Wine made from fresh cranberries is considered not only tasty, but also a healthy drink. The berries contain a sufficient amount of vitamins and enzymes that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the human body. In moderation, homemade wine will help strengthen the immune system and prevent the development of vitamin deficiency, vascular and heart diseases.
Cooking features
When preparing a wine drink, follow the advice of experienced winemakers:
- To obtain a rich and strong wine, it is necessary to use ripe berries without visible damage. Otherwise, the product will acquire a dark shade and a tart taste.
- After processing the berries, you should immediately squeeze the juice out of them. This will help preserve the flavor characteristics of the cranberries.
- Cultured yeast is used to ferment the alcoholic product.
- The wine is diluted with water to reduce concentration. But no more than 2 times. Otherwise, the finished product will turn out transparent.
Important! To enrich the nutrient medium of the product, use 4 g of ammonia for each liter of wine stock. However, this procedure is not mandatory.
Rules for the preparation of raw materials
When preparing berries, you must follow the following rules:
- Cranberries are harvested in the fall after frost. At this time it contains the maximum amount of sugar.
- It is unacceptable to use overripe fruits. They can make the drink overly tart.
- Before pressing, the berries are sorted to prevent debris from getting into the wine.
- It is not recommended to wash cranberries before cooking. On its surface there are natural components that trigger the fermentation process.
To obtain juice, the fruits are ground and then passed through a juicer.
How to make cranberry wine at home
Below are the best methods for making delicious table wine from fresh cranberries.
Simple recipe
The drink is prepared as follows:
- 1 cup of berries is poured with 2 cups of clean water.
- Pour in a little sugar and leave the mixture for a week in a warm place. This is necessary to obtain leaven.
- Pour 2 kg of ground berries into a deep container, cover them with 1 kg of granulated sugar.
- Pour 700 ml of clean water into the resulting preparation. The components are mixed and left to infuse for 6 hours.
- Combine the prepared starter with the cranberry mass, put a rubber glove with a hole in it on the bottom of the jar.
- The wine is left to steep for 2 months. Periodically you need to check it and remove sediment.
- After this, the drink is carefully filtered several times and bottled.
The resulting product is stored in the cellar.
From dried fruits
The product is prepared according to a simple recipe:
- Grind 1 kg of cranberries and grind in a meat grinder.
- Combine the resulting mass with 1 tsp. pectin enzyme.
- Pour 500 ml of clean water into the mixture and leave the starter for 4 days.
- In a separate container, combine 1 kg of sugar and 3 liters of water, boil the mixture until syrup is obtained.
- When the sugar is completely dissolved, pour the syrup into the cranberry preparation, add 2 tablespoons of brewer's yeast and leave the wine base for 3 days.
- Now you can remove the sediment and install a water seal.
- After this, the wine is again sent to a warm place for fermentation.
- After 1 month, the drink is filtered and bottled.
Important! However, it is not recommended to use the product immediately. It must be maintained for six months.
Without sourdough
To create a delicious drink you need:
- Grind 2 kg of fruits until smooth.
- Add 1 g granulated sugar and 4 liters of clean water. Cover the resulting workpiece with gauze and leave for 6 days.
- Strain the infused wine base. The result should be juice.
- Pour in another 1 kg of sugar and wait until it is completely dissolved.
- Install a water seal and leave the drink for 3 days.
- Boil 1 kg of sugar in 2 liters of water until a homogeneous syrup is obtained.
- Pour it over the cranberry preparation. Leave the mixture to infuse for 30 days.
As a result, the wine is filtered and transferred to the cellar. A six-month aging period is required before use.
With black currant
The cooking process is as follows:
- Grind 500 g cranberries and the same amount of currants until smooth.
- Add 2 kg of sugar to the resulting mass, add 1 liter of water and leave for 3 days.
- After a while, add 2 tablespoons of brewer's yeast and leave the mixture for a week.
- Install a water seal and take the wine to a warm room. Wait 2 months.
- Filter the drink and bottle it.
Leave the product for several months before use.
With apples
Making the drink is easy:
- Grind 2 g cranberries and 500 g apples in a meat grinder.
- Mix the mixture with 2 kg of sugar. Send it to steep for 3 days.
- Make a starter from 2 glasses of water and 2 tablespoons of yeast, leave it for 2 days.
- Combine the fruit base with the starter, pour in 1 liter of water.
- Send the mixture to a warm place for 3 days.
- Install a water seal and let the wine ferment for 1 month.
As a result, the product is filtered and distributed into bottles.
Cranberry wine with vodka
The fortified drink is easy to prepare:
- Place 700 g of berries in a jar.
- Pour 1 kg of sugar into it and leave for 5 days. Every day you need to shake the container.
- Pour in 500 g of vodka, leave for 3 weeks, stir occasionally.
- Filter the mass 4-5 times, remove the cake and pour the wine into bottles.
Before use, keep it in the refrigerator for several days.
What to do if the berries have fermented?
If the fruits have begun to ferment, it is recommended to use them as a basis for sourdough. It is used to make delicious wine drinks and fruit liqueurs.
It is prohibited to consume cranberries in this form.
How and for how long can the finished product be stored?
Cranberry wine can be stored for up to 3 years at a temperature of 2 to 10 degrees. It is better to keep drinks in a cellar or a room specially equipped for alcohol. If the product is stored in the refrigerator, it is recommended to drink it within several months.
