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Almost every owner of a personal plot at some point thinks about making homemade alcohol. Not only berries and fruits are used, but also vegetables, nuts, and other fruits that are available in the garden.
In this article, Vzboltai will tell you how to make homemade wine from grapes of different varieties, and also answer the most exciting questions of novice alcohol makers.
Berry preparation
It is recommended to harvest grapes on a dry, warm day.
The harvesting period depends on the variety: it lasts from early autumn to the onset of frost. Harvesting should not be started immediately after rain: water washes away the natural yeast from the skins and can lead to rotting of the fruit. For the same reason, grapes do not need to be rinsed before use.
Dusty berries are best wiped with a clean cloth. Before starting work, the raw materials need to be sorted out, removing spoiled fruits, leaves and branches.
dry grape wine recipe
This technology is universal: it is suitable for dark and light varieties. The result is a natural, healthy drink with minimal sweetness. The only requirement is sufficient sugar content of fruits (15-22%). They should not be too tart and sour, otherwise the wort will ferment poorly, and the finished product will be weak.
The recipe is ideal for early sweet varieties: you get excellent wine from Jupiter or Solaris grapes. Late fruits with medium sugar content will also fit. A worthy decoration of the table will be such a wine made from Viorica grapes.
Ingredients
Grapes – any quantity
Method of preparation
Mash the berries with your hands, without touching the bones.
Grape juice, along with the pulp, place in a fermentation container.
Hold the mass for 3-5 days in a warm room, stirring occasionally.
Drain the liquid part into a glass bottle.
Squeeze the juice from the solid mass through a thin cloth or gauze, add to the first liquid.
Install a water seal, making sure that there is enough space in the vessel for foam to form.
Leave the bottle at room temperature until the end of fermentation.
After 1-2 months, pour the drink into small bottles without touching the sediment.
Close the vessels tightly, keep in the basement for about 2-3 months.
Isabella grape table wine recipe
From a common and unpretentious variety, you can make drinks of different strengths and sweets.
Here is a simple recipe, suitable for other types of berries. Similarly, wine is prepared from Moldova grapes. The result is a pleasant, aromatic product with 10-12% alcohol content.
This method is well suited for Lydia grapes, from which wine is often made at home. If desired, you can increase the amount of sugar, thereby changing the degree. In this case, you get dessert wine from grapes. A liter of juice will require from 0,1 to 0,5 liters of water.
Ingredients
Grapes – 15 kg
Sugar – 2-4 kg
Water is proportional
Method of preparation
Pour the fruits into a large container, crush with a wooden pestle or hands.
Cover the vessel with a gauze cloth, leave in the dark for 3 days, stir the berries twice a day with a wooden spoon.
It is good to squeeze the grape mass through gauze.
Dilute the squeezed juice with water to taste.
Pour the grape liquid into a glass container, leaving about 1/3 of the bottle free.
Pour sugar into the vessel, put on a glove with a pierced finger or a water seal on the neck.
Leave the wort in warmth and darkness for 1-1,5 months (until the end of fermentation).
Pour the young wine into a clean container without touching the sediment.
If desired, sweeten the drink and hold for another 1 week under a water seal.
Filter the wine, cork with a lid, transfer to a cool dark place for 2-3 months.
Divide into small vessels, store refrigerated.
Rose wine recipe
From tender fruits of light crimson color, you can make alcohol in any of the following ways: both red and white technology are suitable. A light pinkish drink is easiest to get from freshly squeezed juice.
In the same way, you can make wine from shop grapes. In any case, you will have to wash it, which means you can’t do without the inclusion of yeast.
Ingredients
Grape juice – 3 l
Sugar – 0,8 kg
Dry yeast – 2 tsp.
Drinking water – 4 tbsp.
Method of preparation
Pour water into a saucepan, boil, remove from heat.
Pour sugar, stir until the crystals are completely dissolved.
Soak the yeast in warm water.
Add grape juice to sugar syrup.
Add dissolved yeast to the resulting mixture.
Pour the fruit must into a fermentation tank, put the shutter.
After the end of fermentation, separate the wine from the sediment, pour it into bottles.
white wine recipe
Novice winemakers believe that light drinks are obtained exclusively from slightly colored grape varieties. But this opinion is wrong. To the question “what grapes are white wine made from?” should answer: from any. This surprising fact is explained by the fact that the juice of most dark and light fruits is almost colorless.
