Grandpas Wine Recipes

WILD GRAPE WINE

Steps:

• Choose ripe Wild Grapes, Pick them in clusters on the stems, bring them home and wash them in cold water leaving them on the stems.
• Place grapes with stems on, in water just to cover, in an enamel or non metallic kettle.
• Bring just to a boil, simmer till skins on the grapes pop, Mash the grapes in the water, Strain juice into a non-metallic container, through several layers of cheese cloth or a clean dish towel to remove grape pulp, seeds and stems.
• Reserve the juice, Throw away stems and pulp.
• Measure the juice.
• Add equal amounts of sugar and water, (ie: 1 gal juice, 1 gal sugar, 1 gal water) put wine mixture in clean crock.
• spread or sprinkle 1 cake or one pkg dry yeast on dry bread crust and allow it to float on top of the wine mixture, cover crock with a clean dish towel, let ferment for 3 days, strain wine, into non metallic container such as an enamel canner kettle, wash the crock and be sure to rinse it very well, put wine back into the crock, allow to ferment for 4 days, stirring every day and skimming the foam from top, strain the wine again as before, wash the crock again, put wine back in the crock.
• Allow to ferment 4 days, stirring and skimming every day.
• Strain the wine once more, this time it is ready to bottle.
• The older it gets the better.

GRANDPA'S OYSTER STEW

Steps:

• Stir butter and garlic in stockpot over medium heat until butter begins to brown. Remove garlic and discard.
• Stir shallots into browned butter. Cook and stir until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Pour sherry over shallots in the stockpot and bring to a boil while scraping any browned bits off of the bottom of the pot. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Pour reserved oyster liquor, milk, and cream into the stockpot; bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in oysters; cook until oyster edges begin to ruffle, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Stir in parsley; season with sea salt to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with sweet paprika and oyster crackers.

GRANDFATHER'S CIOPPINO

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, parsley and garlic; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes with their juices; simmer 10 minutes. Add red wine, red wine vinegar, canned clams with juices, rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, crushed red pepper, allspice and cinnamon. Simmer 30 minutes.
• Add water, white wine and cherrystone clams to stew. Simmer until clams open, about 10 minutes (discard any clams that do not open). Add crabmeat, sea bass and shrimp and simmer until fish and shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Ladle into large bowls and serve.

GRAPE WINE

Steps:

• Mash grapes and let ferment 3 to 5 days.
• Draw off 5 quarts of juice.
• Dissolve sugar in hot water.
• Pour all into a 5 gallon jug container.
• Add water to fill jug to top.
• Cover jug opening with a small sandsack for 3 to 4 months.
• Draw off and rejug and seal jug with a tight-fitting cork or other kind of stopper.