Next, the team will turn its attention to wild Rajapuri mangoes for a honey-based dessert wine. Since it has a natural sweetness, it is excellent with Asian and Indian food, too," says Rivard.Ī cinnamon- and ginger-flavoured chikoo wine is fermenting in the tanks right now, while the plain chikoo wine flavour is available at leading retail stores in Mumbai for Rs255 (330ml). “It pairs well with medium to heavy cheeses as it has enough acidity and gas to cut through fat. Special enzymes, yeast, nutrition for yeast are added ingredients," says the Canadian, who has been travelling to different parts of the world for the last 25 years to make fruit wine. Full fermentation is carried out using natural sugars and then cane sugar is used to balance sweetness. We have to target the level of acid to balance the sugar and fruit intensity. “The fruit in itself doesn’t lend to good wine. Rivard’s role involves working closely with the on-site wine maker, finalizing product formulations, conceptualizing methods of production, and quality control. Right now, we maintain it at 8%," says Pai. If we let the entire batch ferment, the alcohol content will be very high. Twelve tonnes of chikoo give us 9,000 litres of wine, out of which 4,500 litres is pure chikoo juice as we dilute the thick pulp with water. After a four-day process of ripening the chikoo, they are ready to crush. Without this, it is not possible to make good wine. “We maintain a temperature of 21 degrees here. Called sapota or sapodilla in English, chikoo (or chiku) is a summer fruit native to India. The plant in Bordi has four fermentation tanks, one carbonation tank, a fruit press, a fruit mill, and the heart of their winery, a ripening chamber. Chikoo is naturally very sweet and with its malty, caramelized taste, it is perfect for ice creams. Mature sapodilla usually produces fruits twice a year. Its leaves are shiny evergreen, and the flowers are white. The fruit of the sapodilla is yellowish-brown. Chikoo Trees do not grow very well in cold weather, however mature trees tolerate the cold, as long as the temperature is not falling regularly. Chikoo, a low-maintenance fruit that grows round the year, ripens best at 21 degrees Celsius. You can germinate seeds or grafting also. The process takes three-five months from fruit to bottle. In a pilsner glass as a cider, it has a denser body, giving a well-rounded nectar finish. The bitterness of the tonic balances the sweetness of the chikoo beautifully, making it a smooth drink to sip. We also tasted it in a cocktail called the CnT (chikoo wine and tonic). We tried the wine at its launch at the Pali Village Café, Mumbai. Unlike grape wine that seldom tastes of the fruit, the first nosing of chikoo wine fills our sensory buds with the aroma of the sweet fruit. The caramel and vanilla notes, along with the natural sweetness, lend themselves to a smooth, light drink and, after a lot of experimentation, they zeroed in on a sparkling cider-style wine because it is easily palatable, leaning towards beer-like qualities.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |