sugar 1 tbsp + 3-4 tbsp or as needed
5. Salt to taste
6. Thick Coconut Milk 1/2 cup
7. Ice cubes as needed
8. Water as needed
Preparation Method
1. Soak the rice for atleast 6 hours or leave it overnight.
2. Wash and drain the rice and keep aside.
3. Dissolve the yeast and 1 tbsp sugar in 1/2 cup of lightly warm water. Keep it
aside for ten minutes until it foams.
4. Next, you need to grind the rice in several batches. Grind around two handfuls
of raw rice along with a few tablespoons of cooked rice and very little water. I
add 2-3 ice cubes while grinding each batch to prevent the mixie from
overheating. Grind until you get a smooth batter.
5. Transfer the batter to large bowl. Continue doing this with the remaining rice.
6. While grinding the last batch, add the yeast solution to the mixie.
7. Leave the batter in a warm place for 6-8 hours. I usually leave it overnight.
Enusre that the bowl is large enough to prevent the batter from overflowing
after fermentation.
8. The batter would have risen after fermentation and will look foamy. Stir the
batter and check the consistency. Add 1/4 1/2 cup of coconut milk to make a
batter of medium consistency. If the batter appears thin after fermentation, skip
the coconut milk.
9. Add sugar as per desired sweetness (3-4 tbsp) and salt to taste. Mix everything
together.
10.At this stage, you can start preparing the Appams with this batter or for extra
lacy appams, leave the batter untouched for half an hour. The batter will froth
and rise again. Spoon the foamy layer from the batter and transfer it to another
dish. Use this foamy batter for making Appams.
11. Heat a Palappam Chatti and lightly grease it with oil.
12.Once the Palappam Chatti is hot, pour a ladle full of batter and swirl the pan in
one direction so that the batter spreads to the edges.
13.Keep it covered and allow the Appam to cook for a few minutes.
14.Once cooked the edges of the appam will start separating from the pan.
Remove the appam carefully with a spatula.
Note
You may need to adjust the amount of cooked rice used in this recipe. If you
use too much of boiled rice, the appams will become sticky. If the rice used is
less, appams wont be soft. Try using 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cooked rice but not more
than that.
While grinding the rice, try adding very little water. The unfermented batter
should be thick as it will rise and thin out after fermentation.
To make appams with brown laces, increase the amount of sugar.
Vellayappam / Kallappam
Ingredients:
Pachari / Raw rice-1 cup
Choru / Cooked rice-2-3 tbsp heaped
Grated Coconut-1/2 cup
Yeast-1/4 tsp (can replace yeast if Kallu (toddy) is available)
Jeerakom / Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
Garlic-2 small flakes
Chumannulli / Shallotts -2-3 nos
Sugar- to taste
Salt- to taste
Method:
Wash and soak the rice in water for 6 hours.
Drain and grind this with all the other ingredients in a mixy or grinder adding
enough water to a smooth thin batter.
Keep this batter aside overnight or at least 6-8 hours to ferment.
To make vellayappam heat an iron or non stick flat pan / dosa tava on
medium heat.
If using iron pan rub with some oil and pour one full thavi / ladle batter and
spread slightly with the back of the ladle, it should be thick circular shape.
You will see a lot of small holes forming while cooking; try to count how many
holes are there in one appam while you wait for the first side to become golden
brown:D :D. Ok now you can stop counting, and do the rest of the counting
while eating :D.
Flip over and cook other side also.
Serve with vegetable stew, non veg stew, meat kofta curry, fish molee, beef fry
or egg roast.
This is Palappam with Beef Stew Curry.
How to Make Homemade Banana Wine

Homemade banana wine is an interesting thing, in a few ways.
For one, by the time youre ready to add

the yeast to get the product started well,
youre working with a liquid that just looks
revolting. Muddy brown-grey dishwater
looking stuff. You add the yeast, cross your
fingers, and hope for the best.
Then, the yeast starts acting on it. Oh BOY does it

ever! Ive never seen such violent fermentation
before! It really was a sight to behold.
One day, you walk by your carboys, and you think
Hrm. My orange mead looks really yellow for
some reason and then you realize that youre
looking at your banana wine. All of a sudden, that
ugly, milky looking mixture clarified at some
point. It left you with a gorgeous, brilliantly
golden yellow and crystal clear wine.
and it tastes like heavily banana-flavored Everclear! Yes, weve termed our banana wine
Banana Jet Fuel for good reason it comes in at a whopping 20% ABV!
No worries though let your finished wine age for about a year after bottling, and youll be
rewarded with a smooth, flavorful wine that packs a punch! The harsh Everclear flavor will
age right out.
Banana wine is very easy and very CHEAP to make. Also, it finishes a unique color, which
will make a beautiful addition to your wine rack or gift.
If you havent attempted making wine before, dont be intimidated! Check out our primer to
home brewing, it starts here, with parts 2 and 3 here and here. Just a small handful of entries, and
youll be good to go!
Homemade Banana Wine Recipe

Ingredients:
21 lbs of RIPE bananas, sliced into thin rings
5 gallons water (You wont use it all)
15-20 lbs white and/or brown sugar (We used white)
6 tsp acid blend
5 tsp pectinase
1.25 tsp wine tannin
6 tsp yeast nutrient
4 lbs golden raisins
1 packets of wine yeast (We like Red Star Champagne for this recipe)
Potassium sorbate or other wine stabilizer
Equipment:
7.5 gallon pot (or bigger)
1 6.5 gallon fermenter bucket and lid
1 or 2 6.5 gallon glass carboys & stoppers
1 air lock
Siphon, siphon tubing.
In large stock pot we used a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer combine bananas, sugar, and about 4
gallons of water. Heat to almost boiling, mashing and stirring until sugar is dissolved. Continue
to heat for about 45 minutes never allowing it to come to a boil stirring every few minutes.
Remove from heat, add acid blend, pectinase, tannin, and yeast nutrient. Stir well.
Place raisins in a freshly sanitized 6.5 gallon fermenting bucket. Carefully strain hot banana
liquid into the fermenting bucket, over top of the raisins. Top with water to 6 gallons, and add a
few scoops of the banana mush. Cover with sanitized lid and air lock, allow to cool to room
temperature (overnight).
The next morning, give the mixture a quick stir with a sanitized paddle, and using sanitized
equipment take a gravity reading. Keep track of the number! (This is an optional step, but will
allow you to calculate your final ABV %)
Sprinkle yeast into fermenter, cover with sanitized cover and air lock. Within 48 hours, you
should notice fermentation activity bubbles in the airlock, carbonation and /or swirling in the
wine must. This means youre good to go!
Let sit for about a week, stirring (sanitized paddle!) Every couple of days or so. It will get black
on top. Itll look awful and your whole brewing area / basement / garage will smell like
banana bread!
After a week or so, use your sanitized siphon setup to rack the must into a freshly sanitized 6.5
gallon carboy. (At this point, we ran the raisins and remaining pulp through a juicer and added it
to the carboy, but thats entirely optional. Will give the wine extra body if you do it!)
Put the carboy somewhere cool (not cold!), and leave it alone for a month or so.
Using sanitized equipment, rack the banana wine off the sediment, into a clean, freshly sanitized
6.5 gallon carboy. (At this point, we added 4 lbs sugar for added sweetness. It probably also
upped the final ABV!). Cap with sanitized airlock, leave it alone for another 2-3 months.
By this point, youll find that your wine has
clarified, and looks NOTHING like it did
when it started. Enjoy your handiwork.
Rack one more time, leave it for another 3
months or so.
When your wine has been racked a few times and

shows NO more fermenting activity for a month
or so (no bubbles in the airlock, no more sediment
being produced, you can move on to bottling.
Follow the instructions on your selected type of
wine stabilizer to stop fermentation. For
potassium sorbate, this needs to be done 2-3 days
before bottling.
Using sanitized equipment, take a gravity reading, then rack the wine into clean, sanitized
bottles. Cork. (We like to use these for corking our homemade wine. Easy to use no special
equipment needed! easy to uncork, and should you have any wine left in your bottle after
serving (pfft!), the cork is easily replaced for temporary storage!).
Im not going to lie the wine you bottle is going to be pretty harsh. Drinkable, but definitely
banana flavored fire water. Put the bottles into the cases they came in and forget about them for a
year (or two!) youll have a much tastier wine at the end of the wait!
So,friends sharing this grape wine recipe with you all on Christmas week.I have not added a drop
of water to this (strictly followed my mom's steps)and I have got 1.2 litres of wine.You will also
surprise yourself looking at it .But this is true..Many recipes call for adding water..am not pretty
sure of its long life,this is sure a keeper for years !!!
Ingredients
red /purple seedless or with seeds grapes 1kg (2lbs)
*sugar 3/4kg- 1kg
wheat kernels 1/2 cup
*egg 1 beaten (optional)
cloves 5-6
cinnamon 5-6 small sticks
jadipatri /mace 3-4 small pieces
Method
-Take an earthen ware preferably a bharani or a transparent glass jar with an air tight lid.
-Wash the grapes after removing the stalks and under running water.
-Slightly crush the grapes with your hands just to open the tip.
-Put them into the cleaned jars with sugar(refer notes) and other ingredients alternating each
layer.
-Close the lid tightly and leave in a dark place.
-The jar can be just shaked without opening every 5th day so that the contents are mixed well.
-If you are using egg white ,add this on the 15th day or so that it doesn't get over fermented.
-Open the lid on the 21st day and you see all grape skins float to the top with nothing inside.
Texture of grapes on 21st day

-Just drain the liquid part with out shaking the bottle much and strain it in a cheese cloth .Don't
squeeze the strained contents.
-Pour it in clean bottles and leave undisturbed for another 20 days.
-Pour the clear part of wine/decant in clean dry bottles and preserve.
-Sweet intoxicating wine is ready to serve.
Servings 1.2 litres of wine without adding any water.
(PS: Please read through the comments section before attempting this recipe to get a fair
idea )
NOTES
* Modify the amount of sugar according to the sweetness of grapes.The maximum sugar required
is 1kg for 1kg sour grapes.Add only half the sugar in the beginning,gradually increase sugar until
the 10th day and check sweetness if you are not sure of the sweetness.
* This wine can be stored in air tight containers for years together.
* If you are using wheat kernels,there is no need to add egg white (my mom never added)as it
alone would taste great.Egg white also helps in clearing the wine.
* There should be enough space in the jar after putting the grapes and sugar,otherwise the wine
may float out during fermentation.
*Good quality glass jars are required otherwise it may burst in the process of fermentation.
*You can open the jar if you are not comfortable shaking it with lids closed but the flavors might
be lost.
* If you don't get the bright color,you can caramalize but I haven't tried it yet.I usually get this
color.Add about 3tsp of sugar in a wide pan and wait till it attains golden brown.Keep stirring
slowly,not to burn your hands.Add 50ml water through the sides of the pan at the point where
you want the caramelisation to stop and stir again.Put off flame,let it cool and add.
* Don't use the sedimented contents by squeezing ,the actual taste of wine will be lost.The
sediments can be discarded.
* I have seen many recipes by adding boiled cooled water to it.If you wish that,you may even
add 2 liters of boiled,cooled water to it.But I personally tried once,it gives a diluted wine taste.If
you're adding water then increase the sugar content accordingly.
* If you feel on 21st day the grape skin don't float leave it again for another 10 days.As the cold
climate,quality of grapes,quality of wheat kernels may also affect the maturity of wine.
Homemade Red Yeast Glutinous Rice Wine
Red yeast rice is also called as red fermented rice or red koji rice. Red yeast rice is widely used
in many Chinese cuisines for instance home brew red yeast glutinous rice wine. Red yeast wine
is mostly consume by post-natal mothers to maintain their health after delivery. It helps in blood
circulations and also best for belly warming after giving birth. But these days rice wine is also
widely used in many restaurants to produce specialty dishes. And I'm sure you will like this too.
So, here's what I did.
Ingredients :
2kg glutinous rice, rinsed
3 tbsp sugar
2-1/2 chinese wine yeast, pounded

