Making homemade wine will allow you to try a different taste of this drink. Many people say and even claim that homemade wine is better than branded wine.
First, let's discuss a few important points to remember when preparing wine:
1. To make the perfect homemade wine, you need to use oak barrels (we use carboys).
2. You can use any fruits and berries, which will give us the opportunity to get wine of different taste and aromatic qualities.
3. The grapes should not be washed, as the natural yeast may be washed away.
4. Be sure to free the grapes from cuttings.
How to make wine with your own hands at home from grapes?
Step #1. We take the amount of grapes we need from which you want to make homemade wine. We clear it of cuttings and remove rotten berries. Never wash it!
Step #2. Our task is to obtain juice from grapes. For getting juice can be used a wooden puller, kitchen utensils, or squeeze it out yourself with your hands and feet. The main task is not to crush the seeds in the berries. We recommend squeezing grapes in a container made of: stainless food steel, glass or with an enamel coating. This can be a saucepan or bowl, some people use a bath if you are using a large amount of grapes. The main thing is that there is no direct contact with ferrous metal.
Step #3. After receiving the juice, cover with a lid and wait until the pulp (a mixture of crushed grapes intended for processing into wine) rises, on average 2-3 days in warm weather, 3-4 days when it is cooler. We need to wait for the fermentation process. Stir from time to time and wait until bubbles begin to appear.
Step #4. After fermentation is complete, we take a press (at home you can take a colander and press the raw materials into it in portions with your hands). Once completed you will receive juice. Pour it into a bottle or jars, depending on the amount of grapes you used.
All these steps are basically the same, now we need to decide what kind of wine we want to get:
1. Dry.
2. Semi-sweet.
3. Homemade semi-sweet or sweet wine (popularly called “burchik”). How sweet the wine turns out depends on the amount of glucose that is in the grapes themselves.
Dry wine.
Pour the resulting juice into the bottle from step No. 4, and close it with a special lid with a hole so that you can insert a straw. After this, we lower the tube into a jar of water and observe the process. There should be bubbles. After 14-16 days, open the lid and close the bottle with a regular lid, and wait 30-50 days (depending on the temperature) until it is completely cooked. After a long wait, open the lid and carefully pour it into bottles or start consuming it, leaving the sediment at the bottom untouched. This is how we made dry wine ourselves, about 12-14% vol.
Semi-sweet wine.
Pour the resulting juice into the bottle from step No. 4 and take it at the rate of 1 kilogram of sugar per 10 liters of juice. We close it with a special lid with a hole so that you can insert a tube. After this, he lowers the tube into a jar of water and observe the process. There should be bubbles. After 14-16 days, open the lid and close the bottle with a regular lid, and wait 30-50 days (depending on the temperature) until it is completely cooked. After a long wait, open the lid and carefully pour it into bottles or start consuming it, leaving the sediment at the bottom untouched. This is how we made our own semi-sweet wine, approximately 14-16% vol.
Homemade semi-sweet or sweet wine.
Pour 10 liters of juice obtained in step No. 4 into the bottle. Take 10 liters of warm water so that you can hold your hand there. Add 3-3.5 kilograms of sugar and mix with our juice. We put a mitt on the jar or bottle and make an incision. After 14-16 days, remove the mitten and close it with a regular lid and wait 30-50 days (depending on the temperature) until the sediment completely falls out and the beautiful color of the wine appears. Open the lid and carefully pour into bottles, leaving the sediment at the bottom undisturbed. It's so easy to make homemade wine yourself, about 16% vol.
Wine is a healthy drink that can be prepared in many ways. Homemade wine does not contain dyes or preservatives, and additional harmless ingredients are chosen by the owner independently. The sacred drink of the gods was used in ancient times as a cure for many ailments. Today, wine also has many admirers, but not everyone is familiar with the technology for producing this sparkling aromatic liquid.
Calorie content and benefits of homemade wine
When studying the chemical composition of the drink, it turns out that homemade grape wine contains water, organic acids, ethyl alcohol and minerals. Its energy value is high - every 100 ml of drink contains 80 kcal. The beneficial properties of wine made at home with your own hands are as follows:
- restoration of immunity;
- disinfection of the body;
- strengthening the heart and blood vessels;
- acceleration of metabolic reactions;
- enrichment of blood with valuable substances.
