Parsnip Wine Recipe
“…held it beneath his nose, and looked once again at the label before taking a timid sip… “I think I’m in love.””
~ Making Wild Wines & Meads
I love parsnips. My father used to buy them and cook them with stews and other dishes – they were a vegetable he ate a lot of in Northern Ireland. I’ve found that parsnips go especially well with dishes that include wild game such as rabbit and venison. Naturally, I was intrigued when I found a recipe for parsnip wine in the book Making Wild Wines & Meads, and had to give it a try.
While not exactly the same as the recipe in the above mentioned book, it’s close and in consideration of the amount of wine I wanted to make:
Parsnip Wine
Ingredients for Three Gallons
- 6 pounds parsnips
- 36 ounces frozen apple juice concentrate
- 8 lbs. sugar*
- 3 teaspoons pectic enzyme
- 3 teaspoon yeast nutrient
- 5 cups orange juice
- 3 teaspoons Realemon juice
- Packet Lalvin EC-1118 yeast
* The amount of sugar should be dependent on your Specific Gravity. I used 8 lbs in order to reach a specific gravity of 1.090 in my must.
Directions
Scrub the parsnips and chop into small pieces. Boil in 1 gallon of water until parsnips are soft.
Strain the parsnips from the liquid – pour the liquid into a primary fermentation pail.
Boil another gallon of water, and add apple concentrate and sugar.
Add to primary fermention pail.
Mash 4 cups of the strained parsnips and add to the primary fermentation vessel.
Add enough water to bring up to 3.5 gallon mark.
Add Realemon juice, pectic enzyme and yeast nutrient. Stir vigorously.
Take specific gravity, and add sugar as needed. My final specific gravity was 1.090.
Pitch the yeast.
In about a week, or when specific gravity is below 1.010, rack into a secondary fermentation vessel (carboy). Let sit for a month, rack again, add 1/4 teaspoon of sulphite and age for at least six months, with two or three rackings in between.
I’ll provide tasting notes when read. And perhaps you might want to try this as well!
Recipe based on one found in Making Wild Wines & Meads