The skin gives the red and purple color to the drinks, so it is not used in white alcohol.
With this recipe, you can make an excellent dry wine from Chardonnay grapes. It is worth trying it on less picky varieties, such as nutmeg. You will get an excellent wine from Citron grapes.
Ingredients
Grapes – 20-25 kg
Method of preparation
Crush the fruits without damaging the bones.
Place the must in a fermentation vessel, let it brew for 24 hours at t= 20-25 °C.
Separate the juice by squeezing the mass through gauze, discard the cake.
Pour the grape liquid into a container with a narrow neck, leaving room for the gas released during fermentation.
Fix the water seal, leave the wort in a room with a stable room temperature.
Wait from 25 to 50 days, monitoring the intensity of fermentation.
At the end of the release of bubbles, carefully drain the drink from the sediment, distribute it into clean small volume containers.
Let the wine ripen by keeping it for at least 1 month in the cold.
frozen grape wine recipe
The most fragrant homemade drinks are obtained from raw materials collected on time. But you should not throw away the fruits “forgotten” on the vine: you can make the so-called “ice wine” from them.
Traditionally, it is made from berries caught by the first frosts, and the pulp is pressed along with the twigs. Wine made from frozen grapes will be sweeter and thicker, so you don’t have to add a lot of sugar. But the yield of the product will turn out to be less than usual.
Ice wine made from Riesling grapes works best, and other sweet varieties, such as Lydia, are also suitable. If fruits from the freezer are used, yeast is required to activate fermentation, for fresh berries they may not be needed.
Ingredients
Frozen grapes – 10 kg
Wine yeast – 1 pack
Sugar – 1 kg
Method of preparation
Crush frozen berries together with combs in a cool place.
Squeeze out the juice, pour it into a fermentation vessel, discard the cake.
Dissolve the yeast in the grape liquid, cover the container with a multilayer gauze cloth.
Leave the must in a dark room at room temperature for 2-3 days.
After the appearance of foam and hiss, add sugar to the mass, mix thoroughly.
Install a water seal, leave the vessel in a warm, dark place until the end of fermentation.
After 1-2 months after clarification of the must and precipitation, carefully decant the young wine through a straw.
Pour the drink into small bottles, transfer to the cellar / cellar for 3 months.
Re-filter the wine, distribute in glass jars, keep cold.
Honey wine from red grapes
This recipe is good for sweetening sour crops and flavoring low-smelling ones. According to the same scheme, you can make excellent wine from two grape varieties, mixing different juices in equal proportions. The amount of water is indicated without taking into account the “topping up” after boiling.
Ingredients
Grape juice – 6 l
Honey – 2 l
Water – 5 L
Yeast – according to the instructions
Fructose – to taste
Method of preparation
Mix water with honey, put on fire.
Boil the mixture until the foaming stops (about 2 hours).
Add boiling water to the resulting broth until the original volume is restored.
Pour the honey wort into a fermentation container, add juice and yeast prepared according to the instructions.
If possible, enrich the mass with oxygen using an aerator.
Install the shutter, place the container in a room with room conditions until the end of fermentation (about 3-4 weeks).
Remove the wine from the sediment, pour into clean containers, cork.
Let the drink ferment in the cool for 3 weeks.
Re-drain the wine from the sediment, sweeten with fructose if desired, bottle.
Dried grape wine
Drinks made from raisin fruits are distinguished by increased sweetness and strength. But raw materials for such alcohol require much more than for ordinary wine. In regions with a hot climate, the fruits can be dried directly in the sun without removing them from the vine.
In Italy, wine is made from the Garganega grape in a similar way. In cooler areas, the berries are harvested and then dried on mats or boards.
Ingredients
Dried grapes – 1,2 kg
Spring water – 7,2 l
Sugar – 2 kg
Raisins – 0,2 kg
Method of preparation
Grind raisins in a blender.
In the resulting mass, add 1 cup of slightly warmed water and 2 tbsp. Sahara.
Leave the raisin starter warm for 2-4 days before active fermentation begins.
Dried fruits knead with the remaining sugar until smooth.
