Gooseberry Wine Recipe

Goosberries have always been a favorite fruit of mine – my parents had gooseberry bushes in the backyard when I was young, and I used to love picking them and eating them right from the vine.

When I was a teenager, I worked on a farm which had loads of gooseberry bushes growing, and one of the highlights of the summer was “pucker up pie.” Just a bit of sugar and loads of gooseberries baked in the oven between a crust. Mmmm… I loved it.

Recently, I purchased a bottle of Divine Gooseberry from Scotch Block Winery and it was incredible with curry chicken. I’ve always wanted to make my own gooseberry wine, so here’s my recipe:

Gooseberry Wine Recipe

(Makes 3 Gallons)

8 Pounds gooseberries

6 lbs. sugar (for specific gravity of 1.110 for the berries I used)

3 gallons water

3 crushed campden tablets

1 1/2 teaspoon pectic enzyme

3 teaspoon yeast nutrient

1 lb. raisins

Packet of Lalvin EC1118 Yeast

The gooseberries I had were frozen, so I put them in a blender and chopped them. I was able to put in about 2 lbs. of gooseberries at a time.

Boiled three gallons of water (1 gallon at a time), and added 4lbs. of sugar to the first gallon.

Poured boiling water/sugar solution over the chopped gooseberries in a food grade pail.

Crushed the campden tablets and stirred.

Stirred in the pectic enzyme

Stirred in the yeast nutrient.

Added raisins.

Added more sugar, stirred vigourously, and took specific gravity. Added enough sugar to bring specific gravity to 1.110.

Let must cool (about three hours) and pitched the yeast.

In about one week, I’ll rack the wine into a three gallon carboy. Because this wine will be similar to a white wine, I’ll also add bentonite to clear the protiens from the wine.

Sit for two weeks, rack, and will likely add Isinglas for further clearing.

Let sit for another two weeks, rack once again, add three campden tablets, and age for at least six months before bottling.

Enjoy with spicy food!