Wine from sour grapes: how to make at home, the best varieties, storage

The level of acidity is the most important parameter of grapes. Tartaric and malic acids in the composition of the berry make up 90%, the remaining 10% are allocated to organic, aromatic phenolic acids. With increased acidity, the fruits are used to make wine, fruit drink. Winemakers recommend making wine from acidic grape varieties. By adjusting the level of acidity, you can get a delicious, aromatic drink.

Process Features

Berries are harvested by hand at the end of September in dry weather. The harvested bunches are not washed to preserve the wild yeasts on the berries. They stimulate fermentation. The harvested crop is sorted, removing rotten, cracked, green, spotted specimens.

To obtain a quality product, the following conditions must be met:

1. Wine is made from fresh berries. It is important not to grind the grapes to a puree state. Crushed pits will add bitterness to the drink.
2. It is necessary to observe the terms of pumping, transfusing the drink. If the filtration is not timely, the taste characteristics of the wine will deteriorate.
3. Winemakers prefer wooden, plastic, enameled containers for making a drink. It is recommended to use glassware and stainless steel. Metal pans/basins are not allowed.
4. The berries are not washed or rinsed. The fruit washing process helps to remove wild yeast on the surface. They are necessary to preserve their natural environment, to prevent the development of pathogenic microorganisms.
5. When there is moldiness, bacteria, the wine turns sour. This process can be prevented by sterilizing containers and instruments.

Bottles are washed with soap/soda solution, scalded with boiling water, rinsed. The containers are dried naturally or with paper towels.

Which varieties are suitable

For the production of grape wine, any available variety will do. You can make a harvest with dark, light varieties of sour grapes. They are used individually or combined with each other.

Ideal varieties for wine are like:

• Platovsky;
• Crystal;
• Regent;
• Friendship;
• Saperavi;
• Stepnyak;
• Festival;
• Dewdrops;
• White Muscat;
• Magarach's Firstborn;
• Fetyaski;
• Sylvanera.

Such grapes are unpretentious in care, have a high sugar content. You can dilute the taste with Isabella, Lydia. The elite "wine" varieties - Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Aligote, Riesling - can ennoble the taste of wine, reveal its taste palette.

What you need for the recipe

The main products for making wine are:

• sour grapes;
• water;
• granulated sugar;
• sourdough.

From the inventory you will need a glass bottle, an enameled basin, wooden spatulas for stirring the berry mass, a water seal. After washing, boiling, drying, the bottles are smoked with sulfur.

After harvesting, the berries are kneaded by hand. At this stage, it is important to use rubber gloves - they will protect the skin of the hands from staining, irritation. Gloves also prevent germs from getting into the drink from the hands.

Fruits must be ripe. Green grapes are acidic and low in sugar.

Overripe fruits contribute to acetic fermentation, the conversion of squeezed juice into acetic acid.

You can neutralize the acid by diluting the wine with water. In this case, the taste of the product may deteriorate. This technique is used when the acidity of grapes is similar to lemon.

How to make wine from sour grapes at home

Moderate consumption of sour grape wine contributes to:

• prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• normalize pressure, sleep patterns;
• improvement of the digestive system, respiratory organs;
• increase immunity, relieve fatigue;
• eliminate autoimmune processes.

To make wine you need to stock up:

• sour grapes 10 kg;
• granulated sugar 3 kg.

Cooking technology:

1. Grapes are sorted, crushed, mixed with water.
2. The mass is mixed with sugar (2 kg), stirred, put in heat for 4 days, stirring occasionally.
3. The pulp is squeezed out, the liquid is filtered, mixed with the remaining sugar (1 kg). The mixture is stirred, poured into a clean bottle, covered with a water seal.
4. After 30 days, the liquid will stop fermenting, covered with sediment. Wine is poured into bottles with a rubber tube, mixed with sugar as desired.

If the must does not ferment, it is mixed with raisin starter or wine yeast. The mixture with sourdough is infused for 3-4 days.The finished drink is hermetically sealed, sent to infuse for 1 month. The liquid is filtered, poured into sterilized bottles, closed, sent to a permanent storage location.

No/disappearance of fermentation on day 6 means that:

1. The bottle has leaked. In this case, the container is checked, hermetically sealed.
2. The sugar content has increased. The must becomes a preservative, stopping the fermentation process. To correct the situation, pour in water, fresh juice (20-140 ml per 1 liter of must).
3. Yeast has stopped working. They are activated with sourdough, unwashed berries or raisins, wine yeast.
4. The alcohol concentration in the drink has reached 14%.

The termination of fermentation processes is determined by the water seal - it stops gurgling. In this case, the sediment is drained, this will help preserve the transparency of the wine, aroma, and eradicate bitterness.

How and how much can be stored

Winemakers recommend using special wine bottles - they are stronger, hermetically corked with long corks.

An important step is the sterilization of bottles. They are washed with soda / soapy water, rinsed, doused with boiling water.

Wine is poured to the brim, leaving a distance of 1.5-2 cm. To store the drink, you must choose a dark, dry, cool place with a moderate level of humidity, such as a closet, cellar, basement. White wines are stored at +6-7 ^оС, red wines - at +8-13 ^{оС. Bottles are placed horizontally - this ensures the elasticity of corks, hermetic sealing of containers.}

The aging period of velvety, dense, dessert, liqueur red wines is 1.5-2 years. Light red wines are consumed after the first year. Rich aromatic white wines need 6-12 months to age, light drinks are aged for 3-6 months.

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