The distinctive features of apricot wine include its rich yellow color with a possible reddish hue, a delicate fruity aroma, and a smooth taste. Fallen fruits are unsuitable for winemaking as they impart an earthy flavor to the beverage. When preparing the raw materials, it is essential to discard any moldy or rotten flesh. Unripe fruits contain too much pectin, which increases the cloudiness of the drink, while overripe fruits (deformed and cracked) break down into suspensions of small particles and fibers that are difficult to remove, leaving cloudiness even after filtration and chilling. Therefore, the raw materials must be optimally ripe.
Since apricots contain insufficient natural acids, and diluting with water further reduces the acidity of the must, wine made from these fruits ferments poorly, becomes contaminated with bacteria, and has a short shelf life. You can increase the acidity of the must at home using citric acid or lemon juice (one lemon is equivalent to 6-7 g of acid). The water should be chlorine-free (as chlorine inhibits yeast) and unboiled (boiling removes trace elements and oxygen necessary for yeast to start fermentation). It is best to use spring or bottled drinking water for making wine.
Ingredients (for 15 liters of wine): apricots (with pits) – 4 kg; citric acid – 6 g per 1 kg of fruit; water – 12 liters (3 liters per 1 kg of fruit); sugar – 265 g per 1 liter of filtered must; wine yeast or starter culture – calculated for 20 liters.
Sort the apricots, remove the pits, mash the flesh, and place it in an enameled, stainless steel, or plastic container with a wide mouth (this can be a pot or a bucket).
Dissolve the wine yeast: in a sterilized jar, prepare a syrup with 10 ml of water and 2 g of sugar for every 1 g of yeast. After adding the wine yeast to the water, stir the solution and let it sit uncovered at room temperature for 25 minutes until foam appears.
Pour the sugar syrup into the apricot flesh, add citric acid, mix well, and introduce the wine yeast or starter culture.
Cover the neck of the container with cheesecloth and leave it in a dark place for 4 days, stirring every 8-10 hours and breaking up the pomace (the layer of fruit particles on the surface). Without periodic stirring, the must will sour. The must should sit at a temperature of 18-26°C.
Strain the must through cheesecloth or a fine sieve, squeezing the flesh dry and discarding it as unnecessary.
Using a household refractometer, adjust the sugar content in the filtered juice to 18-20%.
Transfer the juice to a fermentation vessel, filling it to 75% capacity (leaving room for foam, carbon dioxide, and added sugar).
Seal the vessel with an airlock (a clean medical glove with a finger pricked for gas release).
Move the apricot juice to a dark place with a constant temperature of 18-27°C, avoiding sharp fluctuations.
Five days after setting up the airlock, add a second portion of sugar to the must (70 g/l). To do this, pour off the same amount of fermented juice, dissolve the sugar in it, and pour the syrup back into the fermentation vessel, sealing it again with the airlock.
Repeat this process two weeks later as fermentation slows down (indicated by the glove slowly dropping, with gas being released less frequently). Add the remaining sugar (45 g/l).
The fermentation process for apricot wine lasts from 35 to 55 days: the glove will puff up and tilt at the end, no foam will form, and the must will clarify. Young wine has a sharp taste that mellows during aging.
Transfer the wine to aging containers, filling them to the brim to prevent oxidation from oxygen exposure. Seal tightly and move to a cool place (2-14°C) for 3-6 months to mature.
Once a layer of fluffy sediment (3-5 cm) appears, filter the wine by siphoning it into another container. Initially, filter the drink every two weeks, and then once a month is sufficient. If no new sediment forms within 45 days, the wine is ready to be bottled.
Unpasteurized homemade apricot wine should be stored in a cellar or refrigerator, as at room temperature, the drink without preservatives can ferment again.
The alcohol content of this wine is 11-14%, and its shelf life is up to three years.
Life Hack
When fermenting the raw materials with pits, the apricot must can acquire an almond flavor, which may spoil the delicate fruity tones of the drink. Damaged pits can impart bitterness. To avoid breaking the integrity of the pit shells, apricots should be mashed by hand rather than mechanically. Adding yeast ensures a higher percentage of methanol during fermentation. For even fermentation with low foam formation, it is better to use wine yeast designed for white grape juice. If you use alcohol, baking, or beer yeast in the preparation, you will end up with a mash that tastes like alcohol rather than wine. You can also use a wine starter based on raisins or fresh berries in the recipe (it should be prepared 3-5 days before processing the apricots).
P.S. As you master the art of winemaking, remember that excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health.