Black, White, or Red currant Wine
a.. 2 1/4 lb currants b.. 2 1/2 lb sugar c.. 1 gallon water d.. 1 tsp pectic enzyme e.. 1 tsp yeast nutrient f.. yeast
starting specific gravity should be 1.100-1.110 ,acid .60% put currants into a plastic bucket and crush them. boil up the sugar in the water and pour , still boiling on the currants. when it has cooled, add pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient and 24 hrs later add yeast. keep covered and let ferment for 5 days. strain into fermenting container .let stand until fermenting ceases and wine clears. rack and rack again in 3 months. bottle and age 10 months.
Gooseberry and Currant Wine.
The following method of making superior gooseberry and currant wines is recommended in a French work: For currant wine, 8 lbs. of honey are dissolved in
15 galls. of boiling water, to which, when clarified, is added the juice of 8 lbs. of red or white currants. It is then fermented for 24 hours, and 2 lbs. of sugar to every 2 galls. of water are added. The preparation is afterwards clarified with the whites of eggs and cream of tartar. For gooseberry wine, the fruit is gathered dry when about half ripe, and then pounded in a mortar. The juice, when properly strained through a canvas bag, is mixed with sugar, in the proportion of 3 lbs. to every 2 galls. of juice. It is then left in a quiet state for 15 days, at the expiration of which it is carefully poured off, and left to ferment for 3 months when the quantity is under 15 galls., and for 5 months when double that quantity. It is then bottled, and soon becomes fit for drinking.Another. - Take cold soft water, 5 1/2 galls.; gooseberries and currants, 4 galls. Ferment. Then add, raw sugar, 12 1/2 lbs.; tartar, in fine powder, 1 oz., ginger, in powder 3 oz., sweet marjoram, 1/2 a handful; whiskey, 1 qt. This will make 9 galls.
Red Currant Wine.
Take cold soft water, 11 galls.; red currants, 8 galls.; raspberries, 1 qt. Ferment. Mix, raw sugar, 20 lbs., beet-root, sliced, 2 lbs.; and red tartar, in fine powder, 3 oz. Put in 1 nutmeg, in fine powder; add brandy, 1 gall. This will make 18 galls.
Another. - Put 5 qts. of currants and 1 pint of raspberries to every 2 galls. of water; let them soak a night; then squeeze and break them well. Next day rub them well through a fine sieve till the juice is expressed, washing the skins with some of the water, then, to every gallon, put 4 lbs. of the best sugar, put it into your barrel, and set the bung lightly in. In 2 or 3 days add a bottle of good Cogniac brandy to every 4 galls.; bung it close, but leave out the spigot for a few days. It is very good in 3 years, better in 4.
Another. - Boil 4 galls. of spring water, and stir into it 8 lbs. of honey; when thoroughly dissolved, take it off the fire; then stir it well in order to raise the scum, which take clean off, and cool the liquor.
When thus prepared, press out the same quantity of the juice of red currants moderately ripe, which being well strained, mix well with the water and honey, then put them into a cask or a large earthen vessel, and let them stand to ferment for 24 hours, then to every gallon add 2 lbs. of fine sugar, stir them well to raise the scum, and when well settled take it off, and add 1/2 an oz. of cream of tartar, with the whites of 2 or 3 eggs, to refine it. When the wine is well settled and clear draw it off into a small vessel, or bottle it up, keeping it in a cool place.
Of white currants a wine after the same manner may be made, that will equal in strength and pleasantness many sorts of white wine; but as for the black or Dutch currants, they are seldom used, except for the preparation of medicinal wines.
Another. - Gather the currants in dry weather, put them into a pan and bruise them with a wooden pestle; let them stand about 20 hours, after which strain through a sieve; add 3 lbs. of fine powdered sugar to each 4 quarts of the liquor, and after shaking it well fill the vessel, and put a quart of good brandy to every 7 gallons. In 4 weeks, if it does not prove quite clear, draw it off into another vessel, and let it stand previous to bottling it off about 10 days.
Red and White Currant Wine.
