Beetroot wine is a surprisingly tasty dry, country wine with amazing color. Never heard of beet wine? Maybe it’s time to give it a try.
The first time I tried making country wines with garden vegetables, I’ll admit, I was curious but skeptical. I came across a recipe for parsnip wine in the book Preserve It! and I was intrigued. A bit of research online and I found that it’s supposed to be a sweet wine with earthy undertones, a bit like Medeira.
I followed the instructions to the letter…they were rather specific, and a bit unconventional. In the end though, a bit more than a year later, my homemade parsnip wine is unbelievably good…with a unique flavor that’s really show-stopping.
I’ve been making wine for about 15 years now, and I have hundreds of wines, meads, and beers under my belt…and still, there are unique and tasty brews out there that continue to surprise me.
Given the success I had with parsnip wine, I’m excited to try other recipes for garden vegetable wines. I turned the page in Preserve It! and found the next contestant ~ Beet Wine.
Like any small-batch wine, the finished flavor will depend on the quality of the ingredients that go in. Be sure to pick the sweetest, most flavorful beets you can find. I’d suggest peeling them to remove the outer skin, as that can taste a tad bitter and may add off-flavors to your finished beet wine.
Beetroot Wine
Beet wine is a dry, deep red country wine.
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 lbs (1.5kg) Beets, peeled and topped
- 5 1/2 cups cane sugar
- Juice of 3 lemons (about 6 tbsp)
- 1 cup brewed black tea, cooled completely
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- 1 packet wine yeast
- filtered water (unchlorinated)
Instructions
- Chop the cleaned beets into small pieces and place them in a pot with 3 quarts of boiling water. Simmer 15-20 minutes until cooked. Remove from heat.
- Remove the beets from the liquid and use them in another recipe (reserve the liquid).
- Allow the beet liquid to cool completely and then pour it into a 2-gallon fermenting bucket. Add the sugar and remaining ingredients, along with a full gallon of water.
- Cover the bucket with a towel and allow it to ferment out of direct sunlight for about 7-10 days until fermentation slows.
- Using a brewing siphon, transfer the liquid to a clean, narrow neck one-gallon carboy (demijohns). Leave sediment behind, and top with water if necessary to fill the carboy to the neck.
- Cap the carboy with an airlock/water lock and allow the mixture to ferment for an additional 2 to 3 months until fermentation stops (and the wine clears).
- Bottle the beet wine, capping with wine corks. Allow the wine to bottle age for 4-6 months before drinking.
Notes
Adding brewed black tea contributes tannins to the beetroot wine, which in turn helps balance the flavor and give the wine body. The recipe notes that you should taste the wine at bottling time, and if you feel it lacks body, add a splash of brandy to help round out the mouth feel.
More Beet Recipes
Looking for more unique ways to use beets? Here are a few more beet recipes…
- Pickled Golden Beets
- Chocolate Beetroot Cake
- Beetroot Ice Cream
- 30+ Beet Recipes for Roasting, Frying & More
More Country Wine Recipes
Want to keep the carboys full? Try any of these homemade country wines…
Fiona
Hi I love your blog! I made Dandelion wine this past spring and tried my hand at beet wine at the beginning of August, very excited! Unfortunately over the past couple of days I’ve noticed tiny specs of what appears to be mold on top of the liquid. It’s a thin film in blobs that was not there at the beginning of this weekend. Do I need to throw the patch away or can I scoop it out and filter it again and then put it back in the carboy?
Thanks so much!
Ashley Adamant
If it just appeared, I’d scoop it out, trying to get every last speck and rack it into a clean carboy. Surface issues happen, and it’s not the end of the world if you catch it quick.
Jessica Yonushonis
Hello. What kind of yeast did you use?
Administrator
You can use any kind of wine yeast. Here is one that Ashley uses often. https://www.amazon.com/Red-Star-Premier-Blanc-Yeast/dp/B07CJ3T9YX/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1547748030&sr=8-5&keywords=wine+yeast&linkCode=sl1&tag=selfrelianc0e-20&linkId=d41b0ad9043c824548506dff89c0f7bc&language=en_US
Echo
I racked it for the second fermentation, and its not bubbling much at all. Is that normal?
Administrator
The second fermentation is not nearly as active as the first.
Connie
Is 3 1/2 lb beets the chopped beets or before you peel and dice them?
Administrator
You want 3.5 pounds without the peels and tops.