Index
1- What is grape must and what is it made of?
Grape must is the product that is produced by squeezing grapes from vine plants. It is a cloudy liquid (because it contains particles in suspension) and, in general, aromatic, