You will not surprise anyone with pink bouquets or flowerbeds, but a rose with a lid or a wine stopper is something new! Mainly two products are made from rose petals: wine and jam. These are very valuable dietary products, rich in vitamins and essential fatty acids, moreover, any extracts from roses have an anti-inflammatory effect and promote healing of the mucous membrane of internal organs.
They knew about the antiseptic properties of roses in ancient Rome, but over time, the decorative function of the flower completely overshadowed its use in medicine. Today, rose connoisseurs revived the tradition of using the flower for gastronomic purposes, revealing the secrets of recipe and cooking technology.
Necessary equipment and utensils
No special technology is needed to make homemade rose wine. The most specialized tool that, however, can be replaced is a special capron cap for venting air from the tank. As a vessel for fermentation, you can use any suitable in size and shape capacity from inert materials, such as glass. These can be three-liter jars or bottles. For convenience, the neck should be narrow enough so that you can organize the desired gas exchange for fermentation.
Important! For wines with a rich aroma, such as rosés, you need to choose glasses with a wide neck: a large surface in contact with air will allow the aroma to open up most fully. Narrow glasses are likely to steal from the taster some subtle notes.It is possible to cover the container either with a special lid or with a regular lid with an attached nylon tube, the other end of which is dipped into water. This is necessary for the orientation of gas exchange: the air from the tank must go out, but not flow from the atmosphere back into the tank.
Ingredients
Ingredients for aromatic wine from roses need a little: rose petals, sugar, citric acid and water. Their number depends on the volume of wine that you plan to prepare. We consider the proportions for the preparation of 2.3-2.5 liters of wine. This volume will fit in a three-liter jar. So, for the preparation of the specified amount of wine, we need:
- 400 g of rose petals or wild rose;
- 250 g of sugar;
- 1 tbsp. spoon of citric acid;
- 2.5 liters of water.
Features of product selection
We will not talk about the features of grocery products - it is easy to choose sugar and acid, but knowledge of where and when it is better to take petals will be useful. Selection criteria for rose petals:
- Do not use purchased roses. In stores, flowers are treated with special chemicals to maintain the presentation, the most innocent of which is hairspray. Under the influence of high temperatures and food acids, chemical compounds disintegrate to harmful components, which are very clearly felt, even in spite of sugar and acid.
- Rose wine, like other products of the food and pharmaceutical industry based on roses, is made from the following varieties: “Festivalnaya”, “Crimean Red”, “Michurinka”, “Pioneerka” and “Kazanlyk”. Also suitable rose hips.
- Choose only fresh petals from elastic buds, even if the flower is a little pity. Remember: everything you do - you do for yourself.
- Cut off the buds should be in the morning, when the morning dew had not yet dried up. This is due to the concentration of valuable unrelated essential oils, which in the morning is 69.6-72.5%, and by mid-day drops to 44-55%.
It is necessary to use boiled or distilled water, as random microorganisms can spoil the drink: cause bitterness and an unpleasant smell. Here, perhaps, all the recommendations on the choice of petals for making a drink.
Did you know? For the first time on the territory of the post-Soviet space, for industrial purposes, roses were grown in the Crimea in the 1930s. Flowers were mainly used in pharmacology for making oils, extracts and tinctures.
Common "Kazanlak" rose in temperate latitudes. Rose "Festival". "Crimean" rose. Rose "Pioneer".
Step-by-step recipe
Homemade wine from rose petals is prepared in different ways, and the recipe depends on the desired strength and sweetness of the final product. For example, for a fortress, a forty-degree vodka or a large amount of sugar is sometimes added to the finished product.
Homemade wine can be prepared not only from rose petals or grapes, but also from black currants, plums, raspberries, apples. For unusual cooking methods include wine compote and jam.
Any preparation involves the preliminary preparation of products. And since the only unprepared product in this case is the petals, consider what needs to be done with them before immersion in the tank.
