Pomegranate wine: features of the drink and cooking technology

Scientists have long proved that moderate daily consumption of red wine not only does not threaten health, but also serves as an effective prevention of many health problems. In the first place are diseases of the cardiovascular system. Perhaps few people know that grape wine has a serious "competitor", which also has a very unusual savory taste - this is a wine made from pomegranate.

If in European countries grape wine is in high demand, in many countries of the East for this purpose they often use pomegranate that grows everywhere, which has long been considered a symbol of fertility and success.

As you know, in moderation (a glass a day at dinner), the wine will not bring harm, but only the benefit of our body. The main feature of pomegranate wine is its antioxidant effect on the body, which is even more than what a red grape wine so popular in our country has. A pomegranate drink boosts the body’s overall immunity and prevents its aging. This wine can almost completely remove the "bad" cholesterol, which over time is the cause of blockage of blood vessels, and subsequently a heart attack. In addition, pomegranate fruit is a real storehouse of vitamins, which means that you can forget about vitamin deficiency at any time of the year.

Pomegranate fruits contain:

• vitamins C, B6, B12, E (increase local immunity and body resistance to infections);
• minerals (potassium, iron, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium);
• ellagic acid, quercetin (possess anti-inflammatory properties);
• linoleic acid (has an anticarcinogenic effect, regulates lipid metabolism);
• tannins and tannins (help in long-term storage of the drink).

Home-made pomegranate alcohol is not only a tasty drink, but also a real healing agent. Useful medicine can significantly strengthen the heart muscle and blood vessels, soothe the nervous system and help with exhaustion, cleanse the body of toxins and slags accumulated over many years and even help people who feel the increased effect of radiation, because such wine can remove radionuclides from the body.

If we talk about contraindications, it is necessary to refrain from drinking the drink to people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as those who are tormented by hemorrhoids or chronic constipation. And also it is worth refusing the frequent use of this drink to those who are afraid to spoil the tooth enamel, because the saturated acids in the wine composition adversely affect the color and sensitivity of the teeth. And, of course, during pregnancy, women are absolutely not recommended to use alcohol in any form.

If you decide to try making a semi-sweet pomegranate wine with your own hands, remember that not every variety is suitable for this. The reason is that not all pomegranates contain enough sugar, which is so necessary for proper fermentation. The technology of preparation lies in the fact that the fruits are cleaned, and the grains are left to ferment for a long time, until the alcohol content reaches 7%.

Recipes pomegranate wines set. The simplest ones include pomegranate juice, water and sugar, some add raisins, lemons, oranges, and even barley grits. There are options for making pomegranate wine with or without yeast (using raisin ferment to ferment).

To make homemade pomegranate wine, we will need:

• 5 kg of pomegranate;
• 400 sugar per 1 liter of pomegranate juice;
• yeast packaging;
• 200 g of raisins;
• 50-150 ml of water per 1 liter of pomegranate juice (depending on the acidity of the fruit).

So, before preparing the wine take care of the leaven. To do this, carefully select the fruit - they should be free of rot and damaged areas. A good pomegranate is firm to the touch, and its skin is dry. Sourdough is prepared 3 days before the start of wine preparation. To do this, put 200 g of raisins, 400 ml of water and 50 g of sugar into a glass container, close and incubate at room temperature for 3 days.

To get pomegranate juice, which we will use to make wine, you will have to painstakingly clean the fruit from the grains, which are then crushed in a wide container. Sugar is added to the juice, pre-prepared starter from raisins or a pack of factory yeast. We mix everything up to a uniform state and we insist the preparation of wine covered with small, 3 days in a cool place, stirring a mash once a day. After 3 days, we filter the drink and squeeze through cheesecloth, fill it with a glass bottle, add another 100 g of sugar and set the water seal on the jar.

Wine should ferment in a dark place at a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius for 3 weeks. Stir the wine will need to be every 4 days, the completion of the fermentation process will say the absence of bubbles in the leaven. After 3 weeks, the wine is filtered and hermetically sealed, and all containers must be filled “to the eyeballs” in order to prevent air from entering inside. Then, to improve the taste of the wine must be kept for at least 4 months in a cool place, and the maximum shelf life of such a drink can be 2 years. By the way, experienced winemakers advise if you want to add vodka to wine (from 2 to 10%), if you want the drink to be fortified.

Before use, homemade pomegranate tincture should be cooled in a cool place to a temperature of 14 degrees Celsius. Pomegranate wines are easy to drink and perfectly highlight the taste of meat cooked on fire. Also, the drink can be combined with soft cheeses, desserts or all kinds of fruits.

Not without reason, experts attribute this sort of dessert wine. Pomegranate alcoholic beverage, prepared with all technological features, has a dark amber color, so before tasting you should definitely enjoy an unusual shade with a noble golden hue. It tastes thick and dense compared to classic grape wines. Pomegranate wine is tart and moderately sour, with an unusual nutty aftertaste and cherry notes.

If you delve into the history, it will become known that they were the first to produce pomegranate wines in Israel, while the drink is made there with a minimum sugar content, which is especially appreciated by the tasters. The most famous and popular gourmet brand of pomegranate wines of this country can be called Rimon. Today in this winery produce the following types of drink from pomegranate: dry, dessert, carbonated and porto.

By the way, the Rimon brand is especially proud of the new bred pomegranate variety with fruits weighing up to 1.5 kg, which is ideal for making an aromatic amber drink - all due to its high content of sugar and tannins. In addition, the company produces 100% pomegranate juice and sweet jam.

In the USSR, the culture of pomegranate wine production was developed only in Armenia - and to this day they are popular both in our country and around the world. No wonder the Armenians have such a reverent attitude to the pomegranate fruit, because it is an unspoken symbol of this country.

The largest wine trust in Armenia is “Ararat”. Tourists can visit the museum at this winery, telling about the history and techniques of making various wines.In the cellars of "Ararat" today there are about 3000 varieties of alcoholic beverages, which are maintained for many decades in the local cellars. Most vintage wines from Armenia are infused in oak barrels for at least 10 years, until the fortress reaches 16 degrees.

But also pomegranate wine from Azerbaijan and Turkey is found. Buying a drink in the store, you should beware of fakes. Here's how to determine falsification:

• label damaged;
• there is a smell of alcohol;
• the drink does not have a thick consistency and as if diluted with water;
• the country or enterprise where the product was manufactured is not indicated;
• no detailed data on the chemical composition of the product;
• unpleasant chemical taste, so the drink is heavy to drink.

In the next video, see the story of the famous pomegranate wine "Rimon" from Israel.