Blackberry aronia, or aronia, is often perceived by summer residents solely as an ornamental plant or a source of raw materials for medicinal tinctures. jolly It's a deep ruby color and a complex bouquet, and many people give up on the idea of black wine, for fear of too much tartness or complexity, but with the technology, the result will exceed all expectations.
The process of creating a drink requires patience and exact adherence to proportions, especially during the preparation of the wort. Unlike grape wine, where fermentation often starts spontaneously, aronia requires a more careful attitude to the introduction of sugar and water. Properly prepared black wine not only delights the taste, but also preserves a lot of useful trace elements, turning into a real elixir of health.
In this article, we will take a look at each step, from harvesting to bottling, and learn why it is important not to wash the berries before fermenting, how to calculate the amount of sugar correctly, and what mistakes can ruin all the work. Readiness and the availability of quality raw materials are already half the success of creating a masterpiece of a home winery.
Selection and preparation of raw materials for wine
The quality of the future drink depends on the state of the berries. ferroseIt's harvested after the first frost, when it gets sweeter and loses some of its natural tartness, but you don't have to wait for frosts: if you pick the berries in warm weather, you can put them in the freezer for several hours to soften the skin and start processes that facilitate juice separation.
The critical thing is not to wash the berries before processing, and the surface of the aronia skin is where you live wild yeast, which is essential for natural consumption. fermentationIf you wash away that plaque, the wine might just not ferment, and you'd have to add the purchased crops, which would change the nature of the drink. Only light rinsing is allowed if the berries were treated with chemicals, but ideally it's better to use an environmentally friendly crop.
When you go through the harvest, you have to ruthlessly remove rotten, moldy or immature specimens. Even one spoiled berry can bring unwanted bacteria into the wort that will spoil the taste of the entire wine volume. You also have to cut off all the peduncles, because they give extra bitterness and can make the color of the drink cloudy. The purity of the raw materials is the foundation on which the success of the winemaker is built.
⚠️ Warning: Do not use berries harvested along busy roads or in industrial areas for winemaking; heavy metals and exhaust gases will not disappear during fermentation, and the concentration of harmful substances in the finished product can be dangerous to health.
Required inventory and proportions of ingredients
Before starting to mix components, you need to prepare dishes. For fermentation, the best suited containers of glass, food plastic or enameled dishes without chipping. The use of metal buckets (especially aluminum or galvanized) is strictly prohibited, since the acid contained in the juice of ash will react with metal, which will give the wine an unpleasant taste and can lead to the formation of toxic compounds.
The classic recipe for blackberry wine is based on three main ingredients: berries, water and sugar. The proportions can vary depending on the desired strength and sweetness, but the gold standard is the ratio of 1 kg of berries per 1 liter of water and 300-400 grams of sugar. Sometimes, if the acidity of the juice is too high, additional water may be required, but with arony this is rarely due to its low natural acidity compared to currant or gooseberry.
You also need a water shutter or a medical glove to control the fermentation process, which allows carbon dioxide to escape from the tank, but prevents oxygen from entering the tank, which could lead to souring of the wine. The most common way to use it is to use a glove at home, because it is a visually clear indicator of the activity of the process: while it is inflated, the fermentation is well under way.
☑️ Preparation for winemaking
Here is a table that helps you calculate the number of ingredients for different volumes of future wine, which will help you avoid errors in your calculations and ensure a stable result.
| Birth volume (kg) | Water (litres) | Sugar (kg) | Expected output of wine (litres) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 kg | 3 l | 1 kg | ~4.5 l |
| 5kg | 5l | 1.7 kg | ~7.5 l |
| 7 kg | 7 l | 2.3 kg | ~10.5 l |
| 10 kg | 10 l | 3.5 kg | ~15 l |
Step-by-step technology of wort preparation
The process of making wort begins with grinding the prepared berries. Because the skin of the blackberry is quite dense, just crushing them with a spoon will not be enough. It is best to use a meat grinder, a blender or a wooden peste. It is important to get a homogeneous mass so that the maximum amount of juice and nutrients goes into solution. Some winemakers prefer not to grind the berries completely, but only slightly crumb them, but for arony complete crushing is preferable because of low juice yield.
The resulting mezga ( crushed berry) must be transferred to a container for primary fermentation, water and the first serving of sugar are added, you recommend adding sugar in parts: half normal at once, and the rest add during fermentation, which helps the yeast work more efficiently and prevents the process from stopping because of too high concentration of sweetness at the beginning, the mixture should be carefully mixed with a clean wooden or plastic spoon.
Why put sugar in parts?
Fractional sugar infusion avoids stress on yeast crops. If you add all the sugar at once, osmotic pressure can suffocate the yeast, and the fermentation will not begin or will be sluggish. In addition, step-by-step addition allows you to more accurately control the final strength and sweetness of the wine, correcting the process in real time.
The container with the wort is covered with gauze or cloth and left in a warm dark place at a temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius. After about 12-24 hours, foam, hissing and a characteristic sour smell should appear on the surface - these are signs that the surface is not very bright. squirt And then the process started, and it started, and from that point on, it's an active fermentation phase, which lasts about 3 to 5 days, and you have to mix the mezga daily to keep it from souring on the surface.