200gm red rice yeast, pounded
(Note : I have to apologise for the earlier ingredients which was wrongly writen. Please take note
to the changes)
Method :
(1) cook glutinous rice with more water compare to usual days. I'm using a rice cooker. It took
me 2 rounds to get the 2kg of rice ready.
(2) once the rice is cooked, spread them to a bigger tray to let them cool. It's best to cook the rice
in the evening and then let them cool overnight.
(3) when everything is ready, add sugar, yeast and red yeast rice to cooked glutinous rice, then
mix well.
It's best to use hand mix and then place mixture to a big clean glass container.
Make sure you press the rice probably to the container. Finally, cover it with a plastic sheet and
then close the top with a lid loosely.
Normally, wine will be started to form and collected below the rice after one week time.
Then slowly the rice will sank to the bottom in about 3 weeks time.
Here finally, I harvest it after 4 weeks time. Strain the wine and separate it from the fermented
rice. And then blend the rice to form fine paste.
Here's the wine and fermented rice paste after bottling and it's ready to be use at anytime. So,
stay tune for the up coming menu ! Have fun.
Homemade Red Rice Wine
Hi, I'm back from my summer holidays ... still very lazy to move and get back to blogging
after two weeks of resting, everything still unfamiliar, Grrr... I missed my friends and the
green! I even have to think what is my ID and password when I need to login to blogger,
must be the heat here is too bad for me :)
Ok, today get myself a cup of 3-in-1 chai-latte and here go the engines. I would like to
share and record my first homemade red rice wine which I brewed it before I went for
my summer break (consulted my mum via Facetime so many time just to make sure the
process is correct, anyway I still change some of it as I don't have muslin fabric which
used in steaming the rice) So the fermentation took me about 60 days because I'm away
for holidays and my mum told me even if I took out the rice wine around 30 days, the
rice residue in the rice wine will continue its fermentation until the rice dissolved.
The end result is a homemade fragrance red rice wine. Thank God it is sweet! In this
recipe I used Japanese Sake instead of the common Chinese rice wine just because I
couldn't get any Chinese rice wine here. The Sake contents nearly 15% of alcohol. There
are two types of dried yeast balls , I used the dried yeast balls which can produce
sweet taste The other type is a spicy dried yeast ball The red yeast rice
is the main ingredient to turn the rice wine into pinkish red.
In between the fermentation, you will see lots of gas bubble released or trapped between
the rice. The bottle of fully pack glutinous rice will gradually loosen out and turned into
liquid form. The rice will eventually settled at the bottom. The rice residue left behind
can
be
used
for
cooking
as
well.
Note:
1. To get translucent clear rice wine, it is important not to shake or stir the bottle at the
final
stage.
(Haha...top
quality
and
no
rice
crumble
in
it)
2. Do not over tighten the lid or cover of the bottle, this is to allow the gas release from
the
bottle.
3. Place the bottle out of sunlight and in good ventilation room. (I placed it at a corner of
my
kitchen
far
away
from
stove)
4. Every equipment used for the brewing must be free from oil.
This recipe yield around 4 big bottles of red rice wine and about 500g of red rice residue.
1. Soak 3kg glutinous rice and 100g red yeast rice overnight.
2. Drain the water and fill up some water to cover the rice, steam until the rice is cooked.
You can test whether the rice is cooked/soft in between. I divided the rice into 3
steaming trays to make sure the rice is thoroughly cooked. Spread out the rice and let it
cool down completely. Set aside.
3. Eight dried yeast balls was used. You can pound it into powder or crash it by
hands.
4. Get a clean big glass bottle which free of oil. Place the room temperature glutinous
rice in it, sprinkle with some rice yeast ball powder, continue to layer with glutinous
rice. Pour some sake/ Chinese rice wine in between. Continue the process until all
glutinous rice is packed into the bottle and rice yeast ball powder is used up.
Total sake used is around 600ml.
5. On the third days, the changes in the glass bottle is obvious. The glutinous rice is
loosen out, lot of liquid form.
6. This photo was taken on the third week. There is lot of gas bubble trapped or released
from the fermentation. Lot of glutinous rice still floating, there is rice crumble settled at
the bottom. The liquid is yet translucent. At this stage, some of the time I shake the
bottle to help releasing the trapped bubbles. (When I told my mum, she scolded me and
insisted I should not shake the bottle)
7. After 60 days of brewing, finally all rice settled at the bottom and no more gas bubbles
found. The liquid is translucent clear. Do not shake the bottle at this stage.
8. From the left Evian small bottle, and the big second bottle are the first red rice wine
scoop out from the big glass bottle without filter. The liquid is translucent clear and
without rice residue. The liquid in third to fifth bottles has to go through the filter to
eliminate the excessive rice residue, initially the liquid was pinkish but after a few days
the rice residue settled at the bottom.
Homemade Ginger Wine

Posted on May 2012
Under Wine, All Recipes, Drinks
Here's the recipe of Homemade Ginger Wine, a mildly hot and sweet wine which can be made in
just 3 days!!!!
Homemade Ginger Wine
Source: My Mom :-)

Ingredients
Ginger chopped finely 250 gms
Sugar 1250 gms
Water 2 litres
Yeast 1/2 teaspoon
Dry Red chillies 3-4
Citric Acid 20 gms
Steps
1. Boil the chopped ginger along with sugar, broken red chillies and water for 5
minutes.Let cool.
2. Strain the mixture and add the yeast and citric acid.
3. Stir well to ensure that the citric acid crystals are dissolved.
4. Transfer to an air tight container and keep for 3 days.
5. Your wine is ready:-).
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Homemade Grape wine
Smile. There's wine. This is Mum's recipe of sweet wine that is widely appreciated among family
and friends. She was quite known for her Christmas cake and Wine. Now I am doing my bit to
recreate the same in her traditional ceramic jar(bharani) and sharing it with you. It's fun to try
out.
IngredientsServes 3
Black Grapes(I used seedless)
1.5 Kilos
Sugar
1.5 Kilos
Boiled and cooled water(2.5-3Litres)
Yeast(I used Fleischmann's Instant Yeast)
1/2 Teaspoon
Egg white beaten(helps to clear the wine)
1
Cleaned, washed wheat kernels
Handful of
Equipment needed
Ceramic
6 litres Jars or glass jars 2
Wooden spoon
1
Cloth for straining(muslin, cotton preferably)
1
Small cottoncloth for securing mouth of the
jar 1
Rubberband
Caramelized sugar(optional)(deepens the colour)
Big vessel for straining (glass preferably)
1
Bottles for bottling
Glass 3
Ceramic mug
Glass
Steps
1. As much as it seems as easy as stirring things around, there are two
absolutely essential requirements. 1. Patience 2. Cleanliness: from hands to
ingredients to utensils. avoid the use of metal and plastic as much as
possible.
2. Begin by washing and cleaning and drying(preferably out in the sun) the jar
thoroughly. Ensure that the wooden spoon is clean and use it only for wine
making. The same with the straining cloth and small cloth.
3. Put the grapes in the jar and crush them with your hands, yes with your clean
hands so as to rupture the pulp from the skin. Add the sugar, yeast, wheat
kernels, egg white, water and stir with the wooden spoon. There should be
about at least 20% free space in the jar after mixing contents.
4. Close the mouth of the jar with a cloth and fasten securely with a rubberband
or thin strip of cloth. Place the lid on top. Keep the jar in a dark place. Stir the
contents with the wooden spoon everday for 21days
5. On the 22nd day, use cloth with fine holes to strain the liquid part only into a
big vessel leaving behind as much sediment as possible in the jar. I strained
twice to get rid of as much sediment as possible. Pour filtered wine into a
cleaned, dried jar, or clean and dry the same jar and reuse.
6. Add the caramelized sugar*(Optional). For added sweetness, you can adjust
with more sugar or sugar syrup now. Leave it undisturbed in a dark area for
21days.
7. Bottle the clear wine in CLEAN, DRY dark bottles.(siphon the clear wine from
the sediments into bottles, otherwise use a clean glass/ceramic mug to pour
into bottles leaving behind as much sediment in the jar). When bottling, don't
shake the jar so as to not disturb the sediments at the bottom.
8. Chill the wine if you like and celebrate. CHEERS. Raise a Toast. You made
wine.
9. *For caramelized sugar, melt about 1/2cup of sugar with 1/4cup of water over
medium heat. Keep swirling the pan and stirring often. It will take a while to
caramelize. Patience. Let it cool and then add to wine.
Homemade Pineapple Wine
24 24
Homemade Pineapple Wine

Ingredients
1 Pineapple
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Water
1/2 tsp Dry yeast
1 Egg White lightly beaten
1 Small piece of Dry Ginger
4-5 Cloves
Small piece of Cinnamon stick
Preparation
Wash the pineapple and cut into small pieces including the skin. Slightly
mash it using a wooden spoon or a vegetable masher. Mix the yeast with
2 tbsp of warm water and keep it aside for 10 minutes.
In a large Jar mix the pineapple, water, yeast, egg white and the spices.
Cover the jar with kitchen towel or muslin cloth and close the jar with the
lid so that air can escape from it. keep it in a dark place for two weeks(shake
the jar once in couple of days). Filter the wine using plastic filter or Muslin
cloth, and bottle it. Wine will look cloudy at this point, keep it in a dark place
for a week and it will start getting clear. Wine is ready to drink now. Keep
it in bottle for few more weeks to get a very clear wine.
Notes
1) Make sure to wash all the utensils used is washed with hot water to prevent
any contamination which can kill the yeast.
2) Check the bottle to see fermentation is working after first two days, by looking
for frothing in the jar or by the smell from the jar.
3) Wine filtering is an elaborate process, Wine makers use industrial filters, other
methods involve using clearing agents like egg white. I prefer to keep it with out
shaking and then transfer from the top of the bottle.
You might also like:
How To Make Apple Wine Sweet

