Handling of fruit pulp
So far, we have discussed fruit and the juice obtained from it, treating them as the final product. Ready juice, bottled and pasteurized, can be used or stored immediately. But because this book is not just about making juices, we will now present the next stages of work related to wine production.
For that, we have to go back a little and start there, where the fruit has been crushed. In wine production, the handling of ground fruit pulp before juicing is slightly different than when making juices. Usually all fruits, which are light in color, like white grapes, apples and pears – to name only the most important ones – immediately after grinding, it is pressed or pressed immediately. In this way, not only color and freshness are preserved, but also disease is prevented, that can attack pulp standing in the air very quickly. On the other hand, dark-colored fruits require different treatment, so that they can turn into a wine with an intense color. In the first place, wine made of dark grapes should be mentioned, as well as from strawberries, malin, blackberry, red gooseberry, black berries and hawthorn. After the fruit has been ground, the pulp should be set aside for a while, that the dye contained in their skins was leached out.
Two days are usually enough for this. To prevent contamination and contamination, at this time, place the pot with pulp in a cool place and cover it thoroughly. In this way, it is protected against flies with a vinegar, which spreads dangerous acetic bacteria.
The fermentation of the juice or pulp starts around after 24-36 hours.
If the pulp juice is pressed before fermentation starts, such as gooseberries and currants, one more thing must be taken into account. We know from the rules of making jellies, what species are strong, and what poor gelling properties. Currants contain a sufficient amount of pectin, so that the jelly is formed, therefore, it is very difficult to squeeze the juice out of the currant pulp. Therefore, an enzyme preparation is added to this pulp, which dilutes it so far in a matter of hours, that it can be accurately squeezed. You can buy an anti-gelling agent at any drugstore. Another advantage of the anti-gel is this, that, under its influence, the wine clarifies more easily later.
Before proceeding with the proper preparation of wine, a thorough analysis of the juice obtained from the fruit should be carried out.