To prevent homemade wine from losing its quality, it must be stored properly. It is best to place the barrel in the cellar, since the underground room has optimal temperature conditions. If at the time of preparing the drink the berries were not sweet, you can correct the situation with the help of sugar, adding it at the initial stage at the rate of 50 - 100 g of sand to 1 liter of juice. Sugar neutralizes the effects of alcohol and prolongs the life of the drink.
Preparing to make wine at home
Delicious grape wine at home is not obtained from just any variety of berries. Table varieties do not leave the desired aftertaste; it is recommended to replace them with Chardonnay, Isabella, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Merlot, Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. To make sweet wine, you need to stock up on nutmeg berries.
The technology for preparing the drink requires dry bunches, so the harvest should be harvested in sunny weather. You can cut the tassels from the end of September until the arrival of frost. Rotten and frozen product is not suitable for winemaking.
Table wine is made from slightly unripe berries, since the strength of the drink depends on the length of time the bunch remains on the vine. If you want to get a dessert type of drink, it is better not to pick the fruits until they begin to fade.
High-quality homemade grape wine can only be obtained from ideal berries. Rotten, dry and disease-damaged fruits are thrown away. The twigs that give the drink astringency and bitterness are also removed. The unpleasant aftertaste is due to the tannin content.
Sorting grapes sometimes takes a lot of time, but the work will pay off in that the drink will leave a more pleasant aftertaste. There is no need to wash off the whitish coating from the berries - it is natural yeast involved in fermentation. The container in which the fermentation process will take place is smoked with sulfur on the eve of the spill. The substance will prevent the formation of mold inside the bottle.
Basics of making grape wine
To avoid premature fermentation, experts advise not to delay processing of sorted berries. To crush thoroughly, you need to get a special crusher or use a wooden rolling pin. If you want to make white homemade wine from grapes, the juice is separated from the pulp immediately. During the production of the red drink, these products are left in the same container.
Enamel dishes with crushed grapes are covered with a cloth and put away for 3 days in a room with a temperature of 20 - 22 degrees. Visit the container three times a day and stir its contents. During this time, the berries turn into wort, and the pulp floats up. On the 4th day the juice is filtered. To obtain a tart drink, the wort is kept unstrained until the 6th day.
For lovers of sweet wines, experts suggest improving the recipe - during the first 10 days of fermentation, you need to add a small amount of sugar to the mass. As soon as the drink tastes like sweet tea or compote, stop adding sugar. Once the fermentation process is complete, there is no point in sweetening the wine.
Do not rush to throw away the grape pulp (pulp), it can still be used for...
After filtering the grape juice, it is poured into glass bottles and sealed with a nylon cap. Some craftsmen prefer to cover the dishes with a rubber glove. To allow air to escape, it is pierced in several places, and to prevent the glove from falling off, it is tightly fixed.
Finally, the dishes are put away in a cool place, the temperature of which does not fall below +10°C. Violation of this condition prolongs the fermentation period. While the juice is bubbling, it is filtered weekly, not allowing sediment to spoil the taste. After about 2 - 3 months, gas formation should stop, and now you can make the first tasting. A strong, sweet liquid in which the presence of sugar is not felt indicates readiness for consumption.
Classic grape wine: recipe
This clean drink recipe requires just two ingredients:
- grapes of any variety – 10 kg;
- granulated sugar – 3 kg.
The berries are crushed in a wide bowl in small portions, then covered with gauze and placed in warm conditions for 5 days of fermentation. Stir the mixture twice a day with a wooden spatula. Fermented fruits are discarded in a colander and squeezed through cheesecloth to drain the juice.
The juice is poured into clean bottles, sweetened with sugar and mixed. The containers are sealed with a pierced glove and its behavior is observed. As soon as it is noticed that the glove has stopped inflating, the drink is carefully filtered and poured into bottles. The containers are closed with stoppers. A month later, the wine is filtered again and put into the cold again to infuse.
Berry and grape wine
While studying simple ways to make homemade wines, we find a recipe with raspberries and currants. Let's look at it step by step:
After 3 days, grape wine is continued to be prepared at home by removing the floating berries and squeezing them. In the next step, 1 kg of sugar is dissolved in 10 liters of boiled water. This syrup along with grape juice is poured into a bottle. The dishes are sealed with a glove and left for a week. On the 8th day, 700 g of sugar is poured into the mixture and the wine from berries and grapes is kept cool for 2 months.
