How to make wine from birch sap

Birch sap is a source of unique beneficial substances for the human body. In cooking, it is used to make various tinctures or in the preparation of desserts. Wine made from birch sap has been consistently popular for a long time and occupies a special place among homemade alcohol recipes.

How to make wine from birch sap

It has long been believed that such a drink, due to the content of tannins in it, can increase immunity, and also helps to cleanse the body of toxins and harmful substances. Making wine requires a fairly responsible approach. The main requirement for an ideal drink is the use of fresh birch sap. This is justified by the fact that stale juice is able to curdle during the heat treatment process. Excess released protein, in most cases, harms the taste of the drink, up to complete spoilage of the entire prepared volume.

Another important detail in preparing a gourmet drink is the correct ratio of sugar. As in the preparation of other wines, sugar can greatly affect both the taste and the strength of the future wine. In various recipes, the share of sugar is from 10% to 50% of the total volume of raw materials. At the same time, each winemaker is able to level its amount in order to create a drink to suit his tastes.

Particular care should be taken when choosing yeast. Wine yeast is considered a classic option for making a drink. This choice allows for a fairly short time to process all the sugar into alcohol. Avoiding the use of yeast will slow down the process of making wine, but this approach will allow the product to be obtained by natural fermentation.

As with the preparation of any alcoholic beverages, it is worth paying great attention to the cleanliness of the containers in which the fermentation and heat treatment process will take place. Each container should be sterilized in advance with boiling water and wiped dry with a towel. For greater confidence, many winemakers use special cleaning products based on chloride compounds. This method allows you to achieve complete disinfection, but after it requires thorough washing of all surfaces of the dishes. Proper and timely disinfection will avoid the spread of harmful microorganisms at all stages of the preparation of the drink.

Birch sap wine with wine yeast

The classic option for making birch wine is the method using wine yeast. Special wine yeast can significantly speed up the process of making a drink. It is worth remembering that they should be added strictly according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Their insufficient amount will not give complete fermentation of sugars. According to the recipe for the preparation of the drink you will need:

• 25 liters of fresh juice;
• 5 kg of white sugar;
• wine yeast;
• 10 tsp citric acid.

Juice is poured into a large saucepan, sugar and citric acid are added to it. The mixture is stirred and put to cook on a slow fire. During the cooking process, it is necessary to remove the scale that has appeared. It is worth boiling the mixture until about 20 liters of liquid remain in the pan. This means that the excess water has come out and the product is ready for further processing.

Wine yeast is diluted according to the instructions on the package, then added to the chilled mixture of juice and sugar. The future wine is poured into a large fermentation tank, on which a water seal is placed or a rubber glove is put on.

Fermentation of wine occurs within a month. After that, it is necessary to filter it to remove the yeast sediment at the bottom. The filtered drink must be bottled and sent to ripen for a couple of weeks in a dark, cool place. After this time, the wine must be filtered again. Birch wine is ready to drink.

Birch sap wine recipe without yeast

The process of preparing a drink without yeast is identical to the previous one, the only exception is the use of sourdough. A special starter is prepared on the basis of raisins and sugar. To make it, you need to add 100 g of raisins and 50 g of sugar to 400 ml of water. The resulting mixture must be tightly wrapped and placed in a warm room.

In the future, the process of preparing the drink is identical to yeast. The only exception is the period of its fermentation – it stretches up to two months. In this case, the finished drink will turn out to be less strong, but at the same time sweeter due to incomplete fermentation of sugar.

How to make wine from fermented birch sap

Sometimes, if the storage conditions are not observed, the juice deteriorates and begins to ferment independently. This happens when wild yeast enters it from the surrounding air. Do not rush and pour it out – there are several recipes when such juice can be used to make kvass or wine.

While experts in home winemaking advise using fresh material, it is quite possible to make a fairly pleasant wine from fermented juice. To make wine from birch sap, you need a 3-liter jar. It is filled at 23, then about 200 g of sugar is poured into it. The resulting mixture is poured into a saucepan and boiled for an hour over medium heat. This will enhance the further fermentation process.

In this case, the use of sourdough is optional. For a brighter flavor and extra carbonation, a few raisins and a tablespoon of rice are added to the jar. Such wine should ferment under a water seal or a glove for about two months, then it should be filtered and bottled.

Birch juice wine recipe with lemon

Adding lemon to homemade wine allows you to dramatically enhance its taste, adjust sweetness and add new aromatic notes. At the same time, the amount of sugar used increases by an average of 10-20%. Ingredients needed for this wine:

• 25 L of birch sap;
• 5-6 kg of sugar;
• 6 medium sized lemons;
• 1 kg of raisins.

Birch sap is poured into a large saucepan and boiled over low heat. It is necessary to evaporate about 10% of the liquid. After that, pour sugar into the pan and mix well. The juice is removed from the heat and cooled to room temperature. After that, lemon juice is poured into it and a pre-prepared sourdough from raisins is added.

