Wine can be made using any type of fruit. After mixing up the ingredients, we have to let it ferment, and then age before bottling. This simple, ancient process results in a delicious wine we can even make ourselves at our home. This guide will yield a minimum of 4 litres of homemade Dates Wine.
INGREDIENTS :
• Dates – 1½ kg, fresh and soft ripened
• Sugar – 1½ kg
• Dry Yeast – 15 gms
• Whole Wheat – 50 gms
• Water – 2 ½ ltr
METHOD OF PREPARATION :
• Boil the water to make it as pure as much as possible and kill any bacteria or germs in it. After boiling, let it cool down to room temperature.
• Keep ready a sterilized ceramic jar.
• Wash and clean the dates at least 3 to 4 times in normal water to ensure that all the dirt/dust/chemical sediments from fertilizers and insecticides are removed. Drain the water and spread the dates on a wide tray to allow it to dry off the excess water.
• Clean the wheat in normal water, rinse 3 to 4 times and ensure they are dry again.
• Put the dates in the jar
• Use a clean and dry wooden ladle to smash the dates.
• Pour the cooled water into the jar.
• Take 100 ml lukewarm water in a clean bowl, add 2 tsp of sugar and add 15 gms of dry yeast into it and mix them well.
• Pour the prepared yeast mixture into the jar
• Crush the wheat and add into the jar
• Add only half quantity of the sugar into the jar
• Use the wooden spoon to mix the contents. You need not try to dissolve the sugar. Just a couple of stirs will be enough so that the contents are evenly mixed.
• Close the jar with its lid and then cover with a plastic wrap on top of the jar to make the jar is 100% air tight.
• Once you have done this, keep the jar in a cool, dark and dry place.
• Daily, at a set time, you need to carefully open up the jar
• Use the wooden spoon to stir the contents, just enough that the contents are evenly mixed. Ensure that the wooden spoon is 100% clean and dry every time.
• Close the jar back, make it airtight and put it back in the cool, dark and dry place. This process has to be repeated for the next 21 days.
• On the 22nd day, keep ready a big filter or strainer, a disposable glove and a big sterilized vessel.
• Then open the jar and slowly pour out the contents of the jar into vessel using the filter.
• The filtered liquid has to be caught with another clean, sterilized vessel.
• Wear the glove on one hand and squeeze out the soggy half-ruptured dates, the skin and seeds through the filter.
• Finally after emptying the jar, the clear filtered liquid will be caught in the vessel below.
• Use the gloved hand to scoop out any sediments left out in the ceramic jar.
• Then pour the entire liquid from the vessel back into the ceramic jar.
• Add the remaining quantity of sugar into the jar and stir lightly.
• If we need the wine to be darker, we can caramelize the wine adding the required quantity of caramel sauce. The method of preparing Caramel Sauce is explained in the bottom of this text.
• Close the jar, make it air tight as before and put it back into the cool, dry, dark place
• Wait for another 21 days. Total of 42 days we need to prepare the wine.
• On the 42nd day, open the jar and gently take out the clear wine on top and fill it up in a sterilized glass bottle.
• Usually, the sediments are in the bottom and the clear wine remains on top. So it’s very important that you should not shake the jar too much and just use a small glass to take out the clear wine from the top of the jar. Alternatively you can use a pipette or a siphon mechanism to do so.
• You needn’t empty the jar. Just take out the clear wine from the top and again close the jar airtight and put it right back. After a couple of days again you can take out the clear wine from the top.
• Enjoy your homemade Dates Wine as it is or chilled.
Preparing CARAMEL SAUCE if required:
• In a heavy bottomed saucepan put 6 tbsp granulated sugar and heat it on medium flame. When the colour gets change from white to brown, stir the liquid from frothing over. Reduce the flame if required.
• Add hot water little by little and keep on stirring it until the sauce reaches to a medium consistency and switch off the flame.
• Make sure you stay away from this furious concoction which is sure to splutter on your face while the water is being added in it……….. So be careful.
