Cranberries in their characteristics - not quite suitable for winemaking berry. Due to the increased acidity (3.25%) and low sugar content (3.6%), its juice must be diluted during preparation. This significantly reduces the activity of the raw materials and gives the finished drink some wateriness. Nevertheless, in many northern regions of Russia wine from cranberries has long been prepared using various methods and secrets. For example, consider some of the most interesting options.
Natural product
To make cranberry wine not so acidic, it is better to use berries collected after the first frost. At this time, they contain the maximum amount of sugar, which positively affects the quality of the feedstock. For work, you need to take 5 kilograms of fresh cranberries, sugar and pure water.
The cooking process takes place in several stages:
- First, the berries need to be sorted out, removing from them all the garbage and rotted fruits.
- Then they need to grind, turning into a homogeneous mass.
- Mix the crushed product with water, add a pound of sugar and place in a deep container. In order to avoid getting into it mechanical impurities, it is better to cover the surface with gauze.
- Place the container in a dark, warm place for five days. In this case, the contents should be stirred daily with a hand or a wooden spoon.
- After time, a dense “hat” will appear on the surface, consisting of pulp. Then the liquid must be carefully drained into another clean dish. It is better to use a glass bottle for this. This will make it easier to control the process. It is not necessary to throw out the pulp. It should be squeezed a couple of times through several layers of gauze and also added to the fermentation tank.
- Add 2 kilograms of sugar to the resulting wort and mix the contents. From above, pull a rubber glove over the neck of the bottle, pricking each finger with a needle. She will play the role of a water seal. The container should be put in a dark place and kept there at room temperature (25 degrees).
- After 4 days, part of the liquid must be drained, add one and a half kilograms of sugar to it and the resulting solution is again placed in the bottle.
- After waiting 3-4 days, the procedure must be repeated. At this stage, the remaining sugar (1 kilogram) is consumed.
- After this, the product must be left alone. The process of fermentation lasts, as a rule, from 3 to 4.5 weeks. By the end of the term, a dense precipitate should appear at the bottom, and the rubber glove will settle. This indicates the end of fermentation.
- Then clean wine must be carefully drained into jars and put them in a cool dark place for a period of 3 to 6 months. This time is required for aging the product.
At the end of the process, sediment may again appear. Pure product must also be drained through a tube. So you get real cranberry wine. Now the finished product can be poured into ordinary glass bottles and stored for several years in a cool place, periodically taking it out to enjoy a pleasant taste and delicate aroma.
No leaven
In principle, a good cranberry wine can be made without sourdough. For this, the products will need to be taken in the following ratio: 4.1 liters of cranberry juice, 3.6 kilograms of sugar and 1.4 liters of water.
Process technology will also change:
- First, well-washed raw materials should be placed in clean cold water for 50 minutes.
- After this, the berries should be carefully crushed. The resulting cake together with the juice should be left to ferment for 13 days.
- Pour sugar, mix and place contents in a bottle. Pull a rubber glove with pierced fingers over the neck. In this position, the mixture should wander for another 29 days.
- At the last stage, the finished drink must be cleaned of impurities. You can use gauze for this. The procedure can be repeated several times.
After this, the product must be poured into special containers (bottles) and put in a cool place to ripen. In a month and a half, the wine will be completely ready for consumption.
Fortified drink
Those who prefer stronger drinks can try making homemade cranberry wine with the addition of alcohol. This method has been used quite often recently. For work you will need: 1 kilogram of berries, a liter of water, 425 grams of sugar and a liter of pure alcohol (96%).
In this case, you must perform the following actions:
- Washed and well-dried berries must first be chopped. To do this, you can use a blender or a meat grinder.
- Arrange the mashed potatoes in jars, add alcohol and leave for 7 days, so that the product can be well infused.
- Pour the required amount of water and leave the mixture to ripen for another week.
- Dilute the measured amount of sugar in two liters of water and add the resulting solution to the tincture.
- Pour the mixture into the pan, put it on the fire and heat to 70 degrees.
- After the mass has cooled, it must be filtered.
- The finished wine can only be bottled and allowed to stand for at least another day.
It turns out a fortified drink with a pleasant cranberry flavor and aroma.
Home recipes
Not everyone has the opportunity in ordinary life to get pure alcohol. Therefore, usually people use those products that are easy to find in the store. A good fortified cranberry wine at home can be made, for example, with the addition of regular vodka. At the same time, the taste of the drink practically does not change. For this method, you will need the following ingredients: for every 500 grams of berries, 1 liter of vodka and water, as well as 1 kilogram of sugar.
Prepare a drink as follows:
- First, fresh berries must be sorted out, washed, and then sprinkled on a colander so that all the water can drain. This will take some time.
- Transfer cranberries into a deep container and pour with sugar. Previously, each berry must be pricked with a needle.
- After half an hour, juice will appear on the surface. During this time, you need to have time to boil the water and let it cool.
- Pour the contents of the container into a three-liter jar. Add vodka and prepared water, mix, and then cover tightly with a lid.
- Put the bank in a dark place and keep it there for at least a month. In this case, the room temperature should be approximately 20 degrees. The product can withstand longer. The taste of it will only get better.
After this, the mixture must be carefully filtered through a cloth. On the table, such a drink is best served in a faceted decanter to better emphasize its unusual color.
Sweet wine
Despite the increased acidity of the berries, you can make a delicious sweet homemade cranberry wine. The recipe for this product can be selected for both men and women. In the first case, you will need: 1 bottle (0.5 liter) of vodka, a glass of sugar and a half glass of berries.
The method of preparing the drink is extremely simple:
- Pure berries must first be kneaded, and then mixed with sugar.
- Transfer the resulting mass to a liter jar, add vodka and leave for two weeks, tightly covering it with a plastic lid. Throughout the time, the composition must be shaken periodically.
- After this, the jar should be refrigerated for a day, and then strain twice through several layers of gauze. A sharp temperature drop is needed so that the finished product does not have an unpleasant gelatinous residue.
Women are known to enjoy sweeter wines. Therefore, before tasting, in the finished product you need to add a syrup made from two glasses of water and sugar.
Such an addition will positively affect the shade of the drink. It will become more pronounced. If the wine still seems too strong, then this procedure can be repeated several more times until the desired result is achieved.
Non-waste production
The disadvantage of all previous methods of making wine is that the berries have to be thrown away after processing. This is very wasteful given the tremendous benefits of cranberries. Thrifty housewives should like an interesting option, as a result of which you can also make a very tasty wine from cranberries at home. The recipe is good in that it eliminates all fermentation, which takes a lot of time. For work you will need:
sugar, fresh cranberries and vodka (you can also take alcohol or moonshine).
The cooking process consists of three stages:
- First of all, clean berries must be folded in a basin and covered with sugar. In this state, cranberries should stand for a day. Housewives act in a similar way when they make jam.
- The next day, you will notice that a large amount of juice is formed in the pelvis. It must be drained.
- Combine the sweet product with vodka in the right amount. Everything will depend on personal taste preferences.
And from the remaining berries you can make an excellent jam.