Dates Wine/ Homemade Dates Wine Recipe
Dates wine/ Date wine is well-balanced with fresh fruity flavours and mild sweetness to give you refreshing as well as exotic feel. As we get ready for the festive season, here is a plush wine to celebrate with family and friends. If you have made wine at home, at least once, you will certainly love trying out this wonderful recipe. Making wine at home, is an exuberant experience, it is the art of perfecting the balance of flavors, sugar and acid. If you are a beginner, don’t be overwhelmed with the complex procedures; try with a basic Grape wine recipe and you will enjoy the experience!
The wonderful, bright, orange- brown hue of Dates wine appeals to one and all. The ecstatic aroma, silky-smooth texture, subtle sweetness, fiery finish; everything makes the Dates wine unique and distinctive. This time, after little modifications to the traditional recipe, our Dates Wine turned out exceptionally great. Wine making is Jibu’s (my Hubby) department, so, I only assist the expert in assembling, tasting and serving! 🙂
Whether it is a small get together, party, wedding or festive occasion, it is always a good time to have wine to raise your spirits. To spread the cheer, I prefer homemade wines to store brought ones. Pair the Dates wine with traditional Fruit cake, Dates and Banana Cake, Carrot Dates Cake, Orange cake or any other tea cake to entice your guests. You should also try my Banana Raisin Wine, another brilliant Wine recipe to add to your winery collection.
Like every Wine, Date wine gets matured and flavourful when allowed to age gracefully. Dates are seeded and boiled to make it soft and to release sugars. Citric acid is added to Dates Wine to stabilize the acidity, or the fermentation process will slow down. Making Dates Wine can be a little challenging as there are several processes to be followed, but let me assure you the results are amazing! Get ready, to brew the happiness and welcome the vibrant festive season! Cheers!
Ingredients for Date Wine:
| Dates | : 1 kg |
| Boiling water | : 1 litres |
| Sugar | : 500 gms |
| Water (Boiled and cooled) | : 2 litres |
| Yeast | : ½ tsp |
| Whole wheat | : 2 tbsp |
| Cloves | : 3 nos |
| Cinnamon | : 1 – 2 pieces |
| Ginger | : 1 “piece |
| Citric Acid | : 15 gms. |
Method:
Sterilize all the vessels and ceramic / Glass Jar with hot water and dry before use. Measure and keep ready all the ingredients. Boil and cool 2 liters of water. Remove the seeds and boil the dates in 1 liter of water for half an hour. Let it cool.
Transfer the dates with water to the Ceramic/ Glass Jar and add the cooled water. Now, add the whole wheat, sugar (500 gms), Crushed Ginger, cloves and Cinnamon to the jar. Take ¼ cup warm water and add yeast to it with 1 tsp sugar. Mix well and keep covered for 10 minutes. Add this to the jar and stir to combine. Lastly, add the Citric Acid and stir again to mix. The jar should be big enough to leave ample space for fermenting. Tie the jar airtight with a cloth and keep in a warm place.
Stir once every day for 21 days with a long-handled spoon, at the same time. This is the fermentation period. Close the lid nicely each time. After 21 days, leave it untouched for two days and strain the liquid using a muslin cloth; squeeze tightly to remove all solid part and transfer into another sterilized dry jar. You can strain again using another clean cloth to remove all husk. Tightly cover the jar with a cloth and lid and keep in a cool dark place for another 21 days without disturbing to clear the wine.
Then, transfer the wine to glass bottles using a syphon pump. Keep it in a cool place to age gracefully till you get a clear, Golden Orange color liquid. Enjoy, gift and spread the cheers!!
Tips:
- Use good quality Dates for making this wine.
- Dates are to be boiled to make it soft and then cooled before preparing wine.
- Always use boiled and cooled water to make wine.
- Citric Acid helps to stabilize the acidity and ensure proper fermentation.
- During the fermenting period wine jar should be stored at warm, normal temperature for fermenting nicely.
- Use wooden spoon to stir the wine and try to stir at a set time every day, if possible before sunset.
