Cranberry wine at home: preparation technology and recipes

Cranberry is a small shrubby plant that is widespread in the wetlands of the Northern Hemisphere. Its berries have a very rich chemical composition, which makes them not only very useful, but also healing for the body. They are widely used in cooking for making jams, mousses, cocktails, salads, pie fillings, pickles, marinades, sauces and other dishes.

But not everyone knows that you can make light and pleasant wine from cranberries. It has a slightly tart taste, improves digestion, improves immunity and promotes overall strengthening of the body, as it retains most of the beneficial properties of the berry.

Ingredients for making cranberry wine

To make classic cranberry wine at home, you use the berry itself, sugar and water. For other recipes, various berries and fruits, honey, sourdough, alcohol or vodka can be used.

Cranberry wine has many beneficial properties.

You will also need well-washed and dried enamel containers, glass carboys and bottles, a device for chopping berries, water seals that can be replaced with rubber gloves or lids with holes, rubber hoses for draining the finished wine.

Do not use metal or plastic containers for preparing and storing wine. In this case, foreign tastes and odors may appear, as well as harmful substances in the drink.

Medicinal properties of cranberries and berry tinctures

Cranberries are a rich source of (poly)phenols, which are associated with antibacterial, antiviral, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, antitumor, antiangiogenic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Health benefits of cranberries:

1. Cranberries contain antioxidant substances called proanthocyanidins (members of the chemical family known as anthocyanosides). Proanthocyanidins are antioxidant compounds that prevent urinary tract infections by preventing bacteria from attaching to the inside of the bladder. Cranberry juice helps reduce urine odor and may be beneficial for patients with incontinence as well as bladder catheterization.
2. Antioxidants make cranberries an ideal anti-aging and memory booster.
3. Inflammation underlies many chronic diseases, including heart disease, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and diabetes. The anti-inflammatory properties of cranberries naturally fight inflammation thanks to their high antioxidant content. Research has shown that consuming berries containing anthocyanosides may be particularly beneficial for the eyes and significantly improve the symptoms of cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Laboratory studies show that the antioxidant properties of cranberries may even help prevent certain types of cancer.
4. A vital source and supplement for those battling any chronic disease, cranberry significantly boosts the immune system and has a natural antibiotic property in the body.
5. Cranberries are antibacterial and help control the growth of E. coli, Proteus bacteria and Helicobacter pylori (bacteria associated with peptic ulcers and stomach cancer).
6. Cranberries also have antiviral and antifungal properties. Since cranberries fight bacteria, it is suggested to use cranberry juice as a mouth rinse.

The first thing new herbalists learn to make is tinctures, or cordials—alcoholic extracts of plants that have a long history of use in folk medicine. There are different methods and recipes for making cranberry liqueur, among them the simplest is the one in which the recipe uses cognac or vodka, since the ratio of alcohol and water in these products is well suited for many herbs and berries.

Rules for making cranberry wine

In order to get a good quality drink, it is recommended:

• Berries for making cranberry wine should be collected after the first frost or in early spring. If it is not possible to do this yourself, then you need to buy raw materials from trusted sellers.
• It is not recommended to purchase fruits grown artificially, as they may undergo chemical treatment. This may adversely affect the quality of the drink.
• The cranberries need to be sorted and only ripe berries without mold should be left;
• When preparing wine, water must be added to the crushed berries, as they have very high acidity, which interferes with good fermentation.
• The storage room for finished wine should be dry, dark and cool.
• If the recipe does not use sourdough, there is no need to wash the cranberries so as not to destroy the wild yeast required for fermentation.

Cranberries for homemade wine are harvested immediately after the first frost.

Cooking features

When preparing a wine drink, follow the advice of experienced winemakers:

1. To obtain a rich and strong wine, it is necessary to use ripe berries without visible damage. Otherwise, the product will acquire a dark shade and a tart taste.
2. After processing the berries, you should immediately squeeze the juice out of them. This will help preserve the flavor characteristics of the cranberries.
3. Cultured yeast is used to ferment the alcoholic product.
4. The wine is diluted with water to reduce concentration. But no more than 2 times. Otherwise, the finished product will turn out transparent.

