How to make wine from apples. Delicious homemade apple wine according to my simple recipes: easy and effortless

Apple wine is famous for its taste, benefits, and ease of making it yourself. It is almost in no way inferior to grape wine, and in our latitudes it is much more accessible. In addition, there is no need to worry about raw materials: apples of any variety are suitable for this wine. A little work and patience, a good apple wine recipe - and you can always please your loved ones and friends with a wonderful drink. We will tell you how to make apple wine correctly and avoid mistakes during the preparation process.

We select raw materials, necessary tools and materials

Making apple wine is quite simple. The process is almost inexpensive, and everything you need is grown in your garden, purchased at the store, and made by yourself. You need:

apples themselves, of any variety, and even a mixture of varieties;
sugar;
juice press;
water seal (we will make it ourselves);
two volumetric containers in which the liquid will ferment and settle.

Apples, like grapes, are optimal for making wine directly from juice because they contain the right amount of sugar, unlike berries and many other fruits.

Making homemade apple wine

We will present you several recipes for wines of any category: dessert, light, strong, table, liqueur. If you do not yet have the skills to make wine, then start with stronger varieties, since they are easier to make and not capricious during storage. This way you can avoid some common mistakes.

So, the sequence of stages for making apple wine at home is as follows:

We prepare the fruits - wash the apples, clean the rotten and spoiled areas, grind them into pulp.
We squeeze out the juice and check its quality. In some cases it can be strained.
Preparing the wort. Let the resulting liquid ferment. At a certain stage, yeast is added to the wort and a rapid fermentation process begins.
The liquid is filtered for the first time and poured into another container. Fermentation continues at a calmer level. The wort requires care during this period.
A few more transfers of wine into another container. After this, the wine matures and its aging begins.
The wine is cleaned, clarified if necessary, bottled and stored. At this stage, treatment of drink diseases may be required.

Let's look at these stages in more detail and in detail, since each of them has its own characteristics and secrets.

Amount of products needed for wine

There are several types of wine, and each of them requires different types of apples and a different amount of sugar. Use our tips to get a quality product.

We present data based on 100 liters of must, in order to obtain 80 liters of wine.

If you are using forest or unripe apples, the acidity of which is 1.5% and the sugar content is 6.0%, then you will need:

to obtain light table wine - 62 kg of fruits, from which 46.7 liters of juice will be obtained, plus 46.6 liters of water, 11.2 kg of sugar;
to obtain strong table wine - 71 kg of fruits, from which 53.3 liters of juice will be obtained, plus 35.75 liters of water, 18.3 kg of sugar;
to obtain strong wine - 107 kg of fruits, from which 80 liters of juice will be obtained, plus 1.9 liters of water, 30.2 kg of sugar;
to obtain dessert wine - 89 kg of fruits, from which 66.67 liters of juice will be obtained, plus 12 liters of water, 35.5 kg of sugar;
to obtain liqueur wine - 104 kg of fruit, from which 78 liters of juice will be obtained, plus 51.3 kg of sugar.

When preparing wine, stick to the right amount of sugar.

When using sweet and sour apples with an acidity of 0.7% and a sugar content of 15%, in some cases it will be necessary to add tannic and tartaric acids. The ratio of products will be as follows:

to obtain light table wine - 124 kg of fruits, from which 92.8 liters of juice will be obtained, plus 7.15 liters of water, 0.80 kg of sugar;
to obtain strong table wine - 127 kg of fruits, from which 95 liters of juice will be obtained, plus 7.25 kg of sugar, 150 g of tartaric acid, 105 g of tannic acid;
to obtain strong wine - 115 kg of fruits, from which 86 liters of juice will be obtained, plus 22.1 kg of sugar, 484 g of tartaric acid, 114 g of tannic acid;
to obtain dessert wine - 112 kg of fruits, from which 84 liters of juice will be obtained, plus 26.9 kg of sugar, 296 g of tartaric acid, 116 g of tannic acid;
to obtain liqueur wine - 88 kg of fruits, from which 66 liters of juice will be obtained, plus 56.1 kg of sugar, 804 g of tartaric acid, 234 g of tannic acid.

By adhering to these proportions, you will get a good, properly aged wine.

Variety of apple wines

Fruit preparation: selection of varieties, juice extraction

There is no single variety of apple intended specifically for making wine. The best option is to use a mixture of sweet, sour and tart varieties. Experts identify the most common ratios:

sweet, tart and sour apples - 3/3/2 parts, respectively;
sweet, tart, sour – 2/2/1;
sweet, tart, sour – 1/1/2;
sweet, tart – 1/3;
sweet, tart – 2/1;
bitter, sweet – 2/1.