Homemade Wine Recipe
Ingredients: Apple Wine Recipe

6 lbs / 2,700 grams mixed apples
3 lbs / 1,350 grams sugar
1 lb / 450 grams chopped raisins
8 pints / 1 gallon boiling water
Wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Wash and chop the apples including the peel. Put
apples in a large saucepan with the water and add the raisins. Bring this to the boil
and simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Put the sugar in the bucket and pour on
the apple and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. When the must is lukewarm add
the yeast. Cover the must and leave for three days.
Using a fine sieve strain the liquid into a demjohn and use a airlock to seal the jar.
Store in a warm place and allow the fermentation to work itself out. When
fermentation has ceased, rack the wine into a clean jar and place in a cooler
environment and leave for a further few months. When the wine is clear and stable,
siphon into bottles.
This wine can be a little stubborn to clear, due to the high levels of pectin in apples,
and so may require extra racking and patience, or the addition of crushed baked
egg shells towards the end of fermentation. Chemical clearing agents can also be
used if required and many apple wine recipes recommend the use of pectolase to
create a clearer end result.
How To Make Ginger Wine

Ingredients: Ginger Wine

4 tablespoons dried ginger (do not use powdered ginger)
2 lb / 8 oz raisins
2 oranges
2 lemons
3 1/2 lbs / 1,600 grams sugar
Wine yeast
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient / energiser
8 pints / 1 gallon of water
1 campden tablet
Method - What to Do
Add ginger to a saucepan of boiling water and allow to simmer. Also add the orange
(peeled and sliced), together with lemon zest and simmer for approximately 15
minutes. Strain ginger wine mixture and transfer to winemaking fermentation
bucket. Keep the original strained solids and boil once more in more water to ensure
that maximum flavour has been extracted, again simmering for another 15 minutes.
Transfer to fermentation bucket, adding all of the other ingredients, including lemon
juice and remaining boiling water, although do not add the wine yeast at this stage.
Allow to cool and stand for at least 12 hours. Finally, add the activated wine yeast to
the ginger wine mixture and stir each morning and evening, for five days. Strain
carefully and transfer ginger wine 'must' into a clear winemaking demijohn, with
airlock. Ferment for six weeks, and then rack. Continue racking up to three more
times at regular intervals until the wine is around 12 months old, clear and
completely stable. Drink ginger wine after waiting one year, or longer.
How To Make Carrot Wine

Ingredients: Carrot Wine Recipe

4 lbs / 1,800 grams carrots
2 lbs / 900 grams sugar
3/4 lb / 340 grams sultanas
Juice of two lemons
Wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Boil the carrots and simmer until soft and strain on to the sugar. Stir in the sultanas
and lemon juice. When the liquid in lukewarm, add the yeast. Cover and leave for
seven days, stirring twice daily.
Using a fine sieve strain the liquid into a demijohn using an airlock to seal the jar.
Store in a warm place and allow the fermentation to work itself out. When
fermentation has ceased, rack the wine into a clean jar and place in a cooler
environment and leave for a further few months. When the wine is clear and stable
(approximately six months) siphon into bottles.
How To Make Rice Wine (Saki)

Ingredients: Rice Wine (Saki) Wine Recipe

1 lb / 450 grams crushed rice
1 lb / 450 grams minced or chopped sultanas
8 pints / 1 gallon water

2 lemons
Wine yeast and nutrient
Method - What to Do
Put the rice and sultanas into a bucket and pour on the boiling water. When cool and
add the lemon juice and wine yeast and nutrient. Cover and leave for five days,
stirring daily. Pour into a demijohn and fit an airlock and leave to ferment.
When fermentation has ceased, rack the wine into a clean jar and place in a cooler
environment and leave for a further few months. Rack again if necessary and leave
until the wine is clear and stable and then bottle.
Rice Wine Recipe - How To Make Homemade Rice Wine
197 197
Rice wine recipe, homemade rice wine for Christmas. Making wine at home brings
in a festive mood, though I do make wine at home often I have not posted other
than the pineapple peel wine. Rice wine is easy to make and even a novice cook
can make this easy homemade wine.
Rice wine was the first wine I attempted to make after our marriage and it was so
perfect that I was so happy with the result. You do not need any fancy expensive
rice for this wine; just simple plain white rice is needed.
The other main ingredient is the black raisin with seeds (the one in the picture). I do
not know why, but this wine can only be made with black raisins, not the lighter
colored seedless one.
I usually use a ceramic jar or bharani to make wine, you just have to mix all the
ingredients in the "bharani", so easy!
You will get about 4 bottles of wine, enjoy!
Rice Wine Recipe - How To Homemade Make Rice

Wine
PREP TIME: 1 mins
| COOK TIME: 1 mins
| AUTHOR:: NISA HOMEY
INGREDIENTS
White rice: 3/4 cup

Sugar: 1 1/4 kg
Instant yeast: 1 1/2 tsp
Lemon: Juice of 4 lemon
Black raisin with seeds: 3/4 cup
Water: 4, 740 ml bottle
METHOD:
1. Into a clean sun dried ceramin jar "bharani" add in all the ingredients and mix well.
2. Keep the lid tighly closed (I wrap tightly with a cloth).

3. For the next 18 days, open the jar and mix with a wooden spoon morning and evening.
4. On the 19th day strain to another cleaned jar or clean and dry the same jar and pour into
it and keep for another 7 days.
5. Strain and pour into bottles and keep for another week and then you can start using
wine.
6. This wine is a bit strong and you can have homemade wine in a months time.
NOTES
I used 200 ml measuring cup.

Do not use basmati rice or any flavored rice, just plain ordinary white rice is perfect.
The more you keep the wine, the more strong it becomes as it matures.
How To Make Wheat Wine

Ingredients: Wheat Wine

1
2
1
4
1
2
8
lb / 450 grams wheat

lbs / 900 grams sultanas
lb / 450 grams chopped potatoes
lbs / 1,800 grams sugar
oz yeast
grapefruits
pints / 1 gallon water
Method - What to Do
Wash and chop sultanas and potatoes. Add to clean winemaking fermentation
bucket, together with grapefruit juice and zest. Wash wheat and add to mixture,
with sugar. Pour on boiling water and stir well, until all of the sugar has dissolved.
Allow wine mixture to cool and then add activated wine yeast.
Stir wine 'must' daily for around three weeks. Strain and add to sterilised demijohn.
Fit airlock and rack and three-monthly intervals until clear. Bottle wheat wine after
around 10 to 12 months and allow the wheat wine to stand for many months before
drinking.
How To Make Watermelon Wine

Ingredients: Watermelon Wine

4 pints watermelon juice (one medium / large
watermelon)
1/8 teaspoon tannin (or cup of black tea)
2 lbs / 900 grams granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons acid blend
Wine yeast
4 pints / 1/2 gallon cool, boiled water
1 campden tablet
Method - What to Do
Chop the red flesh from the watermelon into cubes and squeeze out the juice
through a straining bag, sieve or electric juicer. Pour watermelon juice into
fermentation bucket and add all ingredients apart from the wine yeast, stirring well.
Allow to stand for around 12 hours and then add the wine yeast.
Stir daily for five days and transfer fermenting mixture into a sterilised winemaking
demijohn, with an airlock. Rack after one month, and then twice more at three
month intervals. Bottle watermelon wine at one year old and although the wine is
fairly drinkable, it improves if left to stand for at least 12 months.
How To Make Tomato Wine

Ingredients: Tomato Wine
Red Tomato Wine Recipe

5 lbs / 2,250 grams ripe tomatoes
2 1/2 lbs / 1,100 grams granulated sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 teaspoon pectic enzyme
Wine yeast
1 campden tablet
Green Tomato Wine Recipe
3 1/2 lbs / 1,600 grams green tomatoes
Juice of 4 lemons
2 lbs / 900 grams raisins
1/2 oz fresh ginger
Wine yeast
1 campden tablet
Method - What to Do
Wash and chop tomatoes. Add to winemaking fermentation bucket, together with all
other ingredients, apart from wine yeast. Stir wine mixture and leave to settle
overnight.
Add activated wine yeast and stir the tomato wine 'must' twice daily for five days.
Strain the tomato wine mixture thoroughly, extracting all of the juice and liquor.
Transfer fermenting tomato wine into demijohn, with an airlock. Rack for the first
time at four weeks, and then two or three more times until clear and one year old.
Bottle the tomato wine and leave to stand for a few months before drinking.
How To Make Tea Wine

Ingredients: Tea Wine Recipe

4 pints / 1/2 gallon tea
1 1/2 lbs / 680 grams sugar
1/2 lb / 225 gram chopped raisins
2 lemons
Method - What to Do
Put the tea, sugar and lemon juice in a bucket and
stir well. Add the chopped raisins and wine yeast and nutrient and cover and leave
for five days. Strain into a demijohn and fit an airlock and leave to ferment.
How To Make Strawberry Wine

Ingredients: Strawberry Wine

4 pints strawberries - fresh and just ripe
Juice of 1 lemon
Wine yeast
1 campden tablet
Method - What to Do
Wash the fresh strawberries and slice finely. Add the strawberries to a clean
winemaking fermentation bucket and add boiling water, together with all of the
other strawberry wine ingredients, except for the wine yeast. Mix well and
strawberry wine mixture allow to cool to room temperature.
Gently mix in activated wine yeast and then stir several times each day for the next
four to five days. Thoroughly strain the liquor from the fermenting strawberry wine
'must' and transfer to wine demijohn. Fit airlock and allow to ferment for six weeks.
Rack at this stage, and then again at then again each three months, until the
strawberry wine is around one year old, clear and stable. Bottle the wine and try not
to drink for at least six months.
How To Make Rose Petal Wine

Ingredients: Rose Petal Wine Recipe

6 pints rose petals
2 lemons
1 gallon water
Method - What to Do
Pour boiling water over the rose petals and cover and
leave for 48 hours. Strain through a fine sieve and
add the sugar and dissolve well and then add the
lemon juice and yeast. Pour into a demijohn and fit an airlock and leave to ferment.
How To Make Pumpkin Wine

Ingredients: Pumpkin Wine

4 pints chopped pumpkin
2 1/2 lb / 1,100 grams sugar
3 teaspoons acid blend
1 lb / 450 grams raisins
Wine yeast
8 pints / 1 gallon boiling water
1 campden tablet
Method - What to Do
Dice the pumpkin flesh and add to winemaking fermentation container, with
chopped raisins and boiling water. Stir well, adding all of the other pumpkin wine
ingredients, but not the wine yeast. When the pumpkin mixture has cooled to room
temperature, mix in activated wine yeast and allow to ferment for five days, stirring
pumpkin wine mixture several times each day.
Strain the fermenting pumpkin wine must and pour the liquor into a wine demijohn,
with airlock. Rack the pumpkin wine for the first time at one month, and then again
at approximately four months and eight months. Bottle the pumpkin wine when it
has reached one year old and allow to stand for up to one year.
How To Make Potato Wine

Ingredients: Potato Wine Recipe

2 1/2 lbs / 1,100 grams potatoes
1 lb / 450 grams pearl barley
3 lb / 1,350 grams sugar
1/2 lb / 225 grams chopped sultanas
2 oranges
Wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Wash the potatoes thoroughly and chop them but do not peel. Place the potatoes in
a large saucepan with the pearl barley and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
Strain into a bucket on to the sugar and stir until the sugar has completely
dissolved. When cool add the chopped sultanas, orange juice and wine yeast and
cover the bucket and leave for five days. Strain into a demijohn and leave to
ferment.
until the wine is clear and stable and then bottle. This wine goes on improving for
well over 12 months.
How To Make Pomegranate Wine