Important! To enrich the nutrient medium of the product, use 4 g of ammonia for each liter of wine stock. However, this procedure is not mandatory.

Classic cranberry wine

Ingredients:

• cranberries – 3 kg;
• sugar – 3 kg;
• water – 3 l.

Preparation method:

1. The berries are crushed to a pulp, poured into an enamel pan, 0.5 kg of sugar is poured into it, water is added and stirred well.
2. The container is tied up with cloth and sent to a room with an air temperature of about 25 degrees for a week. In the first three days, the composition must be mixed every day.
3. After the pulp rises to the surface, it must be removed, and then filter the wort, add 1.5 sugar to it and pour it into a bottle where fermentation will take place.
4. Place a water seal on the container and leave it in a dark, warm place for another week.
5. After this, you need to add the remaining sugar to the wort and leave it in the same room until the end of fermentation.
6. The finished wine is poured into glass jars through a rubber hose, without touching the sediment, and allowed to brew for another three months. At the same time, it is filtered once every three weeks.
7. When sedimentation stops, the drink is bottled, tightly closed and sent to the cellar.

Cranberries and sugar are added to the container, filled with water and sent to a warm place for fermentation.

Important! A fairly simple recipe for classic cranberry wine makes it possible to get a quite tasty and healthy drink without much difficulty.

Preparing the berries

Cranberries contain minerals and trace elements. It is rich in vitamins such as C, B1, B2. Thanks to these rich and beneficial properties, the berry began to be used on Russian tables in the form of compote, tincture and wine.

To make the wine drink rich and tasty, the berries need to be properly prepared.

So, what is important to know:

1. The fruits should be collected in autumn or after the first frost. These berries contain the maximum amount of sugar.
2. It is strictly forbidden to use overripe or rotten berries. If you use such cranberries, the wine will be bitter and very dark.
3. Be sure to sort out the fruits. No debris or rotten berries should get into the wine.
4. There is no need to wash the fruits, because... There is natural yeast on the surface. If you wash them off, the wine will not ferment.
5. Mash or mash the cranberries thoroughly.
6. There is one more important point. After crushing the berries, you need to immediately squeeze out the juice.

How to properly store cranberries after picking is described in the video:

Cranberry wine with sourdough

Ingredients:

• cranberries – 2 kg;
• sugar – 4 kg;
• water – 10 l.

Preparation method:

1. To prepare the starter, mash 2 cups of berries with 1 kg of sugar and leave in a warm place for 10 days.
2. The remaining cranberries are crushed, mixed with sugar, water and starter and poured into a glass bottle.
3. A water seal is put on the container and left to ferment in a darkened room with an air temperature of 18 to 25 degrees for two months.
4. After the release of carbon dioxide has ended, the wine is filtered and distributed into bottles, which are sent to a cool room without direct sunlight on the product for four months.

Is it possible to preserve and for how long a cranberry wine drink without alcohol at home?

Preserving homemade cranberry wine is not only possible, but also necessary. In order to increase shelf life, several conditions must be met:

1. The corks must be moistened with vodka before closing.
2. Bottles should always be kept horizontal.
3. The storage place is dark, with a humidity of 60%.
4. The temperature should not exceed the limits from +10 to +14 degrees.
5. The room must be ventilated regularly. Wine quickly absorbs foreign odors.
6. No need to disturb wine bottles again.

In addition to these conditions, factors such as local characteristics of the water and berries used in preparation have an important effect on the safety of the drink.

In any case, cranberries have the property of not spoiling for a long time. This feature is also transferred to the wine. The optimal average shelf life for young wine varies from 2 to 5 years.

Cranberry wine with blueberries

Cranberry wine can be made with the addition of ripe blueberries.
Ingredients:

• cranberries – 4 kg;
• blueberries – 2 kg;
• sugar – 5 kg;
• water – 6 l.

Preparation method:

1. Cranberries need to be crushed. Grind the blueberries separately and immediately squeeze out the juice.
2. Combine raw berries with sugar and water and pour into a fermentation container.
3. The bottle must be closed with a water seal, a rubber glove or a lid in which holes are made and sent to a warm place until fermentation is complete.
4. The finished drink is filtered and bottled. To improve the taste of the wine, it is allowed to brew for about two more months.

