Date Wines, Sherries, and/or Meads
- 1 lb. chopped dried apricots
- 2 lb. chopped dated
- 1/2 lb. barley
- 2 lb. 2 oz. light brown sugar
- 2 oranges
- 2 lemons
- 6 pints to 1 gallon water
- Sauterne wine yeast and nutrient
Combine chopped apricots and dates, barley, and zest of oranges and lemons in 6 pints water, bring to boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain onto sugar, add juice of oranges and lemons, and stir well to dissolve sugar. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel when cooled to 70 degree fahrenheit, add yeast and nutrient, and fit airlock. Top to one gallon in three weeks. Rack when clear, wait three additional months, then rack again and bottle. Allow one year or more for maturity.[Adapted from C.J.J. Berry’s 130 New Winemaking Recipes]
- 4 lbs pitted dates
- 1/2 lb chopped or minced golden raisins or sultanas
- 1-1/2 cups dried black currants, cranberries or cherries
- 1 lb demerara or light brown sugar
- 2 medium oranges
- 2 small lemons
- 1/4 tsp pectic enzyme
- 1 crushed Campden tablet
- pinch (1/8 tsp) of tannin
- 71/4 pts water
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- 1 packet wine yeast
Bring 2 quarts of water to a rapid boil. Meanwhile, chop or mince dates, raisins and selected dried fruit and add to primary. Pour boiling water over contents of primary. Cover primary and set aside for 12 hours. Combine remaining water and sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Stir into primary with juice from lemons and oranges, crushed Campden, tannin, and yeast nutrient. Recover and set aside another 12 hours. Stir in pectic enzyme and cover once again. After additional 12 hours, add activated yeast and recover. Stir twice daily for one week. Strain through nylon straining bag, squeezing pulp well to extract flavors. Transfer liquid to secondary and fit airlock. Rack only after all signs of fermentation are past, top up and refit airlock. Set aside until wine clears and then rack. Stabilize, sweeten to taste, top up, and refit airlock. After 10-14 days, bottle. Age 2 years. Continues to improve with additional ageing. [Author’s own recipe]
- 1 lb chopped pitted dates
- 1/2 lb barley
- 1 orange thinly sliced
- 1 lemon thinly sliced
- 1 lb 10 oz granulated sugar
- 1/2 whole nutmeg (not grated)
- water to one gallon
- yeast nutrient
- wine yeast
Chop the dates and slice the citrus, transferring to a soup pot. In a separate pot, boil the barley in 7 pts water for 10 minutes, then strain the liquor onto the chopped dates and sliced citrus. Add the half-nutmeg and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat and simmer for 12 minutes. Strain the liquor into a primary into which the sugar and yeast nutrient was placed. Stir to dissolve, top up to one gallon, cover primary, and allow to cool to 70 degrees F. Add activated yeast and ferment 5 days, stirring daily. Pour into secondary, top up and fit airlock. When wine begins to clear, rack and move to cooler place. Rack into bottles when completely clear and stable. Although this wine is drinkable right away, it will improve dramatically with prolonged aging. [Adapted from C.J.J. Berry’s 130 New Winemaking Recipes ]
- 4 lbs dates
- 1/4 lb chopped or minced golden raisins or sultanas
- 1 lb 2 oz demerara or light brown sugar
- 2 medium oranges
- 2 small lemons
- 1/4 tsp pectic enzyme
- 1 crushed Campden tablet
- pinch (1/8 tsp) of tannin
- 71/4 pts water
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- 1 packet wine yeast
Bring 2 quarts of water to a rapid boil. Meanwhile, slice the dates lengthwise to remove strips of date pulp from the seeds. Put pulp and seeds in primary. Chop or mince raisins and add to primary. Add the zest from all four citrus fruit to the primary and pour boiling water over contents of primary. Cover primary and set aside for 12 hours. Combine remaining water and sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Add to primary with juice from citrus, crushed Campden, tannin, and yeast nutrient. Recover and set aside another 12 hours. Stir in pectic enzyme and cover once again. After additional 12 hours, add activated yeast and recover. Stir twice daily for one week. Strain through nylon straining bag, squeezing pulp well to extract flavors. Transfer liquid to secondary and fit airlock. Rack after one month, top up and refit airlock. Wait two months and rack, top up and refit airlock. Set aside until wine clears and is no longer depositing new lees (2-4 months). Rack, stabilize, sweeten to taste, top up, and refit airlock. After additional 2 weeks, bottle the wine. Age 2 years before sampling–longer if required. [Author’s own recipe]