Cornmeal Wine

Fourth in the Series

"Cornmeal wine is initially a bit slower to ferment than many other wines, so be patient with it. Once the fermentation gets going, it makes a good dry wine."

Makes 1 gallon.

2 lemons
3 oranges
1 1/2 pounds cornmeal
2 1/4 pounds sugar
3 pints grape juice concentrate
1/4 ounce ground rice
1 Campden tablet
1 package wine yeast
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
1 1/2 cups orange juice at room temperature
1 teaspoon pectic enzyme


Grate the outer rinds of the oranges and lemons, discard the solids and the white outer rind. Squeeze the juice from the oranges and lemons into a 2 gallon plastic container. Add the grated rind to the container, along with the cornmeal, sugar, grape juice concentrate and rice. Add enough water to make 1 gallon. Add Campden tablet and let mixture sit, well covered, for 24 hours.

In a jar, make a yeast starter culture by combining the wine yeast, yeast nutrient, and 1 1/2 cups orange juice. Cover, shake vigorously, and let stand 1 to 3 hours, until bubly, then add to the must.

Add the pectic enzyme. Let the mixture sit for 30 days, loosely covered. Strain out the solids, transfer the liquid intoa 1 gallon airlocked fermenter and allow to ferment for 30 days. When fermentation is complete, bottle the wine, cork it and store in a cool cellar.

Wait at least six months before opening the first bottle.


Technorati Tags: Wine, Winemaking, Cornmeal, Recipe