Cranberry Wine Recipes

CRANBERRY WINE

Steps:

• Chop cranberries, set aside
• In large stock pot - we used a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer - combine water and sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
• Add chopped cranberries, stir and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
• Add acid blend, pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrient. Stir well, turn off heat. Cover with a lid, allow to cool to room temperature - overnight.
• Place raisins and yeast in a freshly sanitized 2 gallon fermenting bucket.
• Carefully pour the cranberries and water into the fermenting bucket.
• Using sanitized equipment - take a gravity reading. Keep track of the number! (This is an optional step, but will allow you to calculate your final ABV %)
• Cover with sanitized lid and air lock. Within 48 hours, you should notice fermentation activity - bubbles in the airlock, carbonation and /or swirling in the wine must. This means you're good to go!
• Let sit for about a week, stirring (sanitized paddle!) every couple of days or so.
• After a week or so, use your sanitized siphon setup to rack the must into a freshly sanitized 1 gallon carboy.
• Put the carboy somewhere cool (not cold!), and leave it alone for 2 months or so.
• Using sanitized equipment, rack the wine off the sediment, into a clean, freshly sanitized 6.5 gallon carboy. Cap with sanitized airlock, leave it alone for another 2-3 months.
• Rack one more time, leave it for another 3 months or so.
• When your wine has been racked a few times and shows NO more fermenting activity for a month or so (no bubbles in the airlock, no more sediment being produced, you can move on to bottling, and back sweetening, if needed.
• Follow the instructions on your selected type of wine stabilizer to stop fermentation. For potassium sorbate, this needs to be done 2-3 days before bottling.
• Using sanitized equipment, take a final gravity reading, then rack the wine into clean, sanitized bottles. Cork.Age for at least a few months before drinking.

CRANBERRY MULLED WINE

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, combine the wine, cinnamon, anise, ginger, the juice and the flesh of the oranges, lemons, limes, the sugar, cranberries, and apple cider. Bring to a slow simmer for about 1 hour and check for seasoning, may need more sugar. Serve strained in mugs.

CRANBERRY RED WINE RELISH

Steps:

• Combine sugar with red wine in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the cranberries, cinnamon stick and orange peel. Bring the mixture back to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes, until most of the cranberries have burst.
• Remove from heat, allow relish to cool slightly, and spoon into sterilized glass jelly jars with tight-fitting lids. Store in refrigerator.

CRANBERRY ROSEMARY WINE JELLY

Steps:

• Bring cranberries, sugar, wine, rosemary, and 2 2/3 cups water to a boil in a 6- to 8-quart pot, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until all berries have burst, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour into a large colander lined with dampened paper towels and set in a deep bowl, then let stand until all juices have drained through, 10 to 15 minutes, and discard solids. If you have more than 4 cups cranberry liquid, boil in a small saucepan until reduced; if less, add water to bring total to 4 cups.
• Stir together gelatin and remaining cup water in a clean small saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften. Heat over moderate heat, stirring, until gelatin is dissolved. Stir gelatin mixture into cranberry liquid until combined. Pour cranberry mixture into lightly oiled mold (see cooks' note, below), skimming off any foam. Cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and chill until firmly set, at least 12 hours.
• To unmold, run tip of a thin knife between edge of mold and jelly. Tilt mold sideways and tap side of mold against a work surface, turning it, to evenly break seal and loosen cranberry jelly. Keeping mold tilted, invert a plate over mold, then invert cranberry sauce onto plate.