Carrot Wine

Wash, peel, and roughly chop 2 kg of fresh carrots, then juice them using a juicer or blender and strain the liquid through a fine mesh cloth to yield approximately 1.5 liters of clear carrot juice.

Pour the carrot juice into a large saucepan and gently heat it to about 70°C (158°F), then dissolve 500 g of granulated white sugar into the warm juice, stirring until completely combined.

Allow the sweetened carrot juice to cool to room temperature (approximately 20–25°C / 68–77°F) to avoid killing the yeast in the next step.

Rehydrate 5 g of wine yeast in a small amount of warm water (37°C / 99°F) for 10 minutes, then stir the activated yeast into the cooled carrot juice.

Transfer the mixture into a sterilized glass fermentation vessel, leaving about 10% headspace, and fit the vessel with an airlock filled with water to allow CO₂ to escape while preventing air from entering.

Place the fermentation vessel in a dark, warm location (18–24°C / 64–75°F) and allow the wine to ferment for 10–14 days, checking daily that the airlock is bubbling steadily.

Once fermentation has ceased and the wine has cleared, carefully siphon (rack) the wine into a clean sterilized vessel, leaving the sediment behind, then seal and allow it to condition for an additional 2–4 weeks.

Bottle the finished carrot wine into sterilized glass bottles, seal tightly, and store in a cool dark place for at least one week before serving chilled.