Making wine from Isabella grapes at home.

Grape wines are considered the most noble and refined wines. Their bouquet depends on many parameters: variety, place of growth and degree of ripeness of the berries, amount of sugar, other ingredients, cooking technology and even various random factors. Because of this, it will not be possible to produce vintage wines at home; moreover, the wine produced from grapes at home is different every day. However, whatever the bouquet of a homemade grape drink, it is guaranteed to be better than that of cheap store-bought wines (and good grape wine is expensive). At the same time, wine made at home is no less useful than purchased wine.

Features of the technology

The production of grape wines has its own characteristics, which the winemaker must know about so as not to ruin the drink.

Not all grape varieties are suitable for winemaking. Beautiful large berries of table varieties are pleasant to the taste, but are not suitable for wine production: the wine they produce is unstable, with a weak aroma, devoid of a noble aftertaste. Small clusters dotted with small berries tightly adjacent to each other - this is what wine grapes usually look like. The names of these varieties are well known: Chardonnay, Cabernet, Riesling, Merlot, Lydia, Isabella and others. They have the necessary sugar content and acidity, giving the drink a rich aroma, deep taste, and a subtle aftertaste.
The time of harvesting grapes for wine depends on the region where it grows and on the weather conditions prevailing in a particular season. It is important that the berries are as ripe as possible. However, for dry wine you can use just ripened berries, and for dessert wine – even slightly wilted ones.
The grapes for wine should be collected in the first half of the day, in sunny weather, but only after the dew has completely disappeared. In rainy and foggy weather, in the evening and at dawn, grapes are not harvested. Wine needs to be dry.
You can't wash grapes. The whitish coating on it is yeast, without which fermentation of the wort will not be possible. They need to be preserved. In this case, you do not need to add any additional yeast to the wort. However, it is not forbidden to add a small amount of pure culture yeast or the sediment of an already well-fermented wine, and here’s why: there are different types of yeast, and conflicts may arise between them, and the addition of wine yeast will ensure victory for precisely those species that are needed for good fermentation.
The nutrient medium for yeast bacteria is sugar, which is not always enough in the grapes themselves. In wine-growing regions, grapes may still contain the required amount of sugar, but in the central regions the sugar content of grapes does not exceed 20%, while at least 25% is needed to produce wine. Therefore, sugar is added at the rate of 50–250 g per liter. The more it is, the sweeter and stronger the finished drink will be. Interestingly, white grapes are usually less sweet than red grapes, so they are more suitable for making table wines.
In order to prevent contamination of the wort, you must use only clean and dry utensils. Experienced winemakers have several glass bottles of 10 or 20 liters for this purpose. Initial fermentation can be carried out in enamel containers, as well as in stainless steel dishes. Containers containing dairy products are strictly not suitable.
The optimal temperature for fermentation is 22–26 degrees for red wine, 18–22 degrees for white. At a higher temperature the process will be too rapid, at a lower temperature it will stop.
The fermentation of grape wine goes through several stages: intensive fermentation takes 21–28 days, quiet fermentation takes from one and a half months to a year, post-fermentation (or ripening) takes from two months to three years.

It is advisable to consider the remaining subtleties of technology and the sequence of preparing wine from grapes at home using specific examples.

Red table wine from grapes: a universal recipe

grapes – 10 kg;
granulated sugar – 1.5 kg,
pure culture wine yeast (optional) – 1–2 g.

Cooking method:

