Rules for pasteurization of wine at home and the choice of temperature
A fragrant, low-alcohol drink, which is thousands of years old, is popular with hundreds of millions of people. The desire to preserve the wine for a long time without changing the taste and aroma was the reason for its heat treatment. Pasteurization of wines from any raw material and strength is used by amateur winemakers. In the wine industry, sulfites are used to preserve the product.
History of origin
Louis Pasteur discovered the method of fighting wine diseases at the request of French winemakers in the middle of the 19th century. He proved that microorganisms feeding on wine sugar are the cause of sourness and the appearance of mold. When heated to 50-60 degrees, they die. Spores are more resistant to high temperatures, which can only be destroyed by sterilization: by heating to 100 degrees and above.
What is wine pasteurization for?
Wine pasteurization is needed to destroy bacteria and yeast. Each type of wine requires its own temperature and aging period. In grape wines, it also depends on the degree of sweetness: dry, semi-sweet, sweet.
When you may need it
Microorganisms develop within 6 months. If the wine is used before this time, then it is not pasteurized.
Varieties of method
In practice, several methods of pasteurization are used:
- long-term;
- short;
- instant.
With prolonged pasteurization, the liquid product is heated at a temperature of 60 to 65 degrees for half an hour to forty minutes. Short pasteurization means heating up to 80-90 degrees for 30-60 seconds. Instant lasts 3-5 seconds at 98 degrees.
At home, long-term pasteurization is used for wine in order to avoid the appearance of a compote taste in the drink.
How to pasteurize wine at home
Any wine can be subjected to the pasteurization process, for any aging period:
- grape;
- apple;
- cherry;
- currant;
- cherry;
- young;
- matured.
The pasteurization process goes through several stages that must be strictly observed.
Product preparation
The wine must be pre-cleaned from yeast and turbidity. Clay bentonite or gelatin is used as a clarifier. Then you need to let it settle so that a precipitate falls.
After sedimentation of the turbidity, the wine is poured into a container in which it will be pasteurized and stored. These should be glass bottles or jars that have been heat treated with steam or boiling water.To avoid air entering the wine and its further release when heated, use a plastic tube with a diameter of 1 centimeter.
The tube is dipped into a container with wine to a level 1-2 centimeters above the sediment. A vacuum is created in it and poured into a prepared container.
Pasteurization process
In cans with wine, the neck is closed with screw metal lids. The bottles are sealed with corks. The level of the drink in the can is up to the neck, in the bottle - 3-4 centimeters to the cork. The free space in the container during pasteurization is necessary for the expansion of the liquid during heating.
A wooden lattice is installed in the pan or fabric is laid in several layers to insulate glass with hot metal. They put cans or bottles. To control the temperature, you need a jar filled with water, placed next to the wine containers.
Containers with bottles / cans are filled with water to the level that wine will have when heated. Medium fire turns on.
Holding time for bottles:
- 0.7 liters - 1/3 hour;
- 0.5 liters - ¼ hour;
- 1 liter - 25 minutes.
The pasteurization temperature depends on the strength of the drink (degrees):
- for dry - 55;
- semi-sweet - 60;
- sweet - 65.
A water thermometer is used to measure the temperature in a jar of water. At the end of pasteurization the fire is removed. Wine bottles are cooled in a pot of water to 30 degrees, after which they are removed to a cool, dark place. For better tightness, the plugs are covered with sealing wax on top.
Wines packaged in cans are pasteurized similarly to bottles:
- installed in a container;
- fill the container with cold water above the shoulders;
- turn on medium heat;
- kept at a temperature of 60 degrees 35 minutes;
- cooled at room temperature.
Storage of the wine product - in a cool, dry place with ventilation.
Other ways to fix wine
Amateur winemakers use pasteurization methods that differ from traditional ones. For example, homemade stainless steel or aluminum containers are used.
Without fail, wine, as with conventional methods, must be cleared of tartar and sediment. A homemade stainless steel pan can have a volume of up to 20-30 liters. Pour the drink through a hose. For speed, connect a pump from the aquarium.
Temperature control is carried out using a thermometer with a remote sensor.
The meter is placed on the container lid. The pot filled with wine is placed on the stove. Gas burners produce uneven heat. The best solution would be to use an electric stove in which the size of the burner matches the bottom of the pan.
Guided by the thermometer, the wine is kept at 65 degrees for 30 minutes. Electronic devices give the result with an error of 0.2-0.3 degrees in the direction of overestimation. The actual temperature of the wine during pasteurization will be 62-63 degrees.
With this method of pasteurization, cold pouring is used. Cool the wine in a stainless saucepan to room temperature. Bottles heated to 150 degrees for 15 minutes should cool to 20-22 degrees.
There is a tap at the bottom of the homemade saucepan for pouring pasteurized wine. A sterilized adapter and a piece of polyethylene tube are put on it, through which the bottles are filled with wine to the level of the cork.
How to sterilize wine bottles
There are several ways to prepare bottles for pouring pasteurized wine: traditional (in a saucepan), or using an electric oven.
Sterilization in a container is carried out without a thermometer. Cleanly washed bottles are poured with warm water up to their hangers, placed on a pallet in a container, the edges of which should be higher than the bottles. Pour water at 40-50 degrees to the level of the hangers. Turn on the fire and bring to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, the heat is reduced so that the boil is even.
The sterilization time is counted from the moment of boiling in the container. For bottles, 10-15 minutes is enough.Then the fire is removed. The bottles are removed, water is poured out of them, turned upside down over a clean cloth. After draining the water, put it upside down, cover with a sterile towel.
Dry sterilization in an electric oven is no less effective if the washed bottles are kept at temperatures up to 150 degrees for 10 minutes.
