15 easy step-by-step recipes for making gooseberry wine at home
An aromatic, bright, exquisite wine can be obtained at home from ordinary gooseberries. Surplus berries are processed, surprising guests and delighting themselves with a delicious drink. The fruits of the thorny bush are traditionally taken for the preparation of jam, however, it is not at all difficult to diversify the application and make wine from gooseberries.
Content
- 1 The subtleties of making gooseberry wine
- 2 Ingredient selection rules
- 3 How to make gooseberry wine at home
- 3.1 Simple recipe
- 3.2 Red currant variant
- 3.3 With black currant
- 3.4 With raspberries
- 3.5 With lemon
- 3.6 Green gooseberry
- 3.7 Red gooseberry
- 3.8 From yellow berries
- 3.9 From unripe gooseberries
- 3.10 With honey
- 3.11 With bananas and raisins
- 3.12 A sparkling wine
- 3.13 Gooseberry jam wine
- 3.14 Old World Gooseberry Wine
- 3.15 With cherry
- 4 Further storage of the finished product
The subtleties of making gooseberry wine
Experienced winemakers appreciate gooseberry wine and believe that it tastes like grape wine. However, in terms of characteristics, the berries are vaguely similar to currants, and therefore you can safely use recipes developed for currant wines. They begin to prepare the drink as quickly as possible after harvesting so that the fruits do not have time to lose their aroma. Berries do not need to be washed, it is enough to sort out well.
Ingredient selection rules
The most important step in obtaining an unrivaled taste is the selection of raw materials. For a drink, it is best to use varieties with juicy large fruits of a red or yellow hue. Only ripe berries are used - this will make the product really fragrant. In order for the wine to have a pleasant taste and to be stored for a long time, the following fruits are discarded as part of the preparation:
- unripe;
- overripe;
- rotten;
- moldy;
- tainted.
How to make gooseberry wine at home
According to the preparation technology, the recipe is similar to other fruit and berry tinctures. For the drink, you can take only gooseberries or diversify it by adding additional ingredients. There are a lot of options, everyone can choose the preferred one for themselves.
Gooseberries have a natural sourness, and therefore sugar must be added to the drink.
Simple recipe
Light dry wine will turn out if you take:
- gooseberries - 1 kg;
- sugar - 1 glass;
- water - 1 l.
The fruits are kneaded and poured with cooled pre-prepared syrup from sweetened water. The mass is left for fermentation without adding yeast. After 4 days, the liquid is decanted, the remaining cake is poured with water, which, after squeezing, is added to the main drink.
The mixture is filled in a bottle, which is sent with a glove on the neck for further fermentation in heat.
A month later, the semi-finished product is carefully poured so as not to shake up the sediment, and placed in cool for 3 months until ripening.
Red currant variant
The drink with red currants has a coral color and slight sourness. Grocery list:
- gooseberries - 3 kg;
- sugar - 2 kg;
- currants - 1 kg;
- water.
Raw materials are crushed, for which it is convenient to use a meat grinder, and combined with pre-cooked cooled syrup. The workpiece is kept warm for a week, stirring daily. Then the semi-finished product is transferred to a sterilized container, closed with a water seal and wait another week. Then the liquid is sent to bottles and served on the table after 2 months.
With black currant
The added black currant will give a wonderful taste. From products they take:
- gooseberries - 1 kg;
- black currant - 1 kg;
- sugar - 1 kg;
- water - 3 l.
Crushed fruits are poured with cooled syrup prepared in advance. The container is covered with gauze and left for primary fermentation for up to 10 days, then the liquid is filtered and transferred to the bottle. The semi-finished product is covered with a water seal and wait 3 weeks. After that, the drink is filtered again, distributed in the container and left cool until the end of fermentation.
With raspberries
An interesting option is obtained by mixing gooseberries with raspberries. For such a wine you will need:
- gooseberries - 1.5 kg;
- raspberries - 1.5 kg;
- sugar - 2 kg;
- water - 3 l.
First of all, they are engaged in the manufacture of wort: chopped berries are poured with pre-cooked and cooled syrup. The mixture is left to ferment for a week, not forgetting to stir periodically. After that, the wort is filtered, and the composition is kept in a container with a water seal for another 2 months. Then the mixture is carefully distributed into bottles, trying not to disturb the sediment, and placed in a cool place for up to 3 months, after which the product is ready for use.
With lemon
Lemon will add a citrus note to the drink. For wine you need:
- gooseberries - 1.5 kg;
- sugar - 5 glasses;
- lemon - 1 pc.;
- water - 2.5 liters.
Step-by-step cooking recipe:
- Mash the berries with 2 cups of sugar, add water.
- Leave to ferment warm for 10 days in a container closed with a water seal or a glove.
- Cut the lemon into wedges and mix thoroughly with the remaining sugar.
- Pour the citrus mixture into the gooseberry.
- Leave until fermentation is complete.
- Strain the wine through cheesecloth, distribute in the container, place in cool for 2 days.
- Strain again.
- After a month, the product is ready for use.
Green gooseberry
To prepare an alcoholic drink from emerald-colored fruits, you must take the following products:
- green gooseberries - 1 kg;
- water - 1 l;
- sugar - 700 g
First, a syrup is made from sweetened water, which, after cooling, is introduced into the mashed berries. The composition is left for 3 days, not forgetting to mix daily. After the mixture is filtered and placed in the heat for fermentation for 1.5 months in a container with a water seal. Then the liquid is poured into the bottle, leaving the sediment in the container, and they wait for ripening for up to six months.