Important! Cranberry wine with the addition of blueberries will have a richer color, taste and aroma.

Contraindications to the use of cranberries

Cranberries can cause a number of allergic reactions, accompanied by severe skin irritation.

It is also strictly prohibited during periods of exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases, pregnant women and children under three years of age.

I can also recommend you these natural organic cranberries, grown in the clean swampy areas of Nova Scotia

It is packaged without the use of preservatives, using a natural, patented high vacuum method, preserving all the beneficial properties of cranberries.

The berries are not dry or hard, they remain juicy. It is considered to be the best cranberry in the world.

Be sure to collect or buy cranberries, since now you can buy them frozen in almost every store.

And eat more of it to feel good and energetic during the long and cold winter.

Alena Yasneva was with you, see you again!!!

photo@Didgeman

Cranberry wine with honey

Ingredients:

• cranberries – 4 kg;
• honey – 3 kg;
• water – 10 l.

Preparation method:

1. The berries are crushed into a pulp and the juice is squeezed out of it.
2. Heat the water, dissolve honey in it and boil it over low heat for about an hour. In this case, you need to regularly remove the resulting foam.
3. The honey is cooled, combined with cranberry juice and poured into a bottle for fermentation.
4. The container is moved to a warm place.
5. After fermentation is over, the wine is filtered, bottled and allowed to sit for about three months.

Very tasty wine is made from ripe cranberries and natural honey.

Pouring

This strong drink also has healing properties if consumed in small quantities no more than once a week.

Recipe:

• 500 grams of cranberries;
• 500 ml water;
• 700 grams of sugar.

Preparation:

1. Grind the berries with a wooden pestle and pour into a glass jar.
2. Pour in water and add granulated sugar, stir.
3. Wrap the neck of the container with a clean cloth, place the workpiece in a dark, cold room until the fermentation process begins.
4. When the mass has fermented, put a rubber glove on the neck and make a puncture on one of the fingers with a sharp object.
5. Leave for 35-40 days, strain and pour into clean bottles.
6. It is better to store the liqueur in the refrigerator.

Fortified cranberry wine

Ingredients:

• cranberries – 2 kg;
• sugar – 2 kg;
• water – 3 l;
• alcohol – 2 l.

Preparation method:

1. The prepared berries are crushed in a blender.
2. The resulting raw materials are transferred to a glass jar, filled with alcohol and infused for a week.
3. After this, pour a liter of water into the container and leave for another week.
4. Then the sugar is dissolved in warm water, combined with alcohol tincture and heated over low heat, without bringing to a boil.
5. After the wine has cooled, it is filtered, bottled and allowed to brew for a week.

Important! To make a weaker fortified cranberry wine, you can use a vodka recipe.

How to make homemade tincture/lique?

Some say that infusing cranberries will only take a couple of weeks, others say that you should let the berry release its flavor over several months. In any case, if the alcohol concentration is low, you may have to soak the berries longer. And long-term insistence is always justified. There are those who believe that the tincture should "mature" in the bottle for some period. And this will double the time required for the cranberry product to be fully prepared. While it is not certain that “aging” is necessary for cranberry liqueur, it is not believed to provide any additional benefit to the fruit or beverage.

Classic recipe

To prepare homemade cranberry tincture, the berries must first be washed under running water and chopped.

1. According to the recipe, we measure about 350 g of cranberries. The berry must be crushed, otherwise we will get a bitter taste from the skin. Add the prepared cranberries to the jar, filling it 1/4 full.
2. Pour a glass of water into a saucepan, pour two cups of sugar, bring to a boil and boil until it is completely dissolved. Cool the sugar syrup well and mix with vodka or alcohol, two or three cups.
3. Most recipes call for vodka (vodka has a neutral flavor for pouring), but if you prefer, you can choose another high-proof alcoholic option, such as neutral grain spirit. Fill the prepared cranberries with the mixture, tightly close the jar with a lid and leave it in a cool place for three weeks.
4. After this period, the cranberry product is filtered through a sieve or cheesecloth. Cranberry tincture is ready for consumption.

On vodka

Consider a classic recipe that can be used as a base recipe for making tinctures or liqueurs. You should not supplement it with spices and aromatic additives so as not to spoil the cranberry taste, despite the fact that some recipes allow the inclusion of vanilla or cinnamon.

