I made GRAPE WINE few years ago. A sunset colored sweet dessert wine with just 3 ingredients. May be the ease of making or the no fuss deal of the recipe it excited many people to try it.Since then and still is much sort after on my blog. I even got a genuine enquiry for a large marriage order asking for cases and the price quote. I was literally thrilled but had to heavy heartedly decline the order due to constraints of shipping to another country. I must say the success of wine making without any kit definitely gave me the ecstasy and courage to try new types during the following Holiday Seasons.
I have been making beet wine since last two years and guess what this recipe is even simpler. The fun part is till date no one has identified the main ingredient used even our friends who happen to make wine in the very traditional Indian way very close to the Biblical era style. (With the ceramic jar , resting the mix for first 21 days then religiously stirring it everyday at same time for the next 21 days etc. ..)
Recipe adapted from Swapna’s Cuisine
PRINTABLE RECIPE
Ingredients: (yields around 2 liters)
Beetroot- 2 medium sized (2 cups) (I have used Californian beets here)
Sugar -2 cups
Water -8 cups
Yeast – 1/2 tsp (Active dry baking yeast) (Use 1/4 tsp more if you need)
(Use wine making yeast if u get it, in the proportion said on the pack)
Lime juice – juice of 1 lime
Note :
PLEASE read the instructions and pointers given at the end of the page for getting 100% success in wine making.
I need to emphasize here that PLEASE drink responsibly and use your discretion as this wine is strong.
I make wine in very small quantity and just for my family and friends visiting us at this time of the year. I love serving it with rich IRISH FRUIT CAKE / KERALA PLUM CAKE (Instant cake no longtime fruit soaking involved. )
Method:
Proportion is 2:2:8 (all the ingredients are measured with the same cup) That is 2 part beet 2 part sugar and 8 part water.
1. Select good,firm beetroot without too many bruises.Peel it and give a very quick rinse under running water to remove trace of sand or dirt stuck.Don’t wash too much or soak in water etc as the color runs out.
2. Chop beet into fine julienne strips (Grate or run in food processor).
3. Boil the beet and 8 glasses of water together.Let it come to a rolling boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.You will find that the beet is losing its color and becomes pale red. Remove from stove top and allow it to cool completely.
4. Sieve the beetroot water using a strainer or clean (new, washed and dried) cheese cloth into another sterilized pot. Discard the grated beetroot.
5.In the meantime take a small bowl put the yeast and dissolve it with 1/3 cup water (boiled and cooled to lukewarm (around 60-70°F / 15-20°C) (ie;slightly warm when you touch) High water temp will kill yeast.
6. When the beetroot water is entirely cool add the yeast mixture, sugar and lime juice. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Sieve once again if there is any scum or dirt from sugar floating.
(I have used a 1.75 ltr bottle (seen above) and a small glass bottle for the remaining.)
7. Pour into glass bottle, fill to only below the neck of the bottle so the fermenting gases have enough space and for frothing. (This wine has very less frothing.)
8. Put the lid close it to 90% so if there is extreme gases formed it can escape without bursting when u open.
9. Leave it in cool dark place (check very important info below) for 14 days undisturbed (do not touch, shake or open). Label the date on the bottle. Even though there is not much frothing the beetroot wine will still have slight fizzing sound from the bottle and tiny bubbles rise from the bottom (it is a good sign that the wine is fermenting well)
On the 15th day inspect wine carefully, smell it by inhaling-it should have a fruity fragrance , sample taste it by rolling the wine on ur tongue- it should have fruity sweet taste with slight tingling on your tongue.(check very imp info below). If u think the wine has not fermented enough keep it back in the same place for 3-4 more days and sample check again.
Now your beetroot wine is ready to be served. Keep the bottle tightly closed to keep the sparkling and fizz intact.
This is a sweet wine.
You may serve it along with dinner or along with dessert .
- Sterilize – I always wash all the utensils and bottles used with soap first then wash again with hot water ,hands too 🙂 to remove any trace of soap or chemicals. I thoroughly sun dry the bottles and lids used to ensure that there is no moisture present.Use only dry containers ,wooden ladle etc. If u live in cold places where sun drying is not possible then warm the oven well ,switch it off and leave the bottles to dry inside overnight. The empty utensil can be heated on stove top for a minute or two to get it dry.
