Wine with honey: what you need to know + recipe

When sweetening wine with honey, the main thing is not to rush. Be sure of what you are doing. You can always add more honey, but you can't take it back. This is true for almost anything you mix with alcohol to change the flavor.

What you need to know before mixing wine with honey

1. Why honey, not sugar?

   In fact, honey will sweeten wine as well as sugar. The principle of operation is the same. Depending on what the bees used to make honey from: wildflowers, cherries, buckwheat, etc., the flavor notes and aromas can vary from herbal and fruity to citrus. Maybe you will like it, or maybe the wine will seem unbearable. Do not think that honey will make the wine better. Try it on a small amount and see. Sweeten gradually and make notes on the taste for yourself.

2. Tips for choosing honey

   It is better to add linden, May flower or acacia honey, as it will not greatly affect the taste. Honey from heather and chestnuts will make the drink bitter, from sunflower it will add tartness, from buckwheat it will add caramel tones, but reduce the purity of the drink.

   To make sure you don't make a mistake, add honey when preparing sweetened, fortified and liqueur drinks. There are few dry components in the juice, so the caramel will sparkle interestingly.

   If you prepare semi-dry, dry wines with apples, grapes, cherries, it is better to give preference to sugar.

3. A nuance about sugar and honey

   Instead of 1 kg of sugar, you need to use 1.2 kg of honey, because on average it contains 76.8% sugar. These are approximate figures. For more specific ones, you should refer to an areometer-saccharometer.

   A volume of 0.6 liters will hold 1 kg of sugar, and a kilogram of honey needs 0.893 liters. You need to take into account the difference if you reduce the acidity with juice or water and subtract.

4. Preparation

   Heat the honey without boiling (maximum temperature 50 degrees) to get rid of substances that will harm the wine. These include pathogenic bacteria, residual elements of wax, waxy odor emanating from them, protein compounds, preservatives, acids.

Recipe for wine with honey

Ingredients

1. Honey - 220 ml

2. Water - 220 ml

3. Wine - 1 liter

The method of preparation

1. Thoroughly mix honey and water in equal amounts in a saucepan.

2. Boil the liquid, make the fire smaller, constantly skim off the foam until the mixture is no longer cloudy.

3. Set the gas to the minimum value, do not remove it until the water is almost completely evaporated.

4. Remove the drink from the stove, leave to cool at room temperature.

5. Filter with cheesecloth folded in several layers.

6. Mix with wine. The amount depends on the individual recipe. Keep in the refrigerator.

Update: 28.04.2020

Category: Wine and Vermouth