Potato Spice Wine

I took inspiration for this recipe from M.A. Jagendorf’s Folk Wines, Cordials & Brandies: Ways to Make Them, Together with Some Lore, Reminiscences, and Wise Advice for Enjoying Them. It makes a white wine with a bold taste. The heat of the ginger gives the illusion of a higher alcohol content. This property mellows with age.

Ingredients

• 2 gallons water
• 3 pounds clean, unpeeled and quartered potatoes
• 1 pound wheat berries or brown rice
• 2 lemons, sliced into rounds
• 2 oranges, sliced into rounds
• 2 ounces fresh ginger, minced
• 8 cardamom pods
• 4 whole allspice corns
• 5 pounds white sugar
• 1 packet wine yeast

Instructions

Simmer potatoes and grain in the water for 25 minutes. Strain. Add lemons, oranges, ginger and spices. Boil for 15 minutes, pour into crock, cover with plate or lid and let sit overnight. Proceed with steps 2 through 10 of the Basic Herbal Wine recipe.