- The yeast should be fresh and when mixed it should dissolve quickly into the lukewarm water but if it sinks to the bottom even after mixing then the yeast should not be used. Do not overlook this as the entire wine depends on yeast.
- I have used only 1/2 tsp yeast as I find that it ferments other batters too much if used more.You may increase the amount by another 1/4 tsp if required.
- Make sure to buy good quality beetroot as the color of the wine depends entirely on beet. The darker the better.
- This recipe can be played around with.Sweetness, it can be increased or decreased.
- Strength of wine becomes higher if quantity of water is reduced. Also as the wine matures it gets really strong.The color turns slight brownish after about 3 months to clear to transparent as it ages.
- I would not recommend storing the wine for long as no additives are added to maintain the acidity level .
- Always store wine for fermenting in a cool dark place (not fridge) and do not get curious shake or open the lid unless the recipe asks for it.If you live in a hot climate then store in the kitchen cabinet away from any heat source. If you live in cold climate then store it near the cabinet closest to the oven and keep rice packets/sacks next to it.(Keep rice well protected with plastic bags so it does not ruin rice sack in case of accidents)
- There would be few bubble and frothing marks on the sides of the bottle that is o.k but before consuming definitely check if there is any bacteria layer formation floating on top of the wine and check taste .It should taste sweet and have a nice fruit smell. If it tastes really really sour and smells like vinegar,sorry ! then u have gone wrong in some step just have to throw it away.
- Most of all pray and bless it to come out well. a.k.a good mood works fine :))
Enjoy the moment of happiness while you serve the homemade wine. Remember to reserve some compliments for me too 🙂 ..and write back to me. Whichever part of the globe u live in do try this at least once and I bet u will never go back to the store bought ones.
Hope you will like it.
Meena
Hi, thanks for the wonderful recipe. I have used da same measurements as yours in preparing the wine. It's now 10 days in the fermenting stage. I got a bit curious and checked the taste of the left over wine stored in a small bottle(haven't opened the main bottles) and I felt it tasted far more stronger and less sweeter(but not sour) than you have described. One reason I could think of was that I had used extra yeast(a little more than 1 tspn!). Now how do I fix it?..was wondering if I could add some water and sugar in the middle of fermentation or add them after fermentation is over..what do you suggest? thanks in advance!
Nitin, I would suggest not to disturb the bottles while fermentation.Lets wait and see what the end result is. I think it should be ok to add boiled and cooled water and sugar and adjust the wine. Just don't store it for too long.It seems in Ancient Rome wine was served diluted with water to bring down the strength of it.So it should work.
Whatever the final outcome is please keep me posted.
It came out nice as i opened it in 21 days but its too sweet n very less sour. Rest everything seems fine. Can you suggest anything to make it better?
Thank you for the feedback Rahul and sorry for the late reply. I think the yeast did not breakdown the sugar well which resulted in too sweet wine. Allow the wine to sit for a few more days, as it sits the sweetness reduces and strength increases. You may dilute with very little water (boiled and cooled) but that may bring down the strength of the wine.If nothing works a 1/4 cup of store bought red wine can be mixed.Hope this helps.
We live (Dutch woman/American man) on the south coast of Turkey on the Mediterranean Sea and for years have been making wines from many different things, but never from beets, so I am eager to try this. We have made wine from Parsley, Cactus, Mandarin Oranges, Blood Oranges, Pomegranates, Cherrys, Plums and a local fruit called Musmullah because they all grow here in our garden. Thanks for your recipe.
thanks for the post, please i want to know how long this beetroot wine can last?
Hi Paige, Beetroot wine can be kept for 2-3 months after that the wine becomes strong and the color turns transparent. I usually use it up fast as no preservatives or stabilizers are added to prolong shelf life.
Thank you for stopping by.
We are making our first couple of bottles of your Beetroot wine recipe. We want it a little less sweet as we are trying to cut down on sugars. What are your thoughts about using a cup or cup and a half of local honey instead of sugar?
Hi Lisa,
Adding honey to wine is totally new to me. I am not sure how it is going to react in the fermentation process. May be you should give it a try with a small batch only. Do let me know how it goes.