13 simple step-by-step recipes for apple wine at home

Homemade wines made from ripe, juicy fruits and berries have a rich, rich taste and exquisite aroma. And most importantly, they contain absolutely no harmful or dangerous components, since the entire process is controlled independently. Making apple wine is one of the simplest and most affordable ways to get a light, intoxicating drink. It is not difficult to cope with this task. There are several variations of apple wine, among which everyone will find something to suit their taste.

The nuances of making apple wine

Homemade apple wine, prepared at home, is in many ways similar to cider - in particular, in taste and aroma properties, as well as in terms of production time. The difference is that the wine is stronger, and in order to achieve the required strength, sugar is necessarily added to the raw material.

In order for the wine to ferment properly, you should not wash the apples before storing. This is due to the fact that natural living yeast microorganisms live on the surface of fruits, without which it is impossible to obtain a truly high-quality and environmentally friendly product.

Before starting the winemaking process, you need to figure out how to properly select and prepare the main raw materials, as well as what containers should be used.

How to choose the right fruits

The choice of apple variety depends on what type of wine you plan to make - strong, semi-sweet or dry.

Zvezdochka, Calville and other winter varieties are universal and suitable for almost any wine. The situation is similar with autumn varieties - such as Anis, Antonovka, Streifling and others.

For semi-dry and table apple wine, it is recommended to use Moscow Grushevka, Melba and other early varieties.

Wild and forest apples should be used in combination with cultivated varieties. And too sour varieties must be combined with sweet ones.

It is best to use apples from your own plot, but if you don’t have one, you should only buy fruit from reliable gardeners and sellers.

It is strictly forbidden to use apple fruits for winemaking, the surface of which is coated with industrial wax. This not only affects the taste, but can also be toxic.

From the dishes you will need:

• glass bottles with a capacity of ten liters or more;
• sealed plugs with water seals;
• juicer (which can be replaced with a meat grinder, press or gauze);
• spacious pans for juice and pulp;
• glass bottles with high quality corks.

How to make wine from apples at home

You can prepare delicious apple wine in several ways, which differ in technology, timing, and set of ingredients. Let's look at the most successful among them.

Simple recipe with sugar free glove

In the first recipe that we bring to your attention, an ordinary rubber glove is used as a water seal.

The drink will require 10 kg of ripe apples of the sweetest and juiciest varieties.

The simple preparation process consists of the following steps:

1. Wipe the apples with a dry soft cloth to remove dust and dirt.
2. Cut off areas where there are defects, and also remove the core with grains.
3. Cut into slices and pass through a meat grinder.
4. Transfer the resulting apple mass into a glass or ceramic container.
5. Cover with gauze and keep in a cool, dark place for three days.
6. After this period, strain through cheesecloth into a wide and deep container. Throw away the remaining pulp after spinning.
7. Pour the infusion into a capacious bottle (at least 15 liters).
8. Take a new rubber glove and use a needle to make a small hole on one finger.
9. Place this homemade water seal on the neck of the bottle - it will provide protection against microbes and also release the gas produced during the fermentation process.
10. If during the fermentation process the glove becomes overfilled with gas and is about to burst, you need to pierce a few more holes in the fingers.
11. Transfer the bottle to a dark place at room temperature and keep for one month.
12. The glove will continue to inflate for a while and then fall, indicating that the wine is ready.
13. You need to check the condition of your homemade drink. There should be sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
14. Pour the clear nectar into another empty bottle using a rubber hose.
15. Prepare sterile bottles and pour the finished apple wine into them using a funnel.
16. Seal the glass containers tightly with stoppers and put them in a cool, dark place, where they stand for two to three months.

Option with pears

Adding sweet, ripe pears to apples will create a wine with a smoother flavor.

This recipe requires the following ingredients:

• 10 kg of apples (sweet and sour varieties);
• 10 kg of pears (maximum sweet, juicy and soft varieties);
• 3 kg white sugar.

Making your own apple and pear wine is easy. To do this you need:

1. Lightly wipe unwashed apples with a dry soft cloth or paper towels.
2. Cut in a convenient way and process in a juicer.
3. Cut the pears, also unwashed, but wiped free of dust, into four equal parts so that they bloom along the longitudinal axis. Remove the cores with grains from the fruit, and then cut each piece into small particles.
4. Dissolve one third of the prepared granulated sugar in apple juice and pour into a bottle with a volume of approximately 20-25 liters.
5. Add small pieces of aromatic pear to the liquid.
6. Using a stopper with a hole, tightly close the bottle. After some time, remove the water seal hose, the free end of which is lowered into a jar filled with water.
7. Place the bottle in a dark, warm place.
8. After about a month, when bubbles begin to form on the surface of the fruit liquid and pieces of pears fall apart when shaken, squeeze out the pulp.
9. Add another third of the sugar and stir until dissolved.
10. Place the container with the wort on the water seal again. Maintain in this state until the liquid clears and a characteristic sediment forms.
11. Drain the clear apple-pear liquid into a separate container and add all the remaining sugar.
12. Stir until the granulated sugar is completely dissolved and pour the finished homemade drink into sterile glass bottles.
13. Carefully seal and store in a dark place with an air temperature within +12-18 °C.
14. Bottles of wine should be matured and stored in a horizontal position or at an angle of 30-45 degrees.

