Name: Gooseberry & Ginger Country Wine
Yield: 1 gallons
Ingredients: 1.5 kg green gooseberries, topped and tailed; 1.1 kg white sugar; 40 g fresh root ginger, grated; 3.5 l water; 1 tsp wine yeast (71B or Gervin GV1); 1 tsp yeast nutrient; 0.5 tsp pectic enzyme; 1 item Campden tablet; 1 item Lemon Juice; 0.5 item Lemon Zest

About this recipe

Gooseberry wine is a classic British country wine with a long history of home production. This gooseberry and ginger wine recipe adds a warming kick of fresh ginger root to the naturally tart, sherbet-sharp flavour of green gooseberries, creating a lively, versatile country wine. It's dry enough to pair with food, and fragrant enough to enjoy on its own. This easy homemade gooseberry wine is perfect for early summer when gooseberries ripen in the garden, and it ferments surprisingly quickly for a fruit wine.

Ingredients

green gooseberries, topped and tailed1.5 kg

white sugar1.1 kg

fresh root ginger, grated40 g

water3.5 l

wine yeast (71B or Gervin GV1)1 tsp

yeast nutrient1 tsp

pectic enzyme0.5 tsp

Campden tablet1 item

Lemon Juice1 item

Lemon Zest0.5 item

Method

1

Wash and crush the gooseberries in a sanitised bucket. They do not need to be cooked.

2

Add grated ginger, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the fruit.

3

Pour over 3.5 litres of cold water. Add the crushed Campden tablet. Cover and leave 24 hours.

4

Add pectic enzyme and wait another 12 hours.

5

Dissolve sugar in the must and stir. Aim for SG 1.090–1.100.

6

Add yeast nutrient and pitch the rehydrated yeast.

7

Ferment on the pulp for 5–6 days, stirring daily.

8

Strain through muslin into a demijohn, pressing the fruit gently.

9

Rack after 4 weeks, then again after 6 weeks. Once clear, bottle.

Brewer's notes

Brewer's note: Gooseberry wine can throw a slight haze from pectin, even with pectic enzyme. Bentonite fining is highly effective here. The ginger flavour mellows considerably with ageing.

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