Orange Wine (2)

• 8 medium-sized oranges
• 1 lb chopped or minced golden raisins or sultanas
• 1 lb 7 oz ripe bananas
• 3 lbs finely granulated sugar
• water to make up one gallon
• 1/4 tsp grape tannin
• 1 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• wine yeast

Put two quarts of water on to boil. Meanwhile, peel the oranges and remove all the white pith (it is bitter and will ruin the wine). Break the oranges into sections and remove all seeds. Drop them in a juicer or a blender and liquefy (you may have to add a cup of water to the blender). Peel and slice bananas and simmer in one pint of water for 20 minutes. In a primary, add chopped or minced raisins (or sultanas), 2-1/2 lbs of the sugar, the orange juice or liquefied orange pulp, and two quarts of boiling water. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Over primary, pour simmering banana slices into nylon straining bag and allow to drip until cool enough to squeeze. Squeeze lightly and then discard banana flesh. Stir in tannin and yeast nutrient and enough water to make up one gallon total. Cover with cloth and set aside to cool. When cooled to room temperature, add pectic enzyme, recover and wait 12 hours. Add wine yeast. Ferment 7 days, add remaining sugar, stir to dissolve, and ferment another 3 days. Rack off sediments into secondary and fit airlock. Rack every 30 days for 3 months. Stabilize and sweeten to taste. After additional 10 days, rack into bottles and set aside one year to age. [Adapted from Brian Leverett’s “Winemaking Month by Month”]