Many people think that winemaking is an occupation, exclusively for those happy owners of garden or household plots who have any fruit trees available. Indeed, in the absence of grapes, many are fond of making fruit and berry wines from their own raw materials, since in this case you can be sure of the naturalness of the ingredients. Well, if there is a desire to make wine at home with your own hands, and getting fresh berries or fruits is a problem for various reasons – either the climatic conditions do not allow, or the wrong season is in the yard. In this case, there is the most optimal solution to this problem, which is that home-made wine can be made from dried fruits, and, in particular, from raisins, which is easy to get at any time of the year and anywhere.
The fact is that raisins, being dried grapes, concentrate sugar up to 45-55% and retain all their aromatic properties. Therefore, if you make wine from raisins at home, then you can enjoy a soft, velvety taste and moderately strong homemade drink.
Selection of raw materials
You should know that not every raisin offered to you in the market or in the store is suitable for homemade wine. Raisins, dried without the addition of various chemicals, should have on the surface, the so-called wild natural yeast – microorganisms that play a leading role in the fermentation process. By the way, for this very reason, never wash or even rinse raisins before using them.
Many varieties of raisins offered for sale have a glossy surface. As a rule, this is the result of processing them with chemicals that destroy many beneficial microorganisms, so such raisins are not suitable for making wine. It is better to prefer discreet-looking dried berries with a natural coating.
The color of the raisins, in principle, is not decisive, but keep in mind that any grapes darken when dried. Therefore, raisins that are too light can also raise suspicion of additional processing with unnecessary substances.
Sourdough is key
It is known that it is difficult to get good wine without high-quality wine yeast. But the uniqueness of raisins lies in the fact that they themselves are the basis for obtaining high-quality natural wine sourdough, which can later be used to produce wine from almost any natural raw material (even frozen or overcooked). You can store the resulting wine yeast for a short time, about 10 days and only in a refrigerator, so it is recommended to make this starter shortly before the moment when you want to put homemade wine.
So, how to make such a starter from raisins?
You will need:
- 200 grams of unwashed raisins;
- 2 tablespoons of sugar;
- half a glass of water.
It is advisable to chop raisins by passing it through a meat grinder or using a blender for this purpose. Then pour it into a small jar or bottle with a capacity of 0,5 to 1 liter, fill it with warm purified water and add sugar. Stir so that the sugar is completely dissolved. Close the neck with gauze in several layers and place the jar in a warm and optionally dark place (the temperature should be at least + 22 ° C) for 3-4 days. During this time, the sourdough should ferment – the raisins float, foam appears, there is a hiss, and some sour smell is felt.
If during this time of being in heat there are no signs of fermentation or they are very weak, then it is better to look for other raisins. Otherwise, everything is in order with raisins, the sourdough is ready and you can put the wine on fermentation.
Wine making technology
One of the easiest recipes for making homemade raisin wine is the following.
Assuming that you have already made the starter, then you need to find another 1 kg of raisins, 2 kg of sugar and 7 liters of purified water.
It is best to take a fermentation container made of glass or enameled, and only as a last resort use food grade plastic. Before use, the container must be sterilized.
It is advisable to chop the raisins – in this form, the fermentation process will go faster. Pour the raisins into the prepared container, add exactly half of the sugar prescribed by the recipe (1 kg) and water heated to + 40 ° C. Sugar should be completely dissolved.
Now the raisin wine sourdough prepared in advance is added to the mixture (it is not necessary to filter it). In order for the fermentation process to proceed correctly, any water seal is installed on the container. It does not allow oxygen from the air to penetrate into the container and at the same time makes it possible for excess carbon dioxide formed during fermentation to escape.
The easiest option for a water seal is a sterile medical glove with a tiny hole in one of the fingers, worn over the neck of your fermentation container.
Place the container with the raisin mixture in the dark (it is allowed to cover it with something on top) in a warm place with a temperature of + 20 ° + 25 ° С. After a while, the fermentation process should begin – the glove will rise and inflate. Everything is going well. In this case, after about 5 days, another 0,5 kg of sugar must be added to the container.
To do this, the water seal is removed, a small amount of wort (about 200-300 g) is drained with a tube and sugar is dissolved in it. The syrup with sugar is poured into a container with future wine and the glove is well fixed on it again or a water seal is placed.
After another 5 days, this procedure is repeated again with the remaining amount of sugar (0,5 kg). In general, the fermentation process usually lasts from 25 to 60 days. During this time, a thick sediment forms at the bottom, the wort brightens, and the glove slowly lowers. When it is completely lowered, fermentation is completed and you can proceed to the next stage of making wine from raisins – ripening.
After the end of fermentation, carefully drain the wine from the container, using a special tube for this purpose, so that all the sediment remains in the same container. Wine should be poured into clean and absolutely dry glass bottles, which are filled to the very top and sealed. When pouring, homemade raisin wine can be tasted and, if desired, add sugar to taste or vodka to fix the drink (usually 2 to 10% of the volume is used). It is only necessary to take into account that the addition of sugar provokes the fermentation process, therefore, in this case, a glove or a water seal will again be needed for a while.
In this form, the wine is aged for 3 to 6 months in cool dark conditions. This greatly improves the taste of homemade raisin wine. The strength of the resulting wine is approximately 11-12 degrees. After maturation, the wine is hermetically sealed and stored under the same conditions for up to three years.
To create additional flavor effects, hibiscus petals, honey, lemon, vanilla and cinnamon can be added to the wine. But even without these additives, raisin wine can please you with the real taste and aroma of grape wine. And any drink created with your own hands will warm your soul and body much more reliably than a factory product.
