Success! At least to my unsophisticated palette...

Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum

Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
The recipe I have is for full garlic wine, as in it's the fruit. I suppose you can put a clove or two in a bottle, but I have no idea what the shelf life is.

Personally, "cooking wine" means I open the bottle when cooking. Some goes in me, and some might go in the food .......
I can't wait till my garlic is done!

You bring up an interesting point, Bryan. You always see herbs in vinegars. I've only seen wine with snakes and scorpions but never anything else. From a canning perspective the veg is preserved in an acidic medium. Perhaps if the pH of a wine was low enough? I don't know what it would taste like, though.
 
Thanks for the reply. Interesting that the garlic is the "fruit" that is fermented. I haven't tried any kind of garlic fermentation. If you are ok with it, I am interested in the recipe. Also any tips for clearing it, though I'm thinking that might not matter. Any pointers are appreciated. P.S. I do agree with your definition of a cooking wine lol.
I don't know if you grow your garlic but I'm planning on using my garlic AND the scapes for the wine. Can't wait!
 
If you are ok with it, I am interested in the recipe.
https://novocastrianvintnersgazette.wordpress.com/2017/04/17/garlic-wine-recipe/

GARLIC WINE RECIPE

Not once have I ever uttered the line, “Waiter, can I have a glass of garlic wine please,” for a few reasons. The first is I am banned from our local Italian restaurant and secondly because it tastes horrible to drink. This is not a wine to drink but a wine to eat as a stock to risotto, mussels, meats or any other meal when white wine or dry vermouth would be added.

GARLIC WINE INGREDIENTS

Before you start have a think about how much you need as 6 bottles of stock is a lot to make as an experiment, it also stinks for the first three days of fermentation and by “stinks” I mean it really really honks. This dies down as fermentation gets under way in primary and is eliminated by the time it enters secondary fermentation with an airlock. If you have sensitive family or a vampire staying over best leave it a few days before kicking it off!

GARLIC PEELED

There are no hard and fast rules on the volume of garlic.

As this is a stock added for taste the measurement of the garlic is not really that exacting. I used 14 bulbs as they were small, others I have seen have used only 6 giant bulbs. The average is 12 regular bulbs as a guide. Pealing all of that will take eleventy billion years but the easiest way to do it is to press the full garlic bulb down so the skin cracks satisfyingly, then separate all the cloves apart and then start to slice to woody base off to peel. Once all the skin has been removed divide it in half with one set being baked and the other half thinly sliced.

ROASTING HALF THE GARLIC

Baking the garlic to hopefully caramelize the sugars

To roast the garlic pack it tightly into some foil and seal it with some tight folds then bake it for 20 minutes at 180° C / gas mark 7. For any Americans reading I’m sorry but I have no idea how you would gauge this but I imagine it is 3 cups of medium heat per quart of garlic time. The time is only approximate but when you open the foil it should be soft but not browned and it can be squished into a purée and dropped with the other sliced garlic.

Add to the garlic the lemon rind and chopped raisins and then boil for 15 minutes. The sugar will dissolve easiest when the water is warm so take the opportunity while you can.

GARLIC WINE BOIL

Boiling the garlic, rind and raisins.

When it has totally cooled add the mug of strong tea, orange and lemon juice then stir the yeast and the nutrient in. I chose to primary ferment in a large demijohn but if you pan is big enough just leave it covered in it. The boiling will have sterilised everything nicely already so no laborious cleaning and sterilising of other containers.

Primary fermentation leads to a pungent garlic smell that permeates your house so be prepared. I got used to it but opening the door when coming home really knocked me back, this is only temporary so persist through it for a few days or hide it in a cellar, shed or the servants quarters if you can. As there is a lot of solids in the must this will all lift due to the carbon dioxide bubbling away from the fermenting yeast. Stir it at least twice a day and four if you can and pour the must through sterilised muslin into a secondary fermenter when it starts to slow. The remaining pulp can be squeezed though to extract as much flavour as possible.

The raisins give a dark brown colour to the must but this will soften as particulates drop out during secondary fermentation. Pretend it is a rich butterscotch rather than a murky brown if you can. Racking should be done as usual at about 5 weeks and then 8 weeks after that but there is no long ageing process needed. The wine should be fermented to dryness so no need to back sweeten. When the wine is clear it is pretty much ready to use though some leave it a month for flavours to mellow and mix nicely but there is no reason why four months after starting you cannot be using it. While the wine will keep for a year or so it should be noted that it needs to be refrigerated once a bottle is opened. It should happily sit for a month as the 13% ABV will be a natural preservative. Because of this I am choosing to put it into capped beer bottles as they are smaller and more manageable.

There are no rules to when or how to use it simply add to your own desired taste and if any one has any particular recipes it can be added to I would certainly be interested to know!