Pour warm water and sourdough into the grape mixture, mix.
Place the wort in a fermentation container, put a water seal.
Send the container in the dark and warmly for 1 month.
At the end of fermentation, carefully drain the young wine from the sediment, strain.
Pour the drink into small containers, leave in a cool place to ripen for 2-3 months.
Semi-sweet grape wine
For this recipe, it is worth selecting varieties with high sugar content – from 23%. If you use fruits of medium sweetness, for example, Valek grapes, you will have to season the wine with honey (50-100 g per 1 liter).
For sour varieties, you can use an alternative method: add pasteurized juice from high-sugar fruits in a ratio of 2: 1 to the previously prepared dry drink.
Ingredients
Grapes – any quantity
Honey/sugar – to taste
Method of preparation
Squeeze the juice from the berries, let it stand in a cool place for 12 hours.
Drain the grape liquid, without affecting the sediment, into a prepared container.
Leave the vessel in a place with a constant t=15–16 °C.
After a week, start sampling the fermenting wine.
Upon reaching the desired parameters of sweetness and strength, pour the wort into a large bottle, tightly cork with cotton wool and cloth, wrap it with a rope.
Pasteurize the vessel at t=75-80 °C for 30-50 minutes to stop fermentation.
Allow the drink to cool at room temperature.
After 10-12 hours, transfer the vessels to the cellar, leave for 2 months.
After clarification, the wine is drained from the sediment, distributed in half-liter containers, corked.
Re-pasteurize the drink at t = 70-72 ° C for at least a quarter of an hour.
After cooling, store in a cool place.
Wine from black grapes
Dark varieties are loved by home cooks for their low acidity and high sugar content. However, making friends with them is much more difficult than with the Reds.
Wine from Pinot Noir grapes is one of the best among the “black” counterparts, but this variety is capricious in cultivation and processing. From it you can get both a chic spicy-fruity drink, and very mediocre table alcohol. This small grape variety has long been used for Burgundy wine, but Russian varieties are far from it.
Many other overseas guests behave in a similar way:
Wine from Shiraz grapes
It turns out bright, almost purple. In France and Australia, the variety boasts no less rich taste and aroma. In most Russian regions, it simply does not have time to ripen, therefore it is not cultivated.
Wine made from Tempranillo grapes
In Spain, great vintage drinks are made from this variety. We are just starting to grow it, so far without much success due to the pickiness to the conditions of detention.
Wine made from Carménère grapes
Mainly represented by Chilean products. This is where the fruits ripen well. In countries with a cool climate, the vine is not grown due to late ripening, propensity for diseases and low yields.
Wine made from Nebbiolo grapes
Made exclusively in the vicinity of Piedmont. In other regions, the variety is not grown due to the extremely high whimsicality.
Wine made from Sangiovese grapes
They are made mainly in Italy. This vine is less picky about conditions and care, but its fruits are very difficult to work with.
For home winemaking, it is better to use well-developed dark varieties. One of the best domestic examples is wine made from Temryuk grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, different types of Pinot and other black varieties are grown in the region.
The wine made from Merlot grapes proved to be excellent. They make it according to the classic “red technology” using any of the proposed recipes.
Similarly, you can make wine from Saperavi grapes. It will be thick and rich. It will turn out from dark fruits and a fortified product. You can do it according to the diagram below.
Ingredients
Grapes – 5 kg
Sugar – 0,5-0,6 kg
Alcohol / vodka – proportionally
Method of preparation
Mash the grapes, place in a fermentation container.
Let the berry mass brew for 3-4 days.
Pour sugar into the wort, put the shutter, leave the mixture to ferment (2-3 weeks).
Strain the young wine, add alcohol / vodka (up to 20% of the liquid volume).
Let the drink ripen (1-3 days), filter, leave in the cold for 2 weeks, pour into bottles.
Wine made from wild grapes
For the preparation of home-made alcohol, the fruits of horticultural crops are more often used. Wild grapes are rarely used because of their low sugar content and high astringency.
However, some uncultivated varieties, such as the Far East, are quite suitable for making drinks. Using this recipe, you can make a good home-made wine from Amur grapes.