How to make wine with water
To turn this recipe into a sparkling drink, you will need the following components:
- water – 7.5 l;
- grapes – 5 kg;
- granulated sugar – 3.5 kg.
The process of creating a drink is simple. First, the berries removed from the branches are kneaded, filled with water and sprinkled with sugar. The mixture is then allowed to ferment for a week, but to avoid mold formation the wort is stirred three times a day. After 7 days, the liquid is separated from the sediment and poured into a bottle, which is covered with a glove. Next, the container is placed in a cool room for a week, and on the 8th day the drink is filtered and tasted. A month's aging gives the wine richness.
Expanding the range of homemade drinks
Wine "Isabella"
All wine recipes are approximately the same, but in the process of obtaining a drink from the Isabella variety, it is recommended to dilute it with 12 liters of water. The volume is given for the ratio of 5 kg of grapes to 3 kg of sugar. Water reduces the astringency of the drink and does not spoil its aroma.
"Moldova"
Healthy red wine made from grapes at home is produced by juicy berries of the Moldova variety. But they are difficult to process. For beginners in the field of independent winemaking, masters recommend removing the skins before primary fermentation. If left, the thick skins will create bulky pulp, which will erase the true flavor of the wine and make it tart.
The following recipes make wine unusual. If you want to get clove wine, throw a “cushion” of crushed cloves into the barrel. Once the juice has fermented, pour it into another container.
Moselle aromatic wine is prepared in a barrel with a hot decoction of mint and elderberry evaporated. The liquid is not poured out until the container is saturated with the smell of herbs. The barrel is then filled with grape juice and elderflowers and mint leaves are placed on top.
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Homemade grape wine has always enjoyed considerable popularity at any table, so every winemaker, even a beginner, happily tries to create wines according to various recipes, including the classic version - from grapes.
Here is a recipe for excellent grape wine: step by step and easy at home (with photos and instructions).
In order for grape wine (and not just homemade wine) to turn out truly tasty and aromatic, it is necessary to use exclusively high-quality and, most importantly, the right product to create it - wine varieties.
The berries of these varieties are characterized by their small size and density on the bunch. Below are some valuable tips from experienced winemakers regarding the selection and preparation of material for wine:
Advice. Grapes collected for making wine should not be washed, because the white coating that forms on them is nothing more than wine yeast. Rinse or even wash grapes only if a starter with high-quality wine yeast is used.
The harvested grapes should be separated from the ridges, sorted, removing all unsuitable berries, including dried and moldy berries. After preliminary selection, the berries are poured in small batches into a deep container and crushed. You can use a regular potato masher or a meat grinder. The berries should be crushed very carefully so that each of them releases all its juice.
Wine making process
Making quality wine is a fairly simple process if you strictly follow all steps of the recipe. The following is a step-by-step process for preparing wine.
Fermentation of pulp
The finished pulp or crushed berries, previously separated from the ridges, are poured into a suitable container and covered tightly with a cotton cloth. Keep in mind that the container should only be 2/3 filled with wine material.
The container with pulp is installed in a room with a strict temperature regime, falling between 18 and 23 degrees. If the temperature is above the second mark, the pulp may ferment too intensely, which will result in it turning into vinegar. If the temperature is below the first mark, the fermentation process may proceed too slowly or may not even begin at all.
Mezga So, after a few days, the fermentation process will begin and the must (juice, which is essentially young grape wine) will begin to separate from the pulp. The pulp and wort should be thoroughly mixed every day, otherwise the former will simply turn sour and the taste of the not yet finished product will be spoiled.
Preparation of grape must
5-7 days after the start of fermentation, the pulp should be thoroughly squeezed out, thus separating the wort from it. The first spin is done through a colander, the second through several layers of gauze. The purified wort should ferment. To do this, it is poured into a clean container (it should be filled only 3/4) and tightly closed with a stopper and tube.
Attention! Experienced winemakers believe that separating the pulp from the wort is a mistaken action, which will subsequently deprive the finished product of its valuable deep aroma and delicate aftertaste.
If you want to leave the pulp, you should not squeeze it out to separate the wort: just pour all the product into a new container and close it with a lid with a straw. The tube will serve as a kind of protection against oxygen: one end of it must be lowered into a container of water, the other into wine.
