Contents
Until this year, I had never made wine on my own. Circumstances so developed that I was unwittingly involved in this process. What exactly was the reason for my decision to become a winemaker, and what was the result, I will describe in more detail later.
A story from a regular blog subscriber Alexander L.
Why I decided to make alcohol myself
A few years ago I settled in the village, bought a house in a quiet place. We were very lucky with the neighbors, they helped with advice and deeds on all everyday issues. I also tried not to be in debt.
My neighbors had a good harvest of Lydia grapes this year. The berries of this variety are sweet and tasty, very sugary.
My neighbor, Baba Alla, a vigorous old woman of 80 years old, was going to harvest for a long time, but then she suddenly decided that she did not need it. Almost before the onset of cold weather, she asked me to remove the grapes from the vine and take the grapes for herself.
As a result, I had to solve the problem of what to do with the unexpectedly inherited 100 kg of berries.
I consulted with Baba Alla and decided to make homemade wine. The matter is unfamiliar to me, but I like to experiment and learn new things. Ahead was the New Year and other winter holidays, why not surprise your guests with your own homemade wine.
What ingredients are required
To make wine, I had to buy sugar and find a barrel. I have never kept this amount of sugar at home. By the way, Baba Alla provided me with containers, who then took an active part in the cooking process as a consultant.
White wine requires 8 kg of sugar for every 2 kg of grapes. If you take less sugar, you get a dry wine, not semi-sweet.
Of the equipment you need to have:
- barrel;
- glass bottles;
- colander.
More of the available tools will require gauze (for straining) and rubber gloves. There are many recipes, but this rustic method turned out to be the simplest and proven by several generations of winemakers.
The cooking process
As Baba Alla explained to me, the berries could be picked from the combs. In this case, the wine is refined, delicate. If you press the grapes along with the sticks, then the final product will taste a little tart.
To be honest, I was just too lazy to remove the ridges from so many berries, so I passed them with a mashed potato masher in the form in which I plucked from the vine. I added a little sugar to the resulting mass to start the fermentation process. We must not forget that the container should be in a warm place.
Usually this mass is left to infuse for 5 days. This is not possible with Lydia, the juice must be separated from the peel after 2-3 days. If this is not done, the product will get a bitter aftertaste. By the way, some experienced winemakers generally advise to strain the juice in a day.
The crushed grapes begin to ferment in the barrel
If the pulp has risen to the top and there are signs of fermentation, this means that it is time to strain the wort. If this is not done, the product will be damaged.
I trusted my advice from my consultant and separated the liquid only on the third day. The juice of this grape variety is very sweet and I do not quite understand why sugar is added to it.
At the next stage of making wine, I poured the filtered juice into ten-liter glass bottles. The network recommends installing a water seal. I made it easier, I put on a rubber glove on each jar.
I left the container with the wort in the same place where before that I had a barrel. For high-quality fermentation, grape juice needs heat. When the glove stopped inflating and “fell” on the jar, it means that it is time to strain the liquid and pour it into a smaller container.
The active fermentation process has ended
After straining the mass, I had a large amount of pulp left. I was about to throw it on the compost heap. A neighbor told me that the local population reuses this waste to increase the amount of the finished product.
To do this, the pulp is poured with water, sugar is added to it, it stands again for 2-3 days, then it is filtered and this “compote” is allowed to ferment. At the end of the cooking process, the first and second wines are mixed.
I did not experiment and spoil a quality wine made only on pure juice with such a water solution. I liked another idea more, which involves using waste to make moonshine.
In the wine that I had in bottles, every 5 days, sugar was poured three times at the rate of 500 grams. for 4 liters of juice. Then, when a sediment appeared at the bottom (about 21 days after filtering), he carefully poured the wine into a clean glass container.
An important point that many do not take into account is that the product does not stop fermenting after it has been bottled. It should reach full readiness in a dark, cool place for another 2-3 months.
What result did I get
The finished wine, which I got as a result under the guidance of a wise woman, tasted sweet. When compared with store samples, they are inferior in saturation and aroma to real homemade wine.
The only drawback is that the wine does not have a very nice yellowish color. In the future, I will know that in order for the wine to look beautiful, you need to add a small amount of dark grapes.
In general, I liked the cooking process, I learned a lot of interesting things about white grapes, about how homemade wine is made from it.
Dear readers, what do you think, is it necessary to mix several varieties of grapes, or should the recipe be left as it is?
*Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health!