Of course, home wine is unlikely to be worthy of a medal in world competitions, but it's quite possible to get a delicious drink that is pleasant to drink on cold evenings. About the basic ways of how to make grape wine at home, we'll talk further.
How to make homemade grape wine?
Before going directly to specific recipes, let's look at a few simple general rules that will help you get the most delicious product without the hassle.
The first fundamental factor will be the selection of the right kind of grapes . In the course it is desirable to start the varieties with high sugar content (for example, Saperavi, Druzhba, Rosinka) or add more sugars to the acidic Isabella and Lydia.
Also, before the start of cooking, make sure that you have prepared all the necessary utensils. Preparation consists in thorough washing, scalding and drying of the container, in order to prevent the development of pathogenic microflora. To increase the reliability of the container, you can additionally smoke gray.
Grapes for house wine are collected after a couple of sunny days. At this time, the bunch gathers the maximum of yeast required for the process. Pay attention to the fact that the grapes must mature sufficiently, otherwise you risk getting a sour, not a good drink.
How to make grape wine at home?
To make home wine, do not remember the specific proportions, it is enough to know that a liter of juice will have about 1500-2000 grams of grapes.
Ingredients:
- grapes - 1500-2000 g;
- sugar (if necessary) - 150-200 g.
Preparation
Before making wine from grape juice , this juice must first be extracted. Berries before this sort, remove any leaves and twigs, rotten or undersized grapes. After, the berries are pounded with a wooden pestle (rolling pin) or with hands. The latter option is most desirable, since we are so purring the flesh, leaving the bones whole and, thereby, avoiding unnecessary bitterness. The resulting pulp is transferred to an enamel, glass or plastic container with a wide neck. It is also acceptable to use wooden kegs.
Leave the mash for fermentation in the heat for three days. After a few hours, the surface of the future wine will be covered with a thick foam cap, which periodically (about a couple of times a day) will need to be destroyed by mixing the must. Otherwise, you risk getting moldy wine.
Next, the wort is filtered, squeezed out the pulp, and poured into fermentation tanks, filling the latter with about 2/3. After the installation of the water seal, the containers with grape juice are put into heat. Before making white grape wine, make sure that the temperature is about 16-20 degrees, for red - 22-24 degrees. Now add the sugar. If you decide to make Isabella's home grape wine, you will need about half the sugar, in other cases, start from a standard proportion of 150-200 g per liter. Sugar is brought in a fraction: the first third is made immediately, after 2-3 days, try the juice and check whether all the sugar has been processed (the drink becomes acid), add another 50 g of sugar per liter, and repeat the procedure every 2-3 days for the first 20 days of fermentation.
When the release of carbon dioxide is completed, the wine is removed from the sediment through the tube. A strained wine is tasted and sugar is added to taste. This sugar will determine the final sweetness of the drink.
Next, the wine is bottled and allowed to cool for a period of months to a year.