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It is difficult to imagine at least one private house in the southern region, next to which grapes do not grow. This plant can not only supply sweet berries to our table. Fragrant vinegar, raisins and churchkhela, so beloved by children, are prepared from grapes. Its berries serve as raw materials for the manufacture of alcoholic beverages – wines, cognacs, brandy. It is difficult to say how many grape varieties exist today, it is known for sure that only in the territory of the former Soviet Union there are more than 3000 of them, but this number is constantly growing. Given our specificity, breeders breed vines that can survive and produce a crop in a harsh climate.
Perhaps the most famous and popular product of viticulture is wine. In southern countries, for example, in France, Italy or Spain, entire regions have been growing and processing solar berries for centuries. Although our climate is different from the Mediterranean, anyone can make wine from Isabella grapes at home.
Isabella grape varieties
Isabella is a variety of American origin, obtained by natural hybridization of the Labrusca grape (Vitis labrusca), which in English-speaking countries is called fox. It is distinguished by dark blue berries with thick skins, sweet, slimy flesh, and a distinctive strawberry aroma. Few people like the specific taste of Isabella, but the wines and juice from it are excellent.
Through further hybridization of Labrusca grapes with European species and directional selection, many varieties were obtained, the most famous among us: Lydia, Seneca, American Concord, Ontario, Buffalo, Early Pineapple, Niagara. Their color can vary from green with a subtle purple or pink bloom to dark blue or purple. Slimy berries and flavor remain unchanged. The advantage of isabella varieties is their yield, high resistance to typical grape diseases and the fact that they do not need shelter for the winter. A frozen vine quickly recovers, releasing many new shoots.
Isabella and related varieties are classified as wine and table varieties, which means that the berries can be eaten fresh or processed into juice or wine. Now there is an opinion that the use of Labrusca grapes is dangerous to health. Allegedly, Isabella contains harmful substances, and processed products contain a lot of methanol. It is not true. In fact, almost all alcoholic beverages contain small amounts of wood alcohol. Its concentration in Isabella wine is almost half that officially allowed in the EU countries.
Perhaps the ban on the use of Labrusca grapes is related to protectionist policies, and nothing more. On the territory of the post-Soviet republics, the ban on Isabella does not apply, it grows in almost every private southern (and not so) courtyard, annually delighting the owners with a rich harvest.
Grape harvest and container preparation
In order to make Isabella wine at home, you need to choose the right time for harvesting. This is a late variety, usually the clusters are removed from mid to late autumn 2-3 days after watering or rain. Count the time so that you do the processing no later than 2 days later, otherwise the Isabella grapes will lose some of the moisture, aroma and nutrients, which will make the wine much worse.
Tear off the bunches, throw out all the green or rotten berries. Unripe grapes are sour, therefore, the preparation of wine will not do without the addition of sugar and water. This will not only worsen the taste of the drink, but also increase the content of the same notorious wood alcohol (methanol) in it. If you make wine with the addition of overripe Isabella berries, you run the risk of getting a very fragrant grape vinegar instead. So high-quality raw materials are an indispensable condition for the preparation of high-quality alcohol.
Oak barrels are considered the best containers in winemaking. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to purchase due to the high cost or lack of space. Isabella wine at home can be prepared in glass bottles of different capacities – from 3 to 50 liters.
Before use, large jars are washed with hot water and soda and rinsed, and three- or five-liter jars are sterilized. In order to prevent oxygen from entering the fermentation tank of Isabella grapes and not making vinegar out of it, you will need a water seal.
If a barrel is still used to make grape wine, it must be processed as described in our article “A Simple Grape Wine Recipe”, here, if necessary, you will find sourdough recipes.
Isabella wine coloring
Isabella can be made into red, rosé or white wine. This does not require much effort. The main difference between white wine from grapes and red is that it ferments on pure juice, without skins and seeds (pulp). When fully prepared, a light, devoid of astringency and rich aroma drink is obtained.
- Before making white wine from Isabella grapes, the juice is separated immediately using a hand press or other device, therefore, the pulp fermentation step is skipped. The skin remaining after squeezing still contains a lot of fragrant liquid; in the Caucasus, chacha is prepared from it.
- In the production of red wine, Isabella grapes are crushed and fermented along with the pulp, sometimes returning part of the ridges to the container (no more than 1/3). The longer the peel and seeds give the juice the substances they contain, the richer the color and taste of the drink will be at the exit. Usually, fermentation lasts from 3 to 6 days, but the must can be infused on the pulp for up to 12 days (no more).
- How to make rose wine from Isabella grapes, which is, as it were, intermediate between red and white? Everything is simple. The juice ferments with the pulp for a day, then it is squeezed out. Isabella wine will take on a pink hue and taste slightly tart.
A word about adding sugar and water
Surely, residents of the southern regions are perplexed why there is sugar in Isabella wine recipes at all, because the berries are already so sweet. Classics of the genre – pure grapes put on fermentation! What about water? Yes, this is pure barbarism! Even if you add to the must not the maximum allowed 500 g of foreign liquid per liter of juice, but less, the taste of the wine will greatly deteriorate.