Ingredients: Pomegranate Wine
6 pomegranates
2 lbs / 900 grams granulated sugar
2 teaspoon acid blend
Wine yeast
1 campden tablet
Method - What to Do
Cut pomegranates into half and remove all of the fruity seeds. Be sure not to
include any of the pomegranate's pith or skin, as this can cause the wine to taste
bitter. Crush the pomegranate seeds well and add to winemaking fermentation
container. Pour on boiling water, together with all of the additional pomegranate
wine ingredients, except for the wine yeast. Mix thoroughly and allow the
pomegranate wine mixture to stand for several hours, until room temperature.
Add the activated wine yeast to the pomegranate wine mixture and stir two or three
times each day, for around five days in total. Stain the fermenting pomegranate
wine 'must' into a clear demijohn and fit airlock. Rack the wine for the first time at
one month, and then again at roughly four months and seven months. Bottle the
pomegranate wine at one year old and if possible, allow the wine to stand for up to
one year.
How To Make Orange Wine

Ingredients: Orange Wine

12 oranges
2 lemons
3 1/2 lb / 1,600 grams sugar
Pectin enzyme
Water up to 1 gallon
Yeast nutrient
Wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Peel the oranges and lemons and cut into slices. Place in a fermentation bucket and
pour in the boiling water. Cover and when cool add the pectin enzyme, yeast
nutrient and wine yeast and leave to ferment for ten days, stirring twice daily. Strain
through a fine sieve and add the sugar and stir until dissolve. Put into a demijohn
and fit an airlock to seal the jar.
Store in a warm place and allow the fermentation to work. When fermentation has
ceased, rack the wine into a clean jar and place in a cooler environment and leave.
When the wine is clear and stable siphon into bottles.
How To Make Onion Wine

Ingredients: Onion Wine

1/2 lb / 225 grams onions
1/2 lb / 225 grams potatoes
1 teaspoon acid blend
Wine yeast
1 campden tablet
N.B. Onion wine is a very pleasant, refreshing wine and does not taste of onions!
Method - What to Do
Peel and finely chop onions and potatoes, adding to pan of boiling water. Simmer for
around 20 minutes and then strain the onion and potato water into a winemaking
fermentation vessel, being sure that all of the juice has been extracted from the
vegetables. Top up the onion wine liquor to make 8 pints / 1 gallon, using boiling
water. All of the other ingredients can be added at this stage (roughly chop the
raisins), except for the winemaking yeast. Stir well to make sure that all of the sugar
is completely dissolved into the onion mixture.
When the water has cooled to room temperature, add activated wine yeast and
then stir every day, in the morning and evening, for four days. Strain thoroughly
and pour fermenting onion wine 'must' into sterilised demijohn, with airlock. Rack
the onion wine for the first time and three weeks, and then twice more, and threemonthly intervals. Bottle the onion wine at 12 months, by which time the wine
clarity should be good, and the fermentation should have completely ceased. Onion
wine benefits from standing for at least six months before drinking.
How To Make Mint Wine

Ingredients: Mint Wine

2 pints compressed mint leaves (any garden mint is
suitable)
3 lbs / 1,350 grams granulated sugar
1/2 cup of lemon juice
Cup of green tea
Wine yeast
1 campden tablet
Method - What to Do
Thoroughly wash mint leaves and cover in boiling water. Mix and stand for around
one hour. Strain the mint liquor into winemaking fermentation bucket. Again,
covering the mint leaves with more boiling water and after one hour, strain into the
winemaking fermentation bucket. Add all of the other ingredients, using the
remaining water (boiled). Stir the mint wine mixture well until all of the sugar has
completely dissolved. Stand for around 12 hours and then add the activated wine
yeast.
Stir the mint wine 'must' each morning and evening for the next three days and
then strain mixture. Pour the fermenting mint wine into a sterilised demijohn and
add suitable wine airlock. Rack at two months for the first time, and then two more
times at three-monthly intervals. Bottle at around one year old, when the mint wine
should be completely stable, with good clarity. Allow the mint wine to stand for
approximately six months before drinking.
How To Make Mead (Honey Wine)

Ingredients: Mead (Honey Wine) Wine

3 lbs / 1,350 grams honey
1 tablespoon acid blend
1/2 teaspoon tannin (or cup of black tea)
Champagne yeast
1 campden tablet
Method - What to Do
Mix honey with 1/2 gallon of warm, boiled water in
fermentation bucket. Add all of the other ingredients
to the mead / honey wine mixture and mix well, leaving to settle for around 12
hours.
Mix in activated yeast and stir twice a day for two to three days. Strain wine mixture
and pour into winemaking demijohn, fitting a suitable airlock. Rack after two to
three months once fermentation has stopped. Rack again each three months, until
the mead / honey wine is around one year old, completely clear and stable. Bottle
wine and leave to stand for a period of up to one year.
How To Make Marigold Wine

Ingredients: Marigold Wine

2 quarts marigold heads
1 lb / 450 grams chopped raisins
Citric acid
1/2 pint strong black tea
Yeast nutrient
Wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Gather the marigolds in full sunlight and only the golden petals should be used.
Pour the boiling water into a fermentation bucket and add the sugar, stirring
vigorously until dissolved. Add the chopped raisins and cover. When cool add the
crushed flower heads, citric acid and cold tea. Add the yeast nutrient and wine
yeast and cover and leave for five days, stirring twice daily. Strain through a fine
sieve and put into a demijohn and fit an airlock to seal the jar.
How To Make Maize Wine

Ingredients: Maize Wine

1 pint maize
2 lemons
1 orange
Yeast nutrient
Wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Soak the maize overnight and then crush maize in a mincer or food processor. Put in
a fermentation bucket with the chopped raisins, thinly peeled lemon peel, fruit
juices and sugar. Pour over the boiling water and stir vigorously to dissolve the
sugar. Cover and when cool add the yeast nutrient and wine yeast and cover and
leave for three weeks in a warm place, stirring daily. Strain through a fine sieve and
put into a demijohn and fit an airlock to seal the jar.
How To Make Lemon Wine

Ingredients: Lemon Wine
10 lemons
1 lb / 450 grams chopped sultanas
Yeast nutrient
Wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Thinly par the peel of the lemons and cover with the boiling water. When cool add
the juice of the lemons, yeast nutrient and sugar, stirring vigorously to dissolve the
sugar. Add the wine yeast and cover and leave for five days in a warm place, stirring
daily. Strain and put into a demijohn and fit an airlock to seal the jar.
How To Make Kiwi Wine

Ingredients: Kiwi Wine

3 pints chopped kiwi fruits
1/2 lb / 225 grams raisins
Juice of 2 oranges
Wine yeast
8 pints / 1 gallon cooled, boiled water
1 campden tablet
Method - What to Do
Wash and chop kiwi fruits, leaving the skins on. Roughly chop raisins and add to
winemaking fermenting container, together with all of the other ingredients, except
for the wine yeast. Mix thoroughly, ensuring that the sugar is dissolved and then
stand for around 12 hours.
Add activated wine yeast and stir twice daily for five days. Strain kiwi wine liquor
and transfer into winemaking demijohn, fitting airlock. Rack for the first time at six
weeks, and then every three months until the kiwi wine is one year old and clear.
Bottle the kiwi wine and allow to stand for several months before drinking.
How To Make Ginger Wine

Ingredients: Ginger Wine

4 tablespoons dried ginger (do not use powdered ginger)
2 lb / 8 oz raisins
2 oranges
2 lemons
Wine yeast
8 pints / 1 gallon of water
1 campden tablet
Method - What to Do
Add ginger to a saucepan of boiling water and allow to simmer. Also add the orange
(peeled and sliced), together with lemon zest and simmer for approximately 15
minutes. Strain ginger wine mixture and transfer to winemaking fermentation
bucket. Keep the original strained solids and boil once more in more water to ensure
that maximum flavour has been extracted, again simmering for another 15 minutes.
Transfer to fermentation bucket, adding all of the other ingredients, including lemon
juice and remaining boiling water, although do not add the wine yeast at this stage.
Allow to cool and stand for at least 12 hours. Finally, add the activated wine yeast to
the ginger wine mixture and stir each morning and evening, for five days. Strain
carefully and transfer ginger wine 'must' into a clear winemaking demijohn, with
airlock. Ferment for six weeks, and then rack. Continue racking up to three more
times at regular intervals until the wine is around 12 months old, clear and
completely stable. Drink ginger wine after waiting one year, or longer.
How To Make Clove Wine

Ingredients: Clove Wine

1 oz / 28 grams cloves
4 oranges
3 lemons
Wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Put the cloves and the thin rind of the oranges into a muslin bag and simmer for
approximately 20 minutes. Place in a fermentation bucket with the sugar. Stir well to
dissolve the sugar. Add the juice of the oranges and lemons. When cool strain into a
demijohn, add the wine yeast and fit an airlock to seal the jar.
How To Make Date Wine

Ingredients: Date Wine

3 lb / 1,350 grams dates
1 1/2 lb / 680 grams sugar
4 lemons
Yeast nutrient
Wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Slowly boil the chopped dates and sugar in water for 30 minutes. Place in a
fermentation bucket. When liquid is cool add the lemon juice, strong tea, yeast
nutrient and wine yeast. Cover and leave to ferment for two days, stirring daily.
Strain into a demijohn and fit an airlock to seal the jar.
How To Make Fig Wine

Ingredients: Fig Wine

2 lbs / 900 grams dried figs
1/2 pint honey

Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 orange
Wine yeast
1 campden tablet
Method - What to Do
Boil water and add honey, stirring until it has completely dissolved. Simmer and
remove any floating honey scum. Add to a clean fermentation vessel and allow
honey mixture to cool. Roughly chop dried figs and add to two pints of boiling water,
allowing them to cool for approximately 12 hours.
Strain the fig wine mixture and combine with the honey water in the winemaking
fermentation vessel. Add all of the remaining ingredients, including the activated
wine yeast. Stir each morning and evening for around four days and then strain the
fig wine 'must', transferring it to a demijohn, attaching an airlock. Rack in around six
weeks, and then three more times at regular intervals until one year old. Bottle and
allow to stand for up to one year before drinking.
A sweeter version of fig wine can be achieved by adding extra sugar at the first
racking. Fresh figs may also be used, although the quantity should be increased to
around 6 lbs / 2720 grams for this wine recipe.
How To Make Citrus Wine

Ingredients: Citrus Wine

5
1
1
3
2
oranges
tangerine
grapefruit
lemons
lb / 225 grams sultanas
2 lb / 900 grams sugar

Yeast nutrient
Wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Put sugar and sultanas in a fermentation bucket and add boiling water. Stir until all
the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool. Squeeze juice from all the fruit and place in
the fermentation bucket. Add the yeast nutrient and wine yeast. Cover and leave to
ferment for five days, stirring daily. Using a fine sieve strain the liquid into a
demijohn and fit an airlock to seal the jar.
How To Make Beetroot Wine

