Old Fashion “Dago Red” Recipe

I want to start off with an apology to anyone who is insulted by the name of this wine, it is not intended to be an ethnic slur. Being an Italian American myself I have nothing but the highest regards for people with Italian heritage. I take no offense – I hope that you don’t either. It is a thing to enjoy!

This photo is not of me it was supplied by army.arch from Flickr.

I enjoyed the sites as a child to watch my grandfather make his magical wine in his basement. The smell, that slight chill to the air and the sound of wine being racked. These elements plus the screaming of Italian men, while eating cheese and prosuttio is what family was to me. The wine seemed to tie it all together. I would concentrate on my grandfather’s hand while he was pouring that wine from the jug. Seeing out of focus faces laughing and carrying on in the background. It was the lifeblood of those times. That wine was referred to as “Dego Red.”

There isn’t any particular recipe for "Dago Red." The name merely refers to any red wine made in an Italian style outside Italy. It is probably the most requested recipe, usually after the passing of an older family member who didn’t teach anyone how to craft his wine or, no one was interested in helping and learning at the time. More often than not this idiom is used by friends of Italian families that want to brag what they had at dinnertime with the family of 24 down the street.

Truth be told, you really need to know where the departed got their grapes, as the wine referred to can only be made in the same way if they use the identical grapes. Since this is usually information not on hand, simply whipping up a batch of red wine is the accustomed alternative.

Here is a basic recipe and procedure:

Classic “Dago Red” Wine – Yields: 5-6 gallons of finished wine

1. Take approximately 45-50 lbs. of Concord grapes.
2. Crush grapes just enough to break the skins.
3. Put into a clean, open top container, plastic is ok at this point.
   1. Add 15 lbs of sugar to 1-2 gallons of lukewarm water (100°F to 110°F). Stir until dissolved and add to must.
4. Cover container to keep out contaminants.
5. In 24 hours add one and one half packs of wine yeast.
6. Stir must twice a day for 5-7 days pushing the pulp down.
7. Siphon out the juice in 5-6 days if the room temperature is hot (80°F to 90°F) and 6-7 days if the room temperature is cooler.
8. Press the pulp, if you can, for more juice. Although this will create more work in the future in more racking to clear wine.
9. Put wine into a wooden barrel but do not fill up to top, room is needed for expansion while it is working. Optionally you can use glass carboys with airlocks if you wish.
10. Ferment juice for a few weeks gradually topping off. Keep loosely covered if in a wooden barrel
    1. Ferment for three more weeks with airlock left on at all times and then rack. Attach airlock again.
    2. Rack again in another 3 weeks.
11. When it slows down or stops fermenting, about Thanksgiving, cap tight.
    1. When it stops fermenting completely, rack again, wait 7 days then bottle.

Once bottled it is best to have this sit for at least a year to give it that authentic flavor, but if you need to… you can enjoy a glass now! No harm done.

Salute! Chindun!