Our banana wine, if it is bitter, it is still our wine.
Since the founding of the first cities of the former Spanish colony, wines have been drunk in Cuba, some even well preserved. Thus Spain had begun to transfer the wine culture to the Antilles.
Galleons with excellent wines from Catalonia, Jerez and Malaga arrived regularly in San Cristóbal de la Habana, an important port for goods since the beginning of the 16th century between America and Spain, in barrels that, after being emptied, would have other uses, such as storing water, cereals, oil and gunpowder, although often they also returned to their country of origin loaded this time with sugar cane brandy.
This is how, for example, the famous Pacto Navio was born, today an exquisite Havana Club rum. The story goes that European wine merchants sold their wine very well in Cuba, but they sold even better, upon their return to the mainland, the sugar cane brandy, benefiting during months of crossing from the remains of wine in the barrels that contained it. Thus, this maritime pact arises to exchange the same volume of wine for brandy, which they had previously had to buy as ballast to undertake the return journey.
In the 18th century, in different regions of Cuba and closely linked to the sugar cane mills, different flavors of wine from tasty tropical fruits appeared. These wines were somewhat acidic due to the tropical heat and the lack of care in their fermentation. Later, adequate proportions were found to obtain a better bouquet and little acidity. These artisanal methods have survived to this day thanks to popular folklore and family heritage.
We have the privilege of growing all kinds of plants, from which emblematic products such as rum and Habano are made; but our climate does not allow planting the vineyard, except in controlled microclimates. It seems that the grape likes water, but it does not tolerate excessive humidity; it likes heat, but the tropical sun suffocates it.
However, to the north of the province of Las Tunas is the town of Puerto Padre, and in its stony and hilly lands there are various species of vines planted in the patios of the houses. Their origin dates back to the first Spanish settlers.
In the late 1990s, some 30 hectares of vines from the Gianfranco Fontinel estates in northern Italy were planted in Pinar del Río. Fontinel, in partnership with Cuban companies, currently produces white, red and rosé table wines, with its Castillo del Morro, Soroa, San Cristóbal and the famous Cortés lines.
These are the Cuban wines that can be found quite regularly in the country's liquor stores. However, in Cuba, the wine culture is not as deeply rooted as that of sugarcane brandy, rum and beers.
An average Cuban always prefers a glass of rum, or a cold beer, before a good wine, not even to accompany a good meal.
Many say that Cuban food does not go well with wines, or that the best thing for our dishes is beer, or that there is no delicacy like a roast pork with a good bottle of rum.
But it is also said that the best companion of a wine is a good cook, and Cuban cuisine is sumptuous, Creole cuisine has something refined and is very much in harmony with the sensual life of the island.
So, Cuban dishes are unique, different for our seasonings, meats and vegetables that, well cooked, will delight all demanding palates. So why not taste the corn tamales, with a white wine or a light red from the Mediterranean; Or fried pieces of pork, with a merlot or a Chilean carmenere? I think it would be worth trying.
Meanwhile, in our kitchen, cooking wine is widely used. It is a fruit wine to accompany, flavor and highlight the flavors of certain dishes or desserts.
But there are also homemade Cuban wines, those fermented drinks made from grapes or other native fruits that our grandparents made and whose recipes they passed down to our parents and us. Recipes that they in turn received from their ancestors.
Today, there are still a few isolated winemakers throughout Cuba. However, many prefer to experiment with other fruits such as pineapple, guava, canistel, cashew, papaya, orange, cherry, beet, banana, rice and honey.
To make a Creole wine, we generally need a large carafe, made of dark green glass, ideally covered with a wicker basket with handles to move it.
The first thing is to obtain the pulp of the fruit, and add the same amount of sugar, mix everything well and place it in the carafe, with baker's yeast and water. The container is covered and left in a place protected from light and without moving during the 45-day fermentation process. Then, the carafe is uncovered and without mixing the contents, a small pipe is inserted and sucked in order to remove the precious liquid for bottling, with the corks.
Usually the wine produced is very sweet, but if the proportion of sugar is adjusted, it can be less sweet or even dry. All this with a compass in the eye.
When we want to make a cooking wine, obviously for cooking, we then add aromatic herbs, a pinch of cumin, bay leaves and a pinch of nutmeg perhaps.
Thus, each region of Cuba has its own artisanal production of homemade wines, whose manufacturers personalize their labels and try to attract their customers in different ways, based on the quality of a product that is necessarily unique each time.
Some believe, for example, that the fact that the producer has a degree in chemistry can be a guarantee of the quality and reliability of the product, as indicated on the label of this Pinar del Rio wine (see photo) that can be purchased in Havana and that I often use for cooking, or rather, drink mixed in equal parts with a light rum, my personal and unique tribute to the historic pact of Cuban ships.
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