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Drink

Gooseberry Wine

A fermented beverage made from gooseberries, water, and sugar.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Gooseberry Wine

Gooseberry Wine

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the fruit

  1. Remove any bruised or decayed gooseberries.

  2. Remove the blossom and stalk ends.

  3. Bruise the fruit in a tub or pan. Ensure each berry is broken without crushing the seeds.

  4. Pour warm water over the fruit. Squeeze and stir until all pulp is removed from the skins and seeds.

  5. Cover the mixture. Let it sit for 24 hours.

  6. Strain through a coarse bag. Press to extract all juice.

Ferment

  1. Add sugar to the juice. Stir until dissolved.

  2. Place the mixture in a warm area. Cover it. Let it ferment for 1-2 days.

  3. Transfer to clean casks. Leave space for scum to rise. Keep filled with remaining must.

  4. When fermentation slows, plug the casks upright. Loosely insert bungs. After a few days, when hissing noise ceases, drive in bungs tightly. Create a spile-hole for venting.

Rack and clarify

  1. In November or December, rack the wine from its lees into clean casks rinsed with brandy.

  2. After a month, check clarity for bottling. If unclear, fine with isinglass.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Gooseberries
Provide the fruit, acid, and natural sugars that the wine is built from.
Sugar
Feeds the yeast during fermentation and adds sweetness to the finished wine.

The step that matters

Bungs and venting during fermentation. Fermentation produces carbon dioxide, so bungs must be loose at first to let gas escape and then tightened once activity stops. Sealing too early can build pressure, while leaving them loose too long lets air in and spoil the wine.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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