- Like all wines, Dates wine wine tastes better if you keep ageing it for longer period.
- Always keep in a dark cool place for ageing.
Amaze your guests with refreshing Dates Wine this festive season. God Bless!!
Turned out awesome! The right sweetness and zing… thank you for the recipe.
Very happy to hear that. Thanks for trying!!
hi thanks for this information
You are welcome. Happy to help! 🙂
What can I substitute citric acid with? Where would one usually find citric acid?
Hi Erica, you will get citric acid in all grocery shops, supermarkets etc. It is better to add citric acid than lemon as the lemon might make it bitter. Hope this helps. Dates wine is extremely delightful, although the procedure seems complex. Please try and let me know.
Hi Meena, I have a doubt in this sentence “Tie the jar airtight with a cloth and keep in a warm place”. Should the mouth of the jar be tied only with a cloth or cloth n lid??
Hi Holly, sorry for the confusion. It should be tied with a cloth and covered with lid. Not cloth alone. Hope this clarifies. Please do try and let me know.
What is the best ph for date wine?
Ideal PH would be around 3.5. Hope this helps.
Is there an alternative grain? Avoiding wheat allergy.
Hi Zoe, thank you for visiting meemiskitchen. In dates wine, you may avoid wheat if you are allergic. Wheat makes it stronger, as the wheat starch is converted to fermentable sugar by yeast. You can avoid wheat and follow the same recipe. The wine will be little mellower, but won’t affect the taste much.
Hello Meemi
Can we use Bread yeast or Dry yeast.
Please advise.
Regards
Bisht
Hi D S Bisht, You should add only dry yeast for wines. Hope this helps.
Is citric acid a must to make this wine?
Hi Jemi, Thank you for your query. I would recommend adding it. Citric acid helps to make dates wine more acidic and helps in fermentation. It also contributes to the flavours.
Hello Meena,
Can I add white vinegar instead of citric acid.
Regards
Naveen Nandikesan
Hi Naveen, You need to add Citric acid for best results. Lime juice is another substitute, but not vinegar. Lime juice might cause a slight bitter taste, so citric acid is advised. You get Citric acid in all supermarkets.
Hi Meena, Is this recipie for fresh dates or dried dates?
Hi Lisa, This recipe is for dried dates. You need to deseed them and boil them as explained. Hope this clarifies. Please do try and let me know. Keep visiting!
Hi
Is there any way to get a good colour for wine
Hi Maneesh, Thank you for visiting. Most of the wines get dark colour as they age, as you can see after leaving them in bottles for long. Usually for dates wine, we get a good colour, if it is for grape wine that you need colour, you can try adding caramelized sugar, although it might slightly add a bitter tone to the wine. Adding Grape Skin powder is another way. I am not sure how it affects the taste of the wine, as I don’t use them. Hope this helps.
Instead of citric acid could I use potassium metabisulfite to neutralize any wild yeast on the dates, then add an acid blend after fermentation? I have professional style of equipment at my house. Is there a way of adapting this recipe to use a wine yeast? If so which would you recommend? Lavlin D-47 or EC-1118?
Hi Brandon, Thank you for visiting! I wouldn’t recommend using Potassium Metabisulphate, it is very pungent and would spoil the taste. instead you can add juice of one lemon. You can use the wine yeast for better fermentation. Good luck with Dates wine.
Hi Meena, can the date wine be made of ripened dates? Nowadays green colour dates are harvested in Jaisalmer and they aren’t available in dried form.
Well, I haven’t tried with ripened dates yet. Sweet dates should actually work. You can try small quantity, but since it is not dried, you need not boil the dates. It is made like grape wine, after crushing the fresh dates.
What was the total yield you got from this recipe at the end?
I see 3 liters of water, but I’m not sure how much volume the dates will add in the end.
Ideally I’d like around 6 liters, since that is the amount that will neatly fit in the containers I use for bulk ageing. So I’m hoping I could just double this recipe.