Carefully sort the collected berries - not a single rotten one should get into the wort. Separate the grapes from the stems (as winemakers call the branches of the grape cluster). Discard unripe ones.
Mash the selected grapes with clean hands or a wooden pestle. The utensils used for manipulation should not be aluminum or copper. Naturally, cleanliness must be observed: the dust on the grapes will then settle, but once they get into the drink, it will be impossible to get rid of pathogenic microorganisms. When kneading, make sure that each grape is crushed, but there is no need to crush the seeds: they will give the drink a bitter taste. It’s better to mash the berries if you take them in small portions.
Place all the mashed berries, along with the juice that has come out of them, into an enamel bucket or basin. Add 0.5 kg of sugar, stir, cover with gauze and leave to ferment at a temperature of 22 to 26 degrees. At the same stage, you need to add wine yeast if you decide to use it. Stir the juice as often as possible while melting the pulp - this simple action will protect the wort from souring. Oxygen will start active fermentation.
After three days, carefully pour the juice into a clean container, and pour into it the juice squeezed from the pulp through a sieve lined with gauze. Add a glass of sugar, dissolving it in a small amount of juice. Pour everything into a clean bottle. Install a water seal on it. This device usually looks like a thin rubber tube that goes down into a container of water. When making it at home with their own hands, winemakers often use dropper tubes. However, in wine shops you can find a ready-made design. It is designed to block the access of air to the wort, but at the same time not prevent the release of carbon dioxide formed during fermentation. The most budget-friendly analogue of a water seal is a rubber glove with a punctured finger.
On the fourth day, pour a glass of wort into a bowl through a tube: if one end of the tube is placed in the wort and the other is lowered, the liquid will flow through it itself, obeying the laws of physics. Dissolve 0.25 kg of sugar in the wort and pour the syrup back into the fermentation container. Replace the water seal.
On the seventh and tenth days, repeat this procedure.
Wait for the end of vigorous fermentation. This will happen on day 20–30. On the second day after the water seal has stopped gurgling, pour the wine through the same tube into a clean container, without lowering it to the very sediment (leave a gap of at least two centimeters to it): it is better to get less wine, but good one.
At this stage, the wine can be sweetened or fortified, although this is usually not done with table grape wines. For this reason, neither sugar nor alcohol are included in the recipe.
Close the bottle tightly and leave in a cool room (16–20 degrees) until the wine is completely clear. The quality of the drink will be higher if you drain it once a month, freeing it from sediment, into a clean bottle. The lightening process is lengthy, taking from two to ten months. The longer you leave the wine to clarify, the more beautiful and tastier it will be. Some speed up the clarification process artificially by adding egg white, but experts say that this does not have the best effect on the organoleptic qualities of the drink. Another method is sterilization: the bottles are filled with wine, capped loosely, wrapped in cloth, placed in a high pan, pouring water into it up to the shoulders, and heated to 60 degrees. This temperature is enough to kill the yeast and stop fermentation. However, even in this case, you will need to pour the wine into other bottles several times, separating it from the sediment. In addition, there is a risk of overheating or underheating the drink. Therefore, it is better to be patient and wait for the lightening to complete naturally.
After clarification, the wine is filtered and bottled. They are laid horizontally. Store at a temperature of 12–16 degrees.

Bottled young wine can already be drunk, but it is better to let it ripen by waiting at least six months. During this time, it will acquire a deeper taste, its aroma will be subtler. When prepared according to the specified recipe, you should get a semi-sweet table wine. If you need to get dry sugar, you should add half as much sugar at each stage. It is assumed that dry wine is completely fermented; no more than one percent sugar should remain in it.

Homemade wine from Isabella grapes

Isabella grapes – 10 kg;
sugar – 3 kg;
water – 1 l.

Cooking method:

Mash the sorted but unwashed berries, separating them from the ridge.
Prepare syrup from 1 kg of sugar and 1 liter of clean water. Typically, water is not added to grape wines, as this reduces their stability, but the Isabella grapes, harvested in central Russia, have high acidity, so it is necessary to dilute them with water, albeit in a minimal amount.
After cooling the syrup to room temperature (it should not be hotter than 38 degrees, so as not to destroy live yeast, or better yet, cooler), pour in the grape mixture. Cover the container with a thin cloth that does not impede the access of oxygen, and place it in a warm place to begin fermentation. Stir every 8 hours to prevent the pulp from becoming moldy or sour.
After three days, filter the grape juice, squeeze out the pulp and, adding 0.5 kg of sugar, pour into a fermentation bottle. Install a water seal on it.
On the 4th, 7th and 10th days of fermentation, pour 0.5 liters of wort, mix 0.5 kg of sugar with it and pour it back into the bottle with the wort.
After fermentation is complete, separate the wine from the sediment, filter, and place in a cooler room for quiet fermentation.
After three months, drain the wine, freeing it from sediment, filter twice and bottle, sealing them tightly.

The wine will mature only after six months, and you will be able to appreciate its taste. This recipe will yield a sweet wine with a strength of about 12–14 degrees. You can serve it as dessert.

