Homemade Wine: Inexpensive and Delicious

My husband and I are generally at odds with each other when it comes to beverages for the "over 21" crowd. He prefers the slightly alcoholic wine coolers like Boone's Farm, where I am the wine snob in our family preferring sauternes, stouts, and snifters of amaretto.

This summer, however, I came across a recipe that begged to be tried. It was a rather simple recipe for homemade wine that I was determined to find a way to put to use. It called for a gallon sized glass jar with lid, 6 cups of fruit, 6 cups of sugar, and a gallon of distilled water.

Gallon glass jars sound like they might be difficult to obtain, but if you have a local pizza place, they usually get pickles and other condiments in large glass jars. Stop by and ask if you can have an empty one and chances are, they'll let you have it. Make sure you wash it out completely to prevent any of the vinegar or spices from the previous occupant from sneaking into your drink.

My husband and our children went cherry picking this summer and brought home 23 pounds of tart cherries. The first 6 pounds of those were pitted and mashed into the bottom of our glass jar and topped with the 6 cups of sugar and the water. A quick stir and the water turned a nice light red color and then we put the lid on tight. Once a day, I removed the lid and stirred it. As the days passed, the liquid took on a distinctly wine-ey smell and a darker, richer color. It also fizzed and bubbled, a good sign of fermentation.

At the 30 day mark, we strained out the cherries and sediment using a sieve and coffee filters and took our first taste. It was delicious. It was slightly stronger than the store-bought wines and much sweeter. The tart cherries gave it a slight tang which went well with the sweetness and pleased both my husband and myself. After straining it (and the initial taste test), we're letting it sit and age so we can bottle it and give it away as gifts. The longer it sits, the better it will be.

In the end, the homemade wine has brought my husband and I closer together in our beverage choices and has provided a tasty and inexpensive gift for the approaching holiday season. And all it requires is some fruit, sugar, water, and 30 days worth of patience.