Wine can be made not only from grapes, but also from many types of berries. For example, from ripe barberry. Let's look at the beneficial properties and sequence of preparing barberry wine, recipes - classic, yeast-free and fortified wine recipes. How to properly prepare the ingredients, consume the finished drink and store it securely.
Chemical composition and beneficial properties
Barberry berries contain many active substances, vitamins, mineral elements, alkaloids, organic acids and a specific compound - berberine. Berries and products made from them lower blood pressure, slow down the heart rate, accelerate the secretion of bile, and improve blood clotting. Wine strengthens the body, has an astringent property, and improves digestion. You should not drink a sour drink if you have gastritis, ulcers or thrombosis.
Features of preparing the drink
Barberry berries are quite sour, so when preparing wine you need to add a lot of sugar. You will also need to use a lot of water because the berries have little juice.
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Preparation of the main ingredient
For wine, take fresh, fully ripe or overripe barberry fruits. You can also use frozen ones. It is advisable to pick berries after the onset of frost; frozen ones become softer and less sour, and lose their bitterness. If you collect the fruits before frost, you need to keep them in the freezer for 1 day.
Preparation: sort out the raw materials, remove unsuitable berries, wash the rest of the barberries and set aside to drain. Then pass through a meat grinder to obtain a homogeneous pulp.
Recipes for making barberry wine at home
Making barberry wine is not difficult; the recipes do not include many ingredients. Let's consider the preparation of classic wine, yeast-free and fortified.
Classic way
You will need:
- barberry – 3 kg;
- sugar – 2 kg;
- water – 12 l;
- wine yeast - 1 packet.
How to cook:
- Place the barberry pulp in a glass bowl, add wine yeast, 1 kg of granulated sugar and pour in water. Cover the dish with a piece of gauze.
- Leave for 3 days in a warm place, stir 2 times a day.
- When it has fermented, strain the mixture and squeeze out the pulp. Pour the resulting juice into the bottle to ¾ of its volume. Add 0.5 kg of sugar and mix.
- Install a water seal and place the bottle in a dark place.
- After 5 days of fermentation, add the remaining sugar.
Barberry wine can ferment for 30-55 days. After completing the process, pour the drink into a new container and close it with a lid or stopper.
Fortified wine
The strength of simple barberry wine cannot be more than 8-12 degrees. If you want to get a drink with a high degree of alcohol, you need to add alcohol or vodka to the finished wine: 50-75 g of alcohol or 100-150 g of vodka per 1 liter. The fastening improves and extends the storage of the drink. It is prepared according to the standard recipe.
Yeast-free barberry wine
You will need:
- barberry – 3 kg;
- sugar – 2 kg;
- water – 12 l;
- raisins – 0.1 kg.
Preparation:
- Make sourdough 3-4 days before sending the berry mass for fermentation.
- Pour raisins into a 1 liter jar, add 1 cup of sugar and pour in 1 tbsp. liquids.
- Stir, cover with a cloth and keep warm.
- After 3-4 days, squeeze out the liquid and discard the raisins.
- Then prepare the wine according to the classical scheme, but instead of yeast, add fresh starter.
The raisin starter adds a unique taste and aroma to the drink; it lacks a yeasty smell, which not everyone likes.
Storage and use
Any wine should be stored in a cool and definitely dark place. Heat and light spoil the product. In a private home, the alcoholic product is kept in a cellar, where ideal conditions are maintained all year round. Shelf life – from 1 year.But, like grape wine, barberry wine can be stored indefinitely. It will only get better with age.
You can drink sweet and sour homemade wine 6 months after draining. This is the minimum holding period. You are allowed to consume it every day, but not more than 100-150 g per day. If you use more or more often, it will bring harm, not benefit.
Barberry wine is prepared using conventional technology, but to obtain a good quality drink, you need to adhere to the proportions and sequence of preparation. Store in small bottles in the cellar or refrigerator.
