A homemade wine is probably passé in a market that boasts of the best brands in the world, but the taste of homemade vintages is proving to be an irresistible one. The sole homemade wine counter at the recently concluded Grape Escapade, Santanse Wines, was holding its own. His latest innovation, the mushroom wine, drew much appreciation. “All my wines have been developed after much trial and error
and a secret ingredient,” confesses owner Anslem Mascarenhas, who learnt the finer nuances of wine making from his maternal uncle who worked at the wineries in Nashik.
Picking a variety of fruits as well as vegetables to experiment with, Anslem has developed over 100 types of wines such as ginger, jambul, pomegranate, papaya as well as potato and rice. “You can give me any vegetable or fruit and I can develop a wine within three months with my secret formula,” says Anslem. His latest mushroom wine is the proof of the claim. “Dr Kurade approached me with the idea of making a mushroom wine. I started sometime last year in March and after a six-month trial, I managed to develop a unique wine.
It was not easy, but the effort has paid off,” says an elated Anslem. It also comes as a refreshing bit of news for diabetics. “It is an herbal wine and sugar free as it is made from the stevia herb found in India and Mexico which is 30 times sweeter than sugar.”
Santanse wines which was started in 2008 after Anslem’s retirement has all the ingredients of a family business. “Santanse is an abbreviation for the family members’ names. Our wine making business which is conducted at our home in Parra is done entirely by the family and more importantly, we make these wines by hand and not machines,” he reveals. The process which takes three months yields them a well
matured wine. “The longer the wine remains, the
better it matures and like any vintage, it can last for
years,” explains Anslem.
Besides their vintage value, their benefits are
immense. “Jambul wine is also beneficial for the
diabetic. Amla wine is rich in vitamin C, ginger wine for
digestion, pomegranate for the heart and so on. Most
of these homemade wines are sweet or semi-sweet
and not harsh like their factory made counterparts. A
glass before lunch or dinner is good for digestion,” avers
this vintner whose wines, which were first showcased
at the Konkan Fruit Fest, have travelled as far as the
UK, South Africa, Canada and even the USA, with Goa,
Delhi, Maharashtra and Karnataka making up the bulk
of the local markets.
An interesting by-product of the jambul wine – the
jambul vinegar – was discovered during the process of
the jambul wine making. “Sometimes the jambul would
go sour because of the bacteria, but it turned out to be
excellent vinegar which can be used for both cooking
as well as salads,” explains Anslem.
Let’s raise our glasses to the return of the beneficial
homemade vintages!
