Part 9. My wine

As I already said, in addition to those described above, there is another method of extracting juice from fruits - this is the method that I use. True, this method is only suitable for preparing fruit and berry wines.

It is similar to the pulp fermentation method, but it is also noticeably different.

I do not put all the pulp into fermentation followed by pressing. I don’t even have that opportunity. Where can I get so many berries at once? This process is extended over time for me: I collected some of the berries, weighed them, washed them, crushed them with a small amount of sugar and poured them into a 10-liter bottle with a wide neck. And so that the pulp, God forbid, does not sour, I close the bottle with a lid with a “water seal” from the first day. The air in the jar above the pulp is quite enough to “start” the fermentation process.

Naturally, I write everything down in my diary - both the number of berries and the amount of added sugar. After a couple of days, fermentation begins in the bottle: the juice separates, the pulp rises upside down, but since the bottle has a stopper with a “water seal”, the pulp does not sour. Whenever possible, to better separate the juice from the pulp and speed up the reaction, I periodically stir the contents of the bottle.

After the next collection of berries, I add another portion of pulp to the bottle and so on until there is as much of it as is needed according to calculation(if there is not enough space in one bottle for the estimated amount of pulp, we take two).

By this time, active fermentation is already taking place in the bottle: the pulp rises up, and juice, or rather our wort, collects from below. We pour this wort through a funnel and a fine sieve into a 20-liter bottle with a narrow neck. And so that the pulp does not spill into the sieve while draining the wort, we first put a lid with holes on the neck of the bottle (such lids, of different types, are sold and used for canning). We immediately close the 20-liter bottle with our wort with a stopper with a “water seal” - here the reaction is already in full swing.

Next, add water to a 10-liter bottle with a wide neck. We add water so that the mixture of water and pulp does not occupy a volume above the lower edge of the bottle hanger - otherwise, as a result of active fermentation, the pulp may crawl through the neck.

Close the neck of the bottle with a stopper with a “water seal”. Stir the contents of the bottle periodically.

After 2-3 days, pour the wort into a 20-liter bottle, and add water again to the 10-liter bottle. We repeat this procedure until we fill our 20-liter bottle with wort, taking into account the volume that needs to be left for sugar.

We record the amount of added water in the log and make sure that the total amount of added water does not exceed the calculated amount. Although, more water won’t work anyway – it won’t fit into the bottle.

Do not add the calculated amount of sugar immediately. We added the first part at the pulp preparation stage, and it amounted to approximately 10% of the calculated amount of required sugar.

The next 20% is added during the process of filling the bottle with wort, dissolving the sugar in the wort before pouring it into a 20-liter bottle.

The next 20% is added after the completion of the active fermentation phase.

Well, we add the remaining 50% as the sugar content of the wort decreases - tasting the wort. As a rule, I add the last 10-20% of sugar when the fermentation process has already subsided. In order not to mess around with percentages, I add sugar about 1 kg at a time.

I would like to emphasize that you cannot add sugar to the wort by simply pouring it into the bottle - it will remain at the bottom, not participating in the reaction.

It is necessary to dissolve it in the wort before pouring it into the bottle. If the bottle is already full, you need to pour part of the wort out of the bottle, dissolve the required amount of sugar in it and pour the wort back into the bottle.

As can be seen from the above, my method of extracting juice from the pulp is that I do not press the pulp, but with the help of preliminary fermentation of the pulp and water, I actually wash out the juice and other substances we need from the fruit. The last wort that I poured from a 10-liter bottle into a 20-liter bottle has practically no taste or color of berries - just a reminder. Thus, I increase the yield of juice and other useful substances from the pulp, compared to pressing.

In addition, using pulp, wide-necked bottles and stoppers with a “water seal” for pre-fermentation, I free my hands - I don’t need to rush - my wort will not sour. The process of setting the wort for fermentation is not limited in time and can last a week or two, and if necessary, a month. Considering that homemade wine is made by busy people, and they make it in their free time from their main jobs, I think this is an important indicator.

Fruit and berry wine prepared using my technology is in no way inferior to wine prepared using classical technology.

At the same time, the procedure for extracting juice from berries is simplified, its yield increases, and the process of setting the wort for fermentation is not limited in time. In addition, the yield of coloring and aromatic substances from the berries increases, which has a positive effect on the wine.

However, this technology is not suitable for preparing natural wine, since water is not used when preparing the must. It is also not suitable for making wine from “Isabel” grape varieties, since the skins of their berries contain undesirable substances that will end up in the wort during fermentation.

If we talk about the components of my favorite wine, it is as follows:

• Black currant 60-70%
• Red currant (cherry blossom) 20-30%
• Raspberry 10-20%

This concludes the topic “Preparing wine” and moves on to the next one – “Diseases of wines.”