Champagne is one of the important attributes of any festive table. This drink is a wine saturated with carbon dioxide, which makes an alcoholic product effervescent, which made it possible to call the drink “sparkling wine”. Surprisingly, not everyone knows that champagne can be found not only on the shelves of supermarkets or specialty stores, paying a lot of money for it, but also to prepare this incredibly tasty drink at home using grape leaves.
Selection and pre-preparation of ingredients
Preparing a drink is not difficult, because this process does not require the use of special technologies and the acquisition of any expensive ingredients. A large number of recipes are known, which include various components, but the main ingredients remain unchanged: grape leaves, water and sugar. Careful selection and preliminary preparation require only vine leaves.
Important! Do not use plastic bottles as containers for champagne. With a long stay of homemade wine in them, the taste of the drink can acquire an unpleasant aftertaste. (taste can get a taste)
When choosing the main ingredient, it is necessary to inspect each leaf for diseases and parasites. Leaf plates should be fresh, without yellowing and unnatural growths, because such leaves are not suitable for making champagne. Another important condition is the age of the ingredient. For champagne, the leaves of the average growing season are optimal, since the young have not yet collected enough juice, and in the old leaves it is no longer enough.
If you take vine leaves of noble varieties, the aroma of the resulting drink will be more saturated. Also, before cooking, it is advised to lower the selected leaves into boiling water for 2-3 minutes to destroy possible pathogens. Future containers for champagne, which must be thoroughly washed and sterilized, also require preliminary treatment. The best option, in this case, would be thick glass bottles.
How to make champagne from grape leaves
There are many options for making homemade champagne. In addition to the classic recipe, the most common recipes are considered Volga and with the addition of yeast.
The classic technology of making homemade champagne
451 days
Energy value per 100 g:
- Having completed the preliminary preparation of raw materials, as described above, it is necessary to lay the leaves in a pre-prepared enameled container and pour boiling water.
- Next, cover the dishes with a thick cloth and leave in a dark, cool place for 3 days.
- After the specified time, the leaves need to be removed and wrung out. After that, the resulting pale yellow liquid must be filtered.
- It is necessary to determine the amount of liquid obtained and, in accordance with its volume, add the right amount of sugar. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. The resulting solution is poured into a bottle and a water lock is installed - a special valve with which carbon dioxide is removed from the tank and oxygen is blocked.
- The fermentation process lasts approximately 28 days. After the first week, the first signs of fermentation should appear. If this is not observed, you must add 5 teaspoons of yeast or 3 kg of pulp - squeezed grapes with seeds and peels.
- In parallel, it is necessary to prepare containers for champagne. It is undesirable to use plastic containers, and the best option would be bottles directly from under the drunk champagne.
- Upon completion of the fermentation process, champagne must be poured into a prepared container, filling the vessels not completely, and leaving about ¼ of the bottle empty, close the cork, which is tightly fixed with a wire to avoid premature depressurization of the bottles.
- For 10 days, the container with the liquid must be stored in a horizontal position and every day turn 1/10 of a turn around the axis. And also, if plastic bottles are used, then the lids must be slightly opened for a while, releasing gas.
- A sign that champagne is completely ready for use is a dense precipitate at the bottom of the tank.
Did you know? Today (today) there are special corks for champagne on sale that are equipped with a sediment trap and a barometer. Such plugs significantly simplify the process of preparing a drink and can be used several times, and the barometer allows you to monitor the pressure inside the container.
Volga recipe
231 days
Energy value per 100 g:
- Chopping the leaves of the grapes, put them in a prepared jar, with a volume of about 10 liters.
- Pour boiling water over the green mass and cover with a lid.
- Place the container in a warm place for three days.
- After this time, the liquid must be filtered, squeezing the leaves.
- After that, the required amount of sugar is dissolved in the resulting volume of the product.
- The semi-finished product is poured into prepared containers and stored horizontally in a cool room for about 4 weeks. At the same time, every 7 days it is necessary to open the lid in order to release excess gas.
With yeast
331 days
grape leaves
1,5 kg
Energy value per 100 g:
- To begin with, green leaves must be insisted for 3 days in an enameled container of 20 liters.
- Next, you need to strain and pour the resulting liquid into a glass container with a lid. A bottle would be ideal.
- As soon as the fermentation process begins, it is necessary to add yeast to the liquid and put on a rubber glove on the neck of the vessel, securing it with an elastic band. For greater reliability, you can use a water lock.
- After the fermentation process is over, the liquid must be poured into pre-prepared bottles and tightly closed. And if you follow the recipe correctly, you can get a great drink.
Terms and conditions of storage of sparkling wine
It is important not to forget that when storing champagne from grape leaves, the appropriate conditions must be observed, namely: temperature, humidity, light and the position of the bottle. It is recommended to store sparkling wine in a horizontal position at a temperature not exceeding +16 ° C. The most optimal temperature for storing sparkling wine is considered to be + 10 ... + 12 ° С. Direct sunlight should be avoided, as this can give the drink an unpleasant taste of sulfur.
Important! It is worth refusing to drink immediately after preparation. Champagne from grape leaves must be aged for at least 4 months, and at best a year, in order to acquire an amazing taste and aroma.
After a couple of weeks, it may precipitate, after which the drink will become lighter every day and after three months the champagne is suitable for consumption. But in order to feel the whole gamut of taste, the drink must be aged for at least six months. To prepare home-made tasty and fragrant champagne at home (repeats) is quite simple.
Using the recipes and recommendations that are described in the article, you can be sure that there will always be champagne prepared independently on the festive table. And although the drink is a little stronger than the “purchased” one, it contains more nutrients and is many times more aromatic and tastier than an industrial drink.