At this stage, it is important to control the strength and sweetness of the wine, which depend, first of all, on the fructose content in the product. You can regulate this indicator by adding this or that amount of sugar. In our area, predominantly varieties with a low fructose content grow, therefore, if sugar is not added during the preparation of wine, it will turn out dry.
The dosage of sugar is usually taken as follows: about 1 tbsp. per 1 liter of semi-finished product. Sugar is added as follows: you need to pour a little wort, heat it and pour sugar into it, stirring the mass until the latter dissolves completely. After this, pour the resulting sweet composition back into the container with wine.
Corking of semi-finished wine
At this stage, you should separate all the sediment from the finished wort (to do this, you just need to drain the wine through a straw, carefully lowering the container with water below the container with wine). Be sure to check the product for the amount of sugar: if you like dry grape wine, you won’t need sugar. Otherwise, be sure to add it to the wine and stir thoroughly.
All that remains is to pour the grape wine into a dark glass bottle and seal it loosely (this is necessary so that the remaining carbon dioxide contained in the wine finds a “way out”).
Product sterilization
This is the last, but no less important stage in making homemade wine. Some winemakers believe that this process should occur naturally: the wine must be left in a dark, cool place for several months (2-3) until the fermentation process stops, having previously installed water seals on each bottle. During this period, you should drain the wine at least several times to remove sediment.
There is another way to sterilize wine - forced. It is necessary to loosely close the wine bottles, wrap them with cloth and place them in a container filled with water. Place a thermometer in one of the bottles and sterilize the product until its temperature rises to 60 degrees. After this, all the yeast will die and the fermentation process will stop completely. The remaining carbon dioxide will also escape through a loosely closed plug.
Afterwards, you can tightly cork the bottles and send them to a cool, dry place. A product that has gone through all the preparatory stages correctly will be able to gain all that wonderful aroma and depth of taste for which many people love grape wine so much. Good luck!
How to make wine from grapes at home: video
We will not go into all the intricacies of the winemaking craft. The purpose of this article is to give you an idea of how wine is made and provide a ready-made recipe.
And don’t be upset if the first pancake turns out lumpy. In such a subtle science, this is quite normal at first. So, let's begin.
Preparing the equipment
It is better to prepare all the necessary equipment in advance. So, we need:
All equipment must be thoroughly disinfected using any alcohol-containing liquid (vodka, alcohol, “heads”). After treatment, rinse all equipment with clean water and wipe dry.
Choosing grapes
We will need fresh, bulk, high-quality grapes. The ideal option would be berries straight from the branches.
The best varieties for homemade wine are wine varieties plucked directly from the branches. To make the wine tasty, the grapes must be processed immediately after harvest.As for the choice of a specific type, there is a lot of scope. Red, black or green varieties are equally suitable for wine: Chardonnay, Bianca, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Saperavi, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Carmenere, Isabella.
However, if you live in the northern region and do not have fresh grapes on hand, use berries from the store. They are also perfect for first experiments.
Have you chosen a berry variety? Have you prepared your equipment? Then let's start making wine. The process is quite long, but if you follow all the rules, you will not be deceived in your expectations. Below you will find 2 simple recipes for making wine from grapes at home.
A simple step-by-step recipe for grape wine
So, to prepare 5 liters of wine, we will need:
- grapes – 7 kg;
- sugar – 50-100 g per 1 liter of juice obtained.
Accordingly, if you want to make more wine, then simply multiply the amount of grapes used proportionally: for 10 liters you will need about 14 kg of grapes, etc.
The recipe itself is divided into several stages.
Stage I
We sort through the grapes: remove large debris, twigs, etc. Next, carefully crush them. This can be done using a special press, or by hand. At home, when the volumes of raw materials are small, we recommend the second method. A press or crusher can crush the seeds of the berries and thereby spoil the taste of the future wine.
Transfer the resulting mass (pulp) into a large container. We fill the container no more than ¾ of the total volume. Fermentation containers made of food-grade plastic or glass are ideal. Cover the wort with a clean cloth and leave the wort for 3-4 days in a warm place to ferment. Stir the wort with a glass or plastic spoon 2 times a day.