Homemade white grape wine

white grapes – 10 kg;
sugar – 2–2.5 kg.

Cooking method:

Mash the berries, add 0.8 kg of sugar, cover with gauze and place in a warm place. Don't forget to stir three times a day.
After three days, pour the juice into a fermentation bottle, squeeze out the pulp, placing it in several layers of gauze, add the resulting juice to the first portion. Add 0.3 kg of sugar and install a water seal.
Every three to four days, add 0.3 kg of sugar three times, mixing it with a small amount of wort poured from a bottle.
After rapid fermentation is complete, wait 2 days and drain the wine, separating the sediment from it, filter and taste a small amount. Decide if your drink is sweet enough. If you want a sweeter wine, dissolve a little more sugar in it, but not more than 0.5 kg. Pour into a clean bottle and install a water seal.
After two weeks, drain the wine again, separating it from the sediment, strain, and pour again into a clean bottle. Close it tightly and move it to a cool place. For six months, drain the wine monthly, freeing it from sediment, and filter.
After six months, pour the drink into bottles, seal them and send them to mature in a cool corner.

White wine can be served no earlier than six months after bottling. The longer it sits, the nobler it becomes.

There are different opinions about how difficult or easy it is to make wine from grapes at home. You can only find out by trying. If you take into account important features and follow the recipe exactly, the result will meet your expectations.

The unusual taste of this grape has conquered almost all the continents of the world, and in viticulture, the famous berry is grown among the most popular varieties. Wine Isabella, consonant with the name of the variety, is excellent for making homemade alcohol.

The grapes are characterized by high yield, which allows them to be grown even in the middle zone, and have moderate sweetness, thanks to which the drink acquires a pleasant and slightly tart taste.

You can make wine from Isabella grapes not only in production, but also at home. The main thing in this matter is to follow the technology and not violate the holding time in order to get a truly high-quality drink.

It is strongly recommended to collect wine material, and in our case, grapes, in clear and sunny weather. It is important that there is no precipitation for at least two days before harvesting: rain washes away wild yeast from the surface of the grapes, without which the fermentation process risks not taking place. Let us remember that active fermentation of juice is the basis of future wine.

In addition to “water procedures,” it is important to take into account the characteristics of the variety. For example, for Isabella, a thin coating of white-gray color on each berry is a prerequisite. If for some reason the grapes are without a bluish coating, it is better to refuse making wine from such fruits. Harvest only ripe bunches of Isabella grapes, otherwise the wine will be less saturated in color.

The harvested grapes must be carefully sorted. Remove damaged, dried or fermented fruits without regret. Wine prepared with such berries will noticeably lose its taste. If you prefer a sweeter homemade Isabella wine, discard all the sprigs. On the contrary, for lovers of pronounced astringency, experienced winemakers recommend leaving a small bunch as a whole.

The basis of any recipe is the fermentation of grapes

Wine from Isabella is prepared according to dozens of recipes, each of which allows you to obtain a drink of varying strength. Since the variety has moderate acidity, it can be used to make semi-sweet, fortified, and even dry wine. Before moving on to the recipes, let's focus on the production and fermentation of juice. The current stage plays a key role: the result of the entire matter directly depends on the quality of the process.

As soon as the selection of berries is completed, we immediately proceed to preparing the juice. The procedure consists of 3 steps:

Receiving pulp. Place the grapes in a wide container (pan, barrel, etc.). Carefully crush the berries with a wooden masher or your hands. In the second case, it is advisable to wear sterile gloves so as not to enrich the mass with microbes. Be careful not to damage the grape seeds, otherwise the wine will have a bitter taste.
Cover the finished pulp with a thick cotton cloth (gauze folded in 4-5 layers is ideal). Every 6-7 hours the resulting juice must be stirred to prevent souring.
Let the pulp stand for 3 days, remembering to stir, then filter twice and squeeze using gauze.

The basis for the future wine is ready, so it’s time to move on to the recipes and learn how to make wine in your own kitchen.

Wine Isabella according to traditional recipe

You can easily prepare wine from Isabella grapes at home, following the rules of classical technology. This is a simple and proven recipe that will allow you to get an excellent drink without chemical additives.

