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Damson Wine

A fermented wine made from damsons, sugar, and water.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Damson Wine

Ingredients

Directions

Make the syrup and cook the damsons

  1. Boil water and sugar together for 2 hours, skimming carefully.

  2. Add pitted damsons and boil until the color turns a fine red.

Ferment

  1. Strain the liquid and ferment it in an open tub or pan for 4 days.

  2. Pour the clear liquid from the sediment into a clean cask.

Age and bottle

  1. Let it stand until fermentation is complete, then seal for 8 months.

  2. Bottle the wine; it improves with age.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Sugar
Feeds the yeast during fermentation and sweetens the liquid before it turns into wine.
Damsons
Supply the fruit flavor, red color and acidity that define the wine.

The step that matters

Let fermentation finish before sealing. Fermentation gives off carbon dioxide. Sealing the cask while it is still active can build pressure and spoil the wine, so wait until bubbling has stopped before sealing it for aging.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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