Papa Smurf's Amazing Banana Wine

A good friend of mine once gave me some banana wine that his father had made. It was extremely nice and not at all the sickly sweetnes I had expected, nor the normal grade of home made rocket fuel I had been used to. Turned out his dad was a pharmacist and was well up on all things chemical (he even made his own 'proper' spirits in his own copper still in the garage). At that time,about 15 years ago, I was given the recipe. When my wife Jen met Alastair's dad a couple of years ago she christened him 'Papa Smurf' due to his happy outgoing demeanour, general likeableness and fluffy white beard. though I don't think Papa Smurf ever smoked a pipe, well OK maybe when he wasn't on the TV.

Papa Smurf died last new year's day and I have been trying to get round to making this ever since. Well today it was started, being a 'proper' wine made from scratch and not a kit it will probably take 6 months till it is ready for drinking and probably won't taste the same as I remember it but it will give me a great sense of satisfaction.

Unfortunately because it was cheerily fermeting away by the time I took the picture the lens kept misting up whilst trying to get the shot.

I had to look up how to spell banana as I was sure it a double n in it somewhere and was reminded of something from years ago regarding being fine with starting to spell banana but having great difficulty working out when to stop.