We will need:

10 kg of grapes;
3 kg sugar.

Step-by-step recipe for making wine from Isabella:

Separate the berries from the bunches, knead until mushy and extract the juice.
Cover the container with a cotton cloth and leave it to ferment for 7 days. Be sure to stir the mixture so that it does not turn sour.
Filter, add sugar and mix.
Place the wine in a container, put on a water seal and leave for 20 days.
Carefully pour into a separate container, leaving all the sediment at the bottom. Let it brew for another month until it is completely ripened.

In most cases, even novice winemakers get this drink. The main thing is not to violate the technology and monitor the condition of the pulp, which we described in detail above.

White wine recipe Isabella

This white drink made from dark blue berries is not a joke at all, but a little trick of skilled winemakers. To make homemade white wine from Isabella grapes, choose unripe grapes. A prerequisite is a freshly harvested crop, since it is no longer possible to get good juice from a berry that has been lying down.

So, we need:

3 kg sugar;
10 kg of unripe grapes.

Let's start cooking:

We sort the berries, carefully crush them with our hands and squeeze out the juice.
If there are pieces of peel in the juice, strain. Then mix with sugar.
We pour the resulting preparation into a large bottle, put on a water seal and place the container in a cool place for 3 months. The best option is a basement or cellar.
As soon as the aging period is over, bottle the finished wine and store it in the refrigerator.

Be sure to try the finished drink. If the wine turns out to be quite dry for your taste, add a little more sugar and let it brew for another 2-3.

Preparing fortified wine Isabella

The aromatic grape variety will also please those who prefer stronger drinks. The original recipe uses pure medical alcohol, but you can replace it with regular vodka. The strength will be preserved in both cases.

What you will need:

5 kg of grapes;
600-700 g sugar;
1 liter of alcohol.

Let's move on to cooking:

We prepare the pulp using standard technology. After 3 days of aging, add sugar to it and mix well.
We transfer the mass into a jar, close it with a rubber lid with a small hole for oxygen to escape and send it to a warm place for 14 days.
Filter the infused juice through cheesecloth, pour into a clean container and leave for 2 months in a cool place. It is important to exclude exposure to light and sunlight, so it is advisable to place the container in the cellar.
Finally, dilute the infused juice with alcohol. Let it ripen for another 3 weeks. Afterwards, we bottle the finished wine and put it in the refrigerator for storage.

Fortified wine from Isabella, prepared at home, goes well with meat and fish dishes.

Isabella grape wine for the lazy

When there is practically no free time, this proven and very simple recipe comes to the rescue.

To prepare we will need:

5 kg of grapes;
3 kg sugar;
10 liters of clean water.

Wine from Isabella grapes - an easy recipe:

We sort the berries and press them well with our hands.
Mix with sugar, cover with a cotton cloth and leave for 7 days.
Then add the entire portion of water, mix, put on a water seal and leave for 1 month.
We filter the finished wine and bottle it.

The drink is just as aromatic, retains the unique taste of Isabella grapes and has moderate sweetness.

The Isabella variety belongs to the table grape varieties; it can make quite a decent drink, if you take into account some advice from experienced winemakers. Despite criticism from professionals regarding the quality of the berries, many gardeners grow the crop on their plots in order to replenish their home supplies with excellent wine.

Homemade drink made from Isabella grapes very aromatic, rich color. The taste is highlighted by a strawberry note.

Thanks to different technological processes for preparing wine, you can change the color from dark burgundy to white. This is achieved by using pure juice of various isabella hybrids (without skin and seeds) as a raw material base.

The incredible popularity of Isabella is explained by the following advantageous characteristics of the plant:

high yield(60-75 c/ha);
strong immunity that resists typical grape diseases;
frost resistance, which does not require the creation of a special shelter for the winter period;
rapid restoration of frozen vines;
good survival rate of seedlings, intensive production of new shoots;
indicators sugar content and acidity are in the required ratio;
large amount of juice in fruits;
bright flavor notes can be complemented by the aromas of other products without losing varietal expressiveness;
simple rules of agricultural technology.

Gardeners note the unpretentiousness of the plant; it grows well on literally any soil with low and high humidity.

