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Autumn is the time to prune grapevines. Leaves and shoots, of which there are many, are usually thrown away. But in vain. Few people know that they can be used to make good wine, and if you try really hard, it will turn out sparkling, akin to everyone’s favorite champagne.
The palm in the production of this original drink belongs to the gardener Yarushenkov. He was the one who started doing grape wine with the addition of shoots and leaves. The recipe has been improved. Now the green mass of grapes is the main, and sometimes the only component of the future wine, not counting sugar and water.
At home, you can make wine from grape leaves, both white and rose.
White wine
It will require:
- 7 liters of water;
- 2 kg of green grape mass;
- for each liter of the resulting wort, 100 g of sugar;
- a handful of unwashed raisins;
- ammonia 3 g.
To prepare the drink, boil water in a large saucepan with a volume of at least 10 liters. Let's place a green grape mass there, consisting of leaves and shoots. The mass must be well kneaded so that it is completely immersed in water. We insulate the pan removed from the heat well. It should stand like this for 3 days. During this time, the leaves will release juice into the water, and it will acquire a brown color and sour taste. We received the must for further preparation of wine from grape leaves.
Now you need to strain it well into another bowl. We squeeze out the leaves and throw them away. They have done their job and will no longer be needed. The amount of wort needs to be measured and for each liter of it add approximately 100 g of sugar.
When adding it, you need to taste the wort. The quality of the future wine depends on how correctly the proportions are adjusted. The sweetness of the wort should resemble compote.
In order for the fermentation process to proceed correctly, the sugar content of the wort must be at least 21%. If you have a special device, the so-called sugar hydrometer, it is easy to measure sugar content. It makes sense to purchase such a device when wine is prepared in large quantities. There is an old folk method for measuring the sugar content of wort.
How to adjust the sugar content in wine must
Pour a small part of the wort into a separate container. Wash a fresh chicken egg and immerse it in the wort. With a sufficient concentration of sugar, it does not sink and always turns the wide side up. By the area that is visible on the surface, they judge whether sugar needs to be added and how much. If the area of the visible part of the egg is the size of a five-kopeck coin, then there is enough sugar and nothing needs to be added. If it is the size of a 3-kopeck coin, you need to add 100 to 150 g of sugar per 10 liters of wort. If its size is even smaller and does not exceed 1 kopeck, you need to add 300 g of sugar for the same amount of wort. It is clear that we are talking about coins from the Soviet period.
Let's return to the process of making wine from grape leaves. You need to throw a handful of dried raisins into the wort.
Homemade raisins will do.If you don’t have any, buy Central Asian raisins, which are sold by private traders. “Proper” raisins can be recognized by their bluish coating; store-bought dried fruit does not have it.
Be sure to add 3 g of ammonia to the wort. This seemingly strange additive is necessary in order to increase the nitrogen content in it, and thereby enhance fermentation. Strong fermentation is the key to tasty wine. It will begin in 1-2 days. At first, it needs access to oxygen. Therefore, we do not cover the container with anything. The process of rapid fermentation takes from 8 to 12 days, depending on the temperature.
If the cap on the wort has decreased in size and become darker, this is a signal that vigorous fermentation has ended. It's time to pour the wort into containers for further quiet fermentation and close them with a water seal. When this is not available, you can use a clean rubber glove with a pair of pierced holes. It needs to be secured well so that it doesn’t tear off.
Quiet fermentation lasts until the wort brightens. By this time, sediment will form at the bottom of the container. Both it and the wort are poured into plastic bottles with a capacity of 1.5 - 2 liters. We close with corks.
Gases are released strongly at this stage. If the bottle is very hard to the touch, you need to release the gas to prevent it from bursting.
As soon as the contents of the bottle become transparent, it’s time to drain the wine from the sediment, that is, carefully pour it into another bottle, leaving the sediment in the old one.
The process of draining the sludge can be repeated three times, each time waiting wine clarification.
The finished wine should be stored in a cool basement.
The alcohol content in the resulting wine is 10-12%.
Pink wine
Its preparation is generally no different from the previous recipe. The addition of raspberries will give it a pink color and a pleasant flavor. It must be crushed and allowed to ferment for three days while the grape leaves are infused.
Add the strained raspberry starter to the finished wort.
In this case, you don’t need to add raisins. Raspberries will provide the wild yeast necessary for fermentation.
The further cooking process is similar to that indicated in the previous recipe.
Sparkling wine based on grape leaves
Everyone loves sparkling wines. A light fizzy drink creates a feeling of celebration. This wine can be prepared at home.
To make it you will need two voluminous pans.
Ingredients:
- water - 12 l;
- green grape shoots and leaves - 2 kg;
- sugar;
- dry yeast in the amount of 3-5 teaspoons or crushed grapes - 2-3 kg.
At the first stage we proceed in the same way as in the previous recipe. We measure the strained wort and add a glass of sugar for each liter.
After it is dissolved, the wort is poured into bottles, onto which rubber plugs with pierced holes are installed. They must be stored strictly horizontally and in a cool room. Every day the bottles are turned 1/10 around their axis. The fermentation process lasts about a month.
The finished wine should be kept for maturation for at least 4 months, but it acquires a real bouquet only after a year.
Homemade wine is not only an excellent alternative to store-bought wine. It does not contain any impurities or preservatives, so it brings much more benefits. You just need to consume it in moderation.
At what temperature should wine from grape leaves undergo quiet fermentation?