Summer, well-ripened varieties are sent for pressing immediately. Apples of autumn varieties need several days after picking to ripen. Winter, late varieties will require almost a month of ripening in a cool, dark place, for example, in a basement.

For homemade wine, combine apples of different varieties. Sometimes you can add other fruits and berries

Please note: when washing apples, you do not need to be careful: natural yeast cultures should remain on the fruits, which will ensure primary fermentation. But damaged areas must be removed. You also need to remove the seeds and core, otherwise the wine will taste bitter.

Apples are crushed into a pulp called pulp. To do this, you can use any suitable device: a meat grinder, a grater, a household juicer. Main. So that the consistency of the pulp is as fine as possible.

To squeeze juice from the pulp, use gauze (a labor-intensive process) or a special press (easier production). The pulp remaining in the juice is only beneficial in this production.

Prepare the wort and let the wine ferment

Preparation of the wort is necessary in order to obtain pure juice, which will then ferment to produce wine later. The squeezed apple juice is poured into a container with a wide neck - a can or a large saucepan, and covered with a layer of gauze. The initial fermentation takes place the very next day, and the wort is divided into two fractions. The pulp rises up, and the clarified juice remains at the bottom.

The wort must be kept in this state for 3 days, stirring regularly so that the top of the pulp does not turn sour, otherwise the wine will be spoiled.

During fermentation, sugar is added to the juice to feed the yeast. It should be remembered that 2% sugar in the wort will give about 1% alcohol. With every kilogram of sugar, the volume of wort increases by 0.5-0.96 liters.
You can add sugar to the primary wort in a ratio of 1.5 kg per 7.5 liters of juice, then add the remaining sand. Also. For ease of production, sugar is added before quiet fermentation.
After three days of primary fermentation, the pulp is removed from the surface so that a layer of cap no higher than 5 mm remains. Add sugar and, if necessary, water.
Since we are considering a recipe in which fermentation occurs due to natural yeast remaining on the fruit, the strength of our wine will be no more than 13.5%, so it is better to add sugar right away - it is a necessary feed for the yeast.
The resulting juice is mixed until the sugar is completely dissolved and poured into a dry, clean glass container. When using plastic containers, make sure they are food-grade to avoid damaging the wine with a chemical taste.

Container with a water seal made independently from improvised materials

The container is not filled to the top, but approximately 4/5 of the volume, so that there is enough space for the formation of foam on the wort during fermentation. The dishes should not be tightly sealed; it is necessary to ensure the removal of the released carbon dioxide, and at the same time block the access of oxygen. To do this, insert a long plastic tube into the lid of the vessel, the opposite end of which can be lowered into a bottle of water. To seal the container with wort, you can use a tightly ground wooden stopper or a plastic lid. Cover the remaining holes with plasticine or dough. The water seal is ready.

The process of quiet fermentation of apple wine, ripening, bottling

The container with the wort, closed with a water seal, should be placed in a warm, shaded place with a temperature of 20-22 degrees - this is the ideal climate for fermentation. It is advisable to control the temperature at the same level, otherwise the process can either slow down significantly or speed up, which will affect the quality of the product. Therefore, it is necessary to exclude drafts in the room.

The fermentation period for apple wine is about 45 days. If the water bottle that provides the water seal no longer produces bubbles, the fermentation process is complete.

It will take a few more days for the fermented wine to sit in the container. The main thing is not to leave it for more than two weeks, otherwise the dead yeast that has precipitated will begin to rot. After this, the wine is poured into clean bottles.

Be sure to add sugar to the wort during fermentation.

You can already drink the resulting wine, but since it has not yet matured, its taste and aroma will not be full. Therefore, prepare a clean and dry container and pour the liquid into it through a tube so that the sediment remains at the bottom of the first container. The bottle is filled to the brim, sealed tightly and placed in a dark, cold room for 2-4 months. This time is enough for the wine to acquire its true taste.

Please note: do not allow re-fermentation under any circumstances. Keep the temperature within 10-12 degrees, without fluctuations.

Typically, home-made apple wines independently take on the desired transparency, color and hue from light golden to caramel brown. To achieve this effect, it is enough that the production technology is consistent and not disrupted during the process.

