Grapes the Isabella are considered a table and technical grade. It is not really sweet, has a specific smell and a dense peel. But from it tasty wines of house production turn out.
Grapes the Isabella are famous for the unpretentiousness. It easily transfers frosts, is resistant to wreckers and always yields a rich harvest. Thanks to it culture is widespread on all territory of the CIS, from Siberia to the southern seaside cities. There are at least two ways to make wine the Isabella. One of them demands less efforts and time, and second more labor-consuming. House wine makers were divided in opinions: some consider that the result is similar, and others — that the result (quality) is directly proportional to efforts.
The first way — more labor-consuming
For its realization it will be required to touch carefully berries, to select ripe and clean. We throw out leaves and branches, and it is possible to leave crests — they will give to wine tartness. It is impossible to wash berries because on a surface of grapes there is so-called wine yeast thanks to which there is a fermentation. Further we pour out the selected berries in a wooden barrel. If that isn't available, it is possible to use the enameled or pig-iron ware. It is possible to tread out grapes hands or legs, like heroes of the Italian movies.
The wooden masher for a crush of grapes isn't recommended to be used since the crushed stones can affect taste of wine considerably.
The received weight is called alburnum. Its primary fermentation happens 3-4 days. Put ware to the warm place and cover with the piece of a gauze put in 3 layers. Every day alburnum should be mixed. When alburnum emerged and "cap" was formed, it is necessary to merge juice through a gauze. Add boiled water at the rate of 40% of the weight of alburnum to juice and "cap". For improvement of taste of wine it is desirable to add sugar (0.2 kg on juice liter). Having stirred sugar, we pour juice in a large bottle. That because of hit in oxygen capacity wine didn't turn into vinegar, we cover large bottles with the water lock. It is possible to put on a medical glove a neck, but don't forget to make in it openings a needle.
Bottles shouldn't be filled completely with juice, leave the place for fermentation. In a bottle on 10 l leave the blank 1.5-2 l.
On it we stop work for 2-3 weeks until there is the second fermentation. After this term we decant a young wine in other, clean large bottle and we put in a cellar. Because fermentation still is up to the end not completed, here it is also possible to put a water lock. Wine will be ready-to-serve in 3 months. Even it will be visually visible that it became more transparent, is lighter. It is necessary to store wine the Isabella hermetically corked.
The second way — for lazy
We take at the rate on 5 kg of berries: 3 kg of sugar and 10 l of boiled water. For preparation tread out grapes, mix it with sugar and leave for a week. Then add water and allow to stand a month more. Further — spill through a gauze on large bottles and put in a cellar. If you have no time to be engaged in preparation of wine, but there is a strong wish to get in the winter from a cellar house and to remember taste of summer, you can follow the second way. But this drink with gratitude concerns those who put heart and soul in its production therefore if you want to surprise friends with great domestic wine, try to conform to the basic rules of winemaking.