Alcohol prices are constantly creeping up, and more and more people are thinking about home winemaking. It is doubly pleasant to drink on holidays, to treat your loved ones and friends with an aromatic, tasty drink prepared with your own hands from your own grapes. But often, when choosing containers for storage, an important question arises: is it possible to store wine in a metal or aluminum flask?
Is it possible to make wine in aluminum containers?
There are containers for making wine, the use of which causes controversy and controversy.But in this case, the answer to the question: is it possible to store wine in aluminum containers? The only and categorical answer is no!
You also cannot choose such a container for fermenting the drink. Wine should not be in a can or in any other containers made of this metal.
Possible consequences
Under the influence of wine, especially during its fermentation, aluminum, which is an active metal, reacts with the must and oxidizes. As a result, hazardous chemical compounds that are toxic to the human body get into the workpiece. One of these is aluminum acetate.
In small doses, these substances will not cause serious harm, but with regular use they accumulate and can cause serious poisoning.
The second important reason is that as a result of oxidation, the taste and aroma of wine deteriorates, and often it becomes simply unfit for consumption.
Which container is better to use?
In both industrial and home winemaking, the most important step in wine production is storage organization. In particular, the selection of the “right” containers in which the drink will retain all its properties, taste and aroma. But when choosing barrels, it is important not to use those in which salting or storage of other products was previously carried out.
Otherwise, it will negatively affect the taste and chemical composition of the wine. When choosing containers made of high-quality plastic, it is important to remember that the aroma of an alcoholic drink gradually evaporates through it, therefore, it gradually loses its properties.
Suitable containers for wine:
- Glass bottles, preferably dark glass.
- Barrels and casks made of oak and alder wood (the best, but at the same time expensive option).
- Stainless steel fermentation containers (one of the best options).
- Barrels and canisters made of high-quality polymers that do not react with wine (as the last option).
The nuances of each type of container:
- Glassware: convenience, affordability, but fragility, the need for wrapping (thermal insulation) and protection from sunlight (in the case of transparent glass).
- Polymer containers: strength, convenience, availability, but they are unsuitable for long-term storage.
- Wooden barrels: protection from sunlight, temperature changes, they enrich the taste and aroma of the drink. Unfortunately, this is a rather expensive package.
- Stainless steel containers: ease of use, protection from sunlight, durability. The disadvantage is the high price.
Is it possible to crush grapes in an aluminum pan?
Aluminum cookware - pots, boiling pots, basins - is found in almost every apartment and private house, especially in rural areas. And when the need arises to crush grapes to make wine, sometimes there is no other, more convenient container at hand. And due to the fact that aluminum interacts with the drink during its fermentation and storage, many are simply afraid to do this.
But you can safely press grapes into juice in such a container, in particular a saucepan.
This will not pose any danger to the human body in the future.
But it is important to ensure that the wine must is not left to ferment in the aluminum pan.
After squeezing out the juice, it is poured into a more suitable container for fermentation: wooden barrels, stainless steel containers, high-quality plastic containers or the usual glass wine bottles.