When bottling wine after maturation, make sure that the container is filled to the top and tightly sealed to avoid oxidation of the wine. You can immediately start tasting, treating your family, friends and relatives, especially if your goal was to get a light table wine. This product can be drunk 10 days after filtration. But if you are planning long-term storage, it is better to remove the wine from the sediment again before bottling.

Video about making apple wine at home

Many people like homemade apple wine, and some like it more than grape wine. It will become a real decoration of your table and a favorite of the whole company! We hope that our tips will help you in winemaking, and you will become truly passionate about this process. Share with us your secrets if you have been making wine at home for a long time. Easy work for you and comfort for your home!

Many people have thought at least once in their lives about making wine with their own hands. In fact, anyone can make this tasty, healthy and invigorating drink at home.

Wine is made not only from grapes, but also from other berries and fruits. Let's look at in this article: how to make homemade apple wine, general recommendations for preparation and several popular recipes.

To make apple wine at home correctly, you need to follow these recommendations:

Learn how to follow the entire sequence of a particular recipe and only then proceed to action..
If your goal is to learn how to make wine using several recipes, start with simpler methods. Winemakers advise starting with making dessert and fortified apple wine. These types of drink do not require special equipment. In addition, summer fruit varieties do not need to be prepared in the same way as autumn and winter ones.
Choose carefully the raw materials and equipment for preparing the drink. For example, if using a plastic container, make sure it is suitable for storing food. Otherwise, there is a chance that the wine will come out with a chemical aftertaste.
If this is your first time using a water seal or its analogues: a tube, a glove, find out in more detail how to make a drain. The container may burst if this device is installed incorrectly. For example, when using a medical glove on cups, do not forget to make holes with a needle in the outer phalanges of the fingers on it. The larger the container, the more punctures. Usually 1-3 punctures are made on each finger of the glove.
Stick to average optimal temperatures for preparing the drink. For fermentation – 22-25 degrees, for ripening – 10-14, for storage – 10-15 without strong temperature changes.

Which types of apples should be used to make certain types of wine?

To make table wine or cider, it is advisable to select autumn varieties of sweet apples with a sour aftertaste. Antonovka is good for making fortified wine. To make the drink tart, you need to use wild apples. Autumn and winter varieties are suitable for producing sweet and semi-sweet wine.

Wine always has a good taste of sourness, so if you intend to use very sweet apples, it is better to add other sour fruits, berries, and dried fruits to them.

Good additions include: sloe, lemon, orange zest, rowan, raisins and others.

The benefits of homemade apple wine

Different types of wine are made from apples: dry, fortified, sweet, cider and others. Each of them retains the beneficial properties of vitamins and microelements of this fruit. Homemade apple wine, when consumed in moderation, has the following beneficial effects:

relaxes from nervous and physical fatigue;
lifts the mood;
improves stomach function;
normalizes blood pressure;
in the content of cosmetic products gives a rejuvenating effect;
strengthens the hair structure when added to shampoo;
helps women with hormonal imbalances;
accelerates metabolism and fat processing, therefore serves as a good tool for those who want to lose weight;
protects against the development of cancer.

Apple wine at home - a simple recipe

This method is one of the easiest for making wine from apples. When properly prepared, the drink turns out to be no more than 12 degrees in rpm content.

Ingredients:

20 kg apples;
2-3 kg of sugar.

Sequence of actions:

Wipe the apples with a clean, dry towel. They cannot be washed in water, as the yeast necessary for fermentation will be lost.
Remove seeds from fruits. They are harmful and spoil the taste.
Squeeze the fruit in a juicer or grate it. The main thing is to get puree with juice.
Pour the resulting mixture into a jar. Cover it with gauze to protect it from insects. Let the mixture sit for 3 days. The pulp will rise to the top, separating from the juice.
Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon 4 times a day. When it has brewed, on the third day, remove the pulp with a spoon or colander.
Depending on the sweetness of the variety, add 100-150 g of sugar per 1 liter of drink. Accordingly, the sweeter the apples, the less sugar you need. Mix the future drink well.
Wait 5 days, then add the same amount of sand and mix.
Install a water seal.
Every 5 days, add the same portion of sugar.
For good fermentation, you should pour the composition into an airtight container and drain it. Bottles work well. After pouring the composition into them, make holes for the tube and insert them there.
Place a glass next to each bottle and insert straws into them. This promotes the release of carbon dioxide from the mixture and closes it off from oxygen, which prevents fermentation.
During the fermentation stage, the drink should be kept in a room with a temperature of 23-26 degrees. This process will take one to three months.
When this stage is completed, sediment will appear at the bottom. This is an indication that the wine has fermented well.
Pour the drink into another container without sediment. Place it to ripen in a cooler room with a temperature of no more than 15 degrees. The second stage of infusion will take 3-4 months.
Watch for sediment. When it appears, pour the drink into another container. If no sediment appears within two weeks, the wine is ready.

