Getting a natural high-quality low-alcohol wine at home is a rather complicated and time-consuming process, especially for a beginner winemaker.
Making wine in red and white ways
In all cases, sourdough for wine is prepared almost the same. 10 days before the wine is delivered, it is necessary to collect ripe berries - raspberries or strawberries. Berries are taken only ripe and clean. You can not wash it with water - wash away the natural yeast that is on them.
For 1 liter of water we take 2 cups of berries and 1/2 cup of sugar. The resulting mixture must be shaken well and put in a dark place (at a temperature of + 22- + 24 degrees) to undergo the fermentation process. Preparation of sourdough will occur from 3 to 5 days. Then it must be filtered - and the leaven is ready.
In order for the wine to be prepared according to the white method, it is necessary to use those grape varieties that do not have the color of pulp and juice. The red method, on the contrary, requires the use of clusters with an intense color of juice and pulp having a specific aftertaste.
You should also pay attention to the fact that in the process of fermentation (by the red method) in the must, a pulp floats to the surface, forming the so-called “cap”. To prevent the appearance of mold on the "cap" it must be periodically (several times a day) mixed with the common fraction.
In order to prepare a drink in a large volume, a sourdough for wine will also be required in larger quantities. In such cases, fermentation of the wort and preparation of the final product is carried out in large barrels made of wood. In the process of preparing a small displacement, glass containers (cans or bottles) are mainly used.
How to make sourdough for wine?
As it was written earlier, the process of preparing a low alcohol drink at home is to some extent considered to be demanding for certain conditions. For example, the preparation of starter culture for wine is allowed once a season. Also, it cannot be stored for a period exceeding more than 10 days. To obtain quality wine, a proportion of 10 / 0.2-0.3 liters (wine / sourdough for wine) should be observed .
Often there is a direct need to put on fermentation the juice of those fruits and berries that ripen late. These are plums, apples, gooseberries or late-ripening grape varieties. In this case, the starter culture for wine is replaced by sediment, which is formed during the fermentation of the wort of earlier fruits. The proportion of sediment and wort (being in the fermentation stage) is 1 / 1.5%.
A product such as sourdough can be prepared at any time suitable for you. The main thing is to always observe the proportion: 2/1 / 0.5 (berry / water / sugar). If you are preparing starter from fruits or berries that are used to make wine, then it is recommended to add more than 3% of the total displacement. This will improve the fermentation of the wort.
Winemakers in the southern regions use natural juice to prepare different varieties of dry wines, without any additives. The juice of grapes grown in the south has an increased percentage of sucrose with a low acidity of the product. Also, the amount of yeast that is in the berries allows from the first days to obtain an increased intensity of fermentation of the wort, even without the addition of yeast.