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Viburnum is an amazing berry that only becomes tastier after frost. Bright brushes decorate the bushes even in winter, unless, of course, they are eaten by birds. And they are great hunters for them. And not without reason: this berry is a real storehouse of vitamins and minerals, it has healing properties. You can save all this by preparing various preparations from it, for example, homemade viburnum wine. Its unusual, slightly tart taste, pronounced aroma, rich dark color will not leave even true connoisseurs of alcoholic beverages indifferent.
There are many ways to make homemade viburnum wine. Everyone can choose the recipe that suits them best.
Preparing the berries
It is better to pick berries when they are already covered with frost. The excessive astringency that is inherent in viburnum will go away, and the sweetness necessary for fermentation will increase. The berries will become softer and release healing juice better. We use them on the day of collection, freeing them from branches and removing all spoiled and damaged ones. To make wine from viburnum at home, you do not need to wash them, otherwise the wild yeast that is present on the surface will be washed off.
Dry viburnum wine
To enhance fermentation, add raisins to the berry raw material.
We will need:
- viburnum berries - 2 kg;
- sugar - 600 g;
- raisins - 2 handfuls;
- boiled water - 3.4 l.
We prepare the berries, grind them using a blender or meat grinder, put them in a capacious bottle with a wide neck, add 0.2 kg of sugar, all the raisins and 30 ml of water.
They form a characteristic bluish coating on dried grapes. Only these raisins are suitable for wine.
Cover the neck of the bottle with gauze and leave it in a warm, dark place to ferment.
Do not close the bottle hermetically; fermentation requires access to oxygen.
The appearance of foam, which happens after about three days, is a signal of the start of fermentation. Strain the infusion into another bowl.
Add the remaining water and 0.2 kg of sugar. We leave the mixed wort to ferment under a hydraulic seal. If you don’t have one, a rubber glove with two holes pierced with a needle will do. After 3 days, you need to pour a couple of glasses of wort into another container, dissolve the remaining sugar in it, and pour the solution into the total mass.
The wine will take about 30 days to ferment. It should take place without access to light and in warmth. Gas formation should almost end by this time. Carefully pour the wine into clean glass bottles using a straw.
Viburnum wine matures within a month. The room should be cool.
Dessert viburnum wine
It is richer and contains more sugar.
Required:
- viburnum berries - 2 kg;
- water - 3/4 l;
- sugar - approximately 400 g.
Grind the prepared berries, add 0.1 kg of sugar, cover the jar with gauze and leave it warm until it starts to ferment. After three days, squeeze the berries well and dilute the resulting juice with water.Add 0.1 kg of sugar to the wine wort for each liter. We close the dishes with a water seal.
After fermentation is complete, add sugar in the same proportion: 0.1 kg per liter. If it is not finished, we add it again after a few days. To add sugar, you need to pour a little wine must into a clean separate container, stir until dissolved and pour back.
We keep the wine in a container under a water seal for another two weeks after the end of fermentation. Pour into bottles without disturbing the sediment. If this happens, let the wine settle and drain again. Store in a cool place.
Viburnum liqueur
This viscous sweet wine is especially popular with women. Due to the addition of alcohol, the drink turns out to be quite strong.
To prepare it you will need:
- berries - 2 kg;
- sugar -1.5 kg;
- alcohol or vodka - 1l;
- water - 0.5 l.
Pour boiling water over the prepared berries for 30 minutes. Drain the water, pour the berries into a jar, add a third of the sugar, mix, cover the jar with a lid so that it fits tightly. Keep it warm for three days. Add vodka or alcohol, close it again and place it on a sunny windowsill.
Prepare sugar syrup from water according to the norm and the rest of the sugar. It needs to be dissolved and the resulting syrup boiled. Turn off after 5 minutes. Be sure to remove the foam. Add the cooled syrup to the tincture and mix well. Keep it in a dark and warm place for another month.
Pour the prepared strained liqueur into beautiful bottles. It can be stored for up to 3 years.
Viburnum liqueur with lemon juice
Viburnum liqueur with lemon juice has not only a refreshing taste, but also pronounced notes of citrus. It’s easy to make this viburnum wine at home, as the recipe is quite simple.
It will require:
- viburnum berries - 700 g;
- vodka - 1 l;
- sugar syrup from 150 g of sugar and a glass of water;
- 2-3 lemons.
Wash the prepared berries, crush them and leave for a week in a dark, cool place, pouring vodka. Strain through a fine sieve. We make syrup from water and sugar. After preparing the syrup, let it cool and mix with juice squeezed from lemon.
We continue to insist for a couple more weeks. Then we finally filter the liquor through a cotton-gauze filter. We store bottled liquor in the basement.
Conclusion
Making wine at home is a way to get drinks that simply cannot be bought in the store. In terms of their taste, they often surpass them, and in terms of the variety of ingredients and the use of non-traditional berries and fruits, they are far ahead.