It has an amber color and a pleasant apple aroma. Shelf life – 3 years.

Apple fortified wine

This homemade apple wine recipe requires the addition of an alcoholic beverage. Here we will look at the method containing vodka. The wine will have a strength of 12-16 degrees.

Ingredients:

10 kg apples;
2 kg sugar;
100 g raisins;
200 g vodka.

Prepared in the following order:

Wipe the fruit with a dry cloth.
Remove the seeds.
Grind the fruits in a meat grinder or on a grater, mix them with sugar and raisins.
Place the composition in an airtight container and install a water seal.
Leave the future drink to ferment in a warm room with a temperature of 24-26 degrees for 3 weeks.
After this time, sediment will appear at the bottom of the container. Pour the mixture into another container, add 1 cup of sand and stir it.
Let the drink steep for another 2 weeks.
Then, pour it again into another container, getting rid of the sediment, and add vodka.
Mix the mixture and move the container to a cooler room for 3 weeks.

This wine has a golden color, sweet and sour taste and the smell of fresh fruit.

Homemade semi-sweet

This type of drink is prepared using the same technology as those mentioned above. Only you need to add more sugar to it - 250-300 g per 1 liter of mixture.

Cooking technique:

Clean any dirt or rot from the fruit with a rag.
Grind them in a way that suits you.
Pour the resulting mixture into a container, covering it with gauze.
When pulp appears on the surface, stir it into the mixture.
After 5 days, remove the pulp from the future drink. Leave a thin layer of pulp - about half a centimeter.
Divide the sugar into 10 equal portions. Add one to the composition and stir. Then add and stir sugar in this amount every 5 days.
Install a water seal.
Infuse the drink for a month and a half at a temperature of 20-25 degrees.
After this, the semi-sweet wine will be ready. In order to improve its taste, it should be allowed to stand in a cool place for another 4-5 months. In this case, it is necessary to regularly free the composition from sediment.

How to make apple wine with raisins

To make wine with a special taste, you should add other fruits, dried fruits, and berries. Raisins serve as a good catalyst for fermentation. Therefore, if your goal is to make wine tastier and faster, this method will suit you.

Ingredients:

sweet apples – 10 kg;
sugar – 2 kg;
unwashed raisins – 100 g.

How to cook:

Sort through the apples, clean them of dirt, rot and seeds.
Grind on a grater or in a meat grinder.
Add 2 kg of sugar and 100 g of raisins to the resulting mass. There is no need to wash dried fruit so that it does not lose its main property in making wine - accelerating fermentation.
Transfer the composition into a bottle and seal it with a punctured rubber glove.
After 21 days, strain the mixture through cheesecloth and add 200 g of sugar. Stir it until completely dissolved. Close the mixture tightly and place in a dark room.
After 2-3 months, the drink needs to be filtered. You can add 100 ml of vodka.
Pour the resulting wine into clean containers and store in a cool room.

Recipe for apple wine with chokeberry

Apple wine with the addition of chokeberry has a tart, astringent, pleasant taste. In addition, it is very good for health: it stabilizes blood pressure, has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, and improves tone and mood.

Ingredients:

apples – 3 kg;
chokeberry – 2 kg;
sugar – 1 kg.

How to cook:

Peel the apples from dirt, rot and seeds and chop.
Grind the rowan.
Mix the fruit with chokeberry and 330 g of granulated sugar.
Place the composition in an airtight container, add warm boiled water, cover with a cloth and place in a warm room.
Install a water seal.
After a week, add another 330 g of sand and stir until dissolved. The mixture needs to be stirred every day.
After a week, add the last portion of sugar and shake the mixture.
Stir the drink for 14 days. Then leave it to steep in a cool room for a month.
If sediment appears, the composition should be filtered and poured into other containers.

Making a drink from compote

You can make wine from spoiled homemade apple compote.

Ingredients:

compote – 3 liters;
sugar – 200-250 g;
raisins – 50-100 g.

