Basic recipe, tips and more

What is mash?

It is a starchy and sugary mixture of crushed fruits, which is the basis for alcoholic fermentation processes. Mash is used to produce:

• Beer,
• Spirits,
• Wine

needed. The maceration process is used for this purpose. A distinction must be made here between:

• The conversion of starch into sugar, for example in cereal or potato mash.
• The fermentation of fructose in alcohol in fruit mash.

Making the mash

If color and aroma substances are to pass into the fruit wine, a must fermentation must be carried out.

Ingredients:

• Fruit at will
• Sugar syrup
• citric acid
• Turbo yeast
• Anti-gelling agents
• Potassium pyrosulfite
• Gelatin or tannin

You will also need the following equipment for the production of fruit wines:

• 2 fermentation vessels that can be hermetically sealed
• Fermentation locks that allow gases to escape without air being able to penetrate
• Wine lifter
• Potato masher or hand blender
• Wine bottles
• cork

Making the mash

1. Use only fresh, fully ripe and undamaged fruit. The fruit does not have to be peeled.
2. Chop the fruit carefully. Depending on the amount, this works very well with a potato masher or hand blender.
3. Do not filter out kernels and shells. These ensure a more intense color and taste.
4. Add the sugar syrup in a ratio of 1: 1 and mix well.
5. Mix in the turbo yeast.
6. To prevent the pulp from gelling, mix in the anti-gelling agent.
7. Determine the pH value and, if necessary, re-acidify with citric acid. How much you need depends on the fruits and the amount of sugar added.

Further processing

The finished mash is transferred to fermentation tanks. Only half of the available volume is used, otherwise the liquid could overflow during fermentation. The fermentation tank, which should be in a location between 18 and 21 degrees, is sealed airtight. Fermentation begins after about two to three days, which you can recognize by the bubbles rising in the liquid.

If after about four weeks no more bubbles are visible, the fruit wine is processed further. Place the fermentation container in a cool room so that the turbid substances settle out. Then fill it into clean bottles with a wine lifter and sulphurise it with potassium pyrosulphite for a longer shelf life. This substance prevents secondary fermentation and undesirable bacterial growth.

After fermentation, the fruit wine begins to clear. This process can be accelerated by adding gelatine or tannin. When all the particles have sunk, the wine is drawn off again, bottled and corked.