GARLIC WINE – 4.5 litres

12 regularly garlic bulbs
500g raisins
2 lemons – juice and zest
3 oranges – juice only
1 cup of tea
4.5litres of water
1kg sugar
Wine nutrient
white wine yeast

1. Peel the garlic and divide roughly in half.

2. Roast half until softened but not browned and thinly slice the rest as it is in the oven.

3. Combine both and add the roughly chopped raisins and lemon peel then boil with 4.5 litres of water for 15 minutes

4. As it starts to cool stir in the sugar then once fully cooled add the cup of strong tea and juices pof the lemons and oranges, yeast and the nutrient.

5. Stir twice a day in primary fermentation in a covered container.

6. When fermentation starts to slow pour through sterlisied muslin into a demijohn and squeeze out as much flavour from the resulting pulp. Seal with an airlock and rack in 5 weeks or so when fermentation ends.

7. Rack every 2 months until there is no more sediment and bottle. Leave for an extra month if you desire.

Four months from pitch to… er… cook.
 
I don't know if you grow your garlic but I'm planning on using my garlic AND the scapes for the wine. Can't wait!
I do not grow my own garlic. Garlic will be a Costco purchase. I might buy a few bags of it considering food price inflation/shortages. Making Garlic wine will be used for cooking (maybe herbal medicine) when it becomes hard to find at the grocer.
 
https://novocastrianvintnersgazette.wordpress.com/2017/04/17/garlic-wine-recipe/

GARLIC WINE RECIPE
stinks for the first three days of fermentation and by “stinks” I mean it really really honks. If you have sensitive family or a vampire staying over best leave it a few days before kicking it off!

Four months from pitch to… er… cook.
Winemaker81, Thank you for posting the recipe. "Warn the werewolves and vampires before starting fermentation". lol I'll heed the warning. Most likely, start the fermentation, then put the primary bucket in a larger safe vented container outside the house. Otherwise I'll be on the outside. lol
 
https://novocastrianvintnersgazette.wordpress.com/2017/04/17/garlic-wine-recipe/

GARLIC WINE RECIPE

Not once have I ever uttered the line, “Waiter, can I have a glass of garlic wine please,” for a few reasons. The first is I am banned from our local Italian restaurant and secondly because it tastes horrible to drink. This is not a wine to drink but a wine to eat as a stock to risotto, mussels, meats or any other meal when white wine or dry vermouth would be added.

GARLIC WINE INGREDIENTS

Before you start have a think about how much you need as 6 bottles of stock is a lot to make as an experiment, it also stinks for the first three days of fermentation and by “stinks” I mean it really really honks. This dies down as fermentation gets under way in primary and is eliminated by the time it enters secondary fermentation with an airlock. If you have sensitive family or a vampire staying over best leave it a few days before kicking it off!

GARLIC PEELED

There are no hard and fast rules on the volume of garlic.

As this is a stock added for taste the measurement of the garlic is not really that exacting. I used 14 bulbs as they were small, others I have seen have used only 6 giant bulbs. The average is 12 regular bulbs as a guide. Pealing all of that will take eleventy billion years but the easiest way to do it is to press the full garlic bulb down so the skin cracks satisfyingly, then separate all the cloves apart and then start to slice to woody base off to peel. Once all the skin has been removed divide it in half with one set being baked and the other half thinly sliced.

ROASTING HALF THE GARLIC

Baking the garlic to hopefully caramelize the sugars

To roast the garlic pack it tightly into some foil and seal it with some tight folds then bake it for 20 minutes at 180° C / gas mark 7. For any Americans reading I’m sorry but I have no idea how you would gauge this but I imagine it is 3 cups of medium heat per quart of garlic time. The time is only approximate but when you open the foil it should be soft but not browned and it can be squished into a purée and dropped with the other sliced garlic.

Add to the garlic the lemon rind and chopped raisins and then boil for 15 minutes. The sugar will dissolve easiest when the water is warm so take the opportunity while you can.

GARLIC WINE BOIL

Boiling the garlic, rind and raisins.

When it has totally cooled add the mug of strong tea, orange and lemon juice then stir the yeast and the nutrient in. I chose to primary ferment in a large demijohn but if you pan is big enough just leave it covered in it. The boiling will have sterilised everything nicely already so no laborious cleaning and sterilising of other containers.

Primary fermentation leads to a pungent garlic smell that permeates your house so be prepared. I got used to it but opening the door when coming home really knocked me back, this is only temporary so persist through it for a few days or hide it in a cellar, shed or the servants quarters if you can. As there is a lot of solids in the must this will all lift due to the carbon dioxide bubbling away from the fermenting yeast. Stir it at least twice a day and four if you can and pour the must through sterilised muslin into a secondary fermenter when it starts to slow. The remaining pulp can be squeezed though to extract as much flavour as possible.

