Gooseberry Wine
This is a great white wine - lots of zing, slight tartness but really refreshing when served cold on a hot sunny day.
You will need:
3lb Ripe (almost squishy) Gooseberries
3lb sugar 50% Supermarket (granulated) sugar and 50% Brewing Sugar
1 gallon (8 pints) boiling water
1 tsp All purpose white wine yeast
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 tsp Pectic Enzyme
Campden Tabs
Equipment: (We have a fruit wine starter kit if needed for £25)
Brewing Bucket
Demi-John with Air-Lock
Siphon
Muslin or Straining Bag
Steriliser
Hydrometer
Thermometer
Bottles & Corks & Corker
Method:
This wine is best made with really ripe gooseberries.
Pop the goosberries in the freezer the night before you are going to make the wine.
Defrost the gooseberries and put them in the bucket.
Put the sugar on top
Pour over the gallon (8 pints) of boiling water and stir to dissolve the sugar.
Add 1 crushed campden tablet, stir, cover and leave to cool overnight.
After 24 hours have passed, take a reading with a hydrometer.
Add the pectolase, yeast and yeast nutrient and stir.
Pop on the lid looseley and keep in a warm place (18-22°C) for 7 days.
Once the initial fermentataion has slowed, strain into a sterilised Demi-John
Pop in an airlock and leave to finish fermenting.
When no more bubbles are passing through the airlock it's time to rack off.
Siphon the gooseberry wine into a sterilised demi-john
Add a crushed campden tablet, stir and pop in the airlock and put it somewhere cool to clear.
Once clear, bottle and keep for 6 months to condition.