Homemade Grape Wine

From the time I remember,we’ve always had some kind of homemade wine in our house. Amma made sure that all the jars were kept full,always! It’s a tradition among Catholics in Kerala to serve wine and cake for the newlyweds,when they come to your house for their first visit as a couple. It could be even after 10 years of their marriage and 3 kids! 😉

Christmas is never complete for me without making a batch of homemade wine and of course,my Grand aunt’s Fruitcake. Every single person that I know of in my family,makes wine during this season. Our family makes a wine out of every fruit that they can get hold of in Kerala! Amma makes wine using Pineapple, Grapes, Ginger, Nutmeg, Beer (!) and even Rice! I normally make a small batch as opposed to Amma who makes atleast 30 liters every season using her extra large,extra long spoon kept aside just for stirring wine!

This is a fuss free recipe with basic ingredients and it works like a charm every single time. This is our family recipe which my Amma passed onto me a few years ago,when I decided to continue that tradition with my little family. Use clean jars for making the wine and storing it.

Ingredients:

Homemade Grape Wine
Makes

Ingredients:
1.5 kilograms red / black grapes
2 kilograms granulated sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 egg white, lightly beaten
4.5 litres water,room temperature
200 grams wheat berries

Method:

Method:
1.Wash the grapes and separate them from the stalks. Mash it lightly just enough to break up their skin. The grapes can be with seeds or seedless.
2. Add all the ingredients into the jar* that you are planning to use for wine and stir it well. Leave it in a cool,dark place.
3. Stir the ingredients together well,once a day,for the next 21 days. You will see a few weird looking stuff developing during this time,it is okay.
4. On the 21st day, strain the wine using a strainer lined with cheesecloth and pour it back into the same container that it was in previously. Dump all the stuff that you just strained out.
5.Leave it untouched for the next 21 days. You should not stir it during this time.
6. Transfer the wine into glass bottles,making sure that you don’t disturb the sediments at the bottom of the jar.
7. This wine is shelf stable for years and gets stronger and stronger as the time goes by! I love it when it’s served chilled.

*I use a big ANCHOR glass jar with a loose lid. You shouldn’t store in airtight jars during the first 42 days. It may explode from the gases that’s being formed.
* As the wine sits in the bottle, you may see some sediments forming in the bottom . Pour out the wine for your use without disturbing it. This usually happens if you didn’t bottle it carefully.