Take of cold soft water, 12 galls.; white currants, 4 galls., red currants, 3 galls. Ferment. Mix, raw sugar, 25 lbs., white tartar, in fine powder, 3 oz. Put in sweet-briar leaves, 1 handful; lavender leaves, 1 handful; then add spirits,
2 qts. or more. This will make 18 galls.Dutch Currant Wine.
Take of cold soft water, 9 galls., red currants, 10 galls. Ferment. Mix, raw sugar, 10 lbs.; beet-root, sliced, 2 lbs.; red tartar, in fine powder, 2 oz. Put in bitter almonds, 1 oz., ginger, in powder, 2 oz.; then add brandy, 1 qt. This will make 18 galls.
Dutch Red Currant Wine.
Take of cold soft water, 11 galls., red currants, 8 galls. Ferment. Mix, raw sugar, 12 lbs.; red tartar, in fine powder, 2 oz. Put in coriander seed, bruised, 2 oz., then add whiskey, 2 qts. This will make 18 galls
Blackcurrant Wine.
1.360 kg (3 lb) Blackcurrants. 1.586 kg (3½ lb) of sugar. Granulated 4.546 litres (1 gallon) of water. 30 gms (1 oz) dried yeast. Port or burgundy. Pectic Enzyme.Place currents into plastic bucket and crush. Again our food processors come in handy here. Boil the sugar and water until the sugar has dissolved and pour boiling liquid onto the current pulp and juice. When cooled to 21° C add Pectic enzyme (approximately ¼ of a teaspoon to each 1.360 kg of pulp), cover and leave for one day. After one day add the yeast, cover and leave in a warm place for 5 days stirring daily. At the end of the 5th day strain into a dark demijohn and plug the neck with an airlock. Allow to ferment to a finish, usually 3 to 4 months, siphon off and filter into another demijohn and pour into dark wine bottles. Keep for at least 6 months before drinking. The longer it is kept the drier it will be.
Redcurrant Wine
1.360 kg (3 lb) Redcurrants. 1.586 kg (3½ lb) of sugar. Granulated 4.546 litres (1 gallon) of water. 30 gms (1 oz) dried yeast. Port or burgundy. Pectic Enzyme.Place currents into plastic bucket and crush. Again our food processors come in handy here. Boil the sugar and water until the sugar has dissolved and pour boiling liquid onto the current pulp and juice. When cooled to 21° C add Pectic enzyme (approximately ¼ of a teaspoon to each 1.360 kg of pulp), cover and leave for one day. After one day add the yeast, cover and leave in a warm place for 5 days stirring daily. At the end of the 5th day strain into a dark demijohn and plug the neck with an airlock. Allow to ferment to a finish, usually 3 to 4 months, siphon off and filter into another demijohn and pour into dark wine bottles. Keep for at least 6 months before drinking. The longer it is kept the drier it will be.
Ingredients:
4 lb blackcurrants 3 lb granulated sugar 1 gallon cold water g. p wine yeast yeast nutrient pectic enzyme campden tabletsInstructions: Strip the blackcurrants from the stalks and wash them carefully so not to lose too much of the juice. Put them in a plastic bucket and crush them well using a wooden spoon. Pour on the gallon of water and stir thoroughly. Cover the bucket and leave for ten days, but no longer. Then strain and add the sugar, yeast, yeast nutrient, pectic enzyme and campden tablet. stir daily for three days then strain into fermentation jar, add a further campden tablet. Once finished rack and clear this wine is ready to drink in 6 months.
Blackcurrant and Blackberry social wine
1 ½ lb (700g) blackcurrants (frozen)1 ½ lb (700g) blackberries
2 lb (900g) ripe bananas12 oz(350g) raisins
½ pint (300 ml) concentrated red grape juice2 lb (900g) sugar
Pectic enzyme
2 tsp yeast nutrientYeast (burgundy)
Water to 1 gallon (4.5 litres)
Liquidize the blackberries, blackcurrants and peeled bananas. Mince the raisins and put them with the liquidized fruit in a fermentation bucket. Add 1 ¼ lb (550g) of sugar dissolved in a little water, together with the nutrients, pectic enzyme and grape concentrate. Make the volume up to 6.5 pints (3.7 litres) with water containing 1 dissolved Campden tablet. Cover and leave overnight.
