Currant wine: 12 recipes at home
Any kind of currant is suitable for making a drink: black, red and even white. It is better to use fresh berries. Frozen currants, due to the absence of wild yeast cultures, will require the addition of special wine yeast.
The main thing is not to forget one of the most important rules of winemaking: all containers, fabrics and devices used during this process must be impeccably clean (ideally, scalded with boiling water)
It is also made from currants: liqueurs, tinctures, liqueurs
Easy recipe for blackcurrant wine
Since blackcurrant wine is quite tart in taste, it is recommended to sweeten it further, turning it into a dessert or even liqueur wine.
List of ingredients
Black currants - 10 kg
Water - 15 liters
Sugar - 5 kg
The method of preparation
Thoroughly mash the picked, free of vegetable excesses and always unwashed berries and put them in a spacious wide-mouth container.
Heat water to a temperature of 25-29°C and dissolve 2.5 kg of sugar in it.
Add the resulting solution to the berries, mix thoroughly and cover the container with cheesecloth (the vessel should be no more than 2/3 full).
Put the vessel in a dark, warm place for 3-4 days (the most favorable temperature is 18-25°C). Do not forget to mash the pulp twice a day with a wooden spoon.
After the specified period, when the first signs of fermentation appear (foaming, hissing, sour odor), remove the wort from the pulp and pour into a narrow-mouthed glass vessel (for example, a bottle).
Thoroughly squeeze the pulp into a separate container, add 500 g of sugar, dissolve it completely and pour the resulting liquid into a bottle to the main wort (at the same time, make sure that the fermentation container is no more than ¾ full).
Cover the bottle with a lid with a water seal or pull on a rubber medical glove with a tiny hole pierced in the finger and put it in the room where the previous fermentation took place.
After a week, decant about half a liter of wort, dissolve a kilogram of sugar in it and pour the resulting substance into the fermentation tank.
After another week, repeat the above procedure.
After the signs of fermentation have completely disappeared (glove swelling, absence of bubbles from the water seal), carefully pour the wine from the sediment into a clean bottle (if the process does not stop after a month and a half from the start of active fermentation, it is necessary, in order to avoid the appearance of bitterness, to pour the wort into another container without touching the sediment and let it ferment).
If desired, you can add sugar to the young wine to taste, as well as fix the drink with vodka or diluted alcohol (up to 15% alcohol by volume).
Fill the bottle to the top again with a water seal and send the drink to the cellar for several months for further (quiet) fermentation.
Each time a 3-centimeter layer of sediment appears, pour the liquid from it into an equally clean container.
After two months, make sure that the wine has clarified and the sedimentation has stopped, and then bottle the drink.
The result should be stored in the same cellar for a maximum of one and a half years.
Blackcurrant wine recipe with a little trick
If you follow the technology below, the drink will be even richer.
List of ingredients
Black currants - 10 kg
Water - 15 liters
Sugar - 5 kg
The method of preparation
Place the prepared, mashed berries in a wide-mouth container.
Heat 7.5 liters of water to a temperature of 25-29°C and dissolve 1.25 kg of sugar in it.
Leave the container under the gauze for 3-4 days in a dark, warm room for preliminary fermentation (of course, stirring the pulp twice a day).
After fermentation has begun, strain off the liquid and pour it into a bottle with a water seal (cover the vessel with the pulp with gauze and leave it alone for a while).
Heat another 7.5 liters of water and also dissolve 1.25 kg of sugar in it.
Pour the remaining pulp with the resulting syrup, tie the container again with cheesecloth and let the new wort ferment for several days.
After the specified period, separate the liquid from the pulp and add it to the primary wort, which is already under the water seal.
Next, follow the instructions outlined in according to the previous recipe, starting from step six.
Recipe for red currant wine
Red currant wine has a pleasant balanced taste, but suffers from an almost complete lack of aromatic bouquet. In this regard, they try not to sweeten the drink too much, since dry and semi-dry variations of it are able to preserve at least some flavor.
List of ingredients
Red currants - 5 kg
Water - 5 liters
Sugar - 2 kg
The method of preparation
The basic principle of making red currant wine is almost no different from making a similar one blackcurrant of the drink. Therefore, the following recipe will be presented in a more concise form.