Cooking technique:

Pour the compote into another jar, add sugar and raisins and mix the ingredients.
Put a medical glove on the neck of the jar and leave the mixture to ferment in a dark room for 2 weeks.
After this time, remove the pulp from the mixture and strain it through cheesecloth.
Let it steep in a dark place for 2 months, pouring the wine periodically to get rid of sediment.

The drink should be clear, uniform and tasty.

After looking at these recipes, it's clear that making wine isn't that easy, but it's not that difficult either. With the intention, anyone can make a quality drink. The main thing is to follow the recommendations of experienced winemakers and follow a clear sequence of actions according to the given recipes. The wine combines beneficial and taste properties. As the creator of penicillin, Alexander Fleming, said: “Antibiotics cure people, but only wine can make them happy.”

As soon as the new harvest has ripened, housewives begin winter canning, and business men begin making strong and not very alcoholic drinks. Wine made from apples is especially popular, but this tasty product is not as simple as it seems at first glance, since, like all winemaking technologies, it has a lot of culinary steps. In order not to spoil the result of your hard and long work, you need to prepare the drink correctly, following the sequence described step by step in the recipe.

Before you start making homemade wine from a fresh apple harvest, it’s worth finding out which fruits are best suited for this. We are talking not only about the quality of the fruits, but also about their combination. Homemade apple wine has a lot of features in the selection of apples and their processing, but it is their 100th adherence that will ensure you receive a delicious natural drink of the highest quality.

Which apples to choose for homemade wine

The most successful option for apple wine is a combination of apples of different varieties. What to combine with what will help determine the type of wine you are going to make: strong, light table, dessert or liqueur.

For example, if your plans are to make liqueur, strong or dessert wine at home, then you need to use a combination of sweet and sour apples with regular sour apples, autumn or winter varieties. In this case, the Antonovka variety is ideal. If you want to make cider or light table wine, then you will need sweet and sour apples of autumn commercial varieties. But as mentioned above: it is best to combine the fruits.

The most common apple combinations look like this:

2 parts (hours) sweet and 1 part (hours) tart;
1 hour each sweet and tart + 2 hours sour;
2 hours sour + 3 hours each tart and sweet;
1 hour sweet and 2 hours bitter;
1 hour sour and 2 hours tart and sweet;
3 hours tart and 1 hour sweet.

If you use apples of summer varieties, they can be sent for juice extraction immediately after harvesting. Picked autumn fruits should be left to ripen for 3-4 days, winter ones - for 3-4 weeks in a cool place (basement, cellar, pantry).

A simple recipe for homemade apple wine

To make wine from whole apples, you need to properly prepare them for processing. It is very important not to wash the fruits before cooking. There are natural yeasts on the skin that promote the natural fermentation process. To clean apples from dust and dirt, just wipe their surface with a brush or rag, but washing the fruits in water is not recommended.

If the apples have rotten, damaged areas or wormholes, feel free to remove them. You also need to cut out the core with the seeds from the apples so that the finished drink does not taste bitter. If you like a certain tartness, you don’t have to cut out the apple “heart”.

How to make apple wine at home

We pass the peeled apples through a juicer.
Pour the resulting juice into a glass container, occupying no more than ¾ of the total volume. After all, when the wort ferments, it will definitely begin to pour out of the container.

Do not forget that apple juice cannot be left in the air for a long time - it can oxidize.

Add apple pomace to the squeezed juice to increase the concentration of natural yeast before fermentation.
Next, add sugar (proportions – 150-200 g per 1 liter of juice). You can introduce the required portion gradually - in 3 approaches: 1 time every 2 days. This will help avoid violent fermentation. However, remember that adding sugar to the wort again may result in a “champagne effect.” Therefore, you need to add sugar little by little. If you don’t add it at all, the wine strength will be less than 15° vol.
We close the container with the wort with a rubber glove (be sure to make a puncture in one of the fingers) or with a water seal. If this is not done, then under the influence of air the apple juice will oxidize and begin to form acetic acid.
While the wort is fermenting, you need to stir it once a day so that the yeast disperses evenly throughout the fermenting drink. Stirring will speed up the fermentation process of homemade wine.
We put the container with the drink in a dark place with a temperature not exceeding 22-28°C. We constantly monitor the condition of the yeast.
As soon as the rubber glove falls off, or the release of carbon dioxide stops (if you used a water seal for fermentation), you can assume that the fermentation is over and the wine from fresh apples is ready.

Separate the wine from the sediment, pour into clean bottles and store in a cool place.