Twenty-four hours latter add an active yeast preparation and ferment in the bucket for five days, keeping well covered and stirring daily. Then strain the liquid into a demijohn and fit an air lock. Keep checking the Specific Gravity (S. G.) and "feed" the wine with sugar in small amounts (2 oz; 60 g) each time the S. G. falls to 1.005. When the sugar is used up (or fermentation has finished), Sweeten to S. G. 1.020 with extra sugar. Rack, stabilize and mature as normal.
Country wine making is a real skill. Making wine from grapes is far easier because grapes are perfectly balanced for wine making. Grapes have the right levels of acid, sugar, flavour, and body so to make wine from them all you need to do is add yeast to the juice. Country wine making is more challenging, as the acid, sugar, flavour and body have to be catered for in a well-balanced recipe. The rewards can be tremendous because the diversity of flavours is immense. These wines range from the delicate flower wines such as dandelion, elderflower through to wines such as rose hip, parsnip and then to the full body wine like elderberry.
Summer fruits Social Wine
For 5 gallons (22.5 litres)
12 lb (5.4 kg) redcurrants (The fruit should be very ripe to reduce acidity)4 lb (1.8 kg) raspberries
4 lb (1.8 kg) strawberries2 cans (2 kg) concentrated grape juice
11 lb (5 kg) sugarPectolase yeast (Tokay) and nutrient
water to 5 gallons (22.5 litres)
Crush the fruit into 3 gallons (14 litres) of cold water (hot water can be used if the fruit has been stored in the freezer). If you wish, 6 pints (3.5 litres) of rose petals may also be added at this stage. Add the yeast nutrients, pectolase and 5 dissolved Campden tablets. Cover and soak for three days. Then strain of the juices and wash the pulp with water to get 4.5 gallons (20 litres) of must. The pulp can be used again to make a second batch of wine.
Dissolve the grape concentrate and 11 lb (5 kg) of sugar in the must and then introduce the yeast. Ferment in the 5 gallon (22.5 litre) bucket for three more days, skimming off any pulp which may have passed through the first straining, but otherwise keeping covered. Then transfer the wine to a 5 gallon (22.5 litre) fermentation vessel with an air-lock; the fermentation is conducted at a temperature of 18-21C (65-70F). Go through the normal fermentation and racking procedures.
If the wine is started in July or August, the fermentation will slow down as Autumn temperatures prevail. If you are lucky, the wine will stop bright and clear with enough sugar left in. Alternatively, of course, it may be fermented to dryness and then sweetened, but it does appear to lose some fruitiness if it goes dry.
This wine is best drunk at Christmas the year it is made when fresh and fruity, or after keeping it for eighteen months to two years. This also can act as a good base for blending country wines.
Blackcurrant - Strong Red Table Wine
Ingredients
3 lb / 1.36 kg blackcurrants2½ lb / 1.1 kg sugar
1 packet all purpose yeast1 tsp / 5g yeast nutrient
1 tsp /5g pectic enzyme (Pectolase)Method
Put the blackcurrants into a large bucket and crush them. Turn the sugar into a syrup by bringing it to the boil in 1 pint / 0.5 litres of water and pour, still boiling, onto the blackcurrants. Add 5 pints / 2.8 litres of cold water and leave to cool to about 21°C (70°F). Then add the pectic enzyme and leave covered for 1 day. Add the yeast and nutrient and keep closely covered for 5 days in a warm place, stirring daily. Then strain into a demijohn, using a net bag, squeeze and discard the pulp. Top up to the shoulders of the demijohn with water if necessary and fit a bung and air lock. Let it stand until the fermentation ceases and the wine clears. Rack off the sediment and again if necessary as the wine matures. Keep for 1 year.
An alternative recipe would be to use 2 lbs / 900 grams of blackcurrants and 1 lb / 450 grams of mixed red and white currants.
If you find any errors please contact, as these recipes are from my data base which is under construction.
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