From green apples

Wine made from unripe apples will be an excellent aperitif. For this recipe you need the following ingredients:

• 20 kg of unripe apples;
• 200 g of granulated sugar for every 1 liter of apple juice (it is advisable to use unrefined sugar, with a yellowish or brownish tint).

The process of making wine from sour green apples includes the following steps:

1. Wash the apples, peel them and remove all damaged areas.
2. Make applesauce using a blender or meat grinder.
3. Place the prepared fruit mixture in a large container - a saucepan or basin - and cover with a lid.
4. Stir the applesauce twice for three days.
5. Over the next three days, keep it in a calm state at a temperature not lower than +22 and not higher than +25 degrees.
6. After the six-day period, squeeze out and discard the pulp.
7. Add the entire amount of sugar to the wort at once.
8. Fill the bottle with apple juice no more than two-thirds of its volume.
9. Install a water seal on the neck of the glass bottle.
10. Maintain for about two months at temperatures up to +22 °C.
11. Carefully, so as not to get any sediment, pour the clear fruit liquid into a separate glass container, and then use a funnel to pour the wine into bottles.
12. Seal tightly with stoppers and place in a dark place. The ripening period of wine lasts up to four months.

Without juicing or adding yeast

For this easy-to-implement option you will need:

• 15 kg of apples of any variety;
• 500 g raisins or fresh grapes;
• 3 kg sugar;
• 10 liters of filtered drinking water.

The process is:

1. Wipe the apples, cut into slices and remove the cores.
2. Grate and place in a convenient container of suitable volume.
3. Add the entire amount of sugar and leave in a dark place for six days, after covering with gauze or a lid.
4. Transfer the apple mixture into a bottle and add raisins to it.
5. To fill with water.
6. Place a water seal on the neck of the bottle and hide it in a warm place for a month.
7. After the specified period, pour the apple liquid without sediment into a separate glass container.
8. Prepare several bottles and sterilize them.
9. Using a funnel, pour the wine into bottles and seal them.

Dry wine recipe

For dry wine from apples, it is necessary to use sour fruits of good quality, they must be picked from the tree and not have the slightest sign of rot or other damage.

The set of ingredients is minimal:

• 15 apples;
• 1.5 kg of sugar.

The process of making the drink is simple; it requires the following steps:

1. Squeeze apple juice in a convenient way and dilute one-fourth of the prepared sugar in it.
2. Transfer to a large saucepan and cover with a tight lid.
3. Stir the apple mixture twice a day for three days. After each stirring, close the lid tightly.
4. Squeeze out the pulp and add the second quarter of the sugar to the wort.
5. Place a water seal on the bottle and lower the free tip into a jar of water. To prevent it from floating to the top, you must first install a small weight.
6. As soon as the formation of bubbles in jars filled with water stops, carefully pour the fermented liquid into a separate container.
7. Add the rest of the sugar and dissolve it.
8. Pour the wine into glass bottles and keep for about two months at temperatures up to +16 degrees.

With chokeberry

Rowan will give natural homemade wine a unique tart flavor.

For this recipe you will need:

• 2 kg chokeberry;
• 1 kg apples;
• 2 liters of hot boiled water;
• 3 kg sugar.

Sequential process:

1. Sort through the rowan berries, discard rotten and low-quality specimens.
2. Grind in a blender and transfer the resulting puree into a large container.
3. Wipe the apples and cut out damaged areas.
4. Cut into several pieces and remove the grains.
5. Process in a blender and combine with rowan berries.
6. Add a kilogram of sugar and mix thoroughly.
7. Boil water, cool slightly and pour into the apple-rowanberry mixture.
8. Transfer to a glass container for fermentation.
9. Pour hot boiled water, leaving about 40% free space.
10. Add a third of the remaining sugar, mix and cover with gauze.
11. Leave for 7 days in a dark place at room temperature.
12. Stir the mixture with a kitchen spatula at least twice every day.
13. Strain the fruit and berry mixture through cheesecloth and discard the pulp.
14. Pour the wort into a new bottle and install a water seal.
15. Maintain in this state for a week.
16. Add another third of the sugar, mix and let stand for another week.
17. Add all the remaining sugar and mix thoroughly.
18. Keep under a water seal for about ten more weeks.
19. When sediment appears, pour the drink into a separate bottle.
20. After installing the water seal, place it in a cool, dark place and let it sit for about five months.
21. Pour into bottles and seal with airtight stoppers.
22. Place in the refrigerator, pantry or cellar.

On vodka

This is an easy recipe that you will need:

• 10 large ripe apple fruits;
• 1.5 liters of quality vodka.

