Homemade black and red currant wine

To date, blackcurrant wine is the best fruit and berry wine that I have ever tasted. This is a very expressive, pleasant, spicy, drinkable drink, and it does not matter at all whether it contains a lot of sugar or not at all. Very often, currants are used in combination with other berries and fruits. Homemade blackcurrant wine is very spicy and rich, but tart, so the berry is added to wines from a less aromatic wine material. Red currant, on the contrary, has an interesting, balanced taste, but the berry itself has little aroma, therefore, when making red currant wine, a more aromatic wine material is added to it, for example, the same black currant.

A simple step-by-step recipe at home

Like many berries intended for the preparation of a wine drink, black currant contains natural yeast on its surface, so no additional ferments and additives are required for wine.

To prepare such a wine, ingredients are required in the following proportions:

Black currant berries - 10 kg.
Sugar - 5 kg.
Water - 15 liters.

This amount of water is due to the fact that black currants do not have enough juiciness for making wine.

The process of making currant wine takes place in several stages:

First you need to prepare a sterile container for mixing berries, such as a saucepan or bucket. For reliability, it is better to pour boiling water over it.
The berries must be carefully sorted, but they should not be washed to preserve natural yeast on their surface.
Prepared berries must be crushed with a wooden pestle, not leaving a single berry unattended. In the absence of a pestle, you can knead it with your hands.
Next, you need to dissolve half of the sugar in heated water and add this syrup to the prepared pulp, mix this mass thoroughly. The container must be filled to 2/3 of the total volume so that the wort does not come out during fermentation.
The neck of the container should be covered with gauze and placed in a dark, warm place for several days. In this case, the pulp must be stirred a couple of times a day so that it does not sour.

Attention! After the sour smell and hissing appear in the pulp, strain it and pour into a clean glass bottle.

The remaining pulp must be squeezed through cheesecloth, add 0.5 kg of sugar to this liquid and pour it into a bottle with ready-made juice. In this case, it is also necessary to leave free space in the container so that the liquid does not overflow during fermentation.

A water seal or a glove is installed on the bottle, and it is placed in a warm room for 1-2 months.

A few days after closing the container, you need to drain some of the liquid into a separate container and mix it with sugar. Then the resulting syrup is poured back into the wort. After 5 days, the procedure is repeated until the sugar runs out.

Important! After the fermentation process has ended, that is, the wort has stopped foaming, the liquid must be poured into another container to get rid of the sediment. Staying in a container with lees for a long time can add bitterness to a young wine.

Next, the container must be filled to the top, corked and placed in a cool place for 2-2.5 months. At the same time, the wine also needs to be filtered every 20 days when sediment appears.

Red currant wine recipes

Red currants make good wines, more astringent than black currants, but there is also an amateur on them. But not everyone can put up with a faded aroma, so think about what aromatic juice you can add to such a wine (below you will find several recommendations for such mixes). Another unpleasant condition for obtaining high-quality red currant wine is the lack of haste: it will take about 12 months to prepare, and then control yourself for at least two more years before the drink softens and turns into an outstanding product.

Red currant wine with wild yeast

All varieties of red currants are suitable for winemaking, but the most fertile ones are usually used: Fairy, Caucasian, Cherry, Holland, etc. Table and strong wines are best made from these berries - dessert and liqueur wines completely lose their subtle aroma. The drink turns out to be pink-red and over time acquires a reddish tint. The technology for making wine is no different from the technology for making almost all fruit and berry wines, and you can prepare it according to the first recipe from this article. But don't rush! For quiet fermentation, you will need to allocate about 9 months (vigorous fermentation - removal from the sediment - quiet fermentation 6 months - removal from the sediment - stabilization 3 months - bottling). Two years of aging of such a wine is a prerequisite for a good result!