However, in addition to the ease of cultivation, experts also highlight medicinal properties Isabella. Derivatives from grapes are used as adjuncts in the treatment of colds and the upper respiratory tract. This effect is achieved due to the expectorant property of the berries.

The wine is used to make mulled wine, which warms well in frosty or damp weather.

Every year, tons of wine from Isabella replenish private collections and wine cellars of production complexes, which confirms the popularity of the grape.

In recent years, in European countries, a taboo has been introduced on the cultivation of the Isabella variety.

This is allegedly due to the presence of methanol in the berries, a substance hazardous to health. In fact, the statement is incorrect, since this component is part of any alcoholic drink. In wine material from Isabella, its concentration is below the permissible level. Therefore, many experts associate the forbidden move purely with marketing policy.

When and how to pick grapes

The technical ripeness of the fruits of the Isabella variety falls on last ten days of October month. In order for the berries to accumulate a sufficient amount of sugar content, you need to wait another week, only then can they be harvested and the grapes are ready to be processed into wine.

It is important to complete the harvest in time before frost sets in. When choosing the day to cut the bunches, weather conditions are also taken into account; there should be no precipitation.

Ripeness is determined by its pleasant taste with sourness and multifaceted aroma. The skin of the berries is dense, even slightly hard. Ripe healthy clusters are selected for wine, all damaged, unripe or diseased fruits are removed. When cutting bunches, it is important not to damage the integrity of the berries so that they do not lose their juiciness.

The sorted grapes are placed in a clean, dry container for further processing. There is no need to wash it at home; there are bacteria on the surface of the berries that perform the function of natural yeast.

How to make homemade dry or semi-sweet wine with your own hands

Ingredients

To make wine you don’t need many ingredients, you just need to prepare grapes and sugar. You will also need containers for work: bottles (wine), a capacious barrel (preferably made from oak blanks), a sieve.

During fermentation, gases are released; to release them you will need a special water seal and thin hose. Often these devices are replaced in everyday life with rubber gloves.

Proper preparation for processing

Wines are selected for making only healthy bunches of quality berries. Quality does not mean parameters and beauty, but integrity and the absence of signs of damage or disease.

For further processing of the bunch no need to wash, just wipe each with a dry cloth, removing street dust. There is no need to be afraid of harmful bacteria and microorganisms; they will become absolutely safe during the fermentation process. According to microbiological laws, the same bacteria are natural substitutes for yeast, so their presence improves fermentation.

Getting juice

The juice is obtained not without the application of physical force, as it requires spin berries In the good old days, a large barrel was filled with grapes, which were then crushed with previously washed feet. In large industries, a press machine was used.

Modern winemakers at home resort to different methods:

crushing the berries by hand and then straining through a sieve;
passing bunches through a grape crusher;
using a potato masher to crush potatoes for mashing, etc.

The methods for extracting juice can be completely different, but it is important to take into account that when pressure is applied to the berry, the seed should not be damaged. Also, peeling is not allowed. They change the taste of the wine material, adding astringency and bitterness.

In order for the berries to release the maximum amount of juice, you must first crush them in a prepared container without damaging the seeds and let them sit for several days (3-4). Only then strain the pulp, separating the juice from the peel and seeds.

Wort fermentation technology

To make wine, a fermentation stage is required. To ensure normal conditions, you need to choose a wort spacious glassware(bottle of 10, 15, 20 or more liters).

The containers are first washed and dried well. You should not fill the container to the top with juice; you should leave at least 2/3 of the space free. This will ensure the correct fermentation conditions are maintained.

Sugar added according to recipe should be mix well until completely dissolved. After which the neck of the bottle is closed with a special stopper (rubber glove).

Fermenting juice will be good in a warm place, so you need to find a suitable corner in advance. But it is not recommended to place the container in the sun or in a too hot room; there is a high probability of the wort souring.

As soon as fermentation begins, a hole is made in the cork and a tightly thin hose is inserted into it, the connection is fixed with plasticine or wax. Its other end is lowered into a jar filled with water. Thus, gases are released.

The consumption rate of sugar per liter of juice is from 100 to 300 grams. It all depends on the recipe and the type of wine being made (dessert, table).

The container with the wort should be in a darkened room with a controlled temperature 16-22 degrees. At high temperatures, the bottle may rupture due to intensely generated gases. The maximum permissible value does not exceed 28-30 degrees.

