Cornwood wine at home: 2 step by step recipes

Homemade wines can successfully compete with store-bought ones in terms of taste and he alth benefits. The secret of their originality lies in the correct selection of ingredients and strict adherence to the recipe. Fans of strong drinks are interested in learning how to make dogwood wine at home, as well as get acquainted with all the nuances of the process. There are several successful ways to prepare an alcoholic drink from this he althy berry with a pleasant sour-tart taste.

Process Features

Chinese dogwood wine cannot be confused with any other similar drink.In terms of sophistication, it can compete only with pomegranate wine. Dogwood wine has a light, delicate and mild taste, exudes an alluring and refined aroma. Thanks to the expressive and rich color of the precious ruby, this drink is indispensable on festive tables, during romantic dates and business meetings.

Following the recipe and the technological process, dogwood wine can be made at home.

The process of making a drink has its own subtleties, which beginners who do not have solid experience in winemaking should definitely know about:

• Only the most ripe, juicy and beautiful dogwood fruits are used - without damage and signs of rot. It is important that they are clean, plucked from the bush, and not fallen to the ground.
• Before making wine, the dogwood should not be washed, as it is very important that the so-called "live yeast" - responsible for the start of the fermentation process - be preserved on the surface of the berries.Since the dogwood contains these microorganisms in a minimal amount, it is also recommended to use raisins or fresh grapes.
• The addition of sugar should be gradual - this will allow the fermentation process to proceed smoothly and be constant.
• Containers and bottles should be thoroughly sterilized with baking soda and boiling water. Thanks to this simple procedure, the drink will not turn sour.
• In general, the process of making dogwood wine at home will take three to four months.

Useful properties

This drink is an excellent find for true connoisseurs of noble wines. In addition to the original taste and aroma, dogwood wine has a number of useful properties:

• strengthening immunity, providing a general strengthening effect on the body;
• removal of toxic substances;
• reducing organ inflammation;
• beneficial effect on the condition of the bronchi, their cleansing;
• decrease in body temperature;
• improvement of the cardiovascular and digestive systems;
• prevention of infectious diseases;
• positive effect on body weight due to low calorie content.

A set of necessary products

To prepare a he althy and tasty dogwood wine at home according to a standard classic recipe, you will need the following set of ingredients:

• two and a half liters of purified drinking water;
• two kilos of fresh, quality dogwood berries;
• 600 grams of white sugar;
• a handful of raisins (you can replace it with 50 grams of wine yeast).

For other options for making dogwood wine, depending on the requirements of the recipe, you may need additional ingredients such as honey, raspberries, grapes, lemon and others.

How to make dogwood wine at home

Depending on personal preferences, homemade dogwood wine can be prepared with or without the addition of special wine yeast. In the second case, the use of raspberries or grapes is relevant, on the surface of which whole colonies of “live” or “wild” yeasts live, which take an active part in the fermentation process.

Easy recipe without yeast

This easy recipe requires the following selection of ingredients:

• 3 kg dogwood berries;
• 1kg white granulated sugar;
• 4 liters of purified water;
• a handful of dried grapes.

The first step will be the preparation of natural wine starter based on raisins (it can be replaced with fresh raspberries). For this you need:

1. Pour a tablespoon of sugar into a bottle, cup or any other small container and pour warm water in the amount of one quarter of a standard glass.
2. Add raisins or raspberries to the sweet liquid. It is not necessary to wash the berries first. When using raisins, it is important that they are not treated with sulfur smoke.
3. Cover the top of the container with a piece of gauze and hide it in a warm and dark place for two days.
4. Natural sourdough starter will be ready to use as soon as foam forms on the surface.

After that, you can immediately proceed directly to the winemaking process:

1. Search through dogwood berries and throw out poor-quality specimens if caught.
2. Hand mash the berries.
3. Add cooked starter with raisins or raspberries to the resulting berry mass.
4. Add 500 g of sugar.
5. Mix the ingredients well and cover the container with gauze.
6. Take the container to a dark and warm place for another two days. This time will be enough for the wort fermentation process to begin.
7. Strain the wort through cheesecloth and discard the pulp.
8. Add 300 g of granulated sugar to the liquid and mix to dissolve all its grains.
9. Make sure that the container is no more than 75% full, and close it with a water seal.
10. Put back in a dark place and stand for a week.
11. After this period, add the remaining 200 g of sugar. Then the fermentation period will continue, which will last from a month to two.
12. When bubbles and foam stop forming on the surface of the container, the wine drink must be drained.
13. Next, you need to take a sample and, if necessary, add sugar or alcohol. When adding sugar to the container, install the water seal again - if the fermentation process continues, this will prevent the container from exploding.
14. Pour the wine into bottles, cork and put away in a dark place for subsequent aging.

Yeast variant

The recipe with the addition of yeast is a classic.

Step by step cooking process:

1. Take a container with a wide neck and place pre-mashed dogwood berries in it.
2. After a quarter of an hour, pour the berry mass with a liter of water.
3. Keep a couple of minutes, after mixing.
4. Add wine yeast and stir again.
5. Remove the container in a dark place with a temperature in the range of +20-25 °С and cover with gauze.
6. The wort fermentation process will start in a few days. Signs such as foam, hissing and a characteristic smell will let you know about this.
7. At this stage, the berries are strained and discarded.
8. Add 150 g of granulated sugar to the dogwood juice that has begun to ferment, mix well and pour into a glass bottle for fermentation, filling it three fourths.
9. Close the neck of the bottle with a water seal or an ordinary rubber glove, after which it is imperative to check the tightness.
10. Rearrange the container in a dark place with a temperature of up to +25 degrees Celsius.
11. After five days, drain 300 ml of juice from the bottle and dissolve 100 g of sugar in it, and then pour the syrup back.
12. Repeat the same procedure after another 3-4 days.
13. About three months later, the fermentation process will be completed, the wort will become lighter, and sediment will remain at the bottom of the tank.
14. The wine should be poured into a new glass container, being careful not to get sediment.
15. Add sugar if desired and bottle.

How to store the finished product correctly and how long

The shelf life of homemade dogwood wine is from 4 to 6 years. Drink bottles should be stored in a dark and cool place.

Every year it is recommended to remove the sediment from the finished wine so that the refined taste does not deteriorate.

Contraindications for use

Cornwood homemade wine may be contraindicated in extremely rare cases - during pregnancy, increased acidity of gastric juice and nervous overexcitation.

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