Learning About Homemade Wines and the Types of Dried Fruit & Grain Wines
The making of wines from dried fruits and grain is delicately popular to the townsman for these ingredients can easily obtainable plus they make good wines. The mixtures of dried fruit and grains make for strong, but not too fully flavored wines are often likened to whiskeys and brandies.
Wines made from dried fruits and grain need time to mature or reach their best, probably two years are not too long, though at one year they are very excellent wines. As with root wines the addition of some acid is very important; this is put into the ‘must’ as oranges and lemons.
DRIED APRICOT WINE This is a really delightful pale gold wine that most people like as a dry wine. 6 lb. dried apricots, w oranges, 3 1/2 lb. sugar, 9 pts. water, 1 oz. yeast, 1 tablespoonful of freshly made tea. 1.Put the apricots in the fermenting vessel with the cut-up oranges and their peel. Fold the orange peel and squeeze to get as much oil out of it as you can. 2.Boil two pounds of sugar in seven pints of water for two minutes and pour over the fruits while still boiling. 3.Allow to cool and add the yeast. Cover as directed and ferment for ten days. Remember to crush it by hand each day and cover it again at once. 4.After ten days, strain and wring out as dry as you can and put the strained liquor in the gallon jar. 5.Boil the remaining sugar in the last two pints of water for two minutes and when cool add to the rest, and then add the tea. 6.Cover as directed or fit fermentation lock and leave until all fermentation has ceased.
BRAVERY’S OWN SCOTCH This is another recipe that has become well known amongst wine makers throughout the country. 1 1/2 lb. wheat, 1 1/2 lb. raisins, 4 oranges, 3 1/2 lb. sugar, 1 oz. yeast, 9 pts. water, and 1 tablespoonful of freshly made strong tea. 1.Prepare the wheat raisins as already advised and put them in the fermenting vessel with the sliced oranges and their peel. Boil half the sugar in three quarts of water for two minutes and pour this over the material in the fermenting vessel. Mix well and when cool add the yeast. Cover as directed and ferment for seven days, stirring well each day and covering again at once. Strain and wring out dry and put the strained liquor into a gallon jar with the tea. Then boil the rest of the sugar in the remaining three pints of water for two minutes and when cool add to the rest. Cover again as directed or fit fermentation lock and leave until all fermentation has ceased. PRUNE PORT 6.lb. prunes, 2 lemons, 3 1/2 lb. sugar, 9 pts. water, 1oz. yeast.
CURRANT WINE No lemons are required here as currants contain sufficient acid, neither is tea required. 4 lb. currants, 1 lb. raisins, 2 3/4 lb. sugar, 1 oz. yeast, 9 pts. water. 1.Prepare the currants by the method given for prunes in the previous recipe, and put in the fermenting vessel. Boil half the sugar (or roughly half) in seven pints water for two minutes and pour on to the currants at once. Allow to cool and add the yeast. Cover as directed and ferment for twelve days, crushing and covering again each day. 2.After twelve days, strain out the solids and wring out as dry as you can and put the strained liquor into a gallon jar. 3.Boil the rest of the sugar in the remaining two pints of water for two minutes and when cool add to the rest. Cover as directed or fit fermentation lock and leave until all fermentation has ceased.
RAISIN WINE 3 lb. raisins, 3 lemons, 2 lb. sugar, 9 pts. water, 1 oz. yeast, 1 tablespoonful of freshly made tea. 1.Less sugar than usual is required here because the large amount of raisins will give a lot of sugar to the wine - which will not be dry. For a dry raisin wine use only one and a quarter pound of sugar. Put the raisins and the sliced lemons and the tea in the Fermenting vessel. 2.Boil all the sugar in all the water (or half the water at a time if your saucepan is on the small side), and add the rest while boiling. 3.When cool, add the yeast and ferment for fourteen days, stirring daily and covering again at once. Strain and wring out as dry as you can and put the strained liquor into a gallon jar. Cover as directed or fit fermentation lock and leave until all fermentation has ceased.
For years, Olivia Frisch has been learning the tricks to making a fabulous homemade wine. Did you realize you can even use dried fruits & grains to make a professional tasting vino? It’s not as challening of a process as you might have thought. To learn more about making homemade wine, follow the link.
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