Make a fine for this christmas at home here is method try this one
- Seeded or Seedless Grapes – 2 lbs or 1 kg approx
- Sugar – 4 lbs (double the quantity of grapes)
- Water – 4.5 liters (Boiled and Cooled or you can use distilled/purified water)
- Active Dry Yeast – 2 tsps
- Luke Warm Water – 1/2 Cup (for dissolving the yeast)
- Cinnamon Stick – 1 (optional)
- Cloves – 3 (optional)
- Sugar – 1/2 Cup (For Caramelizing)
preparation method
- Clean the Ceramic/Glass Jar and allow it to sun dry before using it for making wine.
- Boil water and allow it to cool completely.
- Clean and wash the grapes well and remove the stalks.
- Dissolve yeast in luke warm water and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes so that it rises.
- 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.
- Transfer the crushed grapes and sugar mixture to the ceramic/glass jar. Add the dissolved yeast to the jar.
- If using cinnamon and cloves, add it to the jar. This will give the wine a very nice spicy aroma and flavor.
- Add boiled and cooled water to the jar. Mix everything well. Keep the jar closed and airtight for around 21 days.
- You will notice air bubbles forming on the top when fermentation is taking place.
- Stir the mixture with a wooden spatula every day for 21 days. (Some people stir it on alternate days but I stirred it daily!)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Store the wine in clean, dry glass bottles. While serving, pour it carefully without disturbing Procedure for Caramelizing Sugar
- Take a saucepan and add 1/2 cup sugar.
- 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.
- Remove from fire and place the pan in ice cool water so the sugar doesn’t get burnt.
- 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.
- The wine will attain a darker color after a few days.
- For cleaning the pan after use, add water to the pan and bring it to a boil and throw away the solutionNote
- 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 didn’t 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.
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