When I was little, a bottle of Vin de Noix came out of the cupboard for all special occasions and apéritifs. The green bottle with a handwritten sticker on it stood out amongst all the other branded drinks: homemade, rustic, unbranded, timeless. The drink of country folk.
Quite by chance a few Summers ago, I came across a social media post about making Vin de Noix and I knew I had to give it a go. Especially as it used green walnuts and each year ours never get to mature to nuts to eat as the squirrels steal them all in the Autumn! Making ours has now become a tradition and I enjoy making a batch each July to celebrate the lovely gift of homegrown walnuts.
The process is one of infusion or maceration rather than fermentation. It requires about 20-25 green walnuts picked before the end of July so the nut inside has not yet formed its hard shell. I cut the walnuts into quarters (use gloves and an apron as the juice stains!). I also use a couple of leaves as they are so fragrant.
In a large pickling jar, I add the chopped walnuts, the leaves, 3 bottles of red wine, 500 ml of vodka, 800g of sugar, the peel of one orange, another orange cut in slices, one cinnamon stick and one vanilla pod. I give it all a good stir and then place the jar in a cool place out of direct sunlight.
I leave this to infuse for about 8 weeks / two months before straining the wine in bottles. It gets tastier as it matures so, as a rule, I leave it to improve till Christmas. It makes a lovely seasonal gift.
Santé ! Cheers! Iechyd da!