In their own way, they are right, because under the southern sun, Isabella grapes gain 17-19% sugar. But the vine is grown even in Siberia, and there, excuse me, this figure barely reaches 8%. So the inhabitants of cold regions are surprised why Isabella grapes are called sweet everywhere. And here, neither sugar nor water can be dispensed with in the production of wine.
Isabella wine production
There is nothing difficult in making wine from Isabella grapes at home. Lots of recipes. If you do not pour sugar, you will get a wonderful dry wine, add it – dessert will come out, to give more strength after fermentation, you can pour in alcohol, vodka or cognac.
We will give methods for making white and red wine from Isabella grapes without extraneous additives with a photo, and also tell you how to make a sunny drink from sour berries.
Red wine from Isabella grapes
This simple recipe can be called universal for the production of wine not only from Isabella grapes, but also from other varieties. We will assume that our berries are sweet (17-19%). If you do not like too dry grape wines, you can add a little sugar during the cooking process.
Ingredients
Take:
- isabella grapes;
- sugar.
For the production of dry wine, sugar is not needed at all, in order to get dessert wine, for each liter of grape juice, you will need to take from 50 to 150 g of sweetener (honey can act as this).
Method of preparation
We remind you that grapes should not be washed before making wine. Pick off the berries, discard any that are green, rotten or moldy. Mash them in a clean bowl with your hands, a special pusher or in any other way, being careful not to damage the bones (otherwise the finished wine will be bitter).
Place the container with the prepared Isabella grapes in a warm place protected from sunlight. Fermentation should take place at 25-28 degrees. At 30, the microorganisms responsible for the process may die, and at 16 stop working. In both cases, we will spoil the wine from Isabella.
About a day later, active fermentation will begin, the pulp from the grapes will emerge. It will need to be stirred several times a day with a wooden spatula.
After 3-5 days, strain the juice into a clean container, squeeze out the pulp, install a water seal or put on a rubber glove with one pierced finger. Clean in a dark place with a temperature of 16-28 degrees.
If you want to get just a young light wine from Isabella grapes with a strength of no more than 10 revolutions, do not add anything else. After 12-20 days the fermentation will stop and it can be bottled.
If Isabella wine does not ferment well or you simply do not like sour alcohol, drain some of the must and add 50 g of sugar for each liter of the drink being prepared.
With the addition of 2% sugar, you will increase the degree of wine from grapes by 1%. But you won’t be able to raise its fortress above 13-14% (yeast will stop working). The recipe for fortified wines involves blending, in other words, adding alcohol to the finished product.
When the drink from the grapes reaches the desired sweetness and strength, and the water seal or glove stops releasing carbon dioxide, remove it from the sediment.
Pour the drink from the grapes into clean bottles, take it to the cold and let it lie down in a horizontal position for 2-3 months. At first, once every 2 weeks, and then filter it less often. So the wine will become transparent and improve the taste, although it will be possible to drink it immediately after removal from the sediment.
Isabella white wine
White wine from Isabella can only be called conditionally, since when squeezing the berries, some coloring substances will still get into the must.
Ingredients
You will need:
- isabella grapes;
- sourdough – 1-3% of the total must;
- sugar – 50-150 g per liter.
For the production of dry or table wine, you will need no more than 2% sourdough, dessert – 3%. A link to an article describing its preparation is given at the beginning of the article. If you can buy wine yeast, use it in place of your starter, as directed.
Method of preparation
Using a press, squeeze the juice from Isabella grapes, combine it with sourdough, pour into a clean glass bottle, and place the cut under a water seal or put on a glove.
Further in our recipe, the wine is prepared in the same way as red. We simply skip the stage of fermentation on the pulp and the subsequent decanting of the must.
Isabella wine with added water and sugar
The taste of Isabella wine with the addition of water will be simpler than that made from pure grapes. But if the berries are sour, you don’t have to choose. Just try to add as little water as possible.
Ingredients
To make wine from sour berries, you need:
- isabella grapes;
- water – no more than 500 mg per 1 liter of juice;
- sugar – 50-200 g per 1 liter of juice;
- sourdough – 3% of the must volume.
If you have wine yeast, substitute it for the starter, using it as directed.
Method of preparation
Tear off and sort through Isabella grapes, mash, dilute the pulp with water and pre-made sourdough, put sugar at the rate of 50 g per 1 kg of berries. Add liquids the more, the more acidic the original product, but do not get carried away.
Put the grapes for fermentation in a warm place (25-28 degrees), be sure to stir the pulp several times a day.
If the wort is weakly fermenting, add sugar or water. You may need up to 12 days for the process to complete satisfactorily. The wort is ready for pressing when the top of the pulp has completely given up the juice.
Next, prepare Isabella wine as indicated in the first recipe. Care must be taken to ensure that the fermentation proceeds intensively, if necessary, add water and add sugar.
Watch the video, which shows another way to make homemade wine from Isabella grapes:
Conclusion
The recipe turned out to be voluminous, but it will not be so difficult to prepare it. Enjoy homemade wine, just remember that it can only bring benefits in moderation.