Make Your Own Mash – How Does That Work?

Making aromatic wine from the fruit you have harvested yourself is a hobby that is becoming increasingly popular. However, it is not enough to simply pour the fruit into a container and leave it for a while. A prerequisite for good spirits is the mash, which then ferments. In this article, you will find out how to prepare and process them.

What is mash?

It is a starchy and sugary mixture of crushed fruit that forms the basis for alcoholic fermentation processes. Mash is used to making:

• Beer,
• Spirits,
• Wine

needed. For this purpose, the process of maceration is used. A distinction must be made here between:

• The conversion of starch into sugar, for example in grain or potato mash.
• The fermentation of fructose in alcohol in fruit mash.

Making the mash

If colors and flavors are to be transferred to the fruit wine, maceration must be carried out.

Ingredients:

• fruit at will
• sugar syrup
• citric acid
• turbo yeast
• anti-gelling agent
• potassium pyrosulfite
• gelatin or tannin

You will also need the following equipment to produce fruit wines:

• 2 fermentation vessels that can be closed airtight
• Fermentation locks allow gases to escape without allowing air to enter
• wine lifter
• Potato masher or blender
• wine bottles
• cork

Preparation of the mash

1. Only use fresh, fully ripe, and undamaged fruit. The fruit does not have to be peeled.
2. Chop the fruit carefully. Depending on the amount, this works very well with a potato masher or hand blender.
3. Do not filter out the seeds and shells. These ensure a more intense color and taste.
4. Add sugar in a ratio of 1:1 and mix well.
5. Mix in turbo yeast.
6. To prevent the fruit pulp from gelling, mix in the anti-gelling agent.
7. Determine the pH value and acidify with the citric acid if necessary. How much you need depends on the fruit and the amount of sugar added.

Further processing

The finished mash is poured into fermentation tanks. Only half of the available volume is used, otherwise, the liquid could overflow during fermentation. The fermentation container, which should be in a place where the temperature is between 18 and 21 degrees, is sealed airtight. After about two to three days, fermentation begins, which you can recognize by the bubbles rising in the liquid.

When no more bubbles are visible after about four weeks, the fruit wine is processed further. Place the fermentation container in a cool room so that the turbidity can settle. Then fill into clean bottles with the wine siphon and sulphurize with potassium pyrosulfite for a longer shelf life. This substance prevents secondary fermentation and undesirable bacterial growth.

After fermentation, the fruit wine begins to clarify. This process can be accelerated by adding gelatine or tannin. When all the particles have sunk, the wine is drawn off again, bottled, and corked.