Ingredients: Beetroot Wine Recipe

4 lbs / 1,800 grams beetroot
1 lemon
Wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Wash the beet thoroughly and cut them into slices
and cook in the water until tender. Strain the beetroot on to the sugar and stir
vigorously until all the sugar is dissolved. When cool add the yeast. Cover bucket
and leave for five days stirring regularly.
Put liquid into a demijohn, fit airlock and leave to ferment. When fermentation has
ceased rack the wine into a clean jar and place in a cooler environment and leave
for a further few months if necessary. When the wine is clear and stable, siphon into
bottles.
How To Make Beetroot and Date Wine

Ingredients: Beetroot and Date Wine

4 lb / 1,800 grams beetroot
1 lb / 450 grams dates
1/2 oz / 14 grams citric acid
Yeast nutrient
Wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Clear and slice the beetroot and boil until tender. Put the dates and sugar into a
fermentation bucket and pour on the strained beetroot liquid. Stir well until all the
sugar has dissolved. When cool add the strong tea, citric acid, yeast nutrient and
wine yeast. Cover and leave to ferment for eight days, stirring daily. Using a fine
sieve strain the liquid into a demijohn and fit an airlock to seal the jar.
ceased, rack the wine into a clean jar and place in a cooler environment and leave
for a further few months. When the wine is clear and stable siphon into bottles.
How To Make Beetroot and Carrot Wine

Ingredients: Beetroot and Carrot Wine

2 lb / 900 grams beetroot
2 lb / 900 grams carrots
1 lb / 450 grams fresh bananas, including skins
1 teaspoon citric acid
Yeast nutrient
Wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Wash and chop the carrots and simmer until just
tender. Wash and slice the beetroot and simmer until
tender. Put the chopped fruits and sugar in the
fermentation bucket and add the strained carrot and
beetroot liquors. Stir vigorously to dissolve the sugar.
When cool add the citric acid, strong tea, yeast
nutrient and wine yeast. Cover and leave to ferment
for seven days stirring daily. Using a fine sieve strain
the liquid into a demijohn and use an airlock to seal
the jar.
How To Make Barley Wine

Ingredients: Barley Wine

1 lb / 450 grams barley
1 lb / 450 grams potatoes
1 lemon
1 orange
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Wine yeast
7 pints of hot water (boiled)
Method - What to Do
Wash and boil all of the barley for around 30 minutes. Strain and transfer liquor to
winemaking fermentation bucket, adding sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar and add the
raisins (chopped), the potatoes (chopped), the ground ginger, and the juice of the
lemon and orange. Allow the mixture to cool to just above room temperature and
stir in activated wine yeast.
Stir twice a day for around two weeks and then transfer the barley wine 'must' into
a sterilised demijohn, fitting an airlock. Rack once fermentation has stopped, after
approximately two to three months. Rack twice more and bottle when the barley
wine is 12 months old and has cleared. Allow barley wine to stand for a minimum of
six months.
How To Make Banana Wine

Ingredients: Banana Wine
2 1/2 lb / 1,100 grams mashed bananas

1 tablespoon citric acid
Yeast nutrient
Sacch. Oryza wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Place bananas in water and bring to the boil. Strain and pour into a fermentation
bucket over the sugar, stirring vigorously to dissolve. When cool add the citric acid,
strong tea, yeast nutrient and wine yeast. Cover and leave to ferment for five days
stirring daily. Using a fine sieve strain the liquid into a demijohn and use an airlock
to seal the jar.
The cereal wine yeast works on the starch and stops this wine from becoming hazy.
How To Make Banana Wine

Ingredients: Banana Wine

2 1/2 lb / 1,100 grams mashed bananas
1 tablespoon citric acid
Yeast nutrient
Sacch. Oryza wine yeast
Method - What to Do
Place bananas in water and bring to the boil. Strain and pour into a fermentation
bucket over the sugar, stirring vigorously to dissolve. When cool add the citric acid,
strong tea, yeast nutrient and wine yeast. Cover and leave to ferment for five days
stirring daily. Using a fine sieve strain the liquid into a demijohn and use an airlock
to seal the jar.
The cereal wine yeast works on the starch and stops this wine from becoming hazy.
Ginger Wine
'Tis the season to be jolly! Fa la la

la la, la la la la!!
So how many of you have gotten into the Christmas mood already? Did I hear you
say "me!". Well, I am in the mood for sure and I can't wait to play some Christmas
carols and put up the tree & decorate it. Wow! Even the thought of Christmas puts a
smile on my face. Now that my little one has reached an age where he can
understand a lot of things, I think it is the right time to start some Christmas
traditions at home. Things that he will fondly remember all his life. So I thought to
myself, what better than to start early with some 'Christmassy' things - like making
our first batch of home made wine?? Perfect!
Come October and my kitchen saw a lot of me - busy & excited to jot down recipes,
gather the ingredients and kick start the preparations. While I am still preparing the
rest of the Christmas goodies and the recipes will be posted in the run up to
Christmas, I thought posting the ginger wine recipe would be helpful to all those
who want to try making some home made wine.
I had mentioned earlier that I wasn't a lot into making wines, preserves & pickles,
but then my first attempt at making home made grape wine was a huge success
and now well, the wine making bug has gotten into me. A couple of months before
Christmas every year my cousin and I discus the number & type of goodies each of
us would be preparing. We have tried making Christmas cakes (click here for the
recipes) & other traditional Mangalorean goodies called as the 'Kuswar' (recipes to
follow). This time I thought of taking a shot at preparing the ginger wine as well
along with her.
Ginger wine in my opinion sounds like the perfect beverage to be served during the
festive season especially because it helps to get the digestive juices flowing ~ we'll
need that especially after all that festive binging that we'll be indulging in! Home
made wines tend to be sweet & if served freshly made taste as good as a mildly
fermented fruit juice. It is only when the wine ages that the heady spirits can make
you feel extra good! So if you make this right away you will have a lovely batch
ready to be tasted during the Christmas season and most importantly, ready to be
served along with your gala Christmas lunch or dinner.
When I made this recipe I did not have a ceramic jar famously known as a 'buyaon'
in Konkani which is also used to store pickles and salt in Mangalore. Ceramic or
glass jars are what you need to make wine as it is not safe to use plastic and steel.
On my recent trip to Mangalore I went on a mad hunt for ceramic jars. Luckily I
found one in a whole sale shop (H. Manjunath Laxman Nayak, Opp Town Bank, Car
Street) and took ages to decide which size to buy. Eventually I settled for size# 10
which fills up to 5 litres of liquid. Perfect! The next task was to lug it back to Mumbai
without breaking it. I packed it snugly into my cabin bag. However, the airport
security at Mangalore asked me to open the bag & were rather amused to see the
jar. So out came each & every item from the Pandora's box ~ 3 types of rice, 2
types of jaggery and Christmas goodies made by MIL etc. much to my
embarrassment & their amusement! Cost of the jar - Rs 162, excess baggage
charges Rs 600, the look on my face ~ priceless!
Anyway, the buyaon has been my most treasured purchase till date, so I don't
regret the airport fiasco. My buyaon is already on its way to becoming my wine
making companion in the years to come! I am in love with home made wines now!
A big hug & a thank you to my cousin Prema for the inspiration, guidance & tips to
help me make this ginger wine. I had so much fun making this wine from scratch discussing & deciding the quantity of ingredients and size of the jars with her,
sharing its progress on a daily basis, reminding each other to stir the contents and
clicking & sharing pictures of the wine. Technology has definitely revolutionised the
way we share our lives with our loved ones hasn't it?
Prema, I guess we should say cheers & clink our glasses with some 'Blackberry'
wine soon ;-) what say?
PS: I will update this post with the pictures of the bottled wine in another month or
so because currently I have left it alone untouched in the glass jar, in a corner of my
kitchen. Do check this post sometime around mid December for some more
pictures.
Ginger Wine
Preparation time: 35mins | Fermenting time: 2 weeks+2 days | Yield: approx 2 litres
Ingredients:
2-1/4 litres (2250 millilitres) water
40 gm ginger * see notes
700 gm sugar * see notes
juice & zest of 1 lime (or lemon)
juice & zest of 1 orange
100 gm raisins (preferably golden)
1/2 tsp dried yeast (I used DCL)
40 ml brandy
You Also Need:

a large thick bottomed pan for boiling the liquid
a clean & dry 3 litre glass or ceramic jar ('buyaon' in Konkani/ 'bharani' in
Kannada)
a long spoon or spatula to stir the contents
a clean & dry empty wine or liquor bottle
a clean & dry funnel to pour the wine into the bottle
Method:
1. Zest (grate the outer rind/skin) the orange & lime and remove their seeds &
extract the juices of both the fruits and set aside in the refrigerator. Clean raisins,
wash, dry & set aside
2. Place the ginger in the thick bottomed pan and crush/poke the ginger with a fork,
add the water, sugar & zest of lime & orange and bring the water to a rolling boil.
Reduce the flame and simmer it for 30mins and then turn off the flame.
3. Allow the liquid to cool down. When it is tepid (lukewarm) pour the contents into a
jar/buyaon. Add 1/2 tsp yeast & cover the mouth of the jar with a thick cloth and tie
a knot at the neck of the jar. Keep overnight.

4. Next morning add the orange/lime juices (at room temperature) & raisins and stir
once with the wooden spoon. Cover with the thick cloth & place in a warm dark
place for 2 weeks.
5. You are required to stir the contents daily - ideally use a wooden spatula if you
don't intend squeezing the puffed up raisins that remain on the surface with your
fingers - this is just to get all the juices out of the raisins.
6. On completion of 2 weeks you will notice that the sediment has settled down &
no longer floats at the surface. Add the brandy, give it a stir, cover & keep for
another 2-3 days after which you can strain it into the empty wine/liquor bottle and
cork it lightly. I left it for another week untouched (unfiltered). I plan to bottle it just
before serving.
Notes:
1. You may add extra ginger if you prefer a stronger wine. However, ginger wine can
get really spicy so I have added only 40 gms which when combined with the sugar
gives out a lovely sweet taste with a hint of spiciness & alcohol.
2. I added an extra 50gm of sugar (total of 750gm), however I think 700gm is
perfect as it gives out a delicately sweet wine.
3. All equipment used should be sterile ie washed clean and completely dry with no
traces of moisture. You may dry the ceramic jar/bottle & the wine bottle in the sun
(preferably) or just dry it out in the shade for a longer time.
Posted by Shireen Sequeira at Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Grape Wine
What's better than spending a weekend with some great friends, food & drinks? To
those who politely decline 'hard' drinks, the Wine is the first thing that comes to
mind of the host and is immediately offered. Who can refuse this mildly intoxicating
& delightful drink?
In India the most popular alcoholic drink after Whiskey, Rum & Brandy has been the
Wine. Cocktails and mocktails became popular only a couple of decades ago when
the pub and party culture grew. At least in Mangalore, Wine was offered to ladies by
default (even if they would have wanted to have a peg or two of some other kind of
alcohol) :-) because it was the socially accepted and permissible drink where the
alcohol content was almost negligible (or so it was assumed!). It was unladylike to
ask for anything else and the only ladies who grabbed a 'hard' drink were grannies
who needed a 'dose' to be in the best of spirits and probably get a good night's
sleep too.
Wine has been very popular in the Mangalore Catholic culture as it has a Eucharistic
significance (although it is never served to people in the church) and is also served
(although a namesake - usually grape juice) along with a piece of cake (usually plum
cake) to guests during weddings. As soon as the Toast Master (the person who
wishes well to the newly weds) finishes his rather lengthy speech of introducing the
bridal couple, their education, their families, the extended families, family
background and how each of them is related to all & sundry and their domestic pets
(phew!) he/she raises his/her wine glass in honour of the happy couple and wishes
them a great beginning to a happy married life.
Wine has a longstanding history and is probably one of the first things that man
ever created. Made of fermented fruit juice (usually grapes) to which yeast is added
which helps the conversion of sugars present in the juice into alcohol. Wines can be
made from different sources ranging from fruits (grapes, apples), berries, roots
(ginger) and grains such as barley & rice. Wine has not only acquired a significant
place in religion (Christianity/Judaism) it is also greatly valued in the art of cooking.
Viticulture in India is also traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization during which it
was believed to have been introduced from Persia. So it's really not a valid
argument when people say that it is not Indian culture to have a little wine (or any
alcoholic drink)
Wines can also be of different types, the most popular being the Red & White
wines.
My relationship with Wine has been minimal. It was never made in my home as my
mom never ventured out to make any kind of preserved foods/beverages (which
require a great deal of time & patience) as she had her hands full taking care of the
young and old besides running a house & a plant nursery and a couple of pets
thrown in for good measure. My maternal grandma has always dabbled with making
pickles, jams, preserves, wines and what not beside making all kinds of seasonal
eats such as Patholis (rice cakes sweetened with jaggery & coconut & steamed in
Teak leaves of Turmeric leaves), Pathrades, Gariyos etc. This particular recipe
belongs to her which she lovingly gave me last year, six months before she had a
fall & an injury. Not sure if she can make it any time soon to taste some of my wine,
but nevertheless this post is especially dedicated for my dearest Nana.
Grape Wine
(Print Recipe)
Recipe Source: My grandmother
You Need:
1/2 kg sour black grapes (over ripe is better)

