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Viburnum is an amazing berry that only becomes tastier after frost. Bright brushes adorn the bushes in winter, if, of course, they are not eaten by birds. And they are great hunters before them. And not without reason: this berry is a real storehouse of vitamins and minerals, it has healing properties. You can save all this by preparing various blanks from it, for example, homemade viburnum wine. Its unusual, slightly tart taste, pronounced aroma, rich dark color will not leave indifferent even true connoisseurs of alcoholic beverages.
There are many ways to make homemade wine from viburnum. Everyone can choose the recipe that suits him best.
Preparation of berries
It is better to pick berries when they are already stuck in frost. Excessive astringency, which is inherent in viburnum, will go away, and the sweetness necessary for fermentation will be added. The berries will become softer and give better healing juice. We use them on the day of collection, freeing them from branches and removing all spoiled and damaged ones. To make wine from viburnum at home, you do not need to wash them, otherwise the wild yeast that is present on the surface will be washed off.
Dry viburnum wine
To enhance fermentation, add raisins to the berry raw materials.
We will need:
- viburnum berries - 2 kg;
- sugar - 600 g;
- raisins - 2 handfuls;
- boiled water - 3.4 liters.
We prepare the berries, grind them with a blender or a meat grinder, put them in a spacious bottle with a wide mouth, add 0.2 kg of sugar, all the raisins and 30 ml of water.
They form a characteristic bluish bloom on dried grapes. Only such raisins are suitable for wine.
Cover the neck of the bottle with gauze and leave in a warm, dark place to ferment.
Do not close the bottle hermetically; oxygen is needed for fermentation.
The appearance of foam, which occurs after about three days, is a signal of the beginning of fermentation. We filter the infusion into another dish.
Add the remaining water and 0.2 kg of sugar. Leave the mixed wort to ferment under the hydraulic seal. If not, a rubber glove with two holes punctured by a needle will do. After 3 days, you need to pour a couple of glasses of wort into another dish, dissolve the remaining sugar in it, pour the solution to the total mass.
It takes about 30 days for the wine to ferment. It should pass without access to light and in warmth. Gas formation by this time should practically end. Gently pour the wine into clean glass bottles using a straw.
Viburnum wine matures within a month. The room must be cool.
Dessert viburnum wine
It is richer and richer in sugar.
Would need:
- viburnum berries - 2 kg;
- water - 3/4 l;
- sugar - about 400 g
Grind the prepared berries, add 0.1 kg of sugar, cover the jar with gauze and leave it warm until it starts to ferment. After three days, we squeeze the berries well and dilute the resulting juice with water. Add 0.1 kg of sugar for each liter of wine must. We close the dishes with a water seal.
After the end of fermentation, add sugar in the same proportion: 0.1 kg per liter. If it's not over, we add it again in a few days. To add sugar, pour some wine must into a clean, separate bowl, stir until dissolved, and pour back.
We keep the wine in a dish under a water seal for another two weeks after the end of fermentation. Pour into bottles without disturbing the sediment. If this happens, let the wine settle and drain again. Store in a cool place.
Viburnum liqueur
This viscous sweet wine is especially popular with women. Due to the addition of alcohol, the drink is quite strong.
To prepare it you will need:
- berries - 2 kg;
- sugar -1.5 kg;
- alcohol or vodka - 1l;
- water - 0.5 l.
Pour the prepared berries with boiling water for 30 minutes. We drain the water, and pour the berries into the jar, add a third of the sugar rate, mix, cover the jar with a lid so that it sits tightly. We keep it warm for three days. Add vodka or alcohol, close it again and put it on a sunny windowsill.
We prepare sugar syrup from water at the rate and the rest of the sugar. It needs to be dissolved, and the resulting syrup must be boiled. Turn off after 5 minutes. It is imperative to remove the foam. Add the cooled syrup to the tincture, mix well. We keep it for another month in a dark and warm place.
We pour the prepared strained liqueur into beautiful bottles. It can be stored for up to 3 years.
Viburnum liqueur with lemon juice
Viburnum liqueur with lemon juice has not only a refreshing taste, but also pronounced citrus notes. It is easy to make such a wine from viburnum at home, since the recipe is quite simple.
It will require:
- viburnum berries - 700 g;
- vodka - 1 l;
- sugar syrup from 150 g of sugar and a glass of water;
- 2-3 lemons.
Wash the prepared berries, crush and insist for a week in a dark cool place, pouring vodka. We filter through a fine sieve. We cook syrup from water and sugar. Having prepared the syrup, let it cool and mix with the juice squeezed from lemon.
We continue to infuse for a couple of weeks. Then we finally filter the liquor through a cotton-gauze filter. We store the bottled liquor in the basement.
Conclusion
Making homemade wine is a way to get drinks that simply cannot be bought in the store. In terms of their taste, they often surpass them, and in terms of the variety of components and the use of unconventional berries and fruits, they are far ahead.