Sugar is added in portions, the first time it is mixed with the juice before fermentation begins. In this case, only half of the prescription volume is used. 4-5 days after the start of fermentation, another 25% of the sweet component is added to the container. After thorough mixing, the neck is sealed with a water seal, and after 5 days the remaining portion of sugar is poured into the bottle.

The fermentation process takes 35-70 days.

Signs of the end of the stage are:

stopping the release of gases from a hose (or a deflated rubber glove);
precipitation at the bottom of the dish;
clarification of wine and appearance of transparency.

If, after 55 days of settling, fermentation does not complete, the wine must be poured through a straw into a clean container and sealed again with a water seal to release gases. When pouring, it is important not to touch the deposited sediment, otherwise it will add bitterness to the drink.

Maturation and taste adjustment

It is easier to adjust the taste if the farm has a special device for determining the level of acid content in grape juice (pH meter). After receiving the wort, measurements are taken and then compared with normal values. They must be within 4-6 g per 1 liter of juice.

The result may change annually, since acidity is influenced by several factors, in particular weather conditions. Experienced winemakers have learned to determine the level of acid by taste: if the cheekbones tighten and the tongue tingles, then the level is increased.

After the fermentation stage of the wine is completed adjusted for sweetness. Sugar is added taking into account the wishes and preferences of the winemaker, but it is not recommended to use alcohol or vodka as an additional ingredient.

Fortified wines have a longer shelf life, but they taste harsher. In any case, this addition should not exceed 2-15% of the total volume blanks.

Semi-sweet or dry, balanced to taste, is bottled in clean bottles that are hermetically sealed. The container should be filled to the very top so that the wine has as little contact with oxygen as possible.

If you need to add sugar to adjust the taste, then the wine sits for another 7-8 days with a water seal to release the resulting gases. Only then does it get bottled and hermetically sealed.

Homemade wine is stored in cellars or refrigerators at temperatures 6-16 degrees. The aging period of the drink is 3 months. During this period, every 10-15 days the contents of the bottles are poured into a clean container through a straw to get rid of sediment. After 3-6 months you can make the first test.

If the technological process is followed, the finished wine product can remain idle about 5 years. The strength of homemade wine is 9-12%.

Cooking with water

Among recipes for wine from Isabella grapes, the technology using water is popular. The added liquid in this case regulates juice acidity, but reduces the strength of the drink. The main advantage of the method is to obtain a large amount of product.

Stages of the process of making wine with the addition of water step by step:

Place the pulp in a clean large container, add sugar (40 grams per 1 liter of juice) and water (30-40%).
Place the container in a warm, dark room for 4-5 days. Stir the mixture periodically and knock down the foam.
If a foam cap forms intensively, filter the juice using a sieve or gauze.
Dilute the juice 30-40% of the total mass boiled water.
Pour the preparations into bottles, plugging the neck with cotton wool.
If the fermentation process occurs calmly, then a water seal or a rubber glove is fixed to the neck.
The fermented mixture is drained from the sediment, distilling the wine material into a clean container.
Warm the drink slightly and add sugar ( 200 gr. for 1 l).
The wine is kept at a temperature of 6-16 degrees for 1-2 months. Periodically you need to drain the drink from the sediment until transparency is achieved.

Technology for making wine with water is recommended to balance acidity. This method is used in regions with an unfavorable climate, where due to lack of sun and waterlogging of the soil/air, the berry contains a low sugar content, but is characterized by high acidity.

When the ratio of sugar and acid is normal, add water Not recommended, it spoils the taste of the drink.

When processing 15 kg of grapes, add 100-200 grams. sugar per 1 liter of juice and from 50 to 500 ml of water for each liter of wort. The output is 9-12 liters of wine.

Isabella grapes look very nice as a gazebo, giving it an aesthetic appearance and providing shade. The plant is easy to care for and does not require much time for pruning and gartering. And in the fall and before winter sets in, after harvesting, you can be creative and prepare delicious homemade wine, adding your own secret ingredient to the recipe, which will give the drink an exquisite taste.