350gms sugar (increase it upto 500gms if you like sweet wine - I like my wine
less sweet)
1 tbsp sugar (to make the caramel)
1 litre water (boiled & cooled)
1 tsp yeast dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water
2 tsp rum or brandy (as a preservative)
Method:
1. Wash the grapes well & allow to drain. In a large pan crush them along with the
sugar (350gms) and make a paste out of them (messy? enjoy it :-)
2. Add the water and stir well with a wooden ladle. Pour this mixture into a sterile
glass jar (see note below) and add the dissolved yeast. Stir and close the jar (place
the lid over it loosely or just cover it - DO NOT fasten it or the jar will burst during
the fermentation process). Keep it for 21 days stirring once a day.
3. After the time is up, open the jar and strain out the grapes using a muslin cloth
(or bairas) into a steel vessel. Reuse the grapes to make more wine.
4. Leave the strained liquid for 2 days for the sediment to settle down. After two
days slowly pour into a bottle and place the cork loosely over it. Leave it for a week
5. Repeat the process of straining the residue grapes again and pour it back into the
bottle for another 8 days.
Making the Caramel

Place a heavy bottomed vessel over a slow flame and add 1 tbsp sugar. Do not add
any water. It will slowly melt and turn brown. Do not allow it to burn, turn off the
flame, remove.
6. Pour the wine into a steel vessel and mix the caramel into it. Stir well so that all
the caramel is incorporated.
7. Add 2 tsp rum or brandy which acts as a preservative.
8. Pour the wine back into the bottle, fasten the cork & store.
9. Enjoy a glass of wine with some great food & great company!
Note: Make sure you use sterile jar (which is washed well & dried) and vessels. The
last thing you want is Mr. Bacteria (Acetobacter) to infect your wine & turn it into
vinegar.
What good is this post if I don't come to my favourite topic? Health benefits
ofcourse! Despite many debates, recent evidence shows that moderate
consumption of wine may actually benefit you. While Red wine contains much
higher levels of antioxidants like reservatrol than White wine, drinking either type of
wine will increase the HDL or good cholesterol.
However....here's a STATUTORY WARNING!!!
Too Much Wine........
Can Kill....!
Beetroot Wine
Another wine recipe that I am adding to my repertoire is this beautiful and delicious
beetroot wine that I made sometime ago and completely missed to post! Today I
realised that it was the 10th of December already and I had not yet posted this
recipe! As this wine needs a minimum of 2 weeks to ferment I think it is perfect to
be made just in time for Christmas - if not to be drunk on Christmas day you can
definitely enjoy it during the season as the festivities continue upto the New Year. If
you are patient enough you can keep it for longer and enjoy it on New Years day and
some more for Valentine's Day! Its colour is perfect for this season, what say?
This wine recipe as the other two I've posted previously (pineapple peel wine & rice
wine) are from my mum's handwritten book which she has passed on to me. There's
a whole bunch of wine recipes which she never made but thankfully had written it
down with the foresight that her daughter would someday make them (perhaps?)
This wine is perfect for those who like to experiments with beetroots. If you have
cooked them as a side dish to meals or have boiled them and sliced them up to be
served as a salad or grated them and sweetened them up in the form of a halwa or
ground them up in the form of a chutney or rolled them up with some semolina into
cute little laddoos then why not try them in the form of wine? I am sure you will love
this humble root wine!
Beetroot Wine
Prep time: 5 mins | Cooking time: 30-40 mins | Fermenting time: 2 days + 2-3 weeks | Yield
approx 3 litres
Ingredients:
2-1/4 litres (approx 9 cups) water * see notes

1 kg beetroots
750 grams sugar (regular granulated will do)
7 grams active dried yeast
30 grams fresh ginger, peeled and sliced or chopped
1/2 of a big lemon or a small orange
3-4 cloves
Method:
1. Wash the beetroots well and slice them thinly. Boil them in the water along with
the ginger, cloves and zest of the lemon or orange (* see notes) till the beetroots
are tender and lose their colour (the colour will change from a deep red to almost
peach).
2. While the liquid is still hot strain it into a large pan and add the sugar. Stir till the
sugar has dissolved and let the liquid cool down a bit
3. When the liquid is lukewarm scoop out 2 tablespoons of it into a small bowl and
add the yeast and give it a stir. Let the yeast froth up for about 10 mins. * see notes
4. Add the yeast mixture and the lemon/orange juice into the liquid, stir well and
cover it with two layers of muslin cloth (bairas) and keep undisturbed in a warm
place for 2 days to begin fermentation.
5. After two days transfer the liquid into a clean, dry and sterile ceramic jar
(bharani/buyaon) or a glass jar with a wide mouth and cover securely with the same
muslin cloth topped with a lid. Keep in a warm place for at least 2-3 weeks. The
longer you keep it the better it will taste. I recommend a period of 3-4 weeks but 2
weeks is fine.
6. Siphon off and bottle it. Store and enjoy!
Notes:
1. I used the standard cup measure where 1 cup = 240ml. You need to use potable
(drinking) water - filter water is ok or you can boil and cool tap water. Mineral water
may not be ideal - this is what I have read.
2. Zest is the outer most skin of citrus fruits. Use a microplane zester or peel the
skin very thinly but avoid peeling the white portion of the fruit as it is very bitter.
3. If the yeast does not froth up even after 12-15 mins, discard it. It could be old or
of poor quality. Buy good quality, freshly packed yeast.
4. If you don't have a siphon (tube which is used to transfer liquid from a container
to another one using a suction method) strain the wine carefully using a muslin
cloth or a tea strainer and a funnel into a clean, dry, sterile wine bottle. Make sure
that you don't shake the jar too much while straining or the thick, muddy sediment
that has settled at the bottom of the jar will get disturbed and ruin the wine.
Pineapple Peel Wine
October has barely begun and I am already in the mood to celebrate Christmas :-) Indian winters
are nothing to be excited about but the season brings with it a lot of cheer and warmth. Speaking
about cheer - the last quarter of the year is always the best time of the year. Infact, the festive
season here usually starts around mid August and ends when a brand new year is ushered in. I am
so looking forward to all the festivities, colour and cheer that will soon follow.
In preparation for Christmas and all the goodies that will soon follow on my blog, I thought it
was an ideal time to post this recipe of the pineapple peel wine that I tried making early this year.
Although it is a quick wine that is ready in less than two weeks, I allowed it to take its own sweet
time to mature and now, after several months it is ready to face the world. Err, it has gone
through stringent quality tests though and has been served to a few guests who have given it the
thumbs up - so technically it has already faced the world.
The best part about this wine is that it is made with an ingredient that is usually considered a
waste - the peel of the pineapple that is discarded without a second thought as soon as the fruit is
cut. Sugar is the only ingredient that contributes to the 'cost' of this wine - since it makes a small
batch it is ideal for consumption at a simple family gathering than a large party.
So the next time you buy a pineapple, don't discard the peel - make some wine out of it, wait for
a couple of months before you serve this golden wine that exudes the warmth and colour of the
shining sun! Go make some for Christmas, pour a little for yourself and enjoy some home made
cheer!!
Pineapple Peel Wine

