KOCHI: The origin of wines goes back thousands of years. The Chinese learned the art of fermenting grapes with rice in 7000 BCE. But it was not exactly fine wine. The ‘sophisticated’ drink, according to historians, was first made in the Caucasus region (today’s Georgia), probably in 6000 BCE.
In India, it is believed wine arrived during the Bronze Age, thanks to Persian traders. The oldest reference to grape-based wines in the Indian subcontinent can be traced back to the late 4th-century BCE writings of Chanakya.
Fast-forward to the 1980s. The growing Indian middle class took an interest in western cuisine like never before. And wine consumption was in vogue. Narrowing down to Kerala, the art of winemaking has been a secret boon bestowed on most Christian families. Some of them take great efforts to preserve the tradition.
Wines are offered as welcome drinks and return gifts in many households during the festive season. For many, beyond religious barriers, Christmas and New Year are incomplete without swirling, sniffing and slurping a glass of fine wine.
Family event
For 44-year-old Mariam Jibu, president of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), wine is laden with bittersweet memories. “The thought of Christmas always comes with the sweet aroma of grape wines made by my father, Abraham,” she says.
“He used to meticulously prepare the drink at our ancestral home in Kottayam. He would pick the right black grapes every November, and follow our grandma’s special wine recipe. My two brothers and I used to assist him in preparation. The grapes used to be so tasty that, sometimes, we would chomp a handful before putting them inside the big bharani (traditional ceramic jar).”
Mariam remembers the excitement of waiting beside her father, who would open the bharani and stir the mix with a wooden ladle on alternate days. “The three of us would line up as wine tasters,” she says.
“Those 20 days of waiting for the final unveiling were a period of impatience. Just the sight of red grape wine poured into a glass, paired with a slice of plum cake, was heavenly.”
Mariam lost her father 18 years ago. His memories, she says, come alive every Christmas. The practice of celebrating wine-making as a family tradition is now a rarity, believes Mariam. Most people, she adds, go for instant wines, which lack depth in taste.
“The longer it is kept, the better it tastes,” she says. “Grape wine is the staple drink during the Christmas season in our family. Nowadays, there are many unique flavours available, including tulsi and ginger wines. Grape wines are of two kinds dry wines made in wineries, which are intense and opaque, and homemade ones that are sweeter, lighter in colour and have an aromatic flavour. High-quality black grapes are a must; quite difficult to find them nowadays.”
Mother’s recipe
Kanjirapally native Minny Abraham remembers the many varieties of fruit wines prepared by her mother, Cicey. In almost all Christian families, she says, there would be one wine expert. “My mother is the youngest among the 14 siblings,” adds Minny. “Wines are made only for family consumption. She prepares grape and pineapple wines. She is ace at making rambutan, nutmeg, chambakka, gooseberry and banana wines, too.”
Minny’s aunt also prepares pineapple wine and her uncle’s signature cashew wine is always included in the family’s Christmas celebrations. Winemaking is a tradition for us.”
High spirit, low alcohol
Ginger, rambutan, pineapple and nutmeg wines are good for digestion, says Minny. “As every ingredient is natural and homegrown, we offer a little to children, too,” she adds. “Our homemade wines have minimal alcohol content. They are fermented with spices and fruits for just 22 days. So, everyone can drink these homemade wines.”
Minny says her regular fix through the year is the nutmeg wine. “After a heavy meal, I drink a quarter glass to soothe my digestion,” she adds.
It’s an art
The real deal takes months of careful preparation, according to connoisseurs. Kochi-based culinary trainer Mahima Simon, for instance, says the assorting and cleaning of grapes are vital determinants of quality. “Always go for ripe but firm grapes,” she says.
“Wash them well two times in normal water. Then, put them in water mixed with salt and turmeric for some time. Rinse thoroughly before starting the crushing process. Winemaking is an art, which everyone can perfect with practice.”
Mahima’s wine-making sessions include ingredients such as coffee beans, ginger, apple, dry fruits, jamun, pineapple, lovelolikka (Indian cherry) and rice, too. “Seven days after mixing, the wine should be stirred with coconut shell or wooden ladles,” she advises. “Also, the storage space must be dark. Homemade wines are a good replacement for spirits with high alcohol content.”
Trip down the memory lane
Palakkad-based Johny Thomas, 90, says he is proud of his wines that are at least a decade old. His love for wine led him to commission an artist to decorate the jars with popular Ravi Varma paintings.
“There was no family history of wine-making,” says Johny. “I started it out of curiosity, by following cookery recipes that came in a Malayalam magazine. Being a farmer, I had some time to spare at home. So I indulged in the step-by-step wine-making process.”
Johny stores his wine in jars made of stone, and treasures the liquid art. “Drinking wine is not about intoxication,” he says. “It should rather be about consuming something vintage and homemade.. something sweet, together with family. However, it has now become a statement of elegance to welcome guests with a glass of wine and a piece of cake.”
