Make Wonderful Date Wines At Home

According to most of the wine makers, older dates offer far better flavor than younger ones. That's why, if you have a plan of date wine making, to maximize its magical taste, keep them aside for around two to three years, and get started.

As a sweet wine, dates are having a widespread acceptance. Dates can also be prepared blending with raisins, which provides superb matching with taste and body. Here, both the recipes will give you an idea of date wine making.

Ingredients Required for Making of Date Wine
One pound of dates, half pound of barley, one orange and lemon thinly pieced, one pound of sugar, half of nutmeg, one gallon water, wine yeast and yeast nutrient.

The Steps that You Need to Follow
You need to chop the dates and then piece the citrus. Put them into the primary vessel. Take another well sterilized pot and put the barley along with seven pints of water. Boil for at least 10 minutes.

Now, strain the liquor up on the mixture of chopped dates along with sliced citrus. Add ½ nutmegs and arrange for one more boiling. It is better to boil in a reduced heat this time. Boil for around 12 minutes of time.

With the strain cloth, put the liquor in your primary fermenting vessel. Put sugar with yeast nutrient. Continue stirring till they get dissolved. Check and make a top up only up to a gallon. Use sterilized cloth to cover the vessel. Let it cool down at the level of 70 degree F.

Mix activated yeast and then put the vessel for fermentation for next five days. Do not forget to stir once daily. On the fifth day, rack and pour the combination in secondary vessel. Top up and then fix the airlock. As you find the wine become clearer, arrange for siphoning again and put in a cooler place.

As you find the wine fully clear, rack and put into darker bottles. It is now ready for drinking but a longtime aging in a cellar will offer a dramatic change in flavor. Use WhisperKOOL Platinum Extreme 8000 or WhisperKOOL Platinum Extreme 5000ti if you live in extreme environment.

For Preparation Date Wine with Raisins

Ingredients Required
Four pounds of dates, 1 pound brown sugar, ¾ pound chopped golden raisins, Orange and lemons of 2 each, ¾ teaspoonful pectic enzyme, 1 Campden tablet, 1/8 tsp tannin, 7 pints of water and one pack wine yeast.   

Make pieces of dates, remove strips and seeds, then put in primary fermentation vessel. Chop the raisins and mix in primary. Take out the juice from orange and lemon. Add to fermenting pot and pour boiled water on the contents. Covering the vessel keep it aside for half the day. Mix sugar with a cup of water and stir well. Sugars should be dissolved. Add in primary and mix crushed Campden tablet. You will have to add yeast nutrient and tannin also. Cover it again and keep for another 12 hours.

Add pectic enzyme, stir and cover again. Wait for another 12 hours and mix up activated yeast and cover again. For next seven days, stir two times a day. With the help of straining bag, squeeze the pulp and get juices. Rack and put the mixture in secondary vessel. Put airlock. You need to siphon only after a month.

This time, top up accordingly and put back airlock. Wait for 2 months and rack again. Top up and put airlock. Keep the wine till it becomes cleared. Check that no further deposit of pulps within next 2 to 4 months. If everything is found ok, you can arrange for bottling after a further racking. Keep aside and age to get extra charm out of your date wine.

You can prepare wonderful wines from dates. Try to use them only after 2-3 years of collection. Dates can be used for making wine blending with raisins or fruits.

[Photo credit Uncalno Tekno]