One of the oldest crops in agriculture is, of course, grapes. And for all the time of its cultivation, mankind has bred more than seven thousand varieties of this fruit crop, each of which is unique in its own way. They all differ in taste and color, the size of berries and bunches, as well as other properties. Many varieties of this culture are canteens, that is, suitable for eating. But even more varieties are considered technical and make juice or wine from them.
But in order for the wine from the grapes to turn out to be of high quality, it is necessary to timely and correctly harvest the crop. At the same time, the main criterion for what type of homemade wine will be obtained from a particular variety is how much acid and sugar are in the berries. That is, when the berries have accumulated, for example, 7-9 g / l of acids and 17-20% sugar, then they will make white dry wine. And when the berries contain 6-8 g / l of acid and 21% sugar, they are suitable for making dessert wine.
But at the same time, wine made from grapes that are harvested too soon will turn out to be weak-tasting and tasteless. Too overripe grapes have a lot of sugar and few acids. And the wort from such berries, most likely, will not completely ferment. And even if it is fermented, then the wine will turn out to be too strong and heavy in taste. Therefore, grapes from which semisweet and dessert wines will be made are harvested fully ripe and even slightly overripe. Also, for some dessert wines, clusters are specially left to fade on the bushes. This gives the finished drink a pleasant raisin tone.
And to determine the full maturity of the grapes is easy. Ripe berries become soft, and the skin on them becomes thin. Also, this skin is easily separated from the pulp. And if the grape belongs to the white variety, then its berries are translucent. And if you crush such a berry, then the fingers should stick together. And if you crush a red berry, then your fingers will also be painted. Seeds, too, are easily separated from the pulp, and the comb stiffens and turns brown.
Also, in addition to the degree of ripeness of the berries, the weather at which this grape was harvested is of great importance. Indeed, wild yeast in sufficient quantity for fermentation is contained on its surface. In this regard, in order for these yeast to be preserved, grapes must be harvested in dry weather. Also, berries cannot be washed, even if they are all dusty. And in the process of making wine from grapes perfectly self-lightens and all this dust precipitates.
As already mentioned, there are a lot of grape varieties. And one of them is a variety called Isabella. It is widely distributed in Azerbaijan, Georgia, in Dagestan and in the Krasnodar Territory. Isabella also grows in Moldova and Ukraine. This late variety gives a good harvest, moreover, it is not afraid of fungal diseases and frosts. And it belongs to the table-technical varieties, that is, it is more suitable for the production of juice or table wine than for consumption. Therefore, homemade wine from Isabella grapes is produced both in the south and in the middle zone of Russia, as well as in other CIS countries, in which this variety has taken root well.
And to make wine from grapes of this variety can be every summer resident who himself can grow it on his site. There are several recipes for this. Some winemakers crush grapes along with branches, while others separate berries from these branches. This stage of domestic wine production is the most painstaking, but, nevertheless, very necessary. Since twigs or dry berries can ruin the taste of the future drink.
Next, ragged and sorted berries need to be folded into a large container. Keeping them like this for a long time is not worth it, as they may begin to roam ahead of time. Therefore, as early as possible you need to start crushing these berries. This is done by the usual pusher, which is in every kitchen and is intended for potatoes. And you need to crush the berries very carefully, so that each bursts and gives away its juice. After such manipulations, the cake will be at the bottom, and the juice - at the top. Then this juice needs to be drained using gauze or a colander. And if you add sugar to it, boil and preserve, then you can get a stock of good grape juice for the winter.
But if you proceed further, you can make good wine out of it. To do this, you need special dishes, which are perfect glass bottles with a volume of 5 to 20 liters. It is in them that the juice obtained must be drained. But it is impossible to fill them to the very top; 2/3 of the volume is enough. And in the rest of the space, Isabella wine will play.
In order for this process to proceed as expected, a special mechanism needs to be built. It consists of a cover with an opening into which a tube is inserted. And the other end of this tube sinks into a jar of water. The whole structure is sent to the cellar, the temperature in which should be about 5 degrees heat. And there the wine will ferment for about 2-3 months. All this time, the fermentation process must be carefully monitored. As often as possible, it is necessary to check whether water is bubbling in the jar, and periodically wash the jar, as well as change the water in it. And if this process fails, then you need to check the tightness of the lid, otherwise the wine may turn into wine vinegar. And in this way, by the New Year’s we’ll get a good home-made dry wine, which has a fortress of about five revolutions.