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It is difficult to imagine at least one private house in the southern region that does not have grapes growing next to it. This plant can not only supply sweet berries to our table. Aromatic vinegar, raisins and churchkhela, so beloved by children, are prepared from grapes. Its berries serve as raw materials for the production of alcoholic beverages - wines, cognacs, brandy. It is difficult to say how many grape varieties exist today; it is known for sure that in the territory of the former Soviet Union alone there are more than 3,000 of them, but this number is constantly growing. Taking into account our specifics, breeders are breeding vines that can survive and produce crops in harsh climates.
Perhaps the most famous and popular viticultural product is wine. In southern countries, for example, in France, Italy or Spain, entire regions have been growing and processing sunberries for centuries. Although our climate differs from the Mediterranean, anyone can make wine from Isabella grapes at home.
Isabelle grape varieties
Isabella is a variety of American origin, obtained by natural hybridization of Labrusca grapes (Vitis labrusca), which in English-speaking countries is called fox. It is distinguished by dark blue berries with thick skin, sweet slimy pulp and a characteristic strawberry aroma. Few people like the specific taste of Isabella, but the wines and juice produced from it are excellent.
Through further hybridization of Labrusca grapes with European species and directed selection, many varieties were obtained, the most famous among us: Lydia, Seneca, American Concord, Ontario, Buffalo, Early Pineapple, Niagara. Their color can vary from green with a subtle purple or pink tinge to dark blue or purple. The slimy berries and flavor remain unchanged. The advantage of isabella varieties is their productivity, high resistance to typical grape diseases and the fact that they do not need shelter for the winter. The frozen vine quickly recovers, producing many new shoots.
Isabella and its related varieties are classified as wine-table varieties, which means that the berries can be eaten fresh or processed into juice or wine. Now there is an opinion that eating Labrusca grapes is dangerous to health. Allegedly, Isabella contains harmful substances, and processed products contain a lot of methanol. It is not true. In fact, almost all alcoholic beverages contain small amounts of wood alcohol. Its concentration in Isabella wine is almost half lower than officially permitted in the EU countries.
Perhaps the ban on the use of Labrusca grapes is due to protectionist policies, and nothing more.In the territory of the post-Soviet republics, the ban on Isabella does not apply; it grows in almost every private southern (and not so southern) courtyard, annually delighting the owners with a rich harvest.
Harvesting grapes and preparing containers
In order to make Isabella wine at home, you need to choose the right time for harvesting. This is a late variety; usually the clusters are harvested in mid to late autumn, 2-3 days after watering or rain. Calculate the time so that you start processing no later than 2 days later, otherwise the Isabella grapes will lose some of the moisture, aroma and nutrients, which will make the wine much worse.
Pick off the bunches and discard any green or rotten berries. Unripe grapes sour, therefore, making wine cannot be done without adding sugar and water. This will not only worsen the taste of the drink, but will also increase the content of the same notorious wood alcohol (methanol). If you make wine with the addition of overripe Isabella berries, you risk getting very aromatic grape vinegar instead. So, high-quality raw materials are an indispensable condition for the preparation of high-quality alcohol.
Oak barrels are considered the best containers in winemaking. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to purchase due to high cost or lack of space. Isabella wine can be prepared at home in glass containers of different capacities - from 3 to 50 liters.
Before use, large jars are washed with hot water and soda and rinsed, and three- or five-liter jars are sterilized.To prevent oxygen from entering the fermentation container of the Isabella grapes and preventing them from turning into vinegar, you will need a water seal.
If a barrel is still used to prepare grape wine, it must be processed as described in our article "A simple grape wine recipe", here, if necessary, you will find sourdough recipes.
Coloring wines made from Isabella grapes
Isabella can be used to make red, rose or white wine. You don't need to make any special efforts for this. The main difference between white grape wine and red wine is that it ferments in pure juice, without skins and seeds (pulp). When fully prepared, the resulting drink is light, devoid of astringency and rich aroma.
- Before you do white wine from grapes Isabella, the juice is separated immediately using a hand press or other device, therefore, the stage of pulp fermentation is skipped. The skin remaining after squeezing still contains a lot of aromatic liquid; in the Caucasus, chacha is prepared from it.
- When producing red wine, Isabella grapes are crushed and fermented along with the pulp, sometimes returning part of the stems (no more than 1/3) to the container. The longer the skins and seeds release the substances they contain to the juice, the richer the color and taste of the resulting drink will be. Typically, fermentation lasts from 3 to 6 days, but the wort can be infused on pulp for up to 12 days (no more).
- How to make rose wine from Isabella grapes, which is sort of intermediate between red and white? It's simple. The juice ferments with the pulp for a day, then it is squeezed out. Isabella wine will take on a pink tint and taste slightly tart.
A little about adding sugar and water
Surely residents of the southern regions are perplexed why sugar is present in recipes for Isabella wine, since the berries are already sweet. A classic of the genre – pure grapes set for fermentation! What about water? Yes, this is pure barbarity! Even if you add to the wort not the maximum allowed 500 g of foreign liquid per liter of juice, but less, the taste of the wine will greatly deteriorate.