The primary fermentation of wine in a saucepan lasts about a week with constant shaking, then the liquid is filtered and poured into a fermentation tank, covered with a water seal. Fermentation must occur completely, so it can be delayed up to 2-3 months.

Wine on birch sap with raisins

Using raisins to make homemade wine will avoid the need to add yeast to the drink. Properly dried raisins contain wild yeast on the surface that can ferment the sugars in the drink. For example, the same yeast on the skin of apples is involved in the preparation of cider. It is very important to remember that over-rinsing the raisins will remove almost all of the wild yeast and the wine will simply not ferment. To prepare the right drink you will need:

• 10 L of birch sap;
• 1 kg of sugar;
• 250 g red raisins.

The production of wine takes place according to a recipe similar to cider. It is necessary to fill liter containers with juice and add 100 g of sugar to each of them. The liquid is stirred and 25 g of raisins are added to it. Bottles must be tightly sealed and left for 4 weeks at room temperature. During this time, the wild yeast will digest the sugar into alcohol, as well as saturate the drink with a small amount of carbon dioxide.

After fermentation, it is necessary to remove raisins from the drink. To do this, the finished wine is filtered through gauze folded in several layers. The resulting drink is poured into sterile bottles and sent for storage in a cool place. The resulting drink has a light refreshing taste and is not particularly strong.

Birch sap wine recipe with jam

Using jam to make wine is one of the secrets of Soviet winemakers. During fermentation, jam saturates the wine with an additional fruity flavor, almost any is suitable. To make this wine you will need:

• 5 L of birch sap;
• 300 g of jam;
• 1 kg of sugar;
• wine yeast.

It is necessary to heat the birch sap on the stove and boil it for about an hour, avoiding strong boiling. Then cool, add jam, sugar and yeast to it. The resulting mixture is poured into a fermentation tank and covered with a water seal. After the end of the fermentation process, it is necessary to filter the resulting drink from a rather strong sediment. The finished wine is bottled, tightly corked and sent for storage.

Birch sap wine without boiling

The boiling process is necessary to actively start fermentation. However, the use of modern wine yeast avoids this procedure. Making wine in this case occurs at room temperature. Birch sap, sugar in the amount of 15-20% of the juice volume and wine yeast are poured into the fermentation tank.

The wine must ferment for about a month, after which it is filtered and bottled. It is believed that the refusal to boil negatively affects the taste of the drink – it becomes more watery. At the same time, it ferments to a fortress of 14-15 degrees. Such a drink will be an excellent option for making hot drinks with spices. Mulled wine on it will turn out unique.

How to make wine from birch sap with honey

Often such a recipe is called birch mead. It combines the exquisite taste of birch sap and the sweetness of honey. To make this type of wine you will need:

• 6 liters of fresh birch sap;
• 1 liter of liquid honey;
• 2 kg of white sugar;
• 2 liters of fortified white wine;
• 2 cinnamon sticks.

Birch sap is heated over low heat, not boiling. Then it is cooled to 60 degrees, honey and sugar are added to it. When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, white wine is poured into it and cinnamon is added.

The resulting drink should be infused for about 10 days in a dark, cool place. After tincture, strain it, and then bottle it. The resulting mead should rest for about a month so that its taste becomes softer and more even.

How to make wine from birch sap “in English”

In England, the recipe for birch sap wine has been known for over several centuries. Traditionally, this wine was made with the addition of lime and orange, as well as a small amount of flower honey. For fermentation, white wine yeast is used. List of ingredients of traditional English birch wine:

• 9 L of birch sap;
• 4 lime;
• 2 orange;
• 200 g of honey;
• 2 kg of sugar;
• wine yeast.

The juice is heated to 75 degrees and this temperature is maintained for about 20 minutes. Then the mixture is cooled and poured into a fermentation tank, where juice and citrus zest, honey, sugar and yeast are also added. The container should not be closed, it is enough to cover it with gauze. In this form, the mixture is infused for about a week, after which it is filtered and sent for a two-month fermentation under a water seal. The finished drink is filtered again and bottled.

How to store birch sap wine

The finished wine is a natural product that can withstand a fairly long shelf life. It is believed that a drink prepared using wine yeast can easily be stored for up to two years in a dark, cool room. Longer storage examples are also known, but such a product should be consumed in the first months after preparation.

If the wine has been prepared with wild yeast from raisins directly or with sourdough, then its shelf life is significantly reduced. Fermentation in such cases rarely goes dry, so the remaining free sugar can spoil the resulting product, even if the storage conditions are properly observed. The recommended storage time in such cases is 2 to 6 months.

Conclusion

Birch sap wine is a great option for a light, refreshing alcoholic drink. A huge number of recipes will allow everyone to choose the appropriate way to cook it. Refinement and fullness of taste is achieved through the correct selection of ingredients and proportions. This drink will not leave anyone indifferent.