Fig is one of the most widespread and oldest fruits within the Mediterranean basin. It is also grown in other places around the world that host a similar dry and warm climate. Figs are high in sugars and low in organic acid. Thanks to that, people can make fig wine.

What is Fig Wine?

Fig wine is made from the juice of fresh figs. It’s also possible to make fig wine from dried figs, but the process is quite challenging and even very burdensome.

Fig wine is also an alcoholic beverage, but even though fig wine is made through fermentation, as same as grape wine, some people don’t regard it as true wine.

Fig tree
Fig wine is made from fruit from the fig tree. As such, some don’t regard it as a proper wine, but it should be considered the same as any other fruit wine.

Unlike grape wine that contains high acid and can ferment fairly easy, fig contains way less acid and sugar. That makes the fermentation process more challenging as it requires plenty of additives to start and support the fermentation. Plus, fig doesn’t contain too much juicy fruit, which is a challenge for itself.

Because of that reason, winemakers let the fig ripen on the verge of going bad. That’s how they extract maximum juice for their fig wine. But even then, it requires large quantities of figs to make even one bottle of fig wine.

How to Make Fig wine?

Heat some water in a pot. Then add some sugar when it starts simmering. Once the sugar is dissolved, pour the content in a fermentation bucket.

Place the chopped fruit into a mesh bag and tie it. Then place the mesh bag into the fermentation bucket.

Next, start mashing the fig with a potato masher so that you can extract all the juice that can be extracted. At this point, you need to mash and stir. Once you got out all the juice, you need to measure the original gravity.

To that end, you need to use a sterilized hydrometer. Ideally, you need to measure approximately 1090.

If that’s in order, pour additional water to the fermentation tank so that it reaches the line on the airlock. Then close the airlock and let it stay closed for about 24 hours.

Twenty-four hours later, the fig will be sterilized, and you will need to add some yeast. Add a packet of yeast and start stirring aggressively. You need to use a long-handheld spoon, and in addition to the yeast, you need to add a pectic enzyme, acid blend, and tannin. You need to mix all that correctly. Do that while you are aerating the brew.

Once you are done with the mixing part, place the airlock back on. A few hours later, you should be able to notice the bubbling activity. That means the brewing has started. Let it brew for a week or so.

Then, open the lid and extract the mesh bag. Make sure that your hands are very clean. Squeeze whatever juice it has in it and close the airlock. Let it sit for another thirty days.

After days, extract the brew into a glass container. Just mind not to disturb the sediment lying on the bottom of the fermentation bucket. You don’t want the sediment into your fig wine.

Now you can enjoy your fig wine!

Where to Buy Fig Wine?

If you can’t make your fig wine and still you want to try it, you can always buy a bottle. Fig wine is not commercially produced because of the low demand. But that doesn’t mean you can’t buy it in stores. Your best bet for finding fig wine is large scale fig farms and local shops. In any case, you are looking at a homebrewed wine, not commercially produced.

In the future, it’s possible that fig wine will take on a new level of regard similar to other fruit wines, like plum wine. It would be fantastic to see more mass produced fig wine, as the beverage brings something unique to the world of fruit wines – very different to grapes, and very different to plums…

Homemade fig wine
Fig wine is not mass produced, and will typically come as far more of a “home brewed” feel – as such, the best place to buy some is fig farms or local markets!

Then some cooks make a variety of fig wine, not an actual fig wine. Instead of going through the fig winemaking process, they buy a mild-bodied white wine. Then they place some sliced figs in it and let it stay like that for some time. And in all honesty, that’s not fig wine, just grape wine seasoned with fig. But, that doesn’t stop some of them from selling it and promote it as fig wine. That’s something you should know when looking to buy a bottle of fig.

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