Secrets of delicious apple wine

The remaining sediment can be used again - as a starter for making apple wine at home.
If the wine does not reach the required strength - 15° vol. and there is sugar left in it, then the fermentation process will slowly continue. The end result is apple cider. For those who know, this is the same as apple wine, only cider is always a low-alcohol drink, unlike wine, the strength of which varies.
If you don’t need cider, then we sterilize the bottles with the finished wine, bringing the temperature of the contents to above 50°C. Under such conditions, the yeast will “die” and fermentation will stop completely.
If you want to make good wine from ripe apples for the winter, but only sweet fruits are on hand, then you need to add freshly squeezed juice from fruits and berries, which have tannins and natural acids, to the apple juice. Plum, chokeberry, blackthorn, and pear are ideal for this. To prepare wine, we use the following proportions: 5-10 parts apples to 1 part sour juice.

How to make wine from apples with raisins: recipe without yeast

Ingredients

Apples – 10 kg + -
Unwashed raisins - 100 g + -
— 2.2 kg + -

Step-by-step recipe for apple wine at home

Apple wine is made with raisin ferment using a simple, but slightly different technology from the recipe described above. If in the previous recipe the technology for making wine from fresh apples included processing the fruits using a juicer, then this method of preparation requires a regular meat grinder. We will make wine with a glove, the fermentation process itself will take no more than 20 days, so in a month you will have a homemade drink you can try.

We sort the apples, clean them with a brush to remove any dirt, and remove the core from the fruit.
Grind ripe (not green) apples in a meat grinder.
Add granulated sugar and unwashed raisins to the resulting puree, stir everything.
We transfer the mass into a glass bottle and put a pierced rubber glove on its throat. The puncture should be small: such that the resulting carbon dioxide can escape from the bottle and no excess air can enter.
After 20 days, we filter the fermented wort (separate it from the sediment), add granulated sugar (200 g), and then seal the finished wine into clean containers. We remove the product for a while in a cool, dark place for further ripening.
When the apple wine is ripe, you can, if desired, add vodka (150 g) to the drink, stir everything, and then bottle it.
Store finished apple wine in a room with low temperatures (cellar or refrigerator).

You can watch how to make delicious wine from apples with your own hands in a step-by-step video recipe. It will complement the theoretical recipe and help find answers to those questions that unexpectedly arise during the preparation process for every winemaker.

As mentioned above, there are several types of apple wine, and for each of them it is necessary to select its own quantitative ratio of the main ingredients. Below is a table that describes in detail which products and in what proportions need to be combined to get one or another type of homemade wine.

Each number corresponds to a different type of wine:

1 – table lung,
2 – table strong,
3 – strong,
4 – dessert,
5 – liqueur.

By adhering to the correct proportions and following the sequence of steps in preparation, creating wine from apples will not be difficult. Those who have made it more than once know for sure whether it is possible to make delicious wine from apples. At home, apple wine (or as it is also beautifully called cider) turns out to be very tasty, healthy, and most importantly – natural.

If you are going to make wine from apples for the first time, then it is better to give preference to making dessert, liqueur or strong wine. These species tolerate various diseases and inept handling more easily, and they do not require complex equipment. With experience, you can begin to prepare more complex varieties of apple drink.

Happy cooking!

For amateur winemakers who do not have access to a large amount of good grapes, I recommend making wine from apples according to the recipe published below. The result is a very tasty and healthy drink in moderate quantities with a strength of 10-12 degrees. I will prove that making apple wine at home is easier than you think.

Any varieties of green, yellow and red apples (summer and winter) are suitable for winemaking, the main thing is that the fruits themselves are ripe and as juicy as possible. It is allowed to mix different varieties, getting interesting blends, for example, sour apples with sweeter ones.

Ingredients:

apples - 20 kg;
sugar - 150-400 grams per liter of juice.

Adding water is advisable only when using unripe, very sour apples (the taste of the juice stings the tongue strongly). But even in this case, the acidity is reduced with a small amount of water - up to 100 ml per liter of juice, and not diluted in a ratio of one to two or one to three.

Apple wine recipe

1. Preparing apples. Do not wash apples picked from the tree or collected on the ground, since the yeast that is needed for fermentation lives on the peel. If the apples are very dirty, they can be wiped with a dry cloth or lightly brushed with a clean shoe brush.

To prevent any bitterness from being felt in the finished homemade wine, I advise you to remove the seeds and core from the apples, and cut out the rotten parts, spoiled and moldy parts of damaged fruits.