Looking forward to trying it!
Hi Peter, The total yield was around 4 liters. You can double the recipe for more yield. But do not double the quantity of yeast. Reduce the quantity by half spoon. Hope this helps.
I tried to make dates wine but after 21 days I find it bitter in taste. कड़वी, Why it happened. What is possible fault?? Any remedy for it. Or I will have to throw it?? Early reply is highly solicited.
Bitterness will be there during the fermentation process. After 45 days, when the wine is clear, the bitterness will go. Taste improves as the wine ages.
Hi ,
I have the air sealed dry soft dates , do I still need to boil them and deseed ?
I always thought that the jar should not be closed tight to let the air bubbles out ? You say close airtight , so I’m a bit confused, as when I make grape wine I was told to not tighten the jar completely.
How do you add the wheat ? Does it need to be washed and dried before adding ??
Thanks
Hi Ann, for dates wine you need to boil the dates. Since we are stirring daily, it will help to release the air bubbles.Wheat should be washed and dried before adding. Hope this helps.
Hi there,
I’m on the day 2 of primary fermenting and I smell a kind of sour smell. The husk floated on the very first day. So I have a few questions:
1. Is this smell normal? I don’t want to have vinegar instead of wine
2. Does floating husk means end of primary fermentation?
3. My fermenter is half way empty so that it has space to increasing the volume. Isn’t it make the wine oxidation?
4. Should primary fermenter have air lock or just cover it with gauze?
5. Does stirring expose the wine to the oxygen and make it vinegar?
I have read a lot of stuff and I’m confused. Please kindly answer my questions!
Hi Behi,
Thank you for visiting my site. Husk will float for Dates wine, and the smell is also normal. When we stir everyday, the carbon di oxide generated by fermentation is released. Since you have a half empty can, stirring two times a day would be better. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the quick response.
I’ll let you know when I’m done!
All the best Behi.
Hi
I would like to try out this recipe but this is my first attempt at making wine.
1. I am using air sealed sweetened dates. Should I still add the same amount for sugar ?
2. How big a jar (liters) should I be using? Should the jar be 3/4 or half full?
Hi Anu, Sorry for the late reply. You can reduce the sugar measure by 200gms- 250gms, if the dates are sweet. The jar should be bigger – 3/4 would be good. All the best with your first home wine.
Can i substitute the whole wheat with raisins? And also, do i need to separate the dates after i boiled it? Thank you so much
thank you Mike for visiting meemiskitchen. Whole wheat helps to make the vine less watery and also adds to the taste. Raisins is not a good substitute for this recipe. You need to add dates along with water. Hope this clarifies. Keep visiting!
Hello!
Is there an alternative for the wheat? Or it is okay to not put any wheat?
Also, is it okay to make a batch that is only around 1/4 of my container? Meaning, after all the mixing of the ingredients, the mixture is only about 1/4 of my container so about 3/4 of my container is empty.
Hi there, You can avoid wheat if you don’t want the same. It is always better not to have too much empty space to avoid gases. Too much empty space will ruin the wine.
Hi Meena! Thank you for this easy to follow recipe.
I would just like to ask if should I just use quarter amounts of your recipe if I intend to do only quarter of it? (So I would just use 250g dates instead of 1kg).
I am planning to do an experiment first before trying a bulk batch.
Hi, You can try a small batch, reduce the sugar measure slightly.
Hi Meena,
I would like to try the recepie with fresh dates. Should I wash them before use?
Not tried with fresh dates yet. Yes. Should definitely wash them before using. Wash and pat dry.
By whole wheat I assume you mean whole wheat berries, rather than cracked berries or ground (flour).
If so, why not,add then to the boil mix to sterilize the surfaces and make the wheat more dissolvable and hence fermentable?
Wheat is added to get more strength to the wine. It adds starch, which in turn, aids in fermentation. I have not tried boiling the wheat. Cannot advice regarding the same. I rinse and dry the wheat before adding it to the wine. If you have tried boiling, let me know the outcome. Thanks.