Mash the prepared currants and place in a suitable container.
Prepare syrup - 1 kg of sugar per 5 liters of water.
Pour it over the berry and send it to primary fermentation.
Decant the wort into a bottle and squeeze the pulp there.
On the 5th and 10th day of active fermentation, add 500 g of sugar, dissolving it in 500 ml of wort.
After complete cessation of fermentation, drain the wine from the sediment, if desired, secure and send to the cellar to clarify.
Bottle the finished drink and store in a cool place for up to a year.
White currant wine recipe
The aroma of this drink is also not very good, but it tastes something like white grape wine.
List of ingredients
White currants - 10 kg
Water - 15 liters
Sugar - 5 kg
The method of preparation
Put the sorted currants on a clean cloth and keep them in the sun for three days (this will allow unripe berries to ripen).
Then, proceed to the preparation of wine, according to the second recipe.
It is advisable not to store the finished drink for more than a year.
Recipe with the addition of cognac
Ingredients
Red currants - 6 kg
Sugar - 125 g (per 1 liter of juice)
Cognac - 1 liter (based on 12 liters of juice)
The method of preparation
The red currant berries are cleaned from the twigs, washed, dried; placed in a wooden or stainless steel container and mashed with a wooden pestle.
Crushed berries are placed in a cool place and kept until fermentation begins. When the fermentation process is complete, the mass is filtered through a sieve, being careful not to touch it with your hands.
The juice is settled, then poured into a barrel or bottle, sugar is added and cognac is poured in if desired.
The contents are kept in the basement or cellar for 6-8 weeks, then the wine is bottled, corked and allowed to stand for 3-4 months.
Wine from red and white currants
The method of preparation
Peel the collected berries of red and white currants and let them lie down for 2 days or several hours in the sun, and then press them and get the juice of the first fraction. Pour the pomace with water equal to the amount of juice obtained, let it brew for a day, then press again and drain the juice with the first fraction. Determine the acidity of the juice, which is usually high - up to 8%, after which the wort should be diluted with water until the acidity is no more than 1%.
Red currant berries do not give the wine any flavor, so you can add strawberry or raspberry juice to flavor the wine. It is also good to add dried elderberry blossom and toasted bitter almonds (50 g per 1 liter) to the fermenting wort, which are placed in a linen bag and dipped into the fermenting wort.
Prepare the wort in the usual way, adding 250-280 g of sugar per 1 liter, yeast starter and other substances.
Fermentation should be carried out under a water seal, and after fermentation stops, close the bottle and keep the wine on the lees for 2 months. After that, remove the wine from the sediment, bottle it and store it in the cellar or refrigerator.
Red currant wine with a unique ferment
This wine recipe is suitable for those who have the opportunity to use berries grown in their own garden. Such berries do not need to be washed before making wine, and they can also be used to make a wild yeast starter.
Ingredients
Red currant berries - 3 kg
Sugar - 2 kg
Water - 3 liters
For the starter
Raspberries - 1 cup
Rose hips - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Method of preparation
For the starter, mash unwashed raspberries and rose hips and place in a jar, sprinkle with sugar, then pour water so that it covers them.
Tie the jar with gauze and put it in a warm place, stirring its contents periodically.
After 3 days of sugar and water prepare the syrup and let it cool down. Meanwhile, chop the red currants. Pour the resulting mass into an enamel bucket or keg, add the cooled syrup and starter, mix, tie with gauze and put it on fermentation.
Stir the wort daily (4-5 times a day) to prevent mold from forming on the surface.
After 8 days, strain the wort through cheesecloth in 4 layers and squeeze out the pulp.
Pour the resulting juice into a bottle, close it with a fermentation cork and put it on fermentation. The bottle must be shaken occasionally.
After 40 days, a sediment will form in the bottle. Drain the clarified wine with a hose, filter it, bottle it, cork it and put it in a cool place for 2 months to mature.
A simple recipe for red currant wine
Ingredients
Fresh red currant juice - 1 liter
Sugar - 1 kg
Water - 2 liters
The method of preparation
Peel, rinse, crush and squeeze the juice well.