Red gooseberry
The red berries produce a wine of a beautiful ruby hue, which is recommended to be kept in a dark glass container. Required products:
- red gooseberry - 2 kg;
- water - 2 l;
- sugar - 1.5 kg.
Chopped gooseberries are poured with non-hot syrup made from sugar and water. The composition is kept warm for 4 days and stirred daily. After the expiration of the period, the mass is filtered, the bottle is closed with a water seal or a glove with a punctured finger is put on and left to ferment for 1.5 months. Then the liquid is drained, being careful not to disturb the sediment, and placed in a cool place for 4 months. At the end of maturation, the drink is distributed in bottles.
From yellow berries
The fundamental difference between a wine made from golden berries is color, it will turn out to be a light shade. You will need products:
- gooseberries - 1.5 kg;
- water - 1.5 l;
- sugar - 1 kg.
The berries are thoroughly kneaded and poured with non-hot syrup, left for a week, stirring every day.Then the mixture must be filtered and placed in a container with a water seal for 2 months. After that, the wine is drained from the lees and distributed in portioned bottles, where it should stand for another 3 months before drinking.
From unripe gooseberries
Wine made from unripe gooseberries is recommended to be made with the addition of wine yeast. For cooking you need to take:
- gooseberries - 5 kg;
- water - 10 l;
- sugar - 4 kg;
- wine yeast.
A kilogram of sugar is poured into the crushed fruits, yeast is added and water is poured. After 10 days of keeping at room temperature, add the remaining sugar, close the dishes with a water seal and leave until the end of fermentation. Then the drink must be filtered, placed in cool for 3 days, then filtered and bottled for storage.
With honey
An amazing honey drink is obtained by completely replacing sugar with a beekeeping product.
For such a wine you will need:
- gooseberries - 1 kg;
- honey - 100 ml;
- bread - 100 g;
- water.
The berries are kneaded in any way and poured with cool water, after which bread slices smeared with honey are added. The container is closed with a water seal and left in a dark room for fermentation for up to 4 months. After that, the drink is filtered, poured into glass bottles and served a month later.
With bananas and raisins
For an exotic drink you will need:
- gooseberries - 1.5 kg;
- bananas - 200 g;
- raisins - 200 g;
- sugar - 1 kg;
- water - 3.5 l;
- citric acid - 1 teaspoon;
- pectin enzyme - 1 teaspoon;
- wine yeast.
For 20 minutes, boil a syrup of chopped bananas, water and sugar. The fruit pulp is thrown away, and the sweet liquid is filtered and combined with crushed gooseberries and raisins. The mixture is extinguished for half an hour, a yeast feed and citric acid are introduced, and then left for 12 hours.
Wine yeast is diluted in a small amount of warm water and added to the workpiece, after which it is left to ferment for 3 days. Then it is filtered and kept in a bottle with a water seal until the liquid brightens and the bubbles stop forming. Then the wine is removed from the sediment and poured into portioned containers, where it matures for another 12 months before the bouquet is formed.
A sparkling wine
The drink is stored in the refrigerator for about a month. For cooking you will need:
- gooseberries - 3 kg;
- sugar - 2 kg;
- water - 5 l.
Whole berries are covered with sugar and covered with warm water. The neck of the bottle is closed with a punctured rubber glove, the container is kept warm for a month and a half. The liquid is poured into a container without disturbing the sediment, after which the drink is ready for use.
Gooseberry jam wine
Candied or sour jam can be given a second life by processing it into wine. This will require:
- gooseberry jam - 1 l;
- water - 1 l;
- raisins - 120 g.
The ingredients are combined, covered with gauze and left in a warm place for fermentation for 10 days, stirring daily. After that, the liquid is filtered and poured into a glass container with a water seal. The wine will ferment in a warm place until tender, then it is filtered and placed in a cool place until maturing for a couple of months.
Old World Gooseberry Wine
To make old-world gooseberry wine, you need to take:
- terry gooseberry berries;
- vodka;
- Rye bread;
- honey.
The fruits are placed in a ten-liter container so that about 15 cm remains to the top, and vodka is poured to the same level. After 10 days, dried slices of bread, spread with honey, are added to the mixture, and left for the same period. After that, the wine is distributed in bottles and corked.
With cherry
It will turn out great if you mix gooseberries with cherries. For such wine they take:
- gooseberries - 5 glasses;
- cherry - 4 cups;
- sugar - 1 kg;
- water - 4 l.
Crushed gooseberries are combined with washed cherries, covered with sugar and poured with water.The dish with the mass is covered with a water seal and placed in a warm place for a month. At the end of fermentation, the drink is fortified with alcohol or pasteurized. Then it is necessary to insist for another two weeks, remove from the sediment and distribute to portioned bottles.
Further storage of the finished product
The finished wine is stored in a dark, cool room, such as a closet or cellar. Glass bottles are ideal; for a red drink, dark-walled dishes are better... The wine is stored for several years, but after a year the taste begins to gradually deteriorate, so further aging is impractical.
Gooseberry wine will help to rationally use the entire harvest and at the same time will undoubtedly decorate any table. The preparation of a delicious aromatic drink is easy to cope with, and guests and relatives will not be able to restrain their delight by tasting the wine made from the berries of thorny bushes.