How to make homemade champagne from grape leaves

At the thought of champagne alone, many people improve their mood. It is considered a feminine drink, but men also drink it with pleasure. We are accustomed to the fact that this drink can only be found in stores and it is made exclusively from the juice of grapes or wine material. It turns out that you can make champagne at home from very simple ingredients, the main of which is grape leaves.

Required Ingredients

Those who made the champagne with their own hands, note that it is much tastier and healthier than the drink bought in the store. Yes, and the price goes much cheaper, since the necessary components are cheap and there is in every home. For the preparation of homemade champagne will require grape leaves, water and sugar. You may need dry yeast, better wine, raisins or some grapes. The leaves of the vine can be taken any, but experts recommend using for this not technical, but noble varieties of plants.So that the sparkling wine has a pleasant taste, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Aligote, Riesling, Saperavi, Cabernet, Muscat will wonderfully suit.

Homemade champagne recipe

We can say that there is one universal recipe for making champagne at home. You can change it by adding different components, but the main ones remain the same.

Leaf preparation

The main ingredient that will give the drink different notes, of course, leaves. They should be fresh, in appearance juicy, without yellow spots and growths. Better to take middle-aged leaves. The young people have not yet collected enough juice, and the old ones already give it away and dry. It is necessary to carefully examine each sheet for pests and diseases, such leaves are not suitable for the recipe for homemade champagne.

It is necessary to separate the stalk from the leaf and fold them. Next, prepare the water at the rate of 6 liters per kilogram of leaves. It is better to take filtered or, if possible, spring water. Prepared leaves should be dipped in boiling water.This is done in order to remove possible pathogens and microorganisms.

Put our kilogram of leaves in a pot of about 10-12 liters. Some advise a little grind them, but it is not necessary. We put on the fire 6 liters of water when it boils, pour leaves on it. The first stage is over.

Infusion

For a while, leaves with water should infuse. It usually takes 3-5 days. It is necessary to wrap the pot with something warm and put it in any place in the house. Some say it is better to insist on the sun. But this is not entirely correct, since in the sun there is a risk of mold on the surface.

After the time of infusion has expired, the leaves are removed and squeezed. They should give the drink all the juice. The liquid in which they infused, filter and add sugar at the rate of glass per liter.

Fermentation

The highlight of the recipe for making sparkling wine is that the basis of the drink, or wort, must ferment for a certain time under certain conditions. For this, it is poured into the fermentation tank.It should be such that it was possible to put on it the so-called shutter, which is air or water.

Capacity can be a three-liter jar, a special bottle for fermentation of wine, a saucepan with a sealed lid and a hole on top. For example, consider the preparation for fermentation in the first and second tanks. In the three-liter jar the wort is poured not to the top, but about three-quarters, you need to leave him a place for fermentation. You can cover the jar with a plastic bag so that there is room for air to escape and tightly tie it up at the neck of the jar. In the bag you need to make a few small holes. During fermentation, the gases rise and exit through them.

An ordinary medical mitten can also serve as a cover for a can. It is put on the neck of the jar and, just in case, is additionally attached. It also makes small holes for the release of gases. But on the bottle for wine, you can make a water seal. A hole is made in the cap, a hose is inserted into it.This design is tightly preserved. The other end of the hose is lowered into a container of water. The container with the wort is placed in a warm, preferably dark place and the fermentation process begins. After five days, you need to look at how intensely it passes. If there are signs of fermentation, namely foam, hiss and characteristic odor, then the process goes well. If these signs are absent, then fermentation can be enhanced by adding an ingredient that you like best. You can add a couple of tablespoons of dry yeast, preferably wine, or half a glass of raisins, or up to a kilogram of crushed grapes.

After five days of fermentation, the liquid must be mixed and left to ferment for up to twenty-seven days. Some advise to endure forty days, but most insist on the first option. Our sparkling drink is ready.

Spill

Before you prepare champagne at home, you need to take care of containers in which to pour it. It is advised to use glass bottles for this, but you can also take food-grade plastic.The finished drink is filtered and poured into containers in such a way that the neck of the bottle is empty. In plastic, too, need to leave some space. This is done so that there is a place for gas, which is still in champagne. Bottles are tightly corked and transported to a dark, cool place.

Proper storage of carbonated wine

Spilled wine can be stored both vertically and horizontally. Experts, however, prefer the first option. The recommended temperature for storing sparkling should be no more than 16 ° C heat. Possible precipitation after 2-3 weeks, but this happens in very rare cases. Gradually, the drink becomes lighter and after three months you can begin to try it. To get a more subtle taste, it is recommended to maintain champagne for up to a year. If you have never tried to make champagne at home, it is recommended to cook it a little at first. It quenches thirst perfectly, sometimes it has an apple note. The drink is slightly stronger than its store counterpart.The beauty is that in this case you are using a truly natural product, and not water with powder or wine.