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 bubbly, 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 into a 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.

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Technorati Tags: Wine, Winemaking, Cornmeal, Recipe