You need to do the following:

1. Wash the fruit, remove the core and cut into thin slices.
2. Fill a three-liter jar with them about two-thirds.
3. Pour vodka and wait for the apple slices to float to the top.
4. Cover the neck of the jar with a thick natural cloth or clean paper to ensure normal breathing for the apple mass.
5. Leave on the windowsill for two weeks.
6. Filter and pour into sterile glass bottles, seal securely with stoppers.

From apple juice

For rich wine you need the following ingredients:

• 10 kg of juicy apples;
• 1.5 kg of sugar.

This recipe is quick and easy to prepare:

1. Squeeze juice from apples. Ten kilograms will yield approximately seven liters.
2. For each liter of juice add 200 g of granulated sugar.
3. Stir and boil.
4. Infuse for 24 hours, covering the container with a thick cloth.
5. Fill the bottle three-quarters full with boiled juice.
6. Install a water seal, after which the fermentation process will last about 1.5 months. Keep at room temperature in a dark place.
7. When bubbles stop appearing, strain through cheesecloth folded in several layers.
8. Install the water seal again and wait another two weeks.
9. Remove the water seal and close the bottle with a tight lid.
10. When sediment settles to the bottom, pour the liquid into another bottle.
11. Carefully pour into bottles, cork and place in a cool place to ripen, which will last another month and a half.

With wine yeast

Apple wine with the addition of wine yeast is easy to make. To do this you need to prepare the following ingredients:

• 5 kg apples;
• 800 g sugar;
• 2 tsp. dry wine yeast.

You need to do the following:

1. Squeeze juice from apples.
2. In a five-liter bottle, mix juice, sugar and wine yeast.
3. Pull a washed rubber ball onto the neck of the container and secure with an elastic band.
4. Place in the pantry or other dark and cool place.
5. A day later, when the balloon is inflated, make a hole in it with a needle so that the gas can escape.
6. Maintain in this state until the ball deflates to its original size. This will take about six weeks.
7. Strain through layers of cheesecloth.
8. Pour into sterile glass bottles.

With raisins

In this case you will need:

• 6 kg apples;
• 2.5 kg of sugar;
• 3 tbsp. l. raisins

Let's look at the step-by-step recipe:

1. Divide the apples into four slices, remove the cores and chop.
2. Mix with sugar (use 2 kilograms).
3. Add raisins.
4. Place everything in a bottle and put a clean rubber glove over its neck.
5. Keep in a dark place for three weeks.
6. Strain through cheesecloth.
7. Add the remaining sugar and stir.
8. Wait another week.
9. Strain again and distribute into bottles.

Fortified apple wine

The ingredients for making fortified homemade wine are:

• 10 kg apples;
• 200 g of sugar for each liter of juice obtained;
• 300 ml of quality alcohol.

It needs to be prepared in the following order:

1. Squeeze the juice, mix with half the sugar and leave for five days in a dark place at room temperature.
2. Cover the container with gauze to allow the contents to breathe.
3. After five days, when the mixture begins to release carbon dioxide, close the neck of the bottle with a water seal.
4. A week after the start of the process, add all the remaining sugar and leave to ferment for two months.
5. Strain and pour into another bottle.
6. Add alcohol.
7. Pour into small bottles and seal.

On honey

To make wine with a soft honey taste, you need:

• 15 kg of apples;
• 400 g of natural honey for each liter of apple juice.

Drink creation process:

1. Squeeze juice from fruits.
2. Add honey and stir.
3. Place the mixture into a bottle.
4. Place a water seal on the neck and lower the free end of the tube into a jar of water.
5. Keep the container in a dry and dark place for two months.
6. Strain and distribute the finished wine into bottles.

From dried apples

List of ingredients:

• 1 kg dried apples;
• 3 kg sugar;
• 8 liters of purified water;
• 2 tsp. wine yeast.

You need to perform actions in the following sequence:

1. Grind the dried fruits until a homogeneous mixture is obtained and transfer to a glass container.
2. Sprinkle the mixture with half of the prepared granulated sugar.
3. Boil water and pour it into the apple-sugar mixture.
4. Wait for the water to cool to room temperature.
5. Strain until no cloudy sediment remains.
6. In a separate bowl, dissolve the remaining half of the sugar, and then add the yeast to the syrup.
7. Pour the syrup with dissolved yeast into the bottle.
8. Close it with a lid and make a small hole in it.
9. Insert a thin rubber tube into the hole so that it does not come into contact with the liquid.
10. Place the second end of the tube in a jar of water.
11. The fermentation process will be completed when bubbles stop forming in the jar.
12. Pour the wine into bottles and leave to ripen for several months - during this period the sour taste is neutralized.

Further storage of the drink

You can remove homemade wine from apples for storage only when the fermentation processes are completely completed.

A cellar or other cool room must meet certain requirements - the inside must be clean, and the air temperature must be +8 °C all year round.

The bottles should be placed in a horizontal position, so that the cork is covered with wine, and a minimum amount of air remains in the container itself.