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It would hardly occur to anyone to use this berry raw – it is already very sour and tart. Even when frost-bitten, it doesn’t change the taste too much. We are talking about thorny plum or prickly plum. Medium-sized blue berries cover prickly bushes in abundance. It’s a pity if such a crop is lost. When you have already prepared a delicious sauce and jam, jam, compote, and the berries are still left, try to make homemade wine out of them. Connoisseurs believe that it is not much inferior to grape. Homemade blackthorn wine will compare favorably with the store counterpart not only in taste, but also in the absence of harmful additives. He has an original bouquet. This wine goes especially well with meat dishes, and in the dessert version it is very good for sweets.
The technology for making wine from blackthorn at home is not difficult. That’s just the berries need to be properly prepared.
Berry preparation
It is better to collect them seized by the first frosts, then soft berries will be able to give the juice better. The collected berries are laid out in a thin layer on a litter to dry slightly. It is best if it takes place in the sun. Wild yeast, which they will enrich during this time, will enhance the fermentation process of the future wine, and, therefore, improve its quality, give the right taste and form a unique bouquet.
Blackthorn wine without yeast
To make wine from blackthorn at home, we will use the simplest recipe.
Prepared berries are carefully crushed with a wooden pestle.
Dilute the puree with water. It should be the same as the puree. To do this, its quantity will have to be measured first. We leave the mixture to ferment in the air, covered with gauze from insects. As soon as fermentation begins, as evidenced by the appearance of foam and bubbles, we filter the contents of the container.
Add sugar to the blackthorn extract. Its quantity depends on what kind of wine they are going to receive. For dry, from 200 to 250 g per liter is enough, for dessert you will have to add more – from 300 to 350 g for the same amount.
Pour the prepared wort into fermentation bottles, leaving space in each for the resulting foam. This is about 1/4 of the total volume. In order to have a free exit for carbon dioxide, and oxygen, which at this stage of winemaking is destructive for it, does not get into the must, you need to put a water seal.
At this stage, future wine needs warmth. To make it completely ferment, keep the bottles in a room where at least 20 degrees Celsius. As a rule, 45 days are enough for rapid fermentation. It is easy to find out about its end by stopping the release of gases. The glove put on the bottle will fall off.
The wine we received is young. In order for it to acquire a real bouquet and taste, it has to ripen. Let’s bottle it.
Now it must be hermetically sealed and left alone in a cool place without access to light.
After a maximum of 8 months, it will acquire a rich plum aroma and a stunning bouquet with tart notes, its color is dark ruby, noble. This wine is the decoration of any festive table.
Adding raisins, even in small quantities, will give additional yeast, which means it will increase fermentation.
Blackthorn wine with raisins
The recipe for its preparation is quite simple.
To prepare it, stock up on the following products:
- 5 kg of blackthorn berries;
- 3 kg of sugar;
- Xnum g raisins;
- 6 L of water.
We prepare the berries and wash them. Yeast for fermentation will provide raisins that cannot be washed. From 2 liters of water and the total amount of sugar, we cook syrup. While it is cooking, constantly remove the foam. As soon as it no longer appears, the syrup is ready. It must be cooled to room temperature.
Fill the berries with the rest of the water. Cook until the skin cracks. We mix berries, broth, 1/3 of the syrup in a container for fermentation. To start fermentation, add raisins.
We put a water seal on the container.
An ordinary rubber glove will do its job well. In order for carbon dioxide to escape unhindered, a couple of small holes need to be made in it, simple punctures are enough.
If everything is done correctly, no later than a day later, a foam cap and a lot of bubbles will appear in the container.
After a week, the rest of the syrup should be added to the wort. The fermentation process can take up to 50 days. The fact that the young wine is ready will be told by the berries that will settle to the bottom. There is a cessation of gas formation and clarification of wine.
If you want to get a dessert wine, you can add more sugar, now to taste. Then you need to let the wine wander for a couple more weeks under a water seal. For a fortress, you can add vodka or alcohol, but not more than 15% of the volume.
Now is the time to drain the young wine from the sediment so that it slowly ripens, gaining the desired taste. For 8 months in a cool place, he will have a unique bouquet, amazing color and taste.
Thorn tincture
For lovers of strong alcohol from blackthorn berries, you can prepare a very beautiful and tasty tincture.
For her you need:
- berries – 5 kg;
- vodka – 4,5 l;
- sugar – half of the number of berries.
Sprinkle washed and dried berries with sugar.
You can not remove the bones, then the drink will have an almond flavor. For those who do not like it, it is better to insist seedless berries.
The bottle covered with gauze should be exposed to the sun. After the end of fermentation, 0,5 l of vodka is added to the mixture. A month later, everyone is filtered, the filtered mixture is bottled with the remaining vodka added. If you add a pod of hot pepper at the last stage of infusion, it is quite possible to treat a cold with such a tincture.
Conclusion
Drinks on the turn not only have high taste. Properly prepared, they will be good helpers in the treatment of a number of diseases.