Ingredients
Bunches of grapes – 3 kg
Water – 4,5 L
Sugar – 2,5 kg
Method of preparation
Put the grape brushes in a saucepan, crush, minimally injuring the branches and bones.
Transfer the mass to a fermentation vessel, pour 1 kg of sugar, pour in all the water, mix.
Cover the container with a gauze cloth, let it wander for about 1 week at room conditions, stirring daily.
Strain the mixture, squeeze, discard the pulp.
Add 1 kg of sugar to the resulting juice, mix.
Drain the liquid into a glass vessel, put the shutter, leave for 2 weeks in a warm place.
Add the remaining sugar to the must, after dissolving it in a small amount of wine, let the mass ferment under the shutter.
Remove the wine from the sediment, filter, pour into clean vessels, cork, transfer to the cellar.
Taste after 1-3 months, store in the dark and cold.
The benefits and harms of homemade grape wine
Like any alcohol, homemade alcohol should be drunk in moderation. When using high-quality raw materials and observing the consumption rate (1-2 glasses per day), homemade wine will only benefit:
Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
Normalizes blood pressure and sleep
Improves the functioning of the digestive and respiratory systems
Increase immunity, relieve fatigue
Helps in the fight against autoimmune processes
Answers to common questions
Why homemade wine from grapes is bitter
Common causes: high content of tannins (found in the peel and stones), the use of spoiled raw materials, overaging in oak barrels or on the lees.
To get rid of bitterness, you should add egg white (100 g per 1 liter) to the drink, mix, let the mass stand for 2-3 weeks, and then carefully drain the wine.
Auxiliary methods: cleaning with clay (3 g per 1 liter) and bentonite, pasteurization, alcoholization.
How much wine is made from a ton of grapes
It all depends on the variety. The run-up is quite large: on average, from 1 ton, from 500 to 870 liters of the finished product are obtained.
The cost of wine from grapes – how to calculate
It is worth proceeding from the selected recipe and raw materials. If you use your own grapes, you should sum up the cost of sugar, yeast, other ingredients, add to them the cost of filtration and cleaning.
The resulting figure must be divided by the number of liters of the finished product.
In the case of using purchased raw materials, its cost should be added to the formula.
What devices exist for crushing grapes on wine
Small volumes of raw materials can be crushed by hand, at worst – by feet.
A more advanced option is to use a meat grinder or blender, but there is a high risk of crushing the seeds.
For large volumes, it is better to purchase a press: a primitive lever or a modern screw press. You can also design it yourself. To process more than 500 liters of grapes, a crusher with a motor is needed.
Electric grinders are more expensive, but they also include a de-stemming feature.
Presses are made from different materials: wood, steel, plastic.
How to fortify homemade wine from grapes
To increase the degree, vodka / alcohol is added to the finished drink or young wine.
For 10 liters you will need 0,5-1 liter of strong alcohol.
At the fermentation stage, you can add speed with the help of sugar: it is added in an amount of 0,4-0,8 kg / l.
Alternative methods: fixing with sulfuric acid, pasteurization, freezing.
Why wine from grapes does not start to ferment
The reasons may be different. The most common: there is not enough wild yeast on the fruits. In this case, it is recommended to add artificial strains of fungi (wine yeast), raisin sourdough or a handful of dried fruits.
Will wine come from last year’s grapes
It is better to make alcohol from fresh fruits, but there may be exceptions. If the grapes have been well stored, have not become moldy or rotted, it is quite possible to use them. In this case, it is necessary to include yeast in the recipe, especially when it comes to frozen raw materials.
Wine from grapes has aged: what to do
Homemade alcohol turns sour due to non-compliance with tightness during fermentation and oxygen entering the wort.
The drink can be saved if the process has just begun. The resulting film should be removed from the wine, poured into a sterile container and pasteurized (heated) at t = 60–70 ° C for half an hour, then sent to a cold place or add a little alcohol.
In advanced cases, it remains to pour the product or distill it into alcohol.
What grapes should not be used to make wine
From low-quality raw materials: moldy, rotten, immature.
As for the varieties, most of the table fruits intended for raw consumption are not suitable for winemaking. But there are berries of some technical vines, for example, Aligote or Muscat.
Relevance: 07.05.2019
Tags: Wine and vermouth, Wine recipes