Winter and wine go well
Living in a country with a cold climate, relishing warm wine, especially mulled ones made with spices, warm, is a usual affair for Devi Nair, who is settled in Sweden. The traditional wine savoured, especially during Christmas in the country, is the Nordic glogg or Nordic mulled wine, she adds.
Made using spices, orange peels, and dry fruits, the Swedish glogg wine goes well with chilly weather. “There are alcoholic and non-alcoholic variants of the glogg,” Devi says. “Glogg parties are part of the Christmas tradition here. It is enjoyed in small sips, along with wine-soaked dry fruits. As a pastry chef employed in Stockholm, I also get a chance to explore various traditional wines. Wine-tasting fests are also plenty. Tasting glogg wine in a minus-degree-Celsius atmosphere is a blissful experience, indeed.”
How to drink wine
There is a way to drink wine. While serving the wine, we have an etiquette to follow, from holding the bottle using a napkin to pouring it into the wine glass. Most red wines are years old and procured from several vineyards across the world. So the one who serves must be aware of the grape type, the temperature at which wines were stored, the origin, the proportion of alcohol content, and what food must be paired with particular wines. Wine bottles are placed in a slanting way to make the wine touch the cork cap. Before drinking the red wine, one must breathe the aroma and swirl the glass slowly two times. Then take a small sip and rest it inside the mouth to get the taste. While drinking wine, the mind must be filled with thoughts about it to enjoy the full taste. Red wine should be served in a large bowl glass with a thin stem, and white wine in a slender glass.
Fruity blast
Kiwi wine
Ingredients
Kiwi fruits - 1/2kg
Sugar - 350gm
Water (boiled and cooled) - 1litre
Wheat - 2tbsp
Orange zest - 1tsp
Method
Chop kiwi fruits and put them in a glass jar with sugar, water, orange zest and wheat. Keep it in a dark place. Stir daily at the same time using a wooden ladle. After 10 days, strain and transfer it into dark glass bottles. Leave it untouched for another 10 days and then, enjoy.
Grape wine
Ingredients
Black grapes - 2kg
Sugar - 1kg
Water (boiled and cooled) - 2litres
Yeast - 2tsp
Method
Mash the grapes with your hand and put them in a glass jar with sugar, water and yeast and keep in a dark place. Stir daily at the same time using a wooden ladle. After 10 days, strain and transfer it into dark glass bottles. Leave it untouched for another 10 days and then enjoy
Note: Can add 2 tbsp of caramelized sugar along with other ingredients to add more colour to the wine.
Spicy twist
Kanthari wine
Ingredients
Kanthari - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 2kg
Water - 3.75litres (boiled and cooled)
Yeast - 1.5 tsp
Method
Put kanthari and sugar in a bharani and crush well with a wooden spoon. Then add the remaining ingredients. Close the pot, cover it with a cotton cloth and keep it in a dark place. Stir it every alternate day at the same time for 10 to 12 days. Strain into dark bottles and keep them in a dark space for a week. Serve chilled.
Ginger wine
Ingredients
Ginger - 250gm
Water - 750ml
Sugar - 1.5kg
Dry chilly - 10 (without grains)
Juice of 6-8 lemons
Method
Slice and slightly crush ginger. Add it to water, sugar and dry chillies. Mix well and boil. Simmer for 20 mins. Next day, add lime juice and bottle the wine. Use from the third day.
Easy peasy
Banana wine
Ingredients: Banana (palayamkodan) - 1kg Sugar-1.5kg
Water: 3litres Yeast: 1/2tsp
Method
Method: Mash banana, add sugar and mix well. Add water and yeast into the mix and store in an earthen cookware. Stir daily for 14 days. Keep aside for seven more days (a total of 21 days). Strain into a bottle and store it.
Beetroot wine
Ingredients:
Beetroot - 1kg
Sugar - 1kg
Yeast - 1/2tsp
Water - 3litres
Cinnamon - 1
Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 3
Red chilli - 1
Method: Chop or grate beetroot and add 1litre water and spices to it. Cook in a pressure cooker. After the first whistle, remove it. Cool and strain the mixture and add the rest of the ingredients. Bottle the final mix. Keep it for 21 days.
Swedish Glögg (non-alcoholic)
Ingredients
Grape juice - 1 bottle
Cranberry juice - 1 bottle
Apple juice - 100ml
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Dry ginger powder - 2 tbsp
Raisins - 4 tbsp
Orange zest - 2 tbsp
Cardamon pods - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon - 2 sticks
Cloves - 1 tbsp
Almonds - 2 tbsp
Water - 1/2 cup
Method: Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Add grape, cranberry and apple juices and other ingredients. Heat the mix on a low temperature for around 20 minutes. Set it aside for another 30 minutes. Strain and remove the fruits and spices. Swedish Glögg wine is ready.
To serve: Pour Glögg into a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes. Garnish each serving glass with almonds and raisins and pour the hot wine. Enjoy!