2. Getting juice. The method of processing apples depends on the available equipment. If you have a juicer, I recommend using this particular kitchen tool. The result will be pure juice with a minimal amount of pulp, which will simplify further preparation.

If you don’t have a juicer, you can use a mechanical grater. The applesauce will then have to be squeezed out in a different way. For example, with gauze (a very labor-intensive process) or with a press. In any case, the minimum task is to get at least a liquid puree at the end.

3. Juice settling. Place the resulting apple juice (or liquid puree) in an open container with a wide neck (large pan or barrel) for 2-3 days, tying the upper part with gauze to protect against insects. During this time, wild yeast spores will get into the mixture, and it will begin to decompose into two fractions - pulp (remains of peel, pulp) and regular apple juice. The pulp will accumulate on top of the juice. In order for the yeast to get directly inside, you need to stir the contents of the container 3-4 times a day for the first 2 days with a clean hand or a wooden stick.

On the third day, the pulp will form a dense layer on the surface; it should be removed with a saucepan or colander. Only juice and a small (3-5 mm) film should remain in the container. The stage is considered complete when foam, hissing and a characteristic vinegar-alcohol smell appear in the wort, indicating that fermentation has begun.

4. Adding sugar. The amount depends on the initial sweetness of the fruit; the sweeter the juice, the less sugar is added to apple wine, especially at the initial stage. If the sugar content exceeds 20%, the wine will ferment poorly or fermentation will stop altogether. To prevent this from happening, it is better to add sugar in parts rather than pour it all at once.

Total amount: to obtain dry apple wine, I recommend adding 150-220 grams of sugar per 1 liter of fermented juice, the concentration for sweet and dessert varieties is 300-400 grams per liter. It is better not to exceed these standards, otherwise the wine will turn out cloying.

The first batch (100-150 grams per liter) is added immediately after removal from the pulp. Sugar is simply poured into the fermenting juice and stirred.

After 4-5 days, you can add a second portion (50-100 grams per liter). To do this, you need to remove the water seal, pour half as much wort into a separate container as you plan to add sugar (for example, for 500 grams you need 250 ml), add sugar to the drained juice, and mix. Pour the resulting sugar syrup back into the container with the wine. Reinstall the water seal.

The procedure for adding sugar can be repeated 1-2 more times every 4-5 days using the technology described above, adding 30-80 grams per liter of juice.

5. Fermentation. First, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of contact of the wort with air. If you don't do this, you'll end up with vinegar instead of apple wine. I recommend using glass bottles, jars or plastic mineral water bottles as hermetically sealed containers.

Next, you need to take care of the removal of carbon dioxide, which will be released during the fermentation process. To do this, install a water seal. It is made as follows: make a small hole in the lid of the vessel into which to insert a small diameter tube (cambric). Place the end of the tube located in the vessel as high as possible so that it does not become clogged with foam. Lower the other end of the cambric into a glass of water by 2-3 cm. Now the gases inside the container will freely flow out, but air will not be able to enter the container with wine.

Alternative options are to put a medical glove on the jar with a small hole in your finger (made with a needle) or buy a special water seal lid.

Classic water seal scheme

Fermentation under the glove

Factory water seal

Fill the vessel with fermenting juice no more than 4/5 in height, since you need to leave some space for carbon dioxide and foam.

During fermentation, the container should be in a dark and warm place (18-25°C), the optimal temperature is 20-22 degrees. The fermentation process of apple wine lasts from 30 to 60 days. Its completion is determined by the long-term absence of gas bubbles in a glass of water (a deflated glove) and the appearance of sediment at the bottom.

Attention! If fermentation lasts longer than 55 days, to avoid a bitter aftertaste, the wine should be poured into another container without sediment at the bottom and the water seal should be installed again.

6. Maturation. The young apple wine obtained at the previous stage can already be drunk, but it has a pungent smell and taste. These shortcomings are eliminated with endurance.

You will need another absolutely clean and dry sealed container. Here it is important to exclude the possibility of foreign yeast entering, so I recommend washing the prepared vessel well with hot boiled water and then drying it with a hairdryer.

Using a water seal tube, pour the apple wine from one container to another. First, drain the upper, lightest layers, then move on to the lower ones, trying not to touch the sediment at the bottom. If desired, the filtered drink can be sweetened (add sugar to taste) or fortified (pour in 40% alcohol or vodka in an amount of 2-15% of the wine volume). Fixing promotes storage, but the taste becomes harsher.

