Western Ghats Kokum Foundation - Organic Farming Association of ...

alternate day. (6) After 21st day, siphon or decant the clear wine leaving behind the solid
residue, which is to be discarded. Rack after 48 hours in a large jar and bottle. Rack again, if
needed, and top up the bottles for maturing the wine. Sweeten with sugar, as per taste.
Improved method developed by Dr. John Carmo Rodrigues.
1. The most important step is to sanitize all containers and equipment used in wine
making, especially if they are being re-used. Use only food grade stainless steel and
glass containers. Wash thoroughly, sun dry, treat with steam of boiling water.
2. Boil water and cool. Wash the fruit in cooled lukewarm water. Drain the water over a
stainless sieve and dry the fruit.
3. Discard all green and over-ripe fruits with discoloured pulp. Mechanically split open
the shell of just ripe Kokum fruits and separate the seed and pulp from the
rind.
4. Put the rind pieces in a steel sieve and add sugar in order to extract the juice from the
rind by reverse osmosis. Keep the container covered during the process.
5. When all the juice is collected, measure it, transfer this to another sanitized
container and add about 2 g pectinase enzyme per litre of juice. Stir well at periodic
intervals. Cover the mouth of the container by cloth so that air passes freely but
prevents flies from settling on the mixture. Allow the mixture to stand for a day till
all the pectin in the juice is inactivated and settles down.
6. Filter or siphon the contents into another sanitized container.
7. Adjust the Specific Gravity of the juice to be in the range of 1.09 to 1.160 by adding
sugar. Specific gravity of 1.09 and below will give a dry wine and 1.160 and above, a
sweet wine. Values in between will give a semi dry wine.
8. Adjust the acidity of the juice to be in the range of 3.1 to 3.4 pH by using citric acid if
necessary.
9. Activate the dry yeast by putting it in a dilute solution of sugar in warm water. When
bubbling, add this to the filtered juice. Use red wine yeast as the strain of yeast will
determine the quality of the wine.
10. Stir the mixture vigorously at periodic intervals till the production of bubbles
indicates the beginning of aerobic or primary fermentation. Cover the mouth of the
jar with a cloth to allow free flow of oxygen. Cessation of the bubbles marks the end
of the primary fermentation. This may take 10 to 12 days.
11. Filter or siphon the contents into another sanitized jar. Put a fermentation cork and
allow the contents to stand for a period of another 15 days till all the sediments
settle down. This represents the end of the "secondary or anaerobic fermentation".
12. When all the sediments have settled down, transfer the fresh wine into bottles, seal
tightly and allow the wine to age for six months. The wine is now ready to be served.
Marketing of home-made wines made from Kokum has been promoted by the
Botanical Society of Goa, and the Western Ghats Kokum Foundation through the Konkan
Fruit Fest, annually since 2003. Inspired by the presentation by Ms. Cristina Micheloni on
‘OrWine’ at the East Asia Conference, 2009, at Seoul-Korea, conscious efforts led by Dr. John
Carmo Rodrigues [Ph D in microbiology] to make the Kokum wine-making process entirely
organic began in Goa during the summer of 2010.
92
Resource Book on Kokum (Garcinia indica Choisy)
Western Ghats Kokum Foundation, Panaji - Goa