THREE WINE RECIPES: FROM A BOOK BY EDWIN SALDANHA --------------------------------------------------
Wine is the fermented, pure, poetic essence of mother nature. Wine is revered in religious rituals. Secrets of successful wine making, a very ancient art, are closely guarded by many cultures. However, this book, for the first time in India, exposes these secrets to amateurs through Eddy Saldanha's time-tested recipes. Home-made wine of Goa imbibe the knowledge of eastern and western traditions. Eddy's user-friendly instructions lead your way to successful wine-making at home, using simple ingredients. *Successful Goan Home Wines*, by Edwin Saldanha (a former teacher of St Britto's and Scoutmaster, who died a couple of years ago) is published by Rajhauns Vitrans (1 Meenakshi Bldg, Dr Wolfango da Silva Marg, Panjim 403001 Ph 2220320 or 2232177 [EMAIL PROTECTED]) -------------------------------------------------------------- APPLE WINE Here's one apple wine. You will love it. You will need: 2 lemons 10 gms yeast 2 gms KMS (potassium metabisulphite) 4 kgs apples, any cheaper type will do 2 kgs sugar 6 litres boiling water 250 gms raisins, chopped METHOD: Chop the apples with the skin after washing them. Boil for 15 minutes with thinly peeled rind of lemons. Strain the liquor over the sugar. Stir well and cover. When the liquor is lukewarm, add the activated yeast. Add the strained juice of lemons, cover and leave for 24 hours. Next day, pour into a large jar and stand in a warm place for about seven days. When the fermentation has ceased, put the raisins in a clean dry storage jar. Siphon the wine over the raisins. Leave it for maturing for four months. Rack and bottle after adding the 2 gms of KMS. -------------------------------------------------------------- BANANA WINE This wine can be made sweet or dry. You will need: 1.5 kg bananas, about six large ones. 4 gms KMS (potassium metabisulphite) 1 kg sugar for dry, or 1.5 kg for sweet wine 250 ml freshly made strong tea Strained juice of two lemons or three gms citric acid 100 gms yeast Five litres water METHOD: Boil the bananas in two litres of water and mash them. When boiling add 1/2 of the sugar. When lukewarm, add two gms KMS, tea and the lemon juice. Do the pulp fermentation in a bucket. After four days strain the mixture through a cloth in to a fermentation jar. Add the remaining sugar, stir and add the yeast. Add the remaining water, boiled and slightly warm (lukewarm) and stir. Keep for fermentation for 21 days or unitl bubbling has stopped. Rack three times and bottle after three months. Mature for at least six months. Don't forget to add 2 gms KMS after each racking. -------------------------------------------------------------- BHINDA WINE These semi-wild fruits are available in plenty. If you or your neighbour has a binda tree, collect the fruit previously fallen on the ground. You may add this to those shaken down from the tree. Use only the ripe fruit and discard the over-ripe and red inside. You will need: 4 kgs bhinda shells 3 kgs sugar 400 gms wheat 10 gms or 3 teaspoons yeast 4 gms KMS 6 litres boiling water 2 t.s. tea leaves METHOD: Remove the seeds, after cutting open the fruit. Keep the red shells with some white pulp. Throw away the seeds. Pour boilding water over it and add 2 gms KMS. Keep for 24 hours. Strain the juice in to the fermentation jar. Add 1 1/2 kg sugar, wheat, just washed but not crushed, tea leaves and yeast. Keep for eight days to ferment. On the 9th day, add the remainign 1 1/2 kg sugar. Let it ferment for anotehr 10 days. All this time, keep on stirring every alternate day. After 21 days, siphon the clear wine leaving the solids which are to be discarded. Rack after 48 hours and bottle after adding two gms KMS. [NOTE ON RACKING: Wine could be entirely lacking in vinosity and would develop off flavours if it was not periodically separated from its deposits. This is called racking. Racking is best done with a siphon, when fermentation has stopped i.e. after about 21 to 24 days, may be sometimes earlier or later, depending on when the fermentation has stopped. After sedimentation, keep the wine to settle for 48 hous, and the first racking is done. If the wine is clear, add KMS and bottle. But if not clear, leave the wine in the jar for three weeks more, by tims time it will be clear. If still not clear, the wine may be kept for three months before racking. Even three rackings are not too many before bottling. Racking helps to ensure that the wine will be in sound condition before maturing. Every time you rack, add sufficient quantity of KMS. Do not keep the fermented wine too long withou tracking, or else the wine will be turbid, or it may even spoil. This turbidity is almost impossible to remove. It is unwise to rack an actively fermenting wine. The sediment in the fermentation jar consists of fruit pulp and dead yeast. This must be removed before it putrifies and taints the young wine.] -- NOTE: KMS is potassium metabisulphite. It is also used to sterilise wine-making equipment (dissolving 10 gms in one litre of cold water). Always wash the fruit and add the rquired amount of KMS as soon as it is mashed, unless hot water is being used. Always add the required amount of KMS when racking. FOOTNOTE: Might be of interest to Goanetters to note that Edwin Saldanha is the father of Goanetter and Canada-based vet Kevin Saldanha