In their own way, they are right, because under the southern sun, Isabella grapes gain 17-19% sugar. But the vine is grown even in Siberia, and there, excuse me, this figure barely reaches 8%. So residents of cold regions are surprised why Isabella grapes are called sweet everywhere. And here you can’t do without sugar or water when making wine.
Production of wine from Isabella
There is nothing difficult about making wine from Isabella grapes at home. There are many recipes. If you don’t add sugar, you’ll get a wonderful dry wine; if you add it, you’ll get dessert wine; to give it more strength after fermentation, you can add alcohol, vodka or cognac.
We will present methods for preparing white and red wine from Isabella grapes without foreign additives with photos, and also tell you how to make a sunny drink from sour berries.
Red wine from Isabella grapes
This simple recipe can be called universal for producing wine not only from Isabella grapes, but also from other varieties. We will assume that our berries are sweet (17-19%). If you do not like grape wines that are too dry, you can add a little sugar during the preparation process.
Ingredients
Take:
- Isabella grapes;
- sugar.
To produce dry wine, you don’t need sugar at all; to get dessert wine, for each liter of grape juice you will need to take from 50 to 150 g of sweetener (honey can serve as this).
Cooking method
We remind you that grapes cannot be washed before preparing wine. Pick the berries and throw away any green, rotten or moldy ones. Mash them in a clean bowl with your hands, a special masher or any other method, being careful not to damage the seeds (otherwise the finished wine will taste bitter).
Place the container with the prepared Isabella grapes in a warm place protected from sunlight. Fermentation should take place at 25-28 degrees. At 30, the microorganisms responsible for the process may die, and at 16, stop working. In both cases we will ruin the Isabella wine.
In about a day, active fermentation will begin and the grape pulp will float to the surface. It will need to be stirred several times a day with a wooden spatula.
After 3-5 days, strain the juice into a clean container, squeeze out the pulp, install a water seal or put on a rubber glove with one pricked finger. Place in a dark place with a temperature of 16-28 degrees.
If you just want to get a young light wine from Isabella grapes with a strength of no more than 10 revolutions, do not add anything else. After 12-20 days, fermentation will stop and it can be bottled.
If Isabella wine ferments poorly or you simply don’t like sour alcohol, drain off a little wort and add 50 g of sugar for each liter of drink prepared.
With the addition of 2% sugar you will increase the degree of wine from the grapes by 1%. But you won’t be able to raise its strength above 13-14% (the yeast will stop working). The recipe for fortified wines involves blending, in other words, adding alcohol to the finished product.
When the grape drink reaches the required sweetness and strength, and the water seal or glove stops releasing carbon dioxide, remove it from the sediment.
Pour the grape drink into clean bottles, take it to the cold and let it rest in a horizontal position for 2-3 months. First, once every 2 weeks, and then strain it less often. So the wine will become clear and will improve the taste, although you can drink it immediately after removing it from the sediment.
White wine from Isabella grapes
Isabella wine can only be called white wine only conditionally, since when squeezing the berries, some coloring matter will still end up in the wort.
Ingredients
You will need:
- Isabella grapes;
- sourdough – 1-3% of the total volume of wort;
- sugar – 50-150 g per liter.
To produce dry or table wine you will need no more than 2% starter, and dessert wine – 3%. A link to an article describing its preparation is given at the beginning of the article. If you manage to buy wine yeast, use it instead of sourdough according to the instructions.
Cooking method
Using a press, squeeze the juice from the Isabella grapes, combine it with the starter, pour into a clean glass bottle, and place the cut under a water seal or pull on a glove.
Further in our recipe, the wine is prepared in the same way as red.We simply skip the stage of fermentation on the pulp and subsequent decanting of the wort.
Isabella wine with added water and sugar
The taste of Isabella wine with the addition of water will be simpler than that made from pure grapes. But if the berries are sour, you don’t have to choose. Just try to add as little water as possible.
Ingredients
To make wine from sour berries you need:
- Isabella grapes;
- water – no more than 500 mg per 1 liter of juice;
- sugar – 50-200 g per 1 liter of juice;
- starter – 3% of the wort volume.
If you have wine yeast, replace the starter with it, using it according to the instructions.
Cooking method
Pick and sort the Isabella grapes, mash, dilute the pulp with water and pre-made starter, add sugar at the rate of 50 g per 1 kg of berries. The more acidic the original product, add more liquid, but don’t get carried away.
Place the grapes for fermentation in a warm place (25-28 degrees), making sure to stir the pulp several times a day.
If the wort ferments poorly, add sugar or water. You may need up to 12 days for the process to proceed satisfactorily. The wort is ready for extraction when the upper part of the pulp has completely released the juice.
Next, prepare Isabella wine as indicated in the first recipe. It is necessary to carefully ensure that fermentation proceeds intensively, if necessary, add water and add sugar.
Watch the video, which shows another way to make homemade wine from Isabella grapes:
Conclusion
The recipe turned out to be voluminous, but it will not be so difficult to prepare.Enjoy homemade wine, just remember that it can only be beneficial if consumed in moderation.
How to use the pressed pulp further?
Can I use stainless steel cookware?