Ginger Wine

Ginger is a well known ingredient in cooking and has been known to have many health benefits associated with it.  It is one of the must-have ingredients in Goan cooking and home remedies.

Fortunately, we have also learned to enjoy ginger in beverages from ginger tea to ginger wine.  This is a simple recipe to follow even for beginners, and as always I stay with all natural products and no chemical additives. Wikipedia tells us that  Ginger wine is a fortified wine made from a fermented blend of ground ginger root and raisins which was first produced in England. Another interesting bit of information is that The first documented appearance of ginger wine occurred with the foundation of The Finsbury Distillery Company based in the City of London in 1740.

Ingredients

 

1 pound raisins
4 lemons 
3 ounces of ginger (measured with peel)
3 pounds of sugar
1 packet of wine yeast
5 quarts of water 
1 large non-metallic container, plastic or enamel coated.
A sterilized utensil for stirring

Method

I use an enamel coated container so it is easy to sterilize with boiling water.

In another container boil the 2 1/2 quarts of water. Keep aside.

Chop the raisins and mash them gently.   Keep aside.


Peel the ginger and chop into fine slices.  Put these into the sterilized container and gently mash with a pestle.

Wash and dry the lemons in a dishcloth.  Zest the lemon directly into the container with the ginger.

 Do not use the white part of the lemon only the yellow. Your lemons will look like this when you are done.

Finally add the raisins.  Bring the water to a boil again and pour over the ginger/lemon zest and raisin mix.  Stir gently with a sterilized utensil to mix.  Cover and leave for 24 hours.
Note: Do not boil the ingredients with the water, only pour the boiling water into the fruit mixture

 Day 2...24 hours later

Bring 2 1/2 quarts of water to a boil and let it cool.

Add the cooled boiled water to the mixture.  Add the juice of the 4 lemons, and the sugar.

Stir until the sugar is dissolved with a sterilized utensil.

Now sprinkle the yeast on the top and cover and leave aside for 3-4 days.

Day 6 - 4 Days later

Tip: Line your work surfaces with newspaper and keep all your equipment ready.

 Sterilize all the equipment you are going to use -  Strainer, demijohn (bottle to pour wine mix into), airlock, funnel,  a container into which the liquid is strained before being funneled into the demijohn, and any other item you feel is necessary for you to proceed.  I sterilize everything with boiling water.



When you remove the cover from your pot, you will get a sweet pleasant fragrance that will make you really happy, well it made me happy.

Using a sterilized strainer pour the mixture into a sterilized pan.

I find it easier to pour the wine into the demijohn if it is on the floor, so I line the floor with paper too.

 Pour the wine into the demijohn using a sterilized funnel.

Put the airlock on tightly. Pouring some boiled and cooled water into the airlock or as instructed by your manufacturer.

I have tried to include a video of the airlock as bubbles escape showing the yeast is still working. You will see the piece in the center of the airlock move as the gas escapes.  Leave the bottle in a cool spot (away from direct light)  for about 2 - 3 months until you see no more bubbles forming in the airlock months.

At this point you can pour the wine gently into another demijohn leaving all the sediment behind (dead yeast), being careful not to shake the bottle too much so as to disturb the sediment.

You can leave the wine aside again to clear any residue and then carefully siphon off into bottles if desired.

Note:  This recipe has been modified from a ginger wine recipe of Dr. John Anderson

Later...

In early November, I siphoned off the clear liquid carefully and discarded the residue.

I left this for 2 more weeks so that any remaining sediment would settle.  Again I siphoned off the clear liquid.  The wine is ready to be bottled and well in time for Christmas 2017.