Cranberry tincture with vodka recipe:

• 3 cups cranberries, fresh/frozen (or 300 g dried cranberries);
• 1/2 cup sugar;
• 1/2 liter of vodka.

1. Pour cranberries and sugar into a jar and fill with vodka. Close the jar with a lid.
2. Let it sit for 5-6 days, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
3. Strain several times through folded cheesecloth.

From the specified amount of ingredients you will get about 1/2 liter of cranberry liqueur.

On alcohol

Cranberry tincture with alcohol has an absolutely unique taste. And this, of course, compensates for the waiting time for the finished cranberry alcoholic drink.

Cranberry tincture with alcohol, necessary ingredients:

• fresh ripe cranberries about 500 g;
• alcohol 65-70% about 500 ml;
• 100 g sugar.

1. Prepare alcohol liquid. Mix alcohol and vodka in proportions 1:1 or 300 ml of alcohol with 200 m of boiled water.
2. Fresh cranberries have a hard skin, so they need to be crushed (or crushed), which will facilitate maceration and have a positive effect on the color and taste of the finished tincture.
3. Place the prepared cranberries in a jar and fill with alcohol, then close the jar tightly and leave in a dark place for at least two weeks. Within a week, the alcoholic liquid will acquire an intense red color.
4. After this time, pour the liquid into a bottle, and add sugar to the remaining berries in the jar. It will turn into sugar syrup in a few days and add more cranberry juice. Just remember to shake the jar from time to time, which will speed up the formation of syrup.
5. When all the sugar has dissolved, add the syrup to the bottle, and squeeze out the remaining cranberries through cheesecloth, saving every drop of delicious juice. Add the resulting juice to the rest of the liquid.
6. We cork the bottle and store it in a dark place for 2-3 months. The longer it sits, the better the taste of our cranberry liqueur will be.

The indicated proportions are calculated for one bottle of tincture.

When preparing tinctures, you should keep in mind that berries, fruits (herbs and roots) are never infused in pure alcohol or weak vodka in percentage terms. In both cases, you will not get a product full of taste and aroma, which is undoubtedly very important in a tincture. Overexposure to weak vodka results in the released acids spoiling the taste of the tincture.

On cognac

Most recipes for making cranberry tincture found on the Internet call for using fresh cranberries.
But cranberries are not afraid of the cold, and for the tincture it is not at all necessary to take a fresh product. Moreover, in the past the ripest berries were always picked after the first frost, this was a sign that they were certainly ripe. For the recipe for cranberry tincture with cognac you need:

• 1 kg of berries;
• 1 liter of alcohol 95%;
• 1 glass of cognac;
• sugar syrup; 0.5 liters of water with sugar 0.5 kg;
• if desired, you can add the zest of 1 lemon;

1. Pour crushed cranberries into alcohol and cognac and leave for two weeks, shaking the container every few days. Then add syrup and lemon.
2. After about a week, filter the prepared liquid and leave to ripen in a dark and cool room.

On moonshine

When preparing cranberry liqueur with vodka at home, it can replace moonshine for infusion, and in this case, you can add spices to improve the taste. Basic spices for moonshine tincture:

• vanilla (in sticks);
• cinnamon (pieces of bark);
• cardamom;
• carnation;
• ginger;
• nutmeg (caution! in combination with alcohol at high concentrations a hallucinogenic effect is possible);
• star anise;
• saffron;
• allspice;
• hot pepper.

A good tincture should be absolutely transparent. To get this effect, it is filtered several times using gauze, but the best result is obtained through the use of paper coffee filters.

After each straining, the tincture should “rest” for several hours. Then particles of cranberries will sink to the bottom, which will remain on the filter during the next procedure.

Medicinal tincture

When preparing medicinal tinctures, it is important to strictly adhere to the recipe.
The chemical compounds contained in the berries have a strong effect, so it is better not to experiment. The method is used in herbal medicine and the pharmaceutical industry and is easy to use at home. By pouring an alcohol solution into cranberries, we get the fact that the active compounds will be extracted (the process is called extraction) and completely dissolved in alcohol, remaining perfectly preserved in it over time and without losing their medicinal power. It must take several days (preferably weeks) for alcohol to penetrate into all the most valuable things in the cranberries. Cranberries should be ripe and better frozen, so they contain the greatest amount of nutrients. When the water content of the berry freezes, it “explodes” the plant cells. Thanks to this, the active substances escape faster.

