
"A friend of mine has given me several pounds of frozen red currents to make wine.
Any advice or recipes you could give me would be greatly appreciated." Raymond Meyer
Red currants make a very good wine, but their flavor is a little more tart than black currants and requires almost a year to make into wine and two years of aging to mellow out into an outstanding product. While this seems like a long time, it will pass quickly if you don't think about it. The following recipe will guide you.
Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, strip currants of stems and leafy matter. Wash thoroughly and crush well in primary fermentation vessel. Cover with boiling water, cover primary and seep overnight. Strain through a nylon straining bag and press pulp well to extract all juice. Discard pulp. Add sugar and stir well to dissolve. Add pectic enzyme and nutrient and set aside for 12 hours. Add activated wine yeast, recover and set aside until active fermentation is evident. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel and fit airlock. When all fermentation has ceased and liquor cleared, rack, top up, and refit airlock. Check water in airlock every month or so. Rack after 6 months and again after three more months. Bottle wine and store in dark place for two years for optimal smoothness and quality. [Author's own recipe]
My thanks to Raymond Meyer for the request.