Simple recipe for wine

Press, 12 November 1985, Page 44

Simple recipe for wine

A simple recipe for people wanting to make their own wine has been provided by Mr Stuart Bryant, a wine judge at this year’s Canterbury show. Ingredients: Approx 600 mis (24 fluid ozs) of orange juice (two cans). I.4kg sugar (31b). 2 teaspoons citric acid.

1 tablespoon grape tannin (available from a chemist), or half a cup of strong fresh tea. 1 teaspoon granulated wine yeast. 3.3 litres (5% pints) water. Method: Pour orange juice into bucket, add sugar, citric acid and tannin. Add 1.5 litres of boiling water and dissolve the sugar. Then add the remaining 1.8 litres of cold water. When the liquid is at blood heat add the yeast. Cover the bucket with muslin or similar material to stop flies or dirt entering, but do not seal from the air. The liquid should be kept at a room temperature of

about 20 deg. C and left to ferment for two weeks. Then it should be poured into a jar with the lid lightly screwed to prevent the build up of pressure. Six to eight weeks later the liquid should have stopped fizzing and should be starting to clear. The clear liquid should be siphoned off and the sediment thrown away and this procedure should be repeated every three months. The wine should be ready to drink in four to five months. Mr Bryant recommends the wine should be held in bulk with no more than 15mm of airspace at the top of the container.