Homemade wines with medicinal properties are in big demand. And among the handful of vintners in Goa, John Carmo Rodrigues seems to be the most devoted one who has dedicated his life to making herbal, medicinal wines that offer cures for many known illnesses. The properties of the fruits or leaves get filtered to the concoction and as seasonal fruits like jambul or mango are not available throughout the year, one can enjoy their medicinal benefits through wine, discovers BHARATI PAWASKAR
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Consuming wine in moderation is widely regarded to be beneficial to health. But can wines cure ailments altogether? Ask Dr John Carmo Rodrigues, and he will probably hand you a bottle of his homemade wine as his answer.
Making wines is rather a passion for this vintner from Chinchinim. “Yes, I am 84,” admits this microbiologist, who took to making wines a few decades ago, and has experimented on every fruit in his garden, as well as flowers, roots and leaves. John produces wines for medicinal purposes, and receives numerous orders from people suffering from various aiments. “I produce 10-20 litres of each wine depending on demand,” informs John, who recently refused a large order, as he says that catering to such big orders is turning to be rather labourous for his old age.“It’s not difficult to make wines at home, provided one has the time and patience,” points out John who also has degrees in yoga, alternate medicine therapies and holistic healing.
“I got an order for 10,000 litres of ginger wine, which I recently refused. I told the man that I will share my secrets and teach you the technique of making a ginger wine, but I just cannot accept this colossal order,” says John, who sells a few of his wines, but most of it are offered as gifts to friends and family. The minimum he charges for a 750 litre bottle of homemade wine is Rs 400, the maximum being Rs 700.
“There is medicinal value attached to my wines which I make out of fruits (graviola/soursop, berries/bora, jackfruit, jambul), vegetables (breadfruit), spices (cinnamon), roots (ginger, turmeric, onion, garlic), flowers (hibiscus/shoe flower) and even leaves (aloe vera, and curry leaves),” says John, who has a PhD in microbiology.
An array of exquisite wines with various flavours that line his cupboards immediately attract attention, and this octogenarian readily allows you a generous sip to sample these all. There are wines made of local fruits - jambul, mango, jackfruit, custard apple, berries (bora), pineapple, chickoo, cashews, guava and pomegranate.
“Jambul is good for diabetics. Soursop or graviola (known as Laxman fal) wine contains cancer killing properties, while cashew has medicinal properties,” he vouches. He surely knows what he is talking, after all, John holds a doctorate in medical microbiology and has worked with German pharmaceutical giant Hoechst for three decades in its four divisions in India - pharma, veterinary, agrochem and diagnostics.
John’s tryst with wines began during his college days in 1955. In the vicinity of his spacious house were trees bearing jambul, and in those days there were no pluckers. The fruits would fall all over and nobody bothered, except cattle and pigs. It was then that John began experimented with jambul fruits to make wine at home. The family preferred imported wines, but all were amazed to find that John’s wine tasted good. But then, he had to discontinue making wines for a short period. He later got back to it after he came to Goa for good. The fruit trees in his home garden provided ample scope to experiment and taste various wines and research more about its medicinal properties.
John explains his unique concoction of wines, and the reason for the results it yields. Fruits contain normal flora, just bacteria in our intestines. These bacteria are of different types “ the pathogens cause disease. But then there are also the helpful ones that produce vitamins, etc. When left to ferment, the natural flora plays the role of a natural yeast. But it’s a risky process, because with the slightest contamination the fermented juice can turn to vinegar. That’s why winemakers accelerate the process of alcohol formation by introducing yeast. “I use imported Australian fruit yeast,” discloses John, who also advises on the right dosages to his clients.
Ask him what types of wines does he make, and he replies, “Everything grown in my garden goes into wine making,” he smiles, adding, “I also make wines depending on demand and individual orders. People come to me from across Goa with requests for wines that are effective in their illnesses. I oblige with pleasure, and sometimes even offer it for free. I don’t charge needy persons or patients.”
Many wines offer health benefits, and John’s ginger, turmeric and soursop wines are in big demand even abroad. Ginger and turmeric grow in tropical countries and are believed to have curing properties, so people come to him with bulk orders, but John only makes limited editions.
“The former Governor of Goa S C Jamir had sent me a letter appreciating my medicinal wine,” recalls John, while showing a batch of that same wine that are pasted with labels containing Jamir’s letter on the bottle. “I now call it the Governor’s wine,” he quips.
John makes wines mostly for research purposes, to see which wine has a cure for a certain ailment. Adding the right spirit to his labour of love, he concludes, “I am not interested in making money because economy of scale works only on a commercial level. I don’t make table wines, rather my wines have medicinal purpose. I believe that homemade wines help in building immunity and the resistance power in the body because it offers natural minerals, vitamins, amino acids, essential fatty acids and enzymes “ all in their natural form.”