Preparation of petals
- Rinse. Trite, but it all starts with hygiene. Petals are rinsed before they are separated from the bud. The moderate pressure of cold water will not harm, even if sent to the middle of the bud, but will wash away random insects, such as ants.
- After rinsing, let the petals dry. For this, the buds are disassembled and freely laid out on a waffle or paper towel. Drying should be in a dark, well-ventilated and cool enough place. This may be a dark corridor or even a dark corner in the room.
- Try not to damage the petals during processing, this inhibits the activity of the enzymatic system, which activates the hydrolysis of glycosides (fermentation).
Bookmark in the bank
- Pour dry petals in the jar.
- A full tablespoon (with a slide) of citric acid is dissolved in 0.5 l of water and pour the solution to the petals.
- Fill the jar to the brim with warm water and leave for 5-6 days.
The process of insisting
The first week, under the action of citric acid, the rose will release the water-soluble oils and vitamins contained in it. It makes no sense to cover with a lid, since at this stage the fermentation process has not yet begun. In order to ensure uniform access of the liquid to all the petals, which by the second day will begin to gather near the surface into a dense mass, the workpiece must be mixed at least once a day.
Did you know? With rose wine it is best to serve seafood: caviar, oysters, crayfish, but not fried fish. Neutral cheeses will do. It is not recommended to serve fruit and fatty meat, as the former will not be able to compete with a strong aroma, and the second will spoil a delicate flavor.On the second day, the blank will acquire a beautiful pale pink color. All subsequent days, up to straining, the color of the wine will become more and more intense, and by the sixth day the drink will get a red tint and lose transparency.
Draining away
After six days, flower petals will noticeably lose their color and shape: they will become loose and shrink in size. They have already played their part in the preparation, and now you need to get rid of the flower mass. The denser the sieve - the brighter and more qualitative the wine will be, therefore it is recommended to put gauze over the colander, moreover, it will be convenient to squeeze a mass rich in liquid in a gauze bag. After straining, add 250 g of sugar to the wine. It is introduced in the already dissolved form. You do not need to try to dissolve all 250 grams in one portion at once, it is much more convenient to divide it into several portions. In the final stage, a jar of filtered and sweetened wine is poured to the edges with boiled or distilled water and covered with a wine lid.
Fermentation
The fermentation process takes place without air access at room temperature, it is desirable to place the jar in a dark place. The minimum fermentation period is 1 month. The fact that wine has ceased to play can be understood by the absence of bubbles on its surface, and finally make sure of this by making a test with a glove. A latex glove worn on the neck of a wine jar is the easiest way to check whether gas is released or not. If the glove does not fill with gas in a day, the fermentation is over and the wine is ready to be consumed. But do not rush to enjoy the drink, because, like any wine, rosé becomes only better with time, so try to reach at least six months of exposure, and you will be richly rewarded. Wine cap. Another version of the wine cap.
Storage rules
Rules for storing wine from roses are very simple and do not differ from the rules for storing other wines:
- temperature content of about 10-12 ° C;
- air humidity is about 70%;
- if the bottle is sealed with a stopper made of natural materials, it is given a horizontal position in order to avoid wood drying out;
- wine does not like shocks, so it is advisable to pick up a place for storage that is little demanded in everyday affairs;
- not to store in the bathroom or refrigerator, in the first case - because of high humidity, in the second - because of too low temperature, which will not allow the wine to mature;
- cellar and cellar - an ideal place for wine. In the apartment, the drink will feel great in the mini-bar.
Important! Pink and white wines do not belong to "long-livers", it is better not to keep such wine in the cellar for more than two or three years. Tens of years of aging without loss of taste can boast only fortified red wines.Wine from rose petals will surely become the nail of any table program, and the availability of ingredients and ease of preparation at home will not burden the owners with unnecessary worries. In addition, products based on roses are very useful for the heart and mucous membranes of the body, and still look gorgeous in the home bar, and in gift packaging.