Table for compiling 10 liters of wort for making 8 liters of red currant wine (acidity - 2.4%, sugar content - 7.3%)

Juice, liters	Water, liters	Sugar, kilogram	Berries, kilogram
Light canteen	3,3	5,7	1,7	5,5
Strong canteen	3,7	5,0	2,1	6,2
Strong wine	5,0	3,0	3,3	8,4
Dessert wine	5,0	2,5	4,1	8,4
Liqueur wine	6,3	0,06	6,1	10,4

Red currant juice can be used to improve the quality and reduce the cost of wines from (the ratio in parentheses is given for mixing juices, the first value is the juice of the main raw materials, the second is red currant juice): black currant (1: 2), gooseberry (1: 1 and 1 part black currant), apples (2: 2 and 1 part blueberry juice), raspberries (1: 5), cherries (3: 1 and 1 part black currant juice), black cherries (1: 1), etc.

Red currant wine on pure yeast culture

For the preparation of red currant wine, CKD strains are suitable for most red wines and sherry. Try Pasteur Red, Bordeaux, Montrachet strains, champagne yeast, etc. You can get juice by using the technology of fermenting, but for a change, I suggest trying a certain subspecies of Kagorny technology, when the berry is first poured with boiling water, and then, after a few hours, it is filtered and pressed. This technique allows you to quickly get rid of the mash and increase the chances of the wine for a quick clarification.

5.4 kg of red currant berries
3.2 kg granulated sugar
10-12 liters of clean water
1 tsp pectin enzyme (optional)
3-4 tsp yeast feed (optional)
wine yeast (according to instructions)

Sort out the currants, remove the cuttings and other debris, rinse thoroughly under running water. Place the berries in a container with a wide neck and crush with your hands or in any other suitable way. Pour boiling water over the berry, cover the container with a clean cloth and leave in a cool place overnight. Strain the juice through several layers of cheesecloth and squeeze the cake thoroughly. Add sugar and mix well until it is completely dissolved. Add pectin enzyme and yeast feed, place and wait 12 hours. Add the yeast prepared according to the instructions, cover with a clean cloth and wait for the first signs of fermentation. Install a water seal and ferment in a dark, warm place.

When the vigorous fermentation is over (yeast sediment has appeared, the water seal has stopped actively blowing bubbles), remove the young wine from the sediment, pour into a clean fermenter under the water seal and put it in a cool place.Remove from the sediment after 6 months of quiet fermentation (or periodically remove as the sediment appears), and then repeat the procedure after 3 months. Sweeten if necessary, stabilize with sulfur and bottle. Homemade red currant wine on ČKD should be stored in a dark place for at least 2 years to achieve optimum smoothness and overall quality. Good luck!

How to cook without yeast?

The process of making wine according to this recipe goes through almost the same stages as according to the classic recipe, only raisins can be added to this drink.

In addition, to prepare such wine, you will need water, sugar and currants in a ratio of 3: 1: 2.

Preparation:

After the currants are mashed, add a third of the water to it and stir.
Next, add 1 serving of sugar and raisins, which will help speed up the fermentation process.
The container with the pulp is removed in a cool place for 7-8 days and its contents are mixed daily.
After the specified period, squeeze the pulp, and pour the juice into a clean container.
The remaining sugar is added to the remaining pulp and left to ferment again.
This mixture goes through the same steps as the first one.
Then the liquids from the first and second fermentation must be mixed and left for 10-12 days, installing a water seal on the container.
During this time, 3 layers are formed in it - jelly, wine and foam with seeds.
This top layer must be removed, filtered and left under a water seal for another couple of weeks.

The drink must be filtered, leaving a sediment at the bottom. The wine will be ready when sediment stops forming.

Storage features

The prepared drink is stored under a nylon lid in a cool, ventilated room with a moisture content not exceeding 70%. During storage, the container should not be exposed to shaking, foreign odors and sunlight. The longer the wine is stored, the richer and deeper its taste will become.

