Wine Recipes - Part 1

Lemon Wine

Ingredients:

Lemons - 10
Sugar -1 ¼ kg
Raisins or sultanas -450 grams, chopped

Water -4 ½ liters

Yeast -1 tsp
Method:

·         Wash lemons and wipe it with a kitchen tissue or clean cloth.

• With a citrus peeler or vegetable peeler thinly peel the lemon zest without the white part. Extract the juice from the lemons and keep aside.
• Boil sugar, water and lemon zest in a big vessel and let the mixture to cool.
• When the mixture becomes lukewarm, add lemon juice, raisins, 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 21 days untouched. After 21 days strain the wine again, pour it in to clean dry bottles.

·         This wine improves greatly with keeping it for at least 3 months. 

Mint Wine

Ingredients:

Mint -2 bunches or 4 cups chopped

Sugar – 1 ¼ kg

Water 3 ½ liter

Lemon juice – ½ cup

Lemon zest of 2 lemons

Yeast – ½ 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.

Orange Wine

Ingredients:

Oranges -10

Sugar – 1 ½ kg

Water- 4 ½ liter

Yeast – ½ 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. 

Jack Fruit Wine / Chakka Wine

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 – ½ tsp

Method:

·         Make a syrup of sugar and water.

·         Dissolve yeast in ½ 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.

Mango Wine / Manga Wine

Cooking time – 10 minutes

Ready in 42 days

Yield –about 5 liters

Ingredients:

Ripe Mangoes / Manga – 1 kg

Sugar – 1 ¼ kg (or more depending upon the sweetness of mango)

Boiled cooled water – 4 liters

Yeast – ½ tbsp

Kalkandam / Rock Sugar – 250 gm

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 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 / 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.

Poached Pears in Homemade Grape Wine 

Recipe Source ~ various internet sites

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves ~ 4 to 6

Ingredients:

8-10 small Pears

1 ½ cups of red wine (I used Grape wine)

¾ cups of granulated sugar

Juice from 1 orange

2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Lemon zest of ½ lemon

Orange zest from 1 orange

2 tsp vanilla essence

1”x2 cinnamon sticks

3 cloves

Pinch of nutmeg

Method:

·         Peel the pears, leaving stem intact.

·         Combine all ingredients, except pears, and bring to a boil. 

·         Once the wine mixture is boiling, turn heat down to a simmer and add the pears. 

·         Simmer pears for 10-12 minutes and then turn pears and simmer for an additional 8-10 minutes; until they are tender and are easily poked through with a fork. 

·         Remove pears and let them cool. 

·         Boil wine sauce until the liquid has been reduced by half. 

·         Pour sauce over pears and serve warm or at room temperature.

Guava Wine / Perakka Wine

Cooking time – 10 minutes

Ready in 42 days

Yield –about 5 litres

Ingredients:

Guava / Perakka – 1 kg (not overly ripe)

Sugar – 1 ½ to 2 kg (depending upon the sweetness of guava)

Boiled cooled water – 4 litres

Yeast – 1 tbsp (I only used ½ 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.

Beetroot Wine

Preparation time – 20 mints

Cooking time – 25 mints

Ready to use – in 14 days

Ingredients:

Beetroot – 2 ½ Kg, grated

Sugar - 2 Kg

Water -5 litre

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 ½ 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.

Cherry Wine

Preparation and Cooking Time – about 30 minutes

Ready to use– after 35 days

Yield – 5-6 litres

Ingredients:

Fresh cherries - 1kg

Sugar - 1.25kg

Water - 4 litres

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. 

Nellikka Wine / Amla Wine / Indian Gooseberry Wine{without yeast}
Ingredients:
Nellikka / Amla / Indian Gooseberries - 100 nos.
Water - 3 litre
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.

Rice Wine / Ari Wine
Ingredients:

Rice -500 gm (you can use either Basmati Rice or Par-boiled rice)

Sugar-1 ¼ kg

Lime juice and zest of 2 limes

Yeast-1 tsp (I only added ½ tsp)

Raisins- 100 gm

Boiled and cooled water- 3 litres

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.