Prep time: 10 mins + 13 days | Cook time: Nil | Yield: approx 1.25 litres
You Need:
peel of 1 medium sized pineapple (discard the crown)
3 cups sugar
3 cups potable/drinking water (boiled and cooled water)
1/8th tsp yeast
1 egg white well beaten
Method:
1. Transfer the peel into a large (approx 2 litres) glass/ceramic jar and add the water, sugar, yeast,
egg white and stir well.
2. Cover with the lid, do not fasten it (alternatively just cover the mouth of the jar with a thick
cloth). Keep undisturbed in a clean, dry place of your kitchen for 3 days.
3. After 3 days, strain the liquid through a clean muslin cloth into a clean vessel. Discard the peel
and transfer the liquid back into the jar and cover. The wine will be ready for consumption after
10 days.
4. If you wish to keep it longer, fasten the lid of the jar and keep in a cool, dry place till you are
ready to serve. Decant before serving.
Notes:
Do ensure that the pineapple is washed thoroughly before peeling it. It is a waste of precious
juices and flavours if you wash the peel afterwards.
Egg whites is normally used in winemaking as it is one of the fining agents
used for the purpose of clarifying the wine. Egg whites, clay or other
compounds help precipitate dead yeast cells or other unwanted solids out of
a wine.
Rice Wine
It's never too late to post a wine recipe is it? Well, I think you may just have another
wine, just in time for Christmas if you make it right away! Pronto! Got caught up in a
million little things at home and somehow although I've been grooving to the
Christmas songs I am yet to execute my long list of Christmas To-Dos. I am so
excited to look forward to the lovely and busy month of December. Birthdays,
shopping, travelling, meeting family & friends, celebrating Christmas and then
bringing in the New Year and a brand new month & year before we head back to our
lives here in Mumbai. So many things to do and so little time! Well, I am saying this
despite the fact that I've been planning for Christmas since two months, time never
seems enough. I have a whole laundry list of things to do - try out new recipes &
post them on the blog, buy gifts and wrap them, put up the Christmas tree &
decorations - all before the 18th of Dec before I travel. Phew!
The past couple of weeks saw me scavenging around for wine bottles. Well, these
are not specially crafted bottles (like the decanter) but just pretty ones that I
wanted to store the wine in and possibly gift someone. It is really sad that in a place
like Mumbai where it is almost impossible to return empty handed from a shopping
trip for anything that you fancy, I did not find a single bottle! Shoppers Stop,
Lifestyle, Home Centre, Home Stop and my local crockery-wala - the answer was
always 'no'. Finally I went to Andheri Market and asked for a wine bottle or bottle to
store wine and got puzzled looks in return. Eventually I had to shed my inhibitions
and bluntly ask for 'sharaab ka bothal' (liquor bottle) and got smirks instead. As if I
was going to a liquor shop to buy my quota of booze. Tsk tsk!
The only option I was left with was to actually empty my collection of liquor/wines in
my bar at home (which my man only likes to collect although both of us don't go
beyond an occasional beer or wine while we entertain guests). Anyway, a big lesson
learnt - never attempt making wine at home unless you have enough bottles to
store it in! (and of course a large glass/ceramic jar to make the wine in).You see,
after I made the ginger wine (which is tasting better with every passing day) I
caught this major obsession to try out wine after wine from my mum's handwritten
book [I am clarifying this as I got mails from readers asking if my mother had
published a book - well, no, she hasn't authored any although it's not such a bad
idea , I must tell her!:-)]
So coming back to the Rice wine, the very name gives you a feel that this could be
the typical oriental variety. Rice wine features prominently in Chinese & East Asian's
cuisines. The Japanese Sake (pronounced as Sa-Keh) is gaining popularity thanks to
restaurants that bring world cuisine especially the Sushi to the table. Although in
Japan Sake is more of a general term for all kind of alcoholic beverages, the rice
alcohol is called the Nihonshu and is made through a brewing process more like that
of beer than a regular fermenting process that the wine calls for.
So that makes us Mangaloreans the pioneers in making sweet wine made of rice by
the fermenting process (ha! Just kidding). Rice wine looks & tastes almost like toddy
(palm wine) in its nascent stages. Mine turned out a bit more strong since I was over
ambitious about making the entire quantity of wine (with 4.5 litres of wine when my
ceramic jar could hold only 4 litres of liquid). So as and how the rice & sugar was
added to the water, the water started spilling out of the jar. Tsk tsk! Too bad I didn't
realise that the jar needs to be really large to accommodate all that water, sugar &
rice - I had the Thirsty Crow story unfolding right in front of my eyes :-( I did remove
a litre of water from the jar, so that explains why the wine is a lot more strong than
intended - but that's ok, I can drink my blues away someday in the future and get
totally intoxicated, haha!
I think Ginger & Rice wines are so apt for the Christmas season - Mangalorean
tradition says so. Grape wine however is an all season wine and is more associated
with the wedding celebrations (but let's not get into the discussion of whether they
even serve genuine wine at weddings these days)
Do try this wine right away if you want to taste it just in time for Christmas. Instead
of the customary 3 weeks, you may keep this wine to ferment for 17-18 days (or
until the frothing stops) and then decant. Bottle it just before serving. Making it for
New Year is not such a bad idea (assuming you have already made the ginger wine
for Christmas)
Rice Wine
Preparation time: 10 mins | Fermenting time: 3 weeks | Yield: approx 4.5 litres
You Need:
4-1/2 litres boiled & cooled water

350 gm raw rice * see notes
1.5 kg sugar
juice of 3 limes (or lemons)
120 gm raisins (preferably golden)
1-1/2 tbsp dried yeast (I used DCL)
50ml brandy
You will also require:
a clean & dry 6 litre glass or ceramic jar ('buyaon' in Konkani/ 'bharani' in
Kannada)
a long spoon or spatula to stir the contents
clean & dry empty wine or liquor bottles (approx 3 standard bottles)
a strainer
a large, clean & dry steel vessel to strain out the contents
a clean & dry funnel to pour the wine into the bottle
Method:
1. Extract the juice of the limes. Clean raisins, wash, dry & set aside. Dissolve the
yeast in a little lukewarm water.
2. Place all the ingredients including the water into the ceramic jar and stir the
sugar until it is mixed well (doesn't need to dissolve right away as granulated sugar
will take sometime to dissolve which is ok)
3. Keep the jar in a warm dry place of your kitchen. Stir the contents with the long
spoon/spatula once a day. Gently squeeze the puffed up raisins that float to surface
with your fingers - this is just to get all the juices out of the raisins.
4. After 3 weeks strain the contents into the clean, dry steel vessel. Discard the rice
& raisin skins. Add the brandy, give it a stir and store the liquid back into the
washed & dried ceramic jar until you are ready to bottle it or use a funnel to fill the
bottles with the wine.
5. Ensure that the bottles are placed where they needn't be moved around (this is
because the decanting process requires the containers to be absolutely still as the
sediment settles to the bottom of the bottles).
Notes:
You can use any type of raw rice (belthige as its called in Kannada, Surai as its
called in Konkani) I used cheaper quality Basmati rice. You needn't wash the rice.
Homemade Fermented Rice Wine
With just a few simple ingredients and a bit of time, you can make your own homemade rice
wine. It is very easy to do and it tastes delicious. All you need is glutinous rice and a special kind
of yeast. The resulting wine is fruity and slightly sweet. It is nice to drink straight, and can also
be used in cooking where you would use mirin or sake.
The key ingredient (apart from the rice, of course), and probably the hardest to find, is the yeast.
Specifically designed for making rice wine, it come in little balls like this:
We got ours from the 99 Ranch Asian supermarket. They were sold in a package containing a
few dozen individually wrapped pairs of yeast balls, and were labeled "Rice Cake".
The preferred rice to use is glutenous rice (also known as "sticky" or "sweet" rice). It gets
prepared just as you would for eating - we used our rice cooker. For our 2 liter jar we started with
about 650g (3 measuring cups, or 4 rice-cooker cups) of uncooked rice.
After the rice is cooked, spread it out on a sheet pan. Once it has cooled, it is time to put in a
container to ferment.
Put a yeast ball in a bowl and smash it into a fine powder. Scoop a layer of rice an inch or two
thick into the container and sprinkle some of the yeast powder on top. Repeat this process until
the container is filled.
That's it! Now it is time to wait. After a day or so, you will begin to see signs of activity as the
yeast get to work. Carbon-dioxide gas bubbles will be generated as the alcohol is produced, so
don't seal it too tightly. As the yeast break down the rice, the liquid wine will begin to pool at the
bottom of the container. Here is what ours looked like after two days:
Try a little taste of the wine every day or two as it progresses - it tastes good straight from the
beginning and it definitely changes over time.
Here is our wine after four days - you can see how much more liquid has pooled at the bottom:
This is a taster we poured at the four day mark. The wine is fruity, slightly effervescent, and
really enjoyable:
We let this batch go for a total of 14 days. At this point the wine had lost its effervescence, but
remained fruity, slightly sweet and creamy, with a pleasant alcohol kick.
We poured it through a square of cheese cloth to remove the rice hulls, transferred the wine to a
bottle, and refrigerated it for storing and serving. The resulting rice wine will be fairly cloudy at
first, with fine rice particles mixed in. If you let it stand in the fridge, it will clarify and separate
with a dense layer of white sediment at the bottom. You can pour the clarified wine off, but it
isn't necessary to do so.
After our success with this first test batch, we did a much larger batch using a beer fermentation
bucket. The process was the same - just with a larger volume of rice.
Cheers!
Making Traditional Chinese Rice Wine

Leave a reply
I will admit I dont know a lot about Chinese Rice Wine. What I do know is (a) it is not the same
thing as sake and (b) it is ridiculously easy to make the simplest fermented product I have
made other than sauerkraut. Three ingredients rice, water, and a yeast/mold culture. If you can
cook a pot of rice you can make rice wine.
Most of what I have learned about rice wine I learned from the community at Homebrewtalk via
this epic thread so I would first like to give credit to all who contributed to that still-ongoing
4000 post discussion. I also learned a lot about the history, diversity and science of rice wine
from this article on the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization site.
First a little background. Rice wine has been made since perhaps 4000 BC in China and has also
been made for millenia in most other East Asian countries. Each country in the region has its
own traditional rice wine and while the methods and ingredients vary, the basic process is much
the same across the region. Rice wine production is actually much closer to brewing beer than
winemaking; grains are saccharified by way of an enzymatic process and then the resulting
sugars are converted to alcohol by yeast. While saccharification in beer is accomplished by
malting the barley (or other grains), which activates the alpha and beta amylase enzymes
contained in the grain, saccharification in rice wine is accomplished by introducing a mold or
fungus. The yeast balls used to make rice wine are actually a blend of the fungus needed to
saccharify the rice and the yeast needed to ferment it. As a beverage, though, rice wine is without
a doubt much closer to wine than beer dry, still, and high in alcohol.
The ingredients are quite simple but it is important to get them right. First you need rice, and you
need to use a rice with a high carbohydrate content. Sweet or Glutinous rice (aka sticky rice) is
the most traditional rice to use. Jasmine rice is less traditional but ferments (and tastes) great.
Sushi rice and Black Sweet Rice are other good choices. Ordinary long grain white rice is NOT a
good choice and will not work well. Same goes for for brown or wild rice.
Second you will need to find the yeast balls. This is the hardest part for a lot of people. Luckily
there are some great Chinese markets where I live so this has never been an issue for me. You
MUST use a yeast specifically designed for making rice wine ordinary brewers yeast will not
work. Remember, the yeast balls are actually a combination of yeast and the fungus needed to
convert the starch from the rice into sugar. The yeast balls I use were actually labeled rice
cakes so be prepared for bad translations and guess-work.
The first step is to cook a pot of rice as you normally would boil it, steam it, use a rice cooker;
it really doesnt seem to matter how you do it, just cook it. You should use less water than usual,
about 1.5 cups of water per cup of rice or even a bit less. Soaking or rinsing the rice is not
necessary but will not hurt (if you are steaming the rice, you should soak it as usual). Once the
rice is cooked, leave it in the pot with the cover on until it cools to 90-100F.
Once the rice is cool, transfer it into a large glass jar or crock. Sanitizing the vessel and spoon
will help prevent infection/contamination but is not critical. If you dont have a brewing sanitizer
like Star-San on hand, just rinse the vessel in very hot water and that should suffice.
Crush the yeast balls and sprinkle into the rice as you layer the rice in the jar/crock. For every 45 cups of uncooked rice you used, a couple yeast balls will suffice. Once you are finished filling
the fermentation vessel, cover it loosely and put it in a cool, dark place. You can place a
cheesecloth or paper towel between the jar and the lid if you are worried that the seal will be too
tight to allow gas to escape. As with all fermentation processes, carbon dioxide will be produced
as a by-product and will need to be allowed to vent. The ideal temperature for fermentation
seems to be between 60-70F higher temperatures can produce a hot, acetone-like alcohol
flavor while lower temperatures will take longer to complete.
After a few days, the rice will smell sweet with hints of vanilla and cinnamon, and liquid will be
visible. At this point you can sneak a taste if you like in fact you can eat this as a sweet, slightly
alcoholic rice porridge which is apparently a popular breakfast food in some places.
The rice will continue to liquefy over the next couple weeks until all that is remaining is a blob
of rice floating on top. After about three weeks it should be ready although you can wait an
additional week or so without any problem. Once fermentation is complete, separate the liquid
from the solids using a strainer, mesh bag, cheesecloth or t-shirt. Again, sanitation is not critical
but recommended.
Once you have strained out the liquid, bottle it and store it in the refrigerator to ensure
fermentation stops or at least slows down. After a few days the solids will settle to the bottom of
the bottle and you can strain off the clear liquid for a clear product. The glass at the top of the
post and below is from a batch I made from half black sweet rice and half jasmine rice which I
strained off for purely aesthetic reasons.
If you leave the solids in the bottle, shake the bottle before serving to re-suspend them. Some
prefer the taste with the solids, some prefer it strained, so it is purely a matter of personal
preference. Below is an unstrained glass from a batch made from half glutinous and half jasmine
rice. The unstrained versions seem more likely to continue to ferment so keep that in mind you
may want to pasteurize the bottles, leave the lid a bit loose, or use beer or champagne bottles
which can withstand pressure.
Like I said I am no expert on rice wine but have had fun experimenting with the process. It is
really interesting trying out different blends of rice and seeing the differences in flavor and color
that results. The taste is not for everyone (especially when you are a newbie and not quite sure
what you are doing) but some people love it. It is strong enough that you can pass it around at a
BBQ and do shots and strange enough that most people will appreciate the novelty if nothing
else. All in all I recommend anyone with the urge to at least give it a try.
I brought some of my homemade rice wine to a home brew club meeting and shared some with a
Vietnamese homebrewer who told me that they do indeed make something similar in Vietnam.
They make a big crock-full when their daughter is born and then bury it and let it age until her
eighteenth birthday. Feel free to age this as long as you like but it tastes just fine fresh after three
weeks of fermentation. Although I do have a few bottles tucked away in the back of my fridge, I
dont think they will make it for eighteen years.
chinese rice wine