Did you know? In ancient Rome, homemade wine was considered more prestigious than purchased wine, and unlike the second, it was not available to slaves and peasants.

Homemade berry wine, like all traditional wines, takes time to ferment and infuse. However, the recipe itself is simple, taking a minimum of your time. All that is required of you is to monitor the processes and move from one to another in time. In order to enjoy a blood-red drink made with your own hands at the height of summer, it is worth working hard even in winter.

Pure yeast culture

There are several recipes for making currant wine. Here's the simplest and easiest way.

To prepare blackcurrant wine with the addition of yeast, you need:

5 kg of berries
8 liters of water,
sugar in the amount of 1.3 cups per 1 liter of juice,
0.5 teaspoon yeast.

Preparation:

Boil water and pour currant berries over it.
This mass must be defended for 4 days, then strain, add sugar and yeast, mix.
The container with the pulp is placed in a room with a temperature of 22-24 degrees to start fermentation.
After 3 days, the resulting mass must be filtered again and poured into a barrel for 7-8 months.

The easiest recipe

Today there are many instructions for making homemade wine from jam. However, there is a so-called basic recipe, which is the basis of all the others and is easier to execute.

Ingredients:

Jam (any) - 1 l.
Water - 1 liter.
Raisins (unwashed) - 100 g.
Sugar - 10-100 g / l (optional).
Alcohol (vodka) - 2-15% of the wort volume (optional).

Cooking process:

The required amount of water is determined by the amount of sugar in the jam (originally contained in the fruit and added during cooking). The optimal value is considered to be no more than 20%, therefore, if the "raw material" is too sweet, you should dilute it with water. Conversely, if not sweet enough, add sugar.

Wash and sterilize a three-liter jar.
Pour the jam into it, put unwashed raisins or some fresh berries to it (the main thing is to crush them beforehand) and mix until smooth.
Close the jar with gauze, remove to a dark, warm (18-25 ° C) place and leave for 5 days, during which daily stir the workpiece with your hands or a wooden spatula. After the first day, fermentation should begin, you can determine it by hissing, bubbles on the surface and sour smell.
Remove the pulp (pulp and skin of the fruit) that has risen to the surface, and strain the liquid (wort) through several layers of gauze.
Pour the future wine into a sterile container so that it fills about 75% of the volume - the liquid will actively foam.
Pull a clean rubber glove over the neck of the container, secure with an elastic band or tie it with a rope, pierce one of the fingers or put a water seal.
Remove the wort for a couple of months in a warm, dark place until fermentation stops. It can be determined by a deflated glove or the disappearance of bubbles in the water seal. By this time, the drink should become lighter and more transparent due to the precipitated sediment.
Filter the wine and conduct an initial tasting. At this stage, you can add sugar for sweetness and alcohol (vodka) for strength (no more than 15% of the total).
Pour young wine into sterile jars or bottles, filling them to the very neck, cork and put in a refrigerator or cellar (the optimum temperature is 6-16 ° C).
Leave for a period from 2 months to six months - the longer, the better. Regularly check the condition of the drink, if a sediment forms, pass the wine through the filter, pouring it into a new container (about once a month).
Pour the finished wine into bottles and close hermetically.

How to make from dried berries?

Dried black currants will allow you to make wine at any time of the year.

To do this, you need the following ingredients:

Dried black currant berries - 800 grams.
Sugar - 1.5 kg.
Pure water - 7 liters.
Tartaric or citric acid –1 teaspoon.
Wine yeast - 10 g.

Preparation:

First of all, you need to boil water in the amount of 1 liter and dissolve sugar in it.
Put dried berries in hot water and cover with a lid.
After cooling, this mass must be poured into a suitable container and covered with gauze to start the fermentation process.
At this time, you can add yeast or pectin enzyme as desired.
The pulp must be stirred every day for a week.

After the end of fermentation, the mass must be filtered, poured into a clean container and removed to a cool room for a month.