The raisins give a dark brown colour to the must but this will soften as particulates drop out during secondary fermentation. Pretend it is a rich butterscotch rather than a murky brown if you can. Racking should be done as usual at about 5 weeks and then 8 weeks after that but there is no long ageing process needed. The wine should be fermented to dryness so no need to back sweeten. When the wine is clear it is pretty much ready to use though some leave it a month for flavours to mellow and mix nicely but there is no reason why four months after starting you cannot be using it. While the wine will keep for a year or so it should be noted that it needs to be refrigerated once a bottle is opened. It should happily sit for a month as the 13% ABV will be a natural preservative. Because of this I am choosing to put it into capped beer bottles as they are smaller and more manageable.

There are no rules to when or how to use it simply add to your own desired taste and if any one has any particular recipes it can be added to I would certainly be interested to know!

GARLIC WINE – 4.5 litres

12 regularly garlic bulbs
500g raisins
2 lemons – juice and zest
3 oranges – juice only
1 cup of tea
4.5litres of water
1kg sugar
Wine nutrient
white wine yeast

1. Peel the garlic and divide roughly in half.

2. Roast half until softened but not browned and thinly slice the rest as it is in the oven.

3. Combine both and add the roughly chopped raisins and lemon peel then boil with 4.5 litres of water for 15 minutes

4. As it starts to cool stir in the sugar then once fully cooled add the cup of strong tea and juices pof the lemons and oranges, yeast and the nutrient.

5. Stir twice a day in primary fermentation in a covered container.

6. When fermentation starts to slow pour through sterlisied muslin into a demijohn and squeeze out as much flavour from the resulting pulp. Seal with an airlock and rack in 5 weeks or so when fermentation ends.

7. Rack every 2 months until there is no more sediment and bottle. Leave for an extra month if you desire.

Four months from pitch to… er… cook.

I've mentioned before that I am a little like a dog chasing cars with this hobby. I see something interesting and I'm off and running. I am neck deep in it within hours. This is something I am VERY intrigued with, but I think in consideration of continuing this hobby on and the noted aromas, I will leave it alone for the time being.

I'd like to see updates though if anyone pushes through.
 
Winemaker81, Thank you for posting the recipe. "Warn the werewolves and vampires before starting fermentation". lol I'll heed the warning. Most likely, start the fermentation, then put the primary bucket in a larger safe vented container outside the house. Otherwise I'll be on the outside. lol

I was thinking this might be an option in warmer weather. Sounds like the only way to keep the marriage together.
 
@winemaker81, @Steve Wargo , and others:

Here is my recipe (thanks to Jack Keller) I have used.

Garlic wine has many uses in cooking and is a great wine to make and present to friends as gifts. I have a personal garlic wine recipe, but doubt if it is the one you seek. However, it has the two ingredients you mentioned, so perhaps it will do as well. It requires elephant garlic, the giant-cloved garlic often found in super markets, but you can use regular garlic in its place by using 2-1/2 times the amount. I will write it out both ways for you.

GARLIC COOKING WINE​
• 6 clusters of elephant garlic or
• 15 clusters of regular garlic
• 1 lb golden raisins
• 1-3/4 lbs granulated sugar
• 7 pts water
• 1 tsp acid blend
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• Champagne or Sauterne wine yeast

Break cloves from garlic clusters and peel cloves. Slice cloves very thinly. This may take up to an hour to accomplish. Put water on to boil. Finely chop or mince the raisins and combine with sliced garlic in nylon straining bag and tie bag. Put one pound of the sugar and all remaining ingredients except yeast in primary and stir well to dissolve sugar in water. Cover primary with cloth and allow to sit 24 hours. Sprinkle yeast over surface of must (do not stir into liquid). Yeast will activate within 1-2 days, at which time it can be stirred. Ferment 7 days, stirring twice daily. Lift bag of pulp and squeeze well to extract maximum juice (wear sterilized rubber gloves to prevent hands from smelling of garlic for the next week !). Discard pulp, add remaining sugar, stir very well to dissolve sugar, transfer liquor to secondary, and fit airlock. Rack after 30 days and then every 3 weeks until wine clears, but rack at least four times. After clearing, wait 3 additional weeks, stabilize, wait another 10 days, rack, and bottle into bottles using screw caps. If wine does not clear after 6 rackings, stabilize and add fining. Wait 14 days, rack and bottle into wine bottles with screw caps. This is a cooking wine and can be used immediately. Refrigerate after opening.

Note: I corked my bottles whereas Keller says use screw caps.
 
I was thinking this might be an option in warmer weather. Sounds like the only way to keep the marriage together.
I was thinking of putting a smaller bucket with the garlic ferment into a larger vented bucket outside the house. Maybe in the garage. I'm thinking as the smaller primary bucket heats up because of the primary fermentation process it should do the job, even if the weather is a little chilly. I think those buckets will be forever garlic or salt & garlic pickle buckets afterward. As you can tell, doing alot of thinking. lol
 
Back
Top