Active fermentation and care of wine
Once the mezga has given up its color and taste and the fermentation has become active, the liquid fraction must be separated from the solids. The wort is carefully drained through a dummy or gauze into a clean tanning container. The remaining mezga can be squeezed out, but it must be done carefully so as not to squeeze the bitterness out of the seeds. The resulting juice is mixed with the previously drained liquid and poured into a bottle under a water shutter.
At this stage, it is important to ensure a stable temperature regime. The optimal temperature for fermenting fertile wine is 18-22 degrees. At lower temperatures, the process can stop, and at higher temperatures, the yeast will die or begin to produce acetic acid. The fermentation bladder (or glove) should actively gurgle. If the activity is low, you can add some more sugar or a pinch of citric acid to stimulate.
To make sure the wine is not bitter, try not to press the seeds when pressing the mezga. It is the tannins contained in the seeds and skin that give bitterness, so act delicately.
Periodically, once every few days, it is recommended to remove the wine from the sediment if it falls out too quickly, but the main stage of decantation is ahead. During active fermentation, there is a rapid release of carbon dioxide, so it is important to ensure that the foam does not get into the water shutter tube. To do this, the bottle is filled with no more than 75% of the volume. This stage usually lasts 20 to 30 days, after which the fermentation subsides and the wine begins to lighten.
Removal and quiet fermentation
When the water shutter stops blistering and the glove drops, it signals that the main fermentation is complete, the wine becomes lighter, and a dense layer of sediment is formed at the bottom from waste yeast and pulp particles. Now you need to carefully, using a thin hose (for example, from an IV), pour the wine into a clean container, trying not to shake the sediment. discharge.
After the first removal, the wine is sent for "quiet fermentation" or docking. The container is closed again with a water seal and removed to a cool place (cellar or basement) with a temperature of 10–16 degrees. This stage can last from 2 to 4 months, during which time the final lightening of the drink, the loss of wine stone and stabilization of taste occurs. Periodically, every 3-4 weeks, the removal procedure is repeated until the wine becomes crystal clear.
⚠️ Warning: Never leave wine in contact with sediment for more than 2 weeks after fermentation ends. The dying yeast may begin to decompose, giving the drink an unpleasant smell of rotten eggs or sulfur, which will be almost impossible to correct.
In the quiet fermentation phase, you can adjust the sweetness, if you prefer semi-sweet wines, you can add sugar syrup to your taste, but be careful: adding sugar can provoke re-fermentation, so this wine must either be pasteurized or fortified with alcohol. For dry wines, sugar is not required, they mature naturally, becoming more noble and soft.
Stabilization, filtration and bottling
The final step is to prepare the wine for storage, and when the drink is clear and the sediment is no longer falling out for a month, you can start bottling, and before that, many winemakers filter through cotton filters or special cartridges to achieve perfect transparency, but the black fruit is characterized by a deep, rich color, and a slight natural turbidity sometimes even adds charm.
The finished wine is bottled in sterilized bottles and tightly sealed with corks. If you plan to store the wine for a long time, the corks can be filled with paraffin or surg for tightness. Store the bottles horizontally in a dark cool place. In such conditions, the wine from black ash can be stored for 3 to 5 years, gradually improving its taste. Over time, the astringence disappears, giving way to a soft, velvety taste.
Quality blackberry wine is ready for consumption at least 6 months after the onset of fermentation, and aging is a key factor in turning simple fermented juice into a noble drink.
It's worth noting that ferrous wine has a unique feature: it changes color depending on the acidity of the medium. When it comes into contact with metal or alkaline detergents, it can turn blue or green. It's not a sign of spoilage, but a natural chemical reaction of the anthocyanins in the berry. Just add a little citric acid or acid juice to return the drink to its ruby hue.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I make wine from frozen black?
Yes, you can. Freezing is even beneficial because it breaks down the structure of the fiber, which makes it easier to juice, and the key is to thaw the berries at room temperature and use the juice together with the flesh, and the taste of wine from frozen berries is often even milder than from fresh ones.
Why is the black wine too tart?
Tolerance is a natural feature of aronia. It softens over time. If a young wine seems too astringent, let it stand in bottles for another 3-6 months. It can also be reduced by adding more water during the masturation stage or mixing the blackberry with less tart berries, such as apples.
Should I add yeast to black wine?
The classic recipe uses wild yeast that lives on the skin of the berries. Adding cultured yeast is not required unless the berries have been washed. However, if you washed the berries or fermentation does not begin for more than 3 days, you can add wine yeast or a handful of unwashed raisins to start the process.
How to increase the strength of black wine?
The strength of the fortress depends on the amount of sugar. Standard wine has a strength of 10-12%. To increase it to 14-16%, you need to add more sugar in fractional portions during fermentation. To get stronger drinks (20% and above), the wine must be “fixed” by adding alcohol or vodka after the main fermentation is completed.