All summer my wife and I went to my mother-in-law’s dacha. We spent a lot of energy there, I must say. Naturally, we expected rewards for our labors. It was, of course, in the form of a harvest from which we received our share.
And what? Have you seen how much products now? And your own from the garden is much tastier. As a reward, potatoes, cabbage, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and much more were offered. Including we got a few boxes of beets.
The wife immediately began to make preparations for borscht. But I remembered in time about beetroot wine, and decided to try to make it. We still had too many tubers. So much borscht, we definitely would not have eaten.
The story was shared by blog subscriber Vladimir.
What did I need for this
The essence of preparation is somewhat similar to the manipulation of ordinary grape wine, but there are some differences. With regards to ingredients and equipment, it’s all available to anyone. Naturally, for wine made from beetroot, you will need the beetroot itself.
You need to take it ripe, so that it is evenly red over its entire surface, without light spots. I did it with the expectation that I would get 4-5 liters of wine. Beets for this you need 2 kg.
Our crop
You also need sugar in the amount of 1,5 kg. With regards to the ingredients, to start the fermentation process, you need a starter, which is made from different products. Mostly grapes, apples or raisins. I chose the latter.
You will also need a pot of 5 liters or more, 4 liters of water, a container where the wort will ferment, and a water seal. Some use a rubber glove, but I don’t like that option. I use a special nylon cover. I also use prunes (200 gr.), But this is an optional ingredient. I will talk about this below.
Water seal cover
Important! It is desirable to choose beets of good quality, without damaged areas (foci of decay).
The cooking process
The first thing to do is rinse the beets and remove the rotten areas. Cut it into medium pieces. Most importantly, it does not need to be peeled. Then I put the pieces in a pot and filled it with water.
I turned on the gas to the maximum and waited for the water to boil. Then I lowered the heat to almost a minimum and waited until the beets become completely soft. I took a little time with a margin and boiled it for an hour and a half.
Beets before putting the pot on the fire
After that, the beet itself is not needed. The resulting mixture must be filtered through cheesecloth, leaving one liquid. After waiting for this juice to cool down, add a third of sugar, prunes (in my case) and prepared raisin starter.
Cover the container with gauze, put in a place where the temperature will be +18 – +25 degrees, and wait for the fermentation process. As soon as it starts, pour into a container (jar or bottle), add another 500 gr. sugar and put a water seal.
After another 4 days, add the remaining sugar. Naturally, in all cases it must be dissolved in the wort.
At the end of fermentation, the must is poured into a clean container, tightly closed and lowered into the cellar for 2-3 months. After that, removing the sediment, you can enjoy the drink. I did not really believe in success, but the resulting wine surprised and pleased me greatly.
Important! Sourdough is prepared for 3 days. After that, she is able to live another 10 days. You need to have time to add it during this period.
What did I get
As I said, the result surprised me. The color turned out to be scarlet, similar to pomegranate juice. I really like this shade. I heard that it brightens with time and turns into carrot, but my wine did not live up to this time, I drank it all. By the way, this wine lives for about 2 years.
My first glass of beetroot wine
His degree is small, about 10%. But here more is not needed. The taste is unique, nothing like it. Of course, the taste of the beet itself is felt, but it is somehow different. It is difficult to explain in words, it is better for you to try it yourself.
The wine itself, I personally turned out to be of medium sweetness, as I like. Before putting the wine in the cellar, test for sugar. If it’s not enough for you, add more, wait a while, if fermentation suddenly starts. If everything is calm, then put it in the cold.
Important! In my case, prunes brought their own touch of spice.
What else can I add
I already told you that I made wine with prunes. In fact, there are many options, what else can be added. I liked this wine, and probably will make more. I’ll try other options there. Naturally, all these additives will affect the taste as a result.
Many also add citrus fruits. They all do it differently. Someone throws the skins together with the beets into the water before cooking, someone throws them along with the pulp. Others throw after cooking for the duration of fermentation. Others just squeeze out the juice. I will probably try to throw it along with the pulp for the duration of cooking.
I think this is how the fruits will best give their aroma and taste. Mostly oranges and lemons are used. Clove, ginger root, cinnamon, mint and more are also added. Based on their taste, it is worth roughly understanding what aroma our wine will receive.
But I still have one question and on the Internet they talk about it in different ways. I hope for your experience. The fact is that the starter is added as a hotbed of yeast to start fermentation in the wort. But I don’t really like its taste, and it seems to me that it spoils, albeit a little, all the wine.
My question is – is it possible to add some other yeast instead of sourdough, for example, wine? If so, please share the recipe on how to do it all.
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