Strawberry wine conjures up thoughts of spring and a cool refreshing drink with a great aroma and taste. Although modern recipes call for such things as pectin enzyme, wine tannins, and acid blend, the recipe of my maternal grandmother sticks to the basics. In her book, Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines (published in 1909), she gives two recipes for strawberry wine and I give them both below. The first is so skimpy it is difficult to interpret; the other is more detailed and bound to be good because whiskey is one of the ingredients.
In Grandmother’s words:
Strawberry Wine No. 1
Twelve gallons bruised strawberries, ten gallons cider, seven gallons water, twenty-five pounds sugar. Ferment, then add one-half ounce bruised orris root, one-half ounce bruised bitter almonds, one-half ounce bruised cloves, six ounces red tartar.
Strawberry Wine No. 2
Crush the berries and add one quart of water to one gallon of berries and let stand twenty-four hours. Strain and add two and one-half pounds of white sugar to one gallon of juice. Put in cask, with thin muslin tacked over the bung-hole, and let ferment, keeping it full from a quantity reserved for the purpose. If a small quantity is made, use jugs or bottles. When fermentation ceases, add one pint of good whiskey to the gallon, and bottle and seal securely. Ready for use in six weeks.
Karen Meyers