Homemade Sea Grape Wine

📝 Instructions

1. 1Rinse sea grapes thoroughly under cold water and pick off any stems, leaves, or unripe berries. Only use deeply purple, fully ripe fruit.
2. 2Crush sea grapes by hand or in a food processor (pulse briefly). Place crushed fruit in a large sterilised bucket.
3. 3Dissolve sugar in 2 cups of warm water and pour over crushed fruit. Add remaining water. Stir well.
4. 4If using Campden tablet, crush and stir in now. Cover with a clean cloth and wait 24 hours before adding yeast.
5. 5After 24 hours, sprinkle wine yeast and yeast nutrient over the surface. Stir gently, then cover loosely.
6. 6Ferment at room temperature (75–80°F / 24–27°C) for 5–7 days, stirring the 'must' daily and pressing down the fruit cap.
7. 7After 7 days, strain the liquid through cheesecloth into a sterilised glass jug, squeezing pulp to extract all juice. Discard solids.
8. 8Fit the jug with an airlock. Leave to ferment undisturbed for 3–4 weeks until bubbling stops completely.
9. 9Carefully siphon (rack) the wine off the sediment into a clean sterilised jug. Seal and age for a further 4–8 weeks for best flavour.
10. 10Once clear and stable, bottle into sterilised wine bottles. Cork tightly. Age at least 2 weeks before drinking — or longer for a smoother wine.
11. 11Serve chilled. The finished wine should be a beautiful deep ruby-red with a fruity, slightly tart flavour unique to the Caribbean coastline.