Many alcohol lovers make currant wine at home. This simple red currant wine recipe will help you master the technique of creating a delicious drink. Currant berries benefit the body and taste good. They increase immunity and improve the work of the cardiovascular system. Experienced winemakers claim that currant wine has an unusually delicate taste. A feature of berry drinks is the absence of a pronounced odor. Fruit additives are used to enhance the taste.
For the Simple Red Currant Wine Recipe, You Need the Following Ingredients
- Berries. The optimal amount is 3 kg. It is recommended to grow red currants yourself or buy them at the market.
- Water. Depending on the finished product’s desired strength, it is necessary to take from 3 to 6 liters of liquid.
- Sugar. For a wine of 12-18 vol., 3 kg of granulated sugar is needed.
Red Currant Wine Recipe Involves the Following Steps
- Preparation of berries. Thoroughly mash the currants with a wooden spoon and place them in a bottle. The juice begins to ferment. Knead the red currants
- Making syrup. A pan filled with water and sugar is put on the fire. The mixture is boiled for 5 minutes. The water is stirred so that the sugar does not stick to the bottom. The finished syrup is cooled. Boil water and sugar.
- Beginning of fermentation. The syrup is poured into the juice. The bottle with the mixture is placed in a warm place for a week. The container is shaken periodically to prevent the formation of mold..fermentation of wine.
- Filtration of fermented juice. The cake and sediment remain at the bottom of the old tank.
- Continuation of fermentation. An airlock is placed on the juice bottle to allow carbon dioxide to leak out. Only in this way does the alcoholic beverage fully mature.
- Distribution of bottled products. After 5 weeks, the wine is filtered and bottled in separate containers.
A classic wine from red currant berries comes out strongly (up to 18 vol.%). To reduce the alcohol content to 12 vol., the amount of water must be increased to 6 liters. Simultaneously, the proportions of berries and sugar remain the same. It must be remembered that the sweeter the wine, the longer it can be stored. Before serving, the drink is prepared for 2 months.
For Lovers of Fortified Drinks
Some prefer alcoholic beverages. The easiest way to increase strength is to use vodka. Why vodka? Because it is odorless and does not change the taste of the base drink. To increase the alcohol content, you can add more sugar. Don’t forget the benefits of good wine yeast. We use The same ingredients for fortified wine and the classic redcurrant berry drink. Additional components for fortified wine are vodka (1-1.5 l) and wine yeast (1 cup).
Alcohol is prepared quickly. The main thing is to choose quality products. Otherwise, mold will appear during fermentation, and the wine will become unsuitable. To make the drink taste sour, all the sugar is added in the initial stage. This is one of the main secrets of making dry wine. If you need a sweet currant drink, the sugar is put in the first week of fermentation in stages every 3 days.
Storage
- Wine from red currant berries is stored at temperatures from +8 to +12 ° C.
- The ideal place for this drink is a cellar or refrigerator.
- It is not recommended to put wine in the freezer.
- At minus temperature, the taste molecules are destroyed.
As a result, alcohol is felt more than berries. If you need to cool the drink urgently, it is best to put the bottle in a container with cold water.
The maximum shelf life of currant wine is 2 years. The drink is recommended to be consumed within one year. The fact is that vodka enhances fermentation. With prolonged storage, mold appears, and the wine becomes sour. It is best for home use to prepare a maximum of 10 liters of drink at a time.
Red Currant Wine Recipe Details That Are Useful to Novice Winemakers
The red currant drink recipe is easy to master, even for beginners. Winemakers love red currants because of the high yield of the finished product. It is important to follow the technology of making red currant wine. Both beginners and experienced winemakers must adhere to the following rules:
- Add the yeast. Without them, the fermentation process will be slow. Yeast is bought in a store or made independently. Bacteria live on the surface of red currants and start the fermentation process … add wine yeast.
- Peel the berries from the leaves, branches, and stems. Otherwise, the finished product will be tartar flavor.
- Transfer the liquid to a water lock bottle. This will ensure an active fermentation process. Instead of a water seal, a rubber glove with a pierced finger is often used..different bottles with a water lock.
- Use only ripe berries. It is best if the currants are overripe. Beginner winemakers often wonder if fresh frozen currants can be used to make wine products. Berries from the freezer are O.K. However, in this case, you definitely need to add yeast. This is because all bacteria on red currants’ surfaces die due to exposure to lower temperatures.
- Wait for the clearing of the wine. Only then can the drink be poured into containers. In this case, you need to make sure that the sediment does not get there. Otherwise, the wine will have a dubious taste.
- Pay special attention to the juice of red currant. For 1 kg of berries, add 300 ml of water. The juice container is covered with gauze and put in a warm place for a week. To maintain fermentation, the porridge is stirred 2 times a day. The berries are then placed in a small cloth bag, and the juice is squeezed out of them under a press.
It is easy to pour sediment-free wine. A rubber tube is used for this. The beverage bottle is placed above the container into which the contents need to be poured. One end of the rubber tube is placed in a wine container, and the other in a bottle below. The drink will safely flow into the empty tank. The sediment will remain at the bottom of the bottle located at the top.