Monday 16 September 2013

Beetroot Wine from the Allotment

I have had lots of requests for my Beetroot wine recipe, so here it is for you too.

Beetroot Wine

Ingredients
3lb (1.4kg)Uncooked Beetroot
12 pints (6.8ltrs) Water
3lb (1.4kg) Granulated Sugar
6 Cloves
3 Unpeeled Oranges (washed & sliced)
Teaspoon of Wine Yeast

All equipment must be clean, best to sterilise with baby bottle cleaner or boiled water, preferably both, rinse well with clean cold water. Even the Muslin/Jelly Bag must be clean best to soak in Boiling water. 

Method
Wash Beetroot well (do not peel). Cut into thin slices and put in a large pan, add water and bring to the boil, simmer for 40mins until Beetroot is tender.
Strain* off liquid into a 12 pint bowl (discard the Beetroot) put liquid back into the pan and add Sugar, Cloves and sliced Orange, heat gently for 15mins. Strain* the liquid back into bowl and leave to cool, best temp between 20-30 degrees then add yeast and cover with a cloth for 3 days, stir daily.

After 3 days, syphon into a Demijohn** (topping up with cooled boiled water) and leave to ferment, using an air-lock check daily until bubble rate stops, rack the wine into a fresh Demijohn to clear the sediment, do this twice over the next 3-4 weeks, then bottle into green bottles this is important to maintain the wines colour.

* Strain through Muslin cloth or a Jelly Bag, this way you will get a clearer wine.
** If you have brown glass demijohns that's ideal, if not just wrap a black bin bag around a clear one, as daylight can turn the beetroot wine brown. As you can see from my photo mine is a lovely purple/red as it should be.

Leave for 6 months, but drink within 2 years.

Good Luck. Ian.

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