The word ‘Wine’ has many stories and memories bound with it. When I decided to make wine, I went through my mom’s recipe books as I did not want to make the regular grape wine. After some research, I decided what my first wine should be. It was a gooseberry wine. We call it Nellika/amla.

When we make wine at home there are certain things that we need to take care of. First is the vessel, it should be a glass or porcelain jar. We call it ‘Bharani‘ in Kerala. You might have seen them at home used for making pickles and for keeping salted mangoes. It should be clean and sterilized. Also, dry the utensils to avoid moisture content.

Here is the Nellika/Amla wine recipe:

Method 1 – Using Sugar:

Ingredients:

• Nellikka / Amla / Indian Gooseberries – 1kg.
• Water – 3 litre
• Sugar – 1 1/4 kg
• Raisins (black) – 100g
• Cloves – 4 nos
• Cardamom – 4nos
• Black pepper powder – 1 tsp

Directions:

1. Boil the water and keep it aside to cool down.
2. Crush cloves, cardamom and cinnamon using a mixer grinder.
3. Wash the gooseberries/Amla in clean water. Spread it on a clean dry cloth for some time to get perfectly dried.
4. Add one layer of gooseberries into the Bharani or porcelain jar. On top of that, add some sugar and powdered spices.
5. On top of this, add another layer of gooseberries/Amla and top it with the powdered spices and sugar. Repeat this step until everything is finished.
6. In the end, add the water and close the lid of the jar. Also, cover the lid with a piece of cloth and tie it with a string.
7. Stir this mixture every day using a wooden spatula/spoon. After 21 days strain the mixture through a cheese/ muslin cloth into a clean dry vessel. Keep it untouched for 21 more days. (Do not squeeze the gooseberries as it is not good for the wine)
8. On the 41st day open and pour it into clean and dried bottles and use. This wine can be stored for years.

Method 2 – using Jaggery:

Ingredients:

• Nellikka – 1kg.
• Water – 3 litre
• Jaggery – 1 kg
• Raisins (black) – 100g
• Cloves – 4 nos
• Cardamom – 4nos
• Black pepper powder – 1 tsp

Directions:

1. Boil the water and keep it aside to cool down.
2. Crush cloves, cardamom and cinnamon using a mixer grinder. Also, crush the jaggery and keep it aside.
3. Wash the gooseberries in clean water. Spread it on a clean dry cloth for some time to get perfectly dried.
4. Add one layer of gooseberries into a Bharani or porcelain jar. On top of that, add some portion of crushed jaggery and powdered spices.
5. On top of this, add another layer of gooseberries and top it with the powdered spices and jaggery. Repeat this step until everything is finished.
6. In the end, add the water and close the lid of the jar. Also, cover the lid with a piece of cloth and tie it with a string.
7. Stir this mixture every day using a wooden spatula/spoon. After 21 days strain the mixture through a cheese/ muslin cloth into a clean dry vessel. Keep it untouched for 21 more days.
8. On the 41st day open and pour it into dry clean bottles and use. This wine can be stored for years.

If you like a white wine try the below recipe.

Method 3 – White Wine Using Yeast:

Ingredients

• Gooseberry / Amla / Nellikka – 1 kg
• Water – 2½ Litre
• Sugar – 1 kg
• Yeast – 1 teaspoon

Directions:

1. Wash the gooseberries and soak over-night in clean water.
2. Drain and cook the gooseberries in 2 and a half litres of water for half an hour.
3. Now take 3-4 cups of water for melting sugar from the water used for cooking gooseberries. Do not add extra water. Let the sugar syrup cool down.
4. Deseed the cooked gooseberries and then add gooseberries, the water used for cooking gooseberries, sugar syrup and yeast to a clean dry earthenware.
5. Close the lid and keep this air-tight for 21 days. Stir this once every day.
6. On the 21st day, open the container, strain it to remove the residues and store in clean, dry air-tight glass bottles.
7. Preserve in dark, cool place.

A word of caution :

• Sterilize –always wash all the utensils and bottles to be used with soap first then wash again with hot water. Thoroughly dry the bottles and lids under the sun to avoid moisture.
• Never fill the jar completely as the wine’s quantity increases with fermentation. Fill only till 3/4th of the jar.
• The strength of wine becomes higher if the quantity of water is reduced. Also as the wine matures it gets really strong.
• The wine can be played around with sweetness, it can be increased or decreased depending on your need.
• Always store the wine for fermenting in a cool dark place (not fridge). If you live in a hot place then store it in the kitchen cabinet away from any heat source. If you live in a cold place then store it near the cabinet closest to the oven.
• You may see few bubbles and froth on the sides of the bottle which is absolutely fine but before using, check if there is any bacteria layer formed on the top and also the taste. It should be sweet with a nice fruit smell. If it tastes terribly sour and smells like vinegar, then you have gone wrong somewhere and you cannot do anything other than throwing it away.
• Always keep in mind that a wine that has turned sour cannot be saved!!

Happy Wining……