Before moving across the country, I left a gallon of kiwi wine fermenting back in New York. Now, after about 4 months it's about ready and very clear (without using tarpon bladder, bone meal or any other disgusting clarifiers and "finings,") and so I thought it would be good to document (as best I can from memory) what went into it.

First, skin and mash the kiwis while the water boils. Combine all ingredients in the jug, leaving the raisins intact -- they're only there for a little extra added tannin, so you don't want them staying behind when you've filtered out the solid pieces.

Cover this with cheesecloth and leave on a windowsill, or anywhere breezy. Within a day or two, the local wild yeasts blowing around in your air should colonize and start it bubbling. At this point, an airlock or a balloon can be put over the top for the next one to four months, until the bubbles disappear.

We racked this directly into bottles. "Racking" is fancy-talk for getting a tube and siphoning out the liquid into a cheeseclothed funnel, leaving behind the solid pieces and yeasty sediment that should all have fallen to the bottom. Cork/cap the bottles and let sit until clear if you've got the patience. The cloudiness won't hurt you (on the contrary, it's rich in B-12, B-6 and IIRC vitamin A,) doesn't taste bad and is perfectly drinkable. It won't be a "fine wine" as long as it's cloudy, but neither is the $7 bottle you pick up at Safeway. So get over it and enjoy.

The taste: Sharp, slightly acidic and a little heavy, like a chardonnay. Obviously, it's a bit kiwi-heavy, so I won't mention "notes of" this or a "palate of" that as anything worth noting was musked with fruit. It's good, it'll get better with a little age, but turn a little worse with too much more. It's best to drink within 1.5 years of bottling.

Try this recipe as an experiment with any fruit. Persimmon? Plucot? Blueberry? Pom?

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