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Gooseberries are often grown in personal plots “for the complete set”, at best, eating a few berries per season. Perhaps this is facilitated by sharp thorns, which make it difficult to harvest the crop without getting injured. Meanwhile, 100 g of gooseberries contain only 44 calories and 10 g of carbohydrates, but there are many vitamins and microelements. Its berries are used for obesity, metabolic disorders, as a diuretic, choleretic or laxative.
Gooseberries go well with dairy dishes, cheese, and are used to prepare sauces served with fish or meat. Jams are made from it; it is from this berry that “royal jam” is prepared according to a special recipe. Homemade gooseberry wine is not inferior to the best drinks made from grapes.
Benefits of gooseberry wine
It’s worth talking about the benefits of alcoholic drinks only when you have made them yourself from self-grown raw materials. In addition, you need to drink wine wisely - women can drink one glass a day, men - two.
So, drinks made from gooseberries have the following healing properties:
- They contain organic acids, vitamins and minerals.
- Reduces cholesterol levels.
- Improves digestion.
- Restore salt balance.
- They have an antimicrobial effect. For example, if you mix water and gooseberry wine 1:1, then after an hour, many pathogenic microorganisms will die in it.
Raw materials and containers for wine production
Gooseberries that are used to make wine must be ripe, but not overripe. Green ones contain an excessive amount of acid and little sugar, while over-exposed ones emit a lot of methyl alcohol, which is harmful to humans, and ferment poorly. All rotten, moldy, unripe berries are mercilessly rejected so as not to spoil the drink. In addition, after collection, it is advisable to use the raw materials within 24 hours, otherwise the beneficial substances and aroma will begin to evaporate.
As inventory you will need:
- glass bottles;
- container for wort fermentation;
- water seal or rubber glove;
- gauze.
The dishes for fermenting gooseberry wine should be washed well with hot water with the addition of soda, and the glass bottles should be sterilized.
Making wine from gooseberries
You can make table or dessert wine from gooseberries at home, it all depends on how much sugar you add. If you add alcohol or cognac after fermentation, you can get a fortified drink. Gooseberry wines lighten well, taste like white grape wines, and depending on the variety, can be colored in golden and pink shades.
There are many ways to make gooseberry wine at home. The recipes we offer deserve attention because they allow you to make a high-quality drink and are easy to follow. See for yourself.
If the recipe involves the use of wine yeast, which is difficult to buy, you can replace it with sourdough; methods for its preparation are described in the article "A simple grape wine recipe".
Table wine
Dry gooseberry wine is easy to make at home; it will be light, aromatic and tasty. It is worth noting that this drink is very popular in France, and even the inhabitants of this country, who are traditionally involved in winemaking, know a lot about alcohol.
Ingredients
You need:
- gooseberries – 3 kg;
- wine yeast or sourdough – 90 g;
- water – 2 l.
Cooking method
Grind selected gooseberries in any convenient way, you can even turn them through a meat grinder.
Pour water into the fruit pulp, stir until smooth, add yeast or starter.
Cover the dishes with gauze and place in a warm place. Fermentation should take place at 20-27 degrees for 3-5 days. Stir the wort with a wooden spatula every 8 hours, as the rising pulp impedes the access of oxygen and prevents the yeast from acting.
Squeeze out the pulp and pour the juice into glass bottles, filling them no more than 3/4 full. Install a water seal. If you don't have one, use a regular rubber glove and prick one finger.
After fermentation is over, the water seal stops releasing bubbles, and the glove falls off, taste the wine. If it is very sour, dilute the sugar with a small amount of wine (no more than 50 g per liter of drink) and return it to the bottle.
Reinstall the water seal or put on gloves and leave until fermentation stops. If you are satisfied with the taste of the drink, remove it from the sediment.
Seal and place the drink in a cool place for a month. Every two weeks, rack the wine to remove any sediment.
Pour into bottles, cork, and refrigerate to ripen for 4 months. Then pour into a clean container, seal tightly and store horizontally.
Dessert wine
We offer you a step-by-step recipe for a delicious semi-sweet wine that will decorate any table. If you want to get a drink with a rich taste and strong aroma, you need to prepare it from black gooseberries.
Ingredients
Take:
- black gooseberries – 2 kg;
- water – 2 l;
- sugar – 4 cups.
The drink is prepared without yeast.
Cooking method
Mash the gooseberries or chop them using a meat grinder.
Make syrup from water and sugar.
Transfer the berry puree into a fermentation bowl, filling it no more than 2/3 full.
Pour in the cooled syrup and stir well, cover with gauze.
Place in a warm place for 6-7 days to ferment.
Mix the pulp thoroughly with a wooden spatula three times a day.
Strain the wort, squeeze out the pulp, pour into glass bottles, filling them 3/4 full.
Install a water seal or wear a punctured rubber glove.
Leave to ferment in a warm place.
When the release of carbon dioxide stops, taste the wine.
If necessary, add sugar and set to continue fermentation.
When you are satisfied with the taste of the drink, remove the wine from the sediment, bottle it, and put it in a cool place to ripen for 2 months.
Simple recipe
Even a beginner can make gooseberry wine at home. A simple recipe will allow you to drink it immediately after removing the sediment.
Ingredients
Take:
- gooseberries – 3 kg;
- water – 3 l;
- sugar – 2 kg.
Cooking method
Grind fresh berries and cover with sugar for 2-3 hours.
Pour in slightly warm water, stir thoroughly and place in a warm place for fermentation for 3-4 days. Stir the pulp at least three times a day.
Strain and squeeze out the wort without installing a water seal, leave in a warm room for 5 days.
Remove the wine from the sediment, pour into bottles, cap them and refrigerate.
This simple recipe will allow you to try the drink in just 3 days.
Gooseberry jam wine
You can cook great jam wine gooseberries. It’s not scary if it becomes sugary or sour – the main thing is that there is no mold on the surface.
Ingredients
You will need:
- gooseberry jam – 1 l;
- water – 1 l;
- raisins – 120 g.
Cooking method
Boil and cool the water, combine it with the jam and mix well. Add unwashed raisins.
Cover the fermentation dish with clean gauze and place in a dark, warm place for 10 days. Stir the pulp several times daily.
Strain and squeeze out the wort, pour into clean glass containers, install a water seal or put on a punctured rubber glove, and place in a warm place to ferment.
Taste the juice from time to time; if you don’t find it sweet enough, add sugar at the rate of 50 g per liter.
When you are satisfied with the taste of the drink and fermentation has stopped, pour it into clean bottles and transfer to a cool place for aging.
After 2 months, the wine can be strained and hermetically sealed.
Conclusion
As you can see, it is not difficult to make wine from gooseberries. Prepare the drink according to any recipe and enjoy its exquisite taste.