It is better to avoid any contact of the wort with metal. This can cause oxidation and spoil the taste of the future wine.
Stage II
After 3-4 days, the active fermentation phase will begin. The pulp will begin to foam and float. Our task is to remove the cap from the foam and strain the wort. The hat can be removed directly by hand. In order not to lose the product, place it in gauze and squeeze the juice thoroughly.
After we have dealt with the head, we need to filter the wort from other smaller residues. We do this in any convenient way: through gauze or (which is more convenient) using a special
Stage III
Pour the grape juice into a clean container. It can be used in a large glass bottle or plastic container. We close the container with a water seal and put it away for fermentation at a temperature:
- 18-22°C – for light grape varieties;
- 20-28°C – for dark grape varieties.
Some recipes suggest using a regular glove instead of a water seal, but this is not entirely correct. The glove creates pressure inside the container, as a result of which the juice is saturated with carbon dioxide, which affects the final taste of the drink. Experienced winemakers recommend using only water-based water seals.
Stage IV
In 3 days we can take the first samples. If the drink is very sour, then add sugar - 50 g per 1 liter of wort. We do this as follows: mix sugar with a small amount of juice in a separate container, heat the mixture over low heat and stir it constantly until the sugar dissolves in it. Then pour the sweet syrup into the main wort.
After 3-4 days we taste the drink again. If the acid still appears, repeat the procedure. We can do this up to 4 times until we achieve the desired sweetness and fermentation ends.
Fermentation lasts on average 3 weeks. After the expiration date, pour the wine from the sediment into separate clean, washed bottles and tightly cap them. The wine will mature in them for several more months. The minimum waiting period is 40-50 days.
After a couple of months, wonderful fragrant homemade grape wine is completely ready for consumption. We recommend storing in a dark, cool place (no more than 10°C) for a year, no more.
A simple recipe for wine with added water
The recipe with adding water is even simpler. But, as tests have shown, the simplest is the best!
We will need:
- Grape
- Water (spring, bottled) – 1.2 liters per 1 liter of grape mass
- Sugar – 400 g per 1 liter of grape mass
Cooking technology
- We sort through the grapes: remove debris, twigs and large dirt. Press it with your hands and pour it into a separate container. Add water and sugar. Mix.
- We immediately close the container with a water seal and put it away to ferment in a warm and dark place.
- Fermentation will last 2 weeks. Once every 3-4 days we check the taste of the wort. If the wine is too sour, add sugar at the rate of 70 g per 1 liter of wort. We do this until we achieve the desired taste.
- After 2 weeks, drain the sediment from the sediment in any convenient way and bottle it to ripen. Ambient temperature - 12-14°C.
- Ripening will last approximately 40-60 days.
Video recipe for making homemade wine
In custody
These recipes will help you understand how to properly prepare homemade wine, and will give you the opportunity to try your hand at winemaking. Of course, you can find more detailed and complex instructions online. But we believe that everything new should be learned from the basics. Once you master them, you can easily take on more complex recipes.
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19 10 2017In this section, we have collected simple recipes for homemade wines, following which you can easily prepare a delicious aromatic drink with your own hands.
To make wine, you can take almost any fruit - grapes, currants, cherries, apples, raspberries and others. When studying the recipe, you should pay attention to the fact that all starting products must be of good quality. All recipes for wine at home are presented in sufficient detail and indicate a certain amount of necessary raw materials. High-quality wine will only come from good ingredients, so do not use spoiled or rotten fruits.
In this section, we have collected the most interesting recipes for making homemade wines, which are not difficult to prepare even without special winemaking skills. In addition to describing the cooking process, the recipes include useful tips that will help you answer all your questions.
Wine is a drink that is prepared in all corners of the globe. Each national cuisine has its own special secrets for preparing these alcoholic drinks. In total, there are several tens of thousands of different varieties of wines in the world, not counting homemade ones, of which there are many more.
Recipes for making wine may differ from each other not only in composition, but also in technology. The methods for preparing homemade wines collected in this section will help you find the one most suitable for you. Table and dessert, sweet and dry - each wine-growing region has its own varieties. We tried to collect the most popular recipes that are not difficult to prepare in ordinary household conditions.
Based on these recipes, you can easily learn how to prepare alcoholic drinks for any occasion - both for friendly gatherings and for a magnificent family celebration.
