WARE WINE & BEER CIRCLE
Date and Lemon
Date and Lemon
(First place Annual Show 2004 (Elaine Robinson))
INGREDIENTS
1kg (2lb) stoned dates
2 lemons
500g (18oz) Raisins
750g (1ln 10oz) brown sugar
2tsp tartaric acid
1tsp Pectic Enzyme
½tsp tannin
1 Camden Tablet
3.5 litres (6 pints) water
Madeira wine yeast and nutrient
METHOD
Chop the dates and raisins and put them in a fermentation bin, together
with the thinly pared rind of the lemon. Pour boiling water onto the fruit,
cover the bin, and leave it to cool.
Squeeze the juice from the lemons and strain. Add the lemon juice, tartaric
acid, tannin, pectic enzyme and 1 crushed Campden tablet to the bin. Cover and
leave in a warm place for 24 hours. Next day, stir in the yeast and nutrient
and ferment on the pulp for 10 days, pressing down the floating fruit cap twice
daily and keeping the bin covered.
Strain out and press the fruit, stir in half the sugar and pour the must into a
demi-john. Leave room for the remaining sugar. Fit an airlock and leave in a warm
place for 7 days. Stir in half the remaining sugar, leave for 7 more days then add
the rest of the sugar.
SG should be 1020. More sugar can be added to achieve this if necessary. Store in
a warm place. Rack to clear as required. Sweeten to taste.
This wine should taste like a sweet Madeira and should be kept in the demi-john
for a year before bottling.
Recipe taken from 'Home Made Wines and Beers' by Ben Turner
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Last updated:
21/07/04