Not all grape varieties can be used for home winemaking. Those varieties that are suitable for use as feedstock differ in different quality characteristics. One of the best options for homemade wine is the Isabella grape; winegrowers know this, so they plant it in their gardens and summer cottages. Let's look at how to make homemade wine from Isabella grapes using several examples.

Features of raw materials

The grapes must be harvested in dry weather before the first frost. There should be a bluish coating on the berries; it contains wild yeast, which is necessary to activate the natural fermentation process.

It is important that the berries are ripe; spoiled and dry grapes should be discarded immediately; they will negatively affect the taste of the finished homemade drink.

Wine made from Isabella grapes is a healthy product. It has a cleansing effect, strengthens the immune system and restores vital energy. Of course, if you observe moderation and do not abuse the drink, like any alcohol. The permissible norm is from 200 to 300 ml per day.

Making wine from Isabella grapes does not involve any specific procedures. But today in the alcohol industry, Isabella grapes are not used as a starting raw material; it is believed that the finished product contains an increased level of hydrocyanic acid and methyl alcohol. But these excesses of the norm are insignificant, and if the drink is not abused, then there is no threat to health. Isabella grapes continue to be one of the most popular products in home winemaking. This is also explained by the fact that the variety is unpretentious and produces good harvests; in addition, it is capable of fully bearing fruit even in regions with a climate that is not very favorable for such a delicate crop as grapes.

Cooking methods

Wine from Isabella grapes can be prepared at home in several ways.

Recipe No. 1. (classic)

This recipe for homemade wine from Isabella grapes is not at all complicated. If you follow all the rules and preparation technology, even a novice winemaker can get a high-quality homemade drink.

Ingredients:

Grapes "Isabella" - 10 kg;
Sugar - 3 kg.

Preparation.

Freshly picked bunches must be dry from moisture; washing grapes to prepare wine is not allowed. Together with the water, the plaque that contains wild yeast is washed off from the grapes; without this plaque, fermentation will not occur.

We tear the grapes off the grapes and dry them on paper towels. If desired, you can leave a few branches, this will add astringency to the wine. The berries need to be crushed in an enamel bowl. A wooden pestle is suitable for this; if you don’t have one, you can mash the grapes with your hands. Do not use metal objects under any circumstances; this will promote oxidation, which will negatively affect the taste of the finished product. Cover the container with gauze or a loose cloth and put it in a warm place for 7 days. This time will be enough for the fermentation process to be fully activated. Every day, the wine wort needs to be stirred 2-3 times and the foam cap needs to be knocked down. Mix with your hands or a wooden spoon.

After 7 days, strain the fermented grape juice and squeeze the pulp well through cheesecloth. The remaining cake does not need to be thrown away; it is an excellent raw material for making homemade moonshine or grape tincture. Pour the liquid into a fermentation container (bottle), add granulated sugar. We install a water seal; you can use a seal of any design (lid with a tube, a glove, or a device purchased in a store).

The wine should ferment in a water seal for about 3 weeks until the fermentation process is complete. If a glove is placed on the bottle, it will deflate when fermentation is complete. If a lid with a tube is installed, then pay attention to the state of the liquid: sediment from the waste products of wine yeast will precipitate, the wine will become much lighter, and the release of gas bubbles will stop.

Now it is important to drain the wine in such a way as not to disturb the sediment. This is best done with a thin hose. Pour the finished wine into a storage container, seal it tightly and place it in a horizontal position in the cellar, with minimal access to light. After a month you can taste the wine. If sediment has formed in the bottles again, the wine made from Isabella grapes will need to be removed from the sediment again and stored for another month.

Recipe No. 2 (fortified wine)

This recipe for wine from Isabella grapes is suitable for those who prefer stronger alcohol. The preparation is quite simple. As a basis, we take ready-made wine (5 liters), prepared in the classical way (see recipe No. 1). To give it strength, you will also need to add sugar and alcohol. So, pour some wine, heat it and add sugar. Calculation: per liter of wine - 20 grams per liter. Pour the syrup into the wine, mix, cork, and put it in the cellar for 30 days. After this procedure, add alcohol to the wine and you can taste the fortified homemade drink.

Isabella grapes belong to the table-technical varieties. Few people like to eat its fresh fruits, but the wine from Isabella is excellent. Thanks to the variety of recipes at home, the nursery owner can make any wine from Isabella berries - red, white, rose. The product is a natural expectorant and warming agent. In winter, if you have a cold, you can make mulled wine from it.