Fill the vessel to the top with wine and seal it tightly. If sugar was added, it is better to keep it under a water seal for the first 7-10 days in case of repeated fermentation. Store wine in a cool, dark place (6-16°C) for 60-120 days. This time is enough for it to fully ripen and improve its taste.

First, once every 10-15 days you need to remove the wine from the sediment by pouring it into another container. Over time, sediment will appear less frequently, then the frequency of filtration can also be reduced. Homemade apple wine is considered ready when sediment no longer falls or its amount is minimal. After this, the wine can be bottled and hermetically sealed.

The wine is ready!

The resulting drink is dark amber in color with the smell of ripe fruits. Strength – 10-12% (without fixing). Shelf life – up to 3 years when stored in a cool, dark place in hermetically sealed containers.

This fall in our village, all the corridors and storerooms were filled with apples. The smell was amazing! Antonovka is one of the most aromatic varieties. You can’t put much into storage; it’s impossible to recycle everything. So, after a short argument with me, my husband decided to take up winemaking again.

We argued about the feasibility of this rather labor-intensive process - we have had wine since last year. But since it’s a pity to throw away apples, the husband won.

For about a month and a half, a steady gurgling sound was heard in our warm corner - the wine was flowing well. And since this is the case, I decided to tell Alimero’s readers about how to make this delicious low-alcohol drink, which is also called cider. This is not entirely correct, since cider is a carbonated drink, and making it at home is problematic. But their composition is the same - apple juice.

I once tried to make my own apple wine. A friend provided me with a bunch of apples and the corresponding recipe. I got busy. Squeezed 3 liters of juice manually, since I didn’t have a juicer then, I added the required amount of sugar to the jar and started stirring. For this I took a stainless steel spoon. Girls, don't repeat my mistake! One gentle blow to the side of the jar - and apple juice began to gush out in my kitchen. I poured out the rest, threw away the jar, and cleaned up for half an hour. This is where my experiments with making cider ended. Now I'm just my husband's help.

To make apple wine you will need

Apples, or rather, freshly squeezed apple juice

The quantity can be completely different, but the final proportions are as follows:

For 1 liter of apple juice, 280 grams of granulated sugar and 100 milliliters of water. Just don’t rush to mix everything - let’s talk about everything in order.

Cooking time

The wine is prepared in several stages.

From the moment the juice is squeezed until the sweet amber drink appears on the table, it takes from 2.5 to 6 months (depending on how long you age the wine).

Complexity

If you have a juicer, it’s not difficult, but you’ll have to tinker.

Work progress

We pass the apples through a juicer, pour the resulting juice along with the remaining pulp into one container and leave in a warm place to ferment for 3 days.

During this time, stir the wort several times.

After 3 days, strain the juice from the pulp and measure the amount of pure juice. Add 100 g of water for each liter of juice.

Pour into bottles or jars, leaving room for fermentation and counting on adding sugar.

Add sugar at the rate of 1 liter of pure juice (we do not take into account water) in 4 doses:

1 day - 100 g.

Day 4 - 30 g.

Day 7 - 30 g.

We close the bottles with corks (this is done on the first day), insert a PVC hose (you can buy it by the meter) so that the carbon dioxide formed during the fermentation process escapes. If your wine ferments in jars, you will have to ruin the nylon lid: punch a hole in it, insert a hose and cover it around, for example, with plasticine.

To prevent oxidation of the juice, which could result in vinegar instead of wine, we make a water seal: gas will escape, but oxygen will not enter.

In a month and a half, fermentation will end, that is:

gurgling stops;

the juice becomes slightly clearer;

pulp particles stop moving;

Carefully drain the fermented juice from the sediment using the same PVC hose. Discard the sediment.

We pour it into bottles or jars (now there is no need to leave room for fermentation), close with corks or lids. We leave the wine material for another month, preferably in a cool place. During this time, it will become transparent and acquire an amber color.

After this, we drain it again from the sediment - bottle it, add sugar to each liter of wine material:

100-160 g for dessert wine,
- 200 g to obtain liqueur.

Homemade apple wine is ready. Unfortunately, we don't have a wine meter to measure the strength of the drink, but of course it's not strong. If you want the wine to acquire a fuller and more harmonious taste, cork it and put it away for 2-4 months to age.

This type of wine is well stored in a cool place and does not turn sour or mold. So in the apple year you can make this healthy (if you follow the moderation) drink for the whole year.

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