Christmas Wine, The Mangalorean Way

Christmas Wine, The Mangalorean Way

I remember the excitement and energy in our house when my parents began making wine every October in readiness for Christmas. The process began when carts of grapes, pushed by vendors arrived in the vicinity. The best wine is made from slightly over ripe, fat black grapes oozing with juice. My parents would buy a basket of a few kgs, wash the grapes carefully and enlisted our help.  Of course, we ate a lot too.  That was the best part.  Once the wine was made it would be stored in ceramic jars. The reason we start in October is because good wine needs to be aged, so the earlier you make it, the better it will taste.  I age my wines for a minimum of 3 months before gifting it away during Christmas.  Whenever friends and family visited we would serve wine and cake. In fact, I always have some kind of wine at home and I enjoy opening my Wine cupboard and gloating over my spoils.

In India, several Christian communities, including the Goans, Mangloreans, Anglo-Indians and East Indians, prepare sweet homemade wines for the festive season from a variety of local fruits. So it was in our family for as far back as I can remember. We have made a different wine every year with practically every fruit, vegetable and herbs that I can think of- apples, grapes (Black and Green), Star Fruit, Radish, Ginger, Cashew Fruit, Jamun (Java Plum), Guava, Peach, Pear, Starberry, Pineapple, Apricots, Sugarcane, Plums, Strawberries and more.

The growing of grapes and making of wine in India go back to the Bronze Age, when Persian traders brought the practice to the region. Soon it became common throughout the area to find wine made from grapes or fermented grain beverages. Winemaking was widespread under British rule during the 19th century.  Christmas winemaking is said to be a legacy that was passed on by the British and Portuguese in the Indian colonies, and thrived, especially in South India.  From Wines, I graduated to making homemade liqueurs which are a lot easier and less time consuming.

Here are some Wine and Liqueur recipes for you to try.

Starfruit Wine, Homemade

Happy New Year/Easy Dried Rose Petal Liqueur

DIY Hazelnut Liqueur Recipe / Exotic Christmas Liqueur

The Fourth Recipe For Christmas / Home Made Ginger Liqueur

Apricot Brandy / Christmas Liqueur

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