In addition to wine, jams, compotes, jellies, preserves, juices, and frozen purees are made from Isabella grapes. The highlight of the festive table will be the no-bake “Grape” cake.

Value of Isabella grapes

The main advantage of the Isabella variety is the rich harvest that the shrubs produce annually. Plants take root in different conditions and grow strongly. Attractive bunches and grapes have commercial value. Isabella has taken root in winemaking thanks to simple recipes for producing homemade wine with a rich color and sour taste, because its juice has sufficient acidity and sugar content.

With mass cultivation of the crop, 60–75 centners of crop can be obtained from each hectare of plantings. For a good owner, these indicators are much higher, which allows him to prepare alcohol in any volume.

In the European Union, wine made from Isabella grapes is prohibited for production and consumption. Scientists believe that the increased content of methyl alcohol and hydrocyanic acid in alcoholic beverages can be harmful to human health. When creating intoxicating drinks with your own hands, Isabella remains a popular culture, and in order for the wine from its berries to be beneficial and not harmful, the product should be consumed in moderation, no more than 300 ml per day.

When and how to harvest Isabella grapes for wine

Understanding the best time to harvest Isabella grapes makes it easier to know information about their ripeness. It ripens completely by the last ten days of October. But in order for the fruits to acquire sufficient sweetness, it is recommended to prepare Isabella’s grape raw materials for wine 1 week after the onset of technical maturity, and the harvest must be harvested before the first frost and in dry weather.

The crop produces fruits of a dark red hue. When ripe, their taste is pleasantly sour and their skin is tough. To prepare high-quality Isabella wine at home, it is important to carefully examine the berries and remove rotten, unripe and dry raw materials. It is impossible to wash suitable fruits, since wild yeast lives on their surface. Their task is to start the fermentation process.

Wine recipes from Isabella

When the berries are sorted and the rejects are discarded, all that remains is to stock up on sugar and prepare the bottle for fermentation. Self-fermentation of unwashed raw materials allows you to do without an alcohol base. The product turns out natural, transparent, fortified.

Classic recipe for wine from Isabella grapes

The simplest recipe for making grape wine from Isabella's berries has become a classic and served as the basis for improved technologies for creating the drink. To complete it you will need only two ingredients - grapes and sugar (proportion in kilograms 10: 3). The raw materials must be unwashed, but dry and covered with a gray-gray coating with yeast.

How to make a classic version of Isabella wine:

Fortified wine Isabella

Can Isabella wine be strong, and what recipe is there for making it at home? Surely this question is asked by many lovers of “hot” drinks. Of course, experienced winemakers are familiar with this technology. And in order to make fortified wine Isabella, they advise taking 3 components:

Berries – 5 kg;
Sugar – 600 g;
Alcohol – 1 l.

The recipe may contain more sugar, but not less. The optimal ratio for adjustment is 100 g of sand for every liter of juice.

What you need to do to make Isabella fortified wine at home:

The pulp of crushed unwashed grapes is kept in a glass jar for 3 days. Then sprinkle with sugar;
The vessel is closed and taken out to a warm room for 2 weeks for fermentation;
The fermented mass is filtered through 3 layers of gauze;
The transparent liquid is kept in a dark, cool room for 2 months;
Young wine is fortified with alcohol and infused for 2 weeks;
Alcohol is bottled. Store the container in a horizontal position.

Fortified wine stimulates the appetite and improves digestive processes. It is consumed chilled with meat dishes.

Quick recipe for wine from Isabella grapes

If you don’t have time for long-term winemaking, the simplest recipe “For the Lazy” will help you quickly make delicious wine from Isabella’s aromatic berries. Let's look at its features:

The main raw materials are combined with sugar 5:3 and left for 1 week;
On day 8, the composition is diluted with 10 liters of distilled water and waited for 1 month;
The intoxicating liquor is filtered through multilayer cheesecloth and bottled;
Store wine in a cool place.

Water technology

You can prepare a large amount of wine from Isabella’s raw materials at home by adding water to the berry mass. The strength of such a drink will be less than usual.

Step-by-step process of winemaking on water:

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