Pour the currant juice into a bottle, add sugar and water, and close the bottle with a fermentation cork.
Put the bottle to ferment for 3-4 weeks. During this time, stir the contents of the container several times with a clean wooden spoon or stick.
When fermentation is complete, strain the wine through a thick cloth or filter paper, bottle and cork. The wine is ready to drink.
An alternative recipe for black currant wine
Ingredients
Black currants - 3 kg
Water - 3 liters
Sugar - 1 kg
The method of preparation
Sort the berries, removing impurities, rinse, crush and place in an eight- / ten-liter bottle.
From water and sugar prepare the syrup, let it cool to 22-25 ° C, and then pour into a bottle with currant mass.
Put a water seal and ferment at 22-24 °C for 5-6 days.
At the end of fermentation, strain the wine through a cloth, then filter through cotton wool, bottle, cork and store in a dry and cool place. Blackcurrant wine can also be stored in clean and dry bottles, filled to the middle of the neck or even up to the cork to prevent the wine from coming into contact with air.
Tip. The pulp left over after juicing can be mixed with fresh black currants and used to make jam.
Wine made from black currants and grapes
Ingredients
Black currants - 3 kg
Red grapes - 10 kg
Sugar - 500 g
The method of preparation
Separate the black currant berries from the ridges, rinse with clean water and pass through a juicer. Separately squeeze the juice from the grapes.
Heat grape juice to 25-30 °C, add sugar and mix with black currant juice without cooling.
Pour the resulting wort into a bottle, close it with a fermentation cork and put it to fermentation at a temperature of 22-25 °C, which will last 8-10 days.
After fermentation, filter the wine, bottle and cork it. Store bottles horizontally in a dry and cool place.
Blackcurrant and apple wine
The method of preparation
For 1 liter of apple juice, 500 ml of blackcurrant juice
Wash the black currant berries, crush them, put them in a glass bowl, cover with sugar and leave them in a warm place to separate the juice.
After 1-2 days, squeeze the juice from fresh apples and add to the blackcurrant mass.
Insist the mixture for 4-6 days in a sealed container, then press, add sugar (60-80 g per 1 liter) and alcoholize, adding 300-350 ml of 70-80° alcohol per 1 liter of wort.
After that, pour the mixture into a bottle, close and leave for 7-9 days, then clarify and skim off the sediment.
The result is a flavorful dessert wine containing 16% alcohol and 12-14% sugar.
Pour the wine into bottles, cork and store in a cool place.
Champagne made from black currant leaves
Ingredients
Black currant leaves - 100 g
Water - 15 liters
Lemon - 3 pieces.
Sugar - 1.2 kg
Yeast (preferably wine) - 3 tbsp.
The method of preparation
Put fresh currant leaves in a bottle and cover with cold boiled water.
Cut a thin layer of zest from the lemons. Cut the pulp, previously peeled and pitted, together with the zest. Put in the bottle. Add sugar and place in a warm place, preferably directly in the sun.
Shake the bottle well several times daily.
When the sugar is completely dissolved, add the yeast. 3 hours after the start of fermentation, transfer the bottle to a cold place.
It is necessary to ensure that the drink does not freeze and keep it for 7 days.
Then strain through a cloth and bottle.
Cork well and place the bottle horizontally in a sturdy box. The box can be stored in the cellar or in the bottom of the refrigerator, but not in the freezer.
A few practical tips
Sugar used in wine can be replaced with honey. In this case, ¾ of the honey is taken from the total volume of granulated sugar, and the size of the portions of this component added to the wort is also adjusted.
Black currant juice prepared for fermentation, given the aroma of this berry, is often added to less expressive wine materials. For example: 1 part currant to 3 parts sweet cherry.
In turn, the future redcurrant drink can be flavored by adding 20-25% apple, blueberry or blackcurrant juice to it.
In this case, the desired effect can be achieved not only by mixing the appropriate juices before fermentation, but also by blending young fruit and berry wines.
Update: 24.06.2018
Category: Wine and Vermouth