Viewed 6807 times
Also Known As
Yellow Wine, Shao Hsing, Shao Xing
Description
Chinese Rice wine or Ang Jiu is an alcoholic beverage made from rice. Known colloquially as
"yellow wine," rice wine is a rich-flavored liquid that is made from fermented glutinous rice or
millet. Aged for ten years or more, rice wine is used both in drinking and cooking (the rice wine
used for cooking has a lower alcohol content). Since ancient times, the best and most famous rice
wines have come from Shaoxing in the Zheijang province .Unlike wine, which is made by
fermentation of naturally sweet grapes and other fruit, rice "wine" results from the fermentation
of rice starch converted to sugars.
This process is akin to that used to produce beer; however, beer production employs a mashing
process to convert starch to sugars whereas rice wine uses the different amylolytic process. Rice
brew typically has a higher alcohol content (18-25%) than wine (10-20%), which in turn has a
higher alcohol content than beer (3-8%). Although Chinese rice wine warmers come in a variety
of shapes, sizes and colors, the most popular one is Blue Dragon style. The Blue Dragon against
a white porcelain background is one of the more traditional designs and many customers also use
the warmers to heat their tea or sake.
How to select
Look for rice wines with an alcohol content of 17.5 percent. If unavailable, a good quality pale
dry sherry makes an acceptable substitute. Dry sherry is preferable to sake (the Japanese rice
wine) which has a sweeter flavor than Chinese rice wines.Avoid using the "cooking liquor" or
"cooking wine" that is available at regular supermarkets as a substitute for rice wine unless
absolutely necessary - these have a lower alcohol content and do not have the same flavor as rice
wine.
Culinary uses
Chinese rice wine is traditionally consumed warm-probably not what you're thirsting for on a
hot summer day or balmy evening.
Chinese rice wine is surprisingly versatile as a Cocktail ingredient.
In cooking, rice wine is frequently used in sauces to add flavor, and as the acidic ingredient in
marinades
Rice wine is used for Chinese delicacies like Drunken chicken, pork dumplings seasoned with
rice wine, steamed fish and cut chicken preparations.
How to store
Store rice wine at room temperature, preferably out of sunlight.
Health benefits
Rice wine contains approximately 20 kinds of amino acids, and these are the components that
affect the Umami (flavor) and fragrance of the sak.hese components help to improve immune
system and activate brain function.
Rice wine is known to improve liver functions, increase good cholesterol and prevent
osteoporosis.
Homemade Ginger Beer with Wild Yeast

by SLOMakerSpace
Vote!
We love ginger beer, and wanted to try making some at home. Turns out that it's really easy! You
just need a few ingredients and a little patience.
We used:
One large piece of ginger. We put a lot of ginger in, so this can be "to taste."
Sugar, 2 cups. I measure it out at the beginning and put it into a separate
container for convenience.
Lemon juice from 2 lemons
Filtered water, a little more than a gallon
Bottles. I used two wire bale bottles (from Trader Joe's holiday ginger brew)
and three 22oz beer bottles. Make sure your bottles can accommodate
slightly more than a gallon of ginger beer.
Tools:
Quart sized mason jar with screw-on ring
Cheesecloth that fits over the top of the mason jar
Medium sized pot for boiling water
Basic bottling setup: StarSan sanitizer, measuring cup + funnel (or a bottling
bucket or siphon), bottle caps, capper tool
**Please note**
This recipe uses wild yeast, the yeast that naturally occurs and floats around
in the air. Your local yeast may go like gangbusters, or it may hardly fizz at all.
Consider it an experiment!
Once you've bottled the yeasted beer for the second fermentation, there is a
chance that the pressure can cause the bottle to explode. Be sure to use
proper bottles, store them somewhere that any potential mess is contained,
and put your brew in the fridge as soon as it's done fermenting.
Step 1: Starting the Bug, or First Fermentation
The "bug" for a fermented drink is just like the starter for sourdough bread. It's a little colony of
yeast that you raise in a safe, warm environment until it's ready to get to work carbonating your
beer.
To start the bug:
Take your ginger and cut off about 1/2 of it, setting the rest aside. Peel your
ginger with a spoon and chop finely.
Put about a cup of lukewarm filtered water into a very clean mason jar. Add
the ginger and 2 tsp of sugar, and swirl it together gently.
Put the cloth over the top and use the ring or rubber band to hold it down.
Place your bug somewhere dark and warm-ish, like a cabinet over the stove.
Add an additional 2 tsp sugar each day for about a week, or until it you can
hear it fizzing.
When you hear a constant fizz and start seeing bubbles or foam, the bug is ready to go. My most
recent batch took about 10 days.
Step 2: Prepping for Second Fermentation
Now that your yeast is all fired up, it's time to move it into its new home.
Preparing the brew
Get out a pot and boil 1/2 gallon of filtered water. While it's warming up, peel
and chop the other half of your ginger root.
Add the chopped ginger and the rest of the sugar (should be about 1 1/2
cups) to the water. Stir until sugar dissolves, then allow to cool to room
temperature.
Add the started bug and the lemon juice.
Strain the mixture into a large container. I used a fine colander lined with
cloth to catch all the bits.
Add another 1/2 gallon of filtered water to the container, so you have about a
gallon of sweet, gingery pre-beer.
While the brew cools down, start sanitizing your bottles.
Mix up your StarSan in a large bucket

Fully submerge all your bottles and bottling equipment (measuring cup and
funnel) for at least 2 minutes. No need to rinse.
Step 3: Bottling and the hard part....waiting
To bottle the beer:
Slowly pour your pre-beer into each bottle, filling to the base of the bottle
neck. A bottling bucket with a spout makes this very easy, or just use a
measuring cup with a pouring spout and a funnel.
Pop on a bottle cap, and rinse off any stickiness on the outside of the bottle.
Put your bottles somewhere dark and cool to continue fermenting. I keep
mine in a large plastic box just in case anything gets explode-y.
This second fermentation can take a couple weeks or a couple months, depending on your yeast
and environment. You may want to use smaller bottles for your first batch, so you can open one
each week (after 3 or four weeks to start) and see how the carbonation is coming along. I almost
tossed our first batch when it was flat after a month, but after 2 months it was fizzy and
delicious, so just be patient.
Once your brew is fizzy, move it into a refrigerator to slow the fermentation. Open a bottle and
enjoy!
Beet Kvass
Ingredients:
4-5 small to medium beets, peeled and quartered (you want them cut this
size, because you will use them in a second batch and will be cutting them in
half)
1.5 -2% brine (22.5 - 30 grams of salt to 1.5 liters of water)
juice of one lemon, or 1 whole lemon cut into quarters (optional)
1 inch hunk of ginger, peeled and cut into a few pieces (optional)
Instructions:
1. Place the beets in your 1 1/2 liter jar, you want them to fill your jar about
halfway
2. Add enough brine to fill. Stir well. Clamp down the lid. Place the airlock into
the lid and fill with 1 1/2 tablespoons of water.
3. Cover the jar with a cloth and leave on the counter or in a cupboard covered
to protect it from UV light.
4. Ferment in a warm place (mid 70F to low 80F) for 7 to 9 days. You may see
bubbles forming on the top. This indicates active cultures are thriving. Taste
after several days.
5. Transfer the beet kvass into wire stopper bottles, if desired add some grated
ginger and the juice of one lemon divided into the bottles, let sit in a dark
cupboard for one more week before moving to the fridge.
6. Take the used beets and cut them in half and add back to your vessel. This
time add a hunk of ginger and one lemon cut into wedges. Add brine to fill.
Repeat process. The second brewing with the beets will be a bit different.
Mine usually turn out a bit cleaner and more effervescent.
7. (Simply double this recipe for a 3 liter vessel.)
8. *Note - If you have purchased beets with greens make sure your beets have
been detached from your greens for at least a week before using them. If you
have ever had issues with Kahn yeast showing up (white foamy yeast at end
of ferment) - you might want to add a teaspoon of sugar to the brine to

provide enough food for the LABs.
9. **Note: If your temperatures are lower than 70 degrees in the winter simply
extend your initial ferment time to 10-14 days (this is about right for my
kitchen).
10.***Note: To make a 2% brine, use 19 grams of fine grind sea salt per quart of
water.
The nice thing about this beet kvass is it will not be too thick or syrupy, it will not be salty, you
do not have to use an inoculant such as whey (which actually skips fermentation steps and is not
the right bacteria you want), or a starter culture (which can be costly). I know so many people
who have been turned off by the beet kvass recipes out there, particularly the one in Nourishing
Traditions (no offense, Sally Fallon but thank you for introducing me to beet kvass I owe you a
debt of gratitude). I promise you will like this beet kvass if you give it a chance! I have been
advised to let beet kvass age in the refrigerator after it is done fermenting on the counter for at
least 3 weeks or more. This helps to give it more depth of flavor, reduce the salty taste and
increase the healing benefits. Give beet kvass a fair try before you give up on it, because I cant
even begin to tell you the immense benefits it will provide you with.
1K
+
I personally find that beet kvass helps balance my hormones and keep my skin clear. It is also a
powerful intestinal mover! There are many benefits to this healing tonic and I usually try to
incorporate it into my diet each fall through spring on a daily basis. Read more about the health
properties of beets Beets: A Healthy Bile Builder.

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Wish you all a Very Happy Easter!!!

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