Black Currant Wine

Photo: Dominic Rivard

Ingredients

350 KG Fresh Black Currant berries

170 KG granulated sugar or 220L Invert Sugar

40 ml Fructozym P or 50g Lafase Fruit

400 grams Diamonium Phosphate

240 grams Fermaid K

250 grams EC-118 yeast or D-71

Some neutral “blending wine” may be required

Preparation

Crush and press the fruit, pump juice into tank

Add sugar, top up to 1000L. Adjust specific gravity to S.G. 1.090-92

Measure acids and adjust to a pH of 3.0 to 3.5 and T.A. of around 7-8 g/L.

Add enzymes at temperature of 20′C, let must stand for 6 hours or so.

Add DAP and Fermaid to the must.

Pitch in rehydrated yeast.

After wine has started to ferment, stir daily

Maintain a fermentation temperature of 18-21′C throughout the initial fermentation process (1.090-1.025)

At S.G 1.020 – 1.010, skim off surface any solids

Rack wine at S.G. 1.000

Once wine has finished its fermentation (< SG 0.996), stabilize with KMS

Rack the following day and fine with Bentonite (75 g/HL), gelatin and Isinglass as per standard additions.

Chill the wine to 0′C

Rack after 15-20 days and filter to 0.8 micron

Measure FSO2 and adjust to 60PPM.

Adjust acid to a TA of 7-8g/L

When wine is properly aged and developed (4-8 months), do final adjustments (blending, SO2, TA, pH, SG, RS, etc)

Adjust Residual Sugar of wine to 40-45g/L

Sterile filter to 0.45 micron.

Conduct all stability tests and adjust if needed

Bottle the wine

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About

• May need to blend finished wine with some neutral apple, pear or white grape base wines to adjust final taste profile. I feel that if any is used, it should not be any more than 15% of the total volume.
• If wine proves to be too astringent or tannic at stage #17, a further heavier dose of gelatin may be required to lower tannic levels.
• Small amounts of glycerin may be required at stage #18 to add body depending on your taste

The above recipe produces a fine wine that will get anyone who tastes it to instantly fall in love with the fruit…pretty much like I did.

I would love to hear your stories on black currant wine production or take a look at your own recipe formulations, better yet, would love to taste some of your wines, just drop me a note.

Until then, happy winemaking!