Banana Wine

You must be very patient to make this wine. It takes a long time to clear. Using very ripe fruit will improve the clearing time.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 pounds bananas
• 1 1/2 cups light raisins
• 5 cups granulated sugar
• 2 lemons
• 2 campden tablets
• 1 teaspoon nutrients
• water
• 1 package wine yeast

METHOD:

1. Peel and slice bananas. Chop 1/10 to 1/2 of the banana peels. Place both in a large saucepan with 6 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain out pulp.
2. Put sugar, raisins, campden tablets and the juice of the lemons into primary fermentor. Pour hot banana liquid over sugar mixture and stir to dissolve. Make up to 1 gallon with cold water. Let sit overnight.
3. The next day, add nutrients and yeast. Leave for 5 days, stirring daily. There will be heavy foaming during fermentation.
4. On the fifth day, siphon into secondary fermentor before stirring, being careful not to disturb the sediment on the bottom. If necessary, make up to volume with water. Attach airlock. Siphon the wine off the sediment after three weeks. Return wine to fermentor.
5. For a dry wine, Rack every three months for a year.
6. For a sweet wine, add 1/2 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup wine at each racking until fermentation does not start again when sugar is added.
7. Continue racking wine every two to three months until it is clear. Bottle.

VARIATION:

1. Use brown sugar (or demerara sugar) in place of the granulated sugar.
2. For a spiced wine, add one or all of the following:
   • 1 ounce bruised ginger root
   • 1 ounce whole cloves
   • 1 – 4 inch cinnamon stick
3. If you want to leave out the banana peels, add 1/4 teaspoon tannin.