Wine from assorted fruits at home Many people put it. But, before starting production on a serious scale, you should know the specifics of using the fruit and the classification of drinks by strength. In terms of bouquet, low-alcohol fruit drinks can compete with grape drinks. In addition, new, previously unknown methods will not be superfluous in your home library.
Specifics of making fruit wine at home
Homemade fruit drinks allow you to fully use the gifts of summer and autumn.Not only berries will be used - cherries, raspberries, currants. Apples, pears, plums, and tart quinces will also work. Even watermelons and cantaloupes can make light, refreshing drinks with a rich flavor.
It is no coincidence that such factory-made wines are popular in Europe. So what prevents us, taking advantage of the experience of the best winemakers, from realizing our plan at home? Ready, let's get started.
Classification of fruit wines
Wines of different tastes and strengths are made from berries and fruits. They are classified as:
- dry;
- sweet;
- blends;
- vermouths.
The first category is drinks obtained by fermenting pure juice. It should be remembered that garden fruits, unlike grapes, contain little natural sugar. Without additional components, the drink will turn out sour, that is, “dry” according to the generally accepted designation principle.
The next category - sweet wines - is obtained by adding sugar and fortifying with alcohol. And there will be connoisseurs for them.
And blends are produced by mixing wine materials of different origin, taste, and sweetness.
The last group is vermouth. In fact, these are complex mixtures of herbal infusions and fruit extracts. Their preparation is almost an art.
How to make homemade wine from fruits
There are no restrictions, no division into “correct” and “unsuitable” fruits for wine. Any fruit is suitable; the subtler its taste, the more the wine will benefit from it. It is recommended to use juice. It has higher extraction of nutrients and natural dyes.
As a last resort, large fruits (pears, apples) are crushed to a mushy consistency. To do this, use a blender, knife, juicer. The cake is not needed, so it is possible to get rid of it already at the initial stage.And having received the juice, it is fermented, blended, and imagination is used.
There are no restrictions on creativity: drinks made from apples and plums, peaches, watermelons and melons, quince-raspberry and others are suitable for the table.
Dry fruit drinks
A simple recipe for making dry homemade wine is based on using literally the first sweet and sour fruit you come across. Ripe, unspoiled apples are washed, peeled, and rotten areas are cut out. Next, the fruits are crushed into puree, squeezing out the juice.
Sourdough (wine yeast) is prepared in advance, 3-5 days before the start of wine production. For it you will need small berries and raisins, which must be left to ferment with sugar. The recipe for homemade sourdough is quite simple and easy to find, so we won’t give it separately.
Then the juice is mixed with wine yeast and sugar is added. The wort is placed in a warm, constant temperature place. Installing a shutter is mandatory: after intensive fermentation begins, gas will begin to be released and the mixture will bubble. It is recommended to stir it periodically.
When the shutter stops gurgling, the wine is ready. We taste it, if everything suits us, we filter it and bottle it. You can add rowan or raspberry juice.
Ingredient consumption per approximately 10 liters of finished product:
- apple juice – 7 liters;
- granulated sugar – 2.6 kilograms;
- water – 1.5 liters;
- sourdough - optional.
Apples can easily be replaced with peaches, quinces, and pears. When fortified with vodka and additional sweetness (honey, sugar), you get a dessert wine.
Sweet fruit wines
For sweet wines, the starting material does not have enough sugar content. In addition, the finished product will need to be secured. The drink is prepared, for example, according to the following recipe:
- peaches – 3 kilograms;
- sugar – 1.5 kilograms;
- honey – 100 grams;
- water – 3 liters;
- alcohol – 1 liter.
Cut ripe, firm peaches in half and remove the pit. Next, the pulp must be crushed - in a blender or meat grinder to make a paste. Squeeze the juice out of it. Pour the resulting semi-finished product into a fermentation tank with water and add honey.
The future wine remains in this state for 20-21 days. The fermentation state is periodically monitored and the wort is stirred.
At the next stage, the mixture is filtered through several layers of gauze. Alcohol and sugar are added to the resulting wine material. You can use ingredients such as nutmeg, cinnamon and vanillin. After 20 days, the infused drink is bottled.
Blended winemaking
Blending allows you to diversify the taste of the finished wine, bringing it to fantastic combinations. There are 2 common methods used most often:
- The squeezed juices are prepared and added to the general fermentation tank.
- Each wine material is fermented separately. Then the finished drinks are blended in the required proportion. To do this you need to have experience and feel the nuances of taste.
Aromatic vermouths
Making vermouth is the pinnacle of winemaking. You will need to not only master the art of making drinks, but also know their properties, features, and mutual influence. The base of vermouth, a herbal infusion such as wormwood, is prepared with vodka. And further components are added gradually, enriching the taste of the wine.
Terms and conditions of storage
Dry wines are stored in sealed containers, without air access, for at least six months. In the presence of preservative additives, alcohol or vodka, this period increases.
In addition, sweet wines and vermouths are not limited to standard storage conditions at room temperature in a dark place. They are not subject to fermentation and can easily stand in a closed cabinet.
