COMMENT:
Herman Ledet is married to Anna Mae Zeringue-Ledet, my mother’s
sister and my God-mother. I’ve been told his blackberry wine
is some of the best in St. James Parish and I’m happy he shared
his recipe with me.
INGREDIENTS:
- 15 pounds blackberries
- 12 ½ pounds sugar
- 3 lemons
- 1 package yeast
METHOD:
In a large stockpot, place blackberries with 3 gallons of water.
Bring to a rolling boil, remove from heat and allow to cool. Drain
the fruit from the water and return water to the stockpot. Squeeze
the blackberry juice through a cheesecloth and into the 3 gallons
of water. Bring the stockpot to a low simmer and dissolve the sugar
into the hot liquid, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Using a wire
whisk, stir constantly to ensure that sugar is totally dissolved.
Squeeze the juice from 3 lemons and strain into the sugar/juice
mixture. Remove from heat and allow to cool to 90 degrees F. Add
1 package of yeast. (NOTE: The yeast will be killed if water temperature
is over 90.) In a 5-gallon water bottle place one gallon of cold
tap water. Add the 3-gallon juice mixture to the bottle. Shake vigorously
to blend well. Place a rubber or cork stopper with manometer attached
in the neck of the bottle. Fill manometer with water according to
package directions. A manometer is available at your local wine
or beer enthusiast store. Let stand in a cool, dark place for 6
weeks. Siphon the contents into approximately 17 fifth-sized bottles,
cap and store in a cool place for approximately 6 months. If bounce
is desired in place of wine, add ½ cup brandy into each fifth-sized
bottle prior to filling with the wine. |
