“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”
― W.C. Fields

This year I will make twelve country wines. Each wine is loosely based on the wine calendar in the classic British book, First Steps in Winemaking by C.J.J. Berry. I do, however, plan to freely substitute ingredients based on the principle that most should be available either on the farm or from a neighbor. Next year I will gather friends and taste each one and share the results with you.

Cheers, Brian

Figs are an either love ‘em or hate ‘em fruit. William Cobbett, in my much-esteemed copy of American Gardener, called them a “mawkish thing at best.” However, I read Cobbett precisely for the “I know better than you” opinions and not for his judgement on what I like to eat. Because I dearly love figs, even when some call them the vulgar fruit. And last year, my friends, was a banner year from our Brown Turkey tree. So, with a freezer still full of frozen figs, my thoughts have turned figgy for the first wine making of 2021.

The recipe:

Figs: 4 ½ pounds of fresh frozen figs

Muscadine raisins: 10 ounces

Honey: 2 pounds

Lemon: zest and juice (1)

Orange: zest and juice (1)

Yeast nutrient: 1 tsp

Water: 1-gallon boiling water

Yeast: Red Star premier cotes des blanc (ideal for fruit, cider, and mead wines)

Process: I chopped the figs and raisins, added the honey, citrus, and yeast nutrient. Then I added the gallon of boiling water and allowed to cool to blood temperature before pitching the yeast.

Once the primary fermentation stops, I will rack into a secondary fermenter. In 3-6 months, I’ll transfer to ½ gallon jugs. Then we wait. Next January we taste.

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Reading this weekend: The Prisoner of Zenda (A. Hope), because even after a dozen readings since I was a child it still brings enjoyment.

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