As & how I got busy this year, is a big question and rather with a feeling that I was equally a bit lethargic & all the more occupied with overall twists & turns going around. Making a new wine each year and toasting it for Christmas & New Year had been a routine at home for years & this year I skipped it. One reason is laziness and the other one was that a whole lot of Homemade Wines right from Raisin Wine, Grape Wine, Banana Wine, Ginger Wine are lying in my pantry. Some bottled and matured over the years, new bottles lined up with fresh brew as & when each wine gets over. As I am writing this post( just as the year 2020 is nearing to its last day), I had started to brew a batch of Apple Wine & sure it is going to be ready for next year. I love well-matured Wines, so I can wait with patience even for a couple of years.
It seems as though when we think of winemaking, we think of grapes. But what about wines made from fruits other than grapes? When winemaking at home became a hobby around the world, it has become very easy for the individual home winemakers to make wines from affordable fresh fruits of the garden variety. Not only fruits, but the truth is also that wine can be made of a wide variety of Flowers or… even Honey. But the fact that a Honey Wine needed for at the least, a minimum of 10 years of the maturing period made me wince a bit. I am not sure whether I had that much patience or life span, as a matter of fact, to wait for it. At this point, I would like to say, don’t equate these wines to back-shed hooches. If perfectly brewed, these homemade Wines turn out to be tremendously tasty and can even rival the complexity of a Chardonnay or a Merlot.
I think, it is very unlikely to find these special wines in any of the liquor stores as a matter of fact. But no one stops you from brewing your own wine varieties. So, with the current collection of 5 delicious homemade wines, I am sure that you will certainly be able to find perfect homemade wine recipes for your taste. Have quite a few Wine Recipes in mind, Pineapple Wine, Pineapple Peel Wine, Orange Wine, Dates Wines...to name a few. I am sure it would take years for me to perfect it and post all these Wines in my blog.
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When talking about Homemade Wines, Grape Wine had been a default Wine made by my MIL, her mother & family. It had become a family tradition to brew a "Grape Wine alias Munthiri Wine" when there is a call for a festival or a function at home. My MIL had brewed a fresh batch of Beetroot Wine this year and yet to try that too. Years back, when I got a classic recipe collection of 100 Wines, made me try a few other variations and I am still trying out new homemade Wines from the collection.
Homemade Grape Wine & Rich Fruit Cake is a default when it comes to a family function or a festival in our family. So always they brew Wines far ahead of a celebration. But instances of celebrations pop out suddenly & time becomes a constraint. Then, I have seen the ladies running helter-skelter when the proposed Wine had not matured or didn't taste as expected. To blurt out the fact, just the day before my SIL's engagement, my MIL & her sister trios found that the Wine had not matured and didn't have the required peppiness in it. The solutions or at least to make it up to taste like wine rather than a Grape Juice was falling out of nowhere that the suggestions to add Coca Cola to Brandy lined up the suit. I was awestruck by the ideas that I moved out of the place not wanting to be an accomplice for the crime. Finally & to my relief, I found that they had sourced out Grape Wines from Diana Aunty who is popular for her homemade wines in our circle. So are the stories behind all homemade wines.
When you have ample of time & patience and if you can plan it ahead, then Homemade Wines are the best when you are toasting a Family Party. All the more you can even store it for a long time. Matured Wines have a longer shelf life. So here are a few Homemade Wines from my repertoire and sure you can see a few more in the coming years. All of these Homemade Wines use simple Wine Making technique even a beginner can follow and all the more you wouldn't require any special equipment or utensils for the purpose.
Also, I couldn't source Campden Tablets and have been sterilizing the water & the Jars perfectly for winemaking & storing purposes. If you can get hold of Campden Tablets, don’t forget to add a few Campden tablets to all the recipes. These are used as water sterilizer, just drop a couple of crushed tablets into the water, and you’re good to go.
So here I am with a few of my best homemade Wines repeatedly made and stored for years at home. And let's raise the glass and toast for the New Year, for a new beginning and a more auspicious 2021. Any excuse is good enough when it comes to drinking wine.
So, let's enjoy making Wines at home & Let's enjoy our own wines with pride.
Now enjoy the list!
Grape wine is famous. It is loved all over the world and can be literally found anywhere!
It seems as though when we think of home winemaking, we think of grapes. Walk into your local liquor store. The racks are filled with countless wines produced from Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet and other notable grapes.
So why should you brew your own? Well… just for the fun of it! Whether the grapes come from the local vineyard or your own backyard, you can make impressive grape wines with remarkable flavour, body and character – tremendous homemade wines that are worthy of recognition by friends and family. And above all, you can create these bottles of wine for a fraction of what they would cost you at the store.
A very simple recipe for an old-fashioned wine made out of Raisins. The better the raisin, the better the wine! In
the making of fruit wines, raisins are often used to add body to the
wine. Dark Raisins will make a dark, somewhat brownish wine. White or
golden raisins will make white or golden wine. This is a simple Raisin
Wine recipe with simple home-made winemaking technique, but the results
are really awesome.
This the best wine I have ever made.
We know it might sound odd, but banana wine exists. And it is delicious. Surprise your guests with this homemade Banana Wine recipe. Banana winemaking is no more difficult than making wines from Grapes. The basic process is the same, given to the same aspects as when preparing Grape Wine. But patience is much appreciated while brewing this wonderful homemade Banana Wine, as it takes a bit of a long time to get a clear looking Wine.
Ginger Wine is something quite warming, with a wonderful aroma, soothing and satisfying flavour. Fresh Ginger Roots give a wonderful aroma to the Wine along with a note of Spiciness from the dry chillies added to the Wine. Some recipes even call for adding Raisins and Yeast, but this ginger Recipe is prepared without adding Yeast. Also adding Caramelized Sugar to the Ginger Wine gives a fullness with a slight bitter note and yields a wonderful colour to the Wine.
Though not a Wine, this Ginger Ale Recipe is a combination of Homemade Ginger Wine which yields a naturally fermented and fizzy Ginger Ale. For a total non-alcoholic fix, I have also added a recipe of Ginger Ale with homemade Ginger Syrup. A refreshing and rejuvenating drink. A simple recipe which is surprisingly easy to make at home. Ginger Ale is nothing but a mixture of Ginger Syrup, Carbonated Water, Sweetener, and it has added flavours from Lemon/Orange. Within no time you can get hold of one of the most refreshing drinks - Sweet, spicy and slightly tart with a citrusy note.
These are a few of my best Homemade Wines repeatedly made and
stored for years at home. And let's raise the glass and toast for the
New Year, for a new beginning and a more auspicious 2021. Any excuse is
good enough when it comes to drinking wine, especially HOMEMADE WINES!!!
So, let's enjoy making Wines at home
&
Let's enjoy our own wines with pride.
Wishing
You all a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021!!!
SM