Currant leaf wine

In fact, for making homemade wine, it is enough to use only green leaves of trees and shrubs, although many do not even know about this.

The preparation of wine from currant leaves is carried out according to the following technology:

3.5 liters of boiling water is poured into a five-liter saucepan, currant leaves are poured so that they are completely covered with water. The container is removed from the heat, covered with a lid and wrapped. The workpiece is left to infuse for three days.
After that, it is poured into another clean container, sugar is added to it. 0.5 cups of sugar are consumed per liter of wort. To make the wine ferment, 150 g of raisins are added to it. At this stage of preparation, the wort acquires a brownish tint and becomes sour in smell.
After that, ammonia is added to the fermenting product. For 5 liters of liquid, 1.5 g of the substance is required. This product contains nitrogen, which contributes to the formation of wine bacteria. Without them, the wine is sour.
Three days after the addition of ammonia, the fermentation process starts, which lasts about 10 days. It is during this period that the required amount of sugar is added to the drink so that it turns out to be moderately sweet. With a lack of sugar, the wine becomes sour.For one liter of the product, 250 g of sugar are used.
As soon as the foam disappears on the surface of the wort, the fermentation process is over. The semi-finished product, together with the sediment, is poured into three-liter glass containers and one currant leaf is added to each of them. During this period, the wort is periodically checked for sweetness, sugar is added if necessary.
The finished product brightens and a dense sediment forms at the bottom of the container.
Wine is poured into plastic bottles, closed tightly with lids and periodically checked for the formation of carbon dioxide. At the same time, it is very important not to miss this moment, otherwise the bottle will simply burst. Tight bottles are slowly opened and carbon dioxide released from them.
The final stage will be the procedure for draining the sediment. It is done at least three times: first, after the wine has clarified, sugar is added to it - 1 tablespoon per 1 liter of product. The second drain is made two weeks after the first, and 15 days later - the third. the fact that one glass of such a drink will definitely not harm, but it will not bring any benefit either. The alcohol that is part of such a product kills all the nutrients of the berry. Therefore, it is best to consume vitamins fresh.

From jam

This recipe is ideal for those who have a lot of jars of currant jam left in stock, closed for the winter.

Attention! Fermented or candied jam will not work for this purpose.

To prepare a portion of wine you need:

1.5 liters of jam,
1.5 liters of water
100 grams of sugar.

Sugar is needed here to start the fermentation process.

Preparation:

Mix the jam with water in a large saucepan, add half the sugar and place in a warm place.
You need to wait until all the pulp of the jam comes out to the surface of the pan.
Then the mash must be filtered, poured into sterile jars, add the remaining sugar and place in a warm place for 3 months.
After the end of this period, the liquid must be filtered, poured into bottles and sent to storage in a cool place.

How to make wine from currant jam is described in the video:

From fermented jam

Wine can even be made from fermented blackcurrant jam, but it should never be covered with mold, as this can affect the quality of the wine and human health.

So, to make wine you will need:

1.5 kg of jam,
1 cup of sugar,
1.5 liters of warm water,
1 tablespoon of raisins

First, you need to mix all the specified ingredients in a wide container, and then pour the mixture into a glass container, filling it two-thirds. A shutter or glove is installed on the neck of the container.

A little about currant wine

The difficulty in preparing this wonderful drink lies in the peculiarities of the berry. Currants contain slimy pulp, which gives off juices very poorly. Therefore, it is necessary to insist such a drink on the pulp - berry pulp.

The technology for making currant wine is the same in almost all recipes. First, the berries are washed, then ground or crushed, covered with sugar, water is added and at the end - yeast. The pulp is tightly closed with a lid and sent to a warm place for a couple of days. Then the berries are squeezed or pressed.

Frozen berries

Wine is most often made from fresh black currant, but it can be made from frozen berries as well.

This requires ingredients such as:

boiled water (6 liters),
black currant (4 kg),
sugar (2 kg),
100 grams of light raisins.

