Beetroot Wine

Ingredients:

3.5 kilos of Beetroot

2.75 Kilos of White Sugar

9 litres of Water

25 gms Active Yeast

Earthern Jar or Plastic Bucket with airtight lid (20 litres capacity)

2 Lemons (peel or grate the skin), Juice of lemon

25 gms of ginger (sliced fine), 16 cloves

Muslin cloth or thin cotton cloth for straining the wine.

Method:

Cut the top and bottom part of the beetroot. Wash and peel the beetroots. Grate the beetroots using a hand grater or electric grater. In a big vessel (can use two vessels), add the grated beetroot, ginger, lemon peel, water and boil. Simmer and cook till the beetroot is cooked (becomes light in colour).

Strain through Muslin or thin cotton cloth. Add sugar, lime juice and cloves. Stir and allow to cool. Reserve the pulp to make beetroot halwa. Transfer the beetroot Juice/Water mixture to the Jar or Plastic Bucket. Add the yeast (in a small bowl of luke warm water, add the yeast and a spoon of sugar, when it rises add). Stir well and then close the lid. Close with airtight lid and keep for 21 days. The quantity should not be more than 75% of the container.

After 2 days open, strain and keep for another 20 days. After 20 days, strain the mixture and then bottle it. Leave a gap of 2 inches from the cap of the bottle, to allow for any further fermentation process. If you want you can pour the beetroot wine back into the jar or plastic container for another week, before you bottle it.

Enjoy. You should get around 9 to 10 bottles of Beetroot Wine.

Grape Wine

Ingredients:

4 kilos of Red/Black/Purple Grapes (with seeds or seedless)

4.5 Kilos of White Sugar

12 litres of boiled and cooled water

2 tsps Active Yeast

Luke warm to wash grapes

Earthern Jar or Plastic Bucket with airtight lid (20 litres capacity)

2 Handfuls of whole wheat

Muslin cloth or thin cotton cloth for straining the wine.

Method:

Wash the grapes (in luke warm water) and separate them from bunches. Squeeze the grapes directly into the jar or plastic bucket using your hand or using a lime squeezer. The skin of the grapes give the colour to the wine. If you want white wine remove the skin from the must (grape juice including skin and seeds). After all the grapes are squeezed add 12 litres of water and 3 kilos of sugar. Mix well using your hand. Add yeast (mix in slightly warm water and little sugar, when it rises add). Mix well. Add wheat. Close with airtight lid and keep for 21 days. The quantity should not be more than 75% of the container.

After 10 days open and add rest of sugar, stir and keep for another 14 days. After 14 days, strain the grapes and then bottle it. Leave a gap of 2 inches from the cap of the bottle, to allow for any further fermentation process. If you want you can pour the grape wine back into the jar or plastic container for another week, before you bottle it.

Enjoy. You should get around 15 to 18 litres.