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Winemaking
Blackcurrant is a wonderful raw material for homemade wine. Keep in mind, however, that 1 L of blackcurrant must contains about 30 g of citric acid. The optimal total acidity for dry red wine is 5–6 g/L, and for sweet wine 9–10 g/L.
The high acidity of this fruit means you should reduce it before preparing the must.
One way to reduce acidity is to add water to the must. Remember, though, that too much water will adversely affect the extract, color, and tannin level in the finished wine.
We do have a way to make blackcurrant wine aromatic and not too tart—check out our recipe.
Blackcurrant wine recipe
Preparation
Choose ripe, sound fruit for winemaking. Wash them thoroughly and remove the stems. Transfer the prepared fruit to a fermentation vessel and gently crush.
Then pour in 1 L of water at about 40°C and mix.
Next, add Pektoenzym, which loosens the structure of the fruit cell walls, increasing the amount of juice obtained and improving the wine’s clarity at later stages.
Leave to macerate for a few hours. After this time, press the must. The more thoroughly the fruit is pressed, the higher the acidity of the must.
Divide the planned amount of sugar into two portions. Dissolve the first portion—0.8 kg—in 3.5 L of hot water and add this sugar syrup to the must.
Prepare a large pot (approx. 10 L) and pour in a sachet of Redukwas (15 g).
From the obtained volume of sweetened must, measure out 4 L of must. Then pour into the large pot with
Redukwas about 200 ml and start heating (approx. 75°C).
ATTENTION: Vigorous foaming will occur due to carbon dioxide being released! When the first bubbles appear, add another
portion of must, stirring constantly; repeat until you have used the entire prepared volume. Be careful not to boil the must. After deacidification, the foam will subside.
Decant the must off the sediment that has formed at the bottom of the pot and leave it to cool, and
then combine it with the remaining amount of must.
To the must cooled to 30°C, add yeast rehydrated in 100 ml of boiled water
FERMIVIN VR5. These are specially selected dried wine yeasts from the Burgundy region of France that do not require prior propagation (a yeast starter). They are perfect for musts with high acidity, such as blackcurrants.
Also add 1.5 g (half of the planned portion) of Kombi Vita nutrient to the must.
Mix everything, cover the vessel with a lid and fit a fermentation airlock filled with water (it allows the continuous release of carbon dioxide produced
during fermentation while protecting the must from external contamination).
Leave to ferment at room temperature.
After about 5 days, add the second portion of sugar (0.7 kg) and the second portion of nutrient, 1.5 g (rehydrated in about 50 ml of wine).
Secure the vessel again with a lid and fermentation airlock (check that the water in the airlock has not evaporated).
Leave the must until fermentation is complete.
The wine will then begin to clarify on its own.
This is the time when you can adjust its taste, e.g., by adding a little sugar.
Rack the clear wine off the lees and leave it for secondary (quiet) fermentation at room temperature. Continue to use the airlock.
When the wine has finished fermenting, is clear, and tastes right, bottle it and enjoy the drink you have made yourself.