Preparation:

Frozen berries must be chopped in a blender, heated a little and mixed with sugar and raisins.
Then the resulting mixture is poured with water and placed in a dark place under a water seal.
After about a week, the pulp needs to be filtered, and the liquid is poured into glass bottles.

The wine must be removed for a month in a cool place for ripening.

Useful properties of currants

Currant berries (of any color) are famous for their high content of ascorbic acid, rich in mineral composition. Vitamin C is found in greater amounts in the black fruits of this shrub. By its percentage, currants are ahead of citrus fruits.

This vitamin contributes to:

increased immunity;
activates regeneration at the cellular level;
normalizes the level of Hgb;
elimination of the feeling of fatigue;
takes part in the absorption of iron.

B vitamins are responsible for the full functioning of the nervous system, stimulate metabolic processes, and act as antioxidants. The presence of Ka, Na in the composition of these fruits regulates the balance of water and salt, alkali and acid. Currants are rich in pectin (fiber), which restores intestinal flora, relieves flatulence. Berries contain dyes, essential oils, phytoncides. Blackcurrant wine turns out to be a rich ruby color with a unique aroma and taste. Blackcurrant dessert wine is able to normalize blood pressure, helps to resist colds. In moderate doses, it strengthens the muscles of the myocardium.

Helpful tips from winemakers

Homemade wine can be made from any frozen berries, but it is best to use currants (black and red), cherries, raspberries and strawberries for this purpose. They will not only give the drink a beautiful bright color and taste, but also fill it with a rich aroma.

Advice. It is better to use raisins or raspberry starter culture (raspberries, water and sugar) as a starter to enhance fermentation.

Some winemakers use common bread yeast. Here there is a danger of turning homemade wine into a banal mash, because berry wine requires special wine yeast. But if alcohol or vodka is added to the drink, then the use of ordinary yeast is quite acceptable.

During the preparation process, you can experiment with different additives. For example, you can add cinnamon or vanilla, lemon or orange zest, ginger powder, etc.

The video shows the process of making wine from homemade berries.

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Modern kitchens, equipped with large freezers, allow housewives to stock large quantities of frozen food, including berries. They retain almost all the useful substances and can please with drinks in the winter. This is, for example, wine made from frozen berries. At home, you will get a wonderful drink that will delight your household.

With gooseberries

Time: 20-30 days.
Servings Per Container: 40 Persons.
Calorie content: 130 kcal per 100 g.
Purpose: table alcoholic beverage.
Cuisine: Azerbaijani.
Difficulty: medium.

You can buy high-quality tasty wine not only on store shelves. Try to make it right at home from ripe berries of light gooseberries and black currants. The resulting drink will delight you and your guests with an excellent tart taste, heady aroma. Its soft, slightly spicy bouquet will bring back bright memories of summer.

Ingredients:

light gooseberry - 1 kg;
black currant - 1 kg;
sugar - 1 kg;
boiled purified water - 3 liters.

Make sugar syrup out of half of the cooked water.
While it cools down, sort out the fruits, grind them into gruel. Pour in the cooled syrup.
Fill the container, cover it tightly on top with 3-4 layers of gauze for 10 days.
Separate the pulp from the wort, put a water seal.
Brighten with white clay if desired.

A few practical tips

The sugar used in wine can be replaced with honey. In this case, ¾ of honey from the total volume of granulated sugar is taken, and the size of the portions of this component added to the wort is also adjusted.

Blackcurrant juice prepared for fermentation, in view of the aroma of this berry, is often added to less expressive wine materials. For example: 1 part currant to 3 parts sweet cherry.

In turn, the future red currant drink can be flavored by adding 20-25% apple, blueberry or the same blackcurrant juice to it.

At the same time, the desired effect can be achieved not only by mixing the corresponding juices, produced before fermentation, but also by blending young fruit and berry wines.

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