For Pooja Ann, vice-principal of Jesus and Mary Academy in Patna City, Christmas celebration starts one or two months before the festival.

'From buying the best quality black grapes to getting down to cleaning jars and bottles, it is a long journey to prepare homemade wine,' said Pooja (37).

Not only Pooja, many Christian families in city like to soak in the Yuletide spirit, along with their homemade stuff. One of the important homemade items, which they prepare in advance, is wine as wine is not easily available in the market. For many families, brewing wine for Christmas has become a part of a family ritual being observed for years.

Talking about the wine she prepares for Christmas, Pooja said: 'We prepare two types of wine - grape and ginger. The process of making both is almost similar. For preparing grape wine, we need black grapes, wheat and sugar. Wheat is the most important ingredient as it helps in the fermenting process. All the ingredients are soaked in water and kept in a jar in dark to make the grape wine.'

She added: 'Certain things have to be taken care of. For example, the jar in which the ingredients have to be soaked should be clean. We always try to use fresh grapes because it enhances the quality. One should always crush the grapes before putting it in the jar. If the grapes are crushed well, the fleshy part would be separated from the skin and the juice can be easily extracted.'

She has produced five litres of wine (black grape and ginger) this Christmas. Pooja said: 'Many Christian families prepare wine on a big scale like 10 to 15 litres. I have only prepared five.'

Pooja's husband Abhishek Patriarch, assistant director, Jesus and Mary Academy, said the wine prepared by his wife prepares is non-alcoholic. 'People don't feel tipsy after drinking the wine because we don't add alcohol to it. It is pure grape juice or ginger juice mixed with certain spices. We don't add alcohol as our kids drink wine during the festival. However, it is up to the families whether they would add alcohol or not. Some do like to add alcohol in their wine.'

Peter Dubois (44), a businessman who lives in the Digha area, said he takes care of the wine preparation during the occasion. 'My father used to make wine for Christmas. Now I follow the same old recipe. I mainly make grape wine and jamun wine. It's about brewing the best for family and friends,' said Dubois, who has prepared seven litres this time.

He added: 'Wine-making is not an easy task. It is about care and patience. The more you gain experience, the more you become an expert in making wine.'

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