Currant Wine: Red & White Berries from Your Own Garden

Currant wine – garden berries meet winemaking

If you have currant bushes in your garden, you can harvest several kilograms of berries in a good year. Some of it goes into jam – the rest makes a wonderful wine.

Difference between red & white

• Red currants bring intense color, strong acidity and a slightly tart flavor. The wine is reminiscent of a young red wine.
• White currants are milder and more aromatic, almost floral. The wine feels more elegant and works well as a white wine substitute.

Basic recipe (5 liters)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg currants (red or white)
• 1.1 kg sugar
• 4 l water
• 1 packet of all-purpose wine yeast
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 Campden tablet
• Pectic enzyme (pectinase, optional – improves clarification)

Process

1. Strip the berries – remove stems and leaves. Crush the berries or blend briefly.
2. Make sugar water – boil water with sugar, let it cool.
3. Sulfite – add the Campden tablet and pectic enzyme if using, let rest for 12–24 h.
4. Pitch the yeast – after the waiting period, add the yeast and nutrient.
5. Primary fermentation – 5–7 days at 18–22 °C, stir daily.
6. Rack & secondary fermentation – transfer to a demijohn, 4–8 weeks.
7. Bottle – fill into bottles after clarifying.

Acid correction

Currants are very high in acid. If the wine tastes too sour:

• Stir in calcium carbonate (chalk) – chemically reduces acidity.
• Alternatively: blend with a lower-acid wine.

Storage

Currant wine matures well. After 6 months it's noticeably more harmonious than freshly bottled – after a year it's often excellent.