White-Currant Wines, Sherries, and/or Meads

• 2-1/2 lbs ripe whitecurrants
• 2 lbs granulated sugar
• 7 pts water
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 pkg Tokay wine yeast

Put the fruit in primary and crush. Add 1 quart water, crushed Campden tablet and yeast nutrient and stir. Meanwhile, add half the sugar to 1 quart water and bring to boil while stirring to dissolve. Add to primary and stir. Cover and allow to cool overnight. Add activated yeast, recover, and stir daily for 5-6 days. Strain through nylon sieve and transfer juice to sanitized secondary and fit airlock. Bring another quart of water to boil and stir in remainder of sugar until dissolved. When cool, add to secondary and refit airlock. After 3 additional days, top up with water, refit airlock and set aside until fermentation stops. Rack, top up and refit airlock. After 60 days, rack again, top up and refit airlock. After additional 60 days, rack into bottles and age 6 months before tasting. [Adapted from H.E. Bravery’s Amateur Wine-Making ]

• 3 lbs whitecurrants
• 2 lbs finely granulated sugar
• 7 pts water
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 pkt Burgundy wine yeast

Put the fruit in primary and crush. Add 1 quart water and crushed Campden tablet and stir. Cover and set aside for 12 hours. Strain pulp through nylon straining bag, squeezing firmly. Suspend a jelly bag over a bowl and pour the strained juice into the bag. Allow this to drip-drain without squeezing. Do not rush. When all juice is through, pour into stainless steel saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and hold for 5 minutes, removing any scum that rises. Meanwhile, add half the sugar to 1 quart of water and bring to boil while stirring to dissolve. Pour both the sugar-water and boiled juice into clean primary, stir in yeast nutrient, cover, and set aside to cool. Add activated yeast, recover and stir daily for 10 days. Bring another quart of water to boil and stir in remaining sugar until dissolved. Set aside to cool and then add to primary. Cover as before and set aside another 3-4 days. Transfer to secondary, top up with water and fit airlock. Rack, top up and refit airlock every 30 days until wine clears and leaves no further deposits. Stabilize, bulk age 3 months under airlock, and rack into bottles. Age 6 months before tasting. WARNING: Do not boil juice until it has passed through jelly-bag without squeezing or wine will not clear. [Adapted from H.E. Bravery’s Amateur Wine-Making ]

• 4-5 lbs ripe whitecurrants
• 2 lbs granulated sugar
• 61/2 pts water
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 pkg Burgundy wine yeast

Put the fruit in primary and crush. Add 1 quart water, crushed Campden tablet and yeast nutrient and stir. Meanwhile, add half the sugar to 1 quart water and bring to boil while stirring to dissolve. Add to primary and stir. Cover and allow to cool overnight. Add activated yeast, recover, and stir daily for 5-6 days. Strain through nylon sieve and transfer juice to sanitized secondary and fit airlock. Bring another quart of water to boil and stir in remainder of sugar until dissolved. When cool, add to secondary and refit airlock. After 3 additional days, top up with water, refit airlock and set aside until fermentation stops. Rack, top up and refit airlock. After 60 days, rack again, top up and refit airlock. After additional 60 days, rack into bottles and age 6 months before tasting. [Adapted from H.E. Bravery’s Amateur Wine-Making ]