TOP 8 simple recipes for making sloe wine at home

Wine made from tart thorns goes well not only with meat dishes, but also with sweets. Despite the fact that the original product does not have high taste and is almost unsuitable for fresh consumption, it makes an excellent drink. It does not contain harmful additives that are part of store-bought analogues. The bouquet turns out to be original and even gourmets will like it.

Features of making sloe wine at home

Before preparing the wine, the thorn fruits should be dried a little, leaving them spread on a thin layer of newspaper for a couple of days. There is no need to wash them to preserve the yeast that has formed on the skin. Otherwise, you will have to use artificial ones to start the fermentation processes. At high temperatures, yeast also dies, so you should not use hot liquids to make wine.

It is not necessary to remove seeds from sloe, so winemakers often do not bother with this procedure.

How to choose the right raw materials

To make homemade wine, it is preferable to pick sloe berries after the first frost hits. Not only will they be well-ripened, but they will also be soft, making it easier to extract juice.

Rotten or spoiled fruits should be discarded.

The best cooking recipes

Each winemaker has his own proven recipe for a sloe drink that he uses. But this arsenal is constantly replenished, modified, new colors and bouquets appear in both taste and aroma.

A simple way without alcohol

Homemade sloe wine without adding alcohol is prepared from the following ingredients:

• thorn fruits - 7 kg;
• granulated sugar - 1.75 kg;
• clean water - 6.5 l.

The thorns are thoroughly kneaded and poured into a glass container with a wide neck. Next, pour in water and leave in a warm place for 3 days, periodically stirring the whole mass. After the specified time, filter the wort, add granulated sugar to the juice and pour it into a fermentation vessel.After 1-2 months, the fermentation processes are completed and the wine can be drained from the sediment and then bottled. Ripening occurs in 2-3 months.

Without yeast

Blackthorn wine is made without adding artificial yeast if the berries have not been washed and the weather conditions are favorable. To do this you will need:

• thorn fruits - 2.5 kg;
• sugar - 1.5 kg;
• clean water - 3 l;
• raisins or dry grapes - 100 g.

Mix sugar and most of the water in a saucepan and cook over low heat. Pour the remaining water over the berries and also place on low heat, waiting until they begin to burst. Add boiled syrup to the sloe and add raisins. Pour everything into a fermentation container and install a water seal. When the fermentation processes stop, the wine is removed from the sediment and, if desired, a little vodka or alcohol is added to give it strength.

With raisins

If you have to make wine from fruits that have been exposed to rain, then it is advisable to add raisins to the wort. To prepare the drink you will need:

• sloe berries - 2 kg;
• granulated sugar - 1 kg;
• dark raisins - 150 g;
• water - 2.5 l.

Make syrup from sugar and 1 liter of water. Pour the remaining water into the prepared thorn and place on low heat. Remove the pan from the stove as soon as the skins on the berries begin to crack. Pour everything into a prepared glass container, pour in the syrup and install a water seal. As soon as air bubbles stop escaping and a dense sediment forms at the bottom, the wine can be bottled and sent to the cellar.

With bones

Making sloe wine with seeds is a common activity for all winemakers, since no one wants to bother with removing them. You will need the following components:

• sloe berries - 1 kg;
• vodka - 1.5 l;
• sugar - 350 g;
• clean water - as needed.

Crush the fruits together with the seeds and place them in a jar in layers, sprinkling each of them with a small amount of granulated sugar. Cover the mixture with gauze and place in a warm place to ferment. Next, add a small amount of water, install a water seal and leave in a warm place until gas evolution stops. Drain the wine, put it in a dark, cool room, pour vodka over the berries and leave for 3 weeks.

After the specified time, drain the tincture and mix with wine.

Tincture of damsons and wild sloe

To make wine from a mixture of wild and garden berries you will need:

• wild thorn fruits - 3.5 kg;
• prune fruits - 3.5 kg;
• granulated sugar - 4 kg;
• clean water - 3 l;
• wine yeast - according to the attached instructions.

Step-by-step cooking recipe:

1. Rinse the sloe and plum under running water and grind.
2. Pour the resulting mass with water and put on low heat, simmer for 7 minutes.
3. Drain the liquid into a clean container and repeat the procedure again.
4. Mix the resulting juice in one container, add sugar and stir thoroughly.
5. When the mixture has cooled, introduce the yeast and pour everything into a fermentation vessel.
6. Install the water seal and wait until the air bubbles stop releasing completely.
7. Drain the wine from the sediment and bottle it.

Quick recipe with a glove

To prepare blackthorn according to this recipe you will need:

• thorn fruits - 1.5 kg;
• granulated sugar - 750 g;
• vodka - 1 l.

Mix the berries with sugar and leave until fermentation begins. Pour 1 glass of vodka into this mixture and place it in a jar, with a rubber medical glove placed on top. After a month, fermentation should be completed. Drain the finished wine, add the remaining vodka and place in a cool, dark room.

Fortified wine

With standard fermentation, the strength of homemade blackthorn wine is about 12°. If you need to increase it to 16-20°, then use alcohol or sugar. After the main fermentation process is completed, granulated sugar is added to the wine in a proportion of 75 g per 1 liter of product. The drink is left under the water seal for another 1 week. Next, it is filtered and vodka is added.

From whole berries

You can make wine from whole sloe using the following ingredients:

• ripe and slightly frozen fruits - 2.5 kg;
• clean water - 2.5 l;
• granulated sugar - to taste.

Pour unwashed berries into a glass bottle with water and mix well. Install a water seal and place it in a warm room for fermentation. As soon as the active process begins, the juice is decanted, poured into a clean container and sugar is added. Mix everything thoroughly. The amount of sugar is taken from 200 to 350 g per 1 liter of juice, depending on what kind of drink you want to get as a result. Reinstall the water seal and do not touch the wine until fermentation is complete. Next, it is removed from the sediment and bottled.

Terms and conditions for storing the drink

Sloe wine prepared according to the usual recipe and not fortified can retain its quality for up to 3 years if the following conditions are met:

• the product is packaged in glass containers and hermetically sealed;
• the wine had time to sit before bottling;
• storage is carried out in a cellar or other suitable room at a temperature of +6 - +16 °C.

Fortified wine is recommended to be consumed within 5 years.

How to use the finished drink?

You can drink sloe wine with meat or vegetable dishes, as well as with sweets. It all depends on what type of drink you get. Meat, cheese and sweet fruits go well with dry.It is recommended to serve cheese, seafood, chicken or game, and vegetables with semi-sweet wine. But dessert wine is drunk with cheese, chocolate, fruit or ice cream.