And, of course, the strength of the alcohol is important. The higher the percentage, the stronger the preservative properties. Safe proportion: 1 part cranberry to 10 parts 70% alcohol.

While the extraction process is underway or the homemade cranberry medicine is “working,” the product is left in a warm place in a dark glass bottle and tightly closed.

Quick cranberry

A simple recipe contains:

• 3 cups cranberries;
• 1 1/2 cups sugar;
• 1/4 liter of alcohol;
• 1/2 liter of vodka;
• vanilla stick.

1. Scroll the berries through a meat grinder and fill with vodka.
2. Leave for a week in a dark place.
3. Strain, add sugar and vanilla and bring to a boil (but do not boil).
4. Cool, add alcohol and again put in a dark place to infuse for a week.

This is a quick cranberry tincture.

Ladies' tincture

For real princesses, dilute a liter of vodka with 500 ml of spring water + syrup from boiled water with sugar. As a result, we end up with more cranberry liqueur than liqueur.

Male version

For hot guys: only alcohol (calculate the alcohol percentage so as not to “kill” the beneficial properties of cranberries) or 50:50 vodka-alcohol.

Christmas liqueur

Expressive aroma, deep color, excellent taste with a great emphasis on the festive mood and the best ingredients:

• 500 ml of vodka or rum (but rum has a pronounced taste);
• 100 ml alcohol 96%;
• 300 g dried cranberries;
• 5 g raisins;
• 10 g pitted dates;
• 10 g dried plums;
• 10 g dried apricots;
• 5 g brown sugar;
• 2 cloves, a tablespoon of cinnamon.

1. Dissolve sugar in a small amount of vodka, warm it up a little.
2. Place the ingredients in layers in a jar and fill with vodka and alcohol.
3. Let it sit for 6 weeks.
4. We patiently strain through a coffee filter, bottle it and leave it to “ripen” for 6 months. The prepared liqueur with cranberry flavor will take its rightful place at the festive table.

"Just a glass"

As the name suggests, cranberry liqueur is prepared by keeping equal proportions of ingredients: 5 cups of sugar + 5 cups of water + 5 cups of cranberries + 5 cups of 70% alcohol (or well-purified homemade moonshine).

"Nesmeyanovka"

It is also cranberry and a pleasant ladies' drink, for which you first need to prepare an alcoholic liquid from pure alcohol and spring water: 220 ml: 280 ml. Grind cranberries, about 2 cups, thoroughly with 200 g of sugar and pour in the prepared vodka. Leave in a cool place, shaking thoroughly every day. After 10 days, strain using a double layer of gauze or a coffee filter.

Ancient recipe

• 4 kg cranberries;
• 3 liters of alcohol 75%;
• 1 kg sugar.

1. Crush the cranberries, mix with alcohol in a large container and leave for three days in a warm place, covered with a thick cloth.
2. Strain, squeeze through a double layer of gauze and add sugar. When the sugar dissolves, boil several times and pour into bottles.
3. The tincture is ready for use almost immediately.

Cranberry

• 2 kg cranberries;
• 1 kg sugar;
• 1 liter of alcohol 75%;
• spring water 600 ml.

1. Crush the cranberries well, add sugar and add alcohol mixed with water.
2. We close the jar with a lid and keep it in a warm room for a month.
3. Strain several times until transparent and bottle.
4. The tincture is ready and it is more pleasant to drink it chilled.

On dried berries

In accordance with the given recipes, instead of fresh or frozen berries, you can use dried cranberries (300-500 g) for cooking.

With honey

• 2 kg cranberries;
• 1 liter of vodka;
• 1/2 cup honey;
• 1/2 cup raspberry juice.

Cooking;

1. Grind the cranberries, add vodka and leave to steep for 4 weeks.
2. After the time has passed, add honey and raspberry, then wait another 4 weeks. Shake the jar well at least once a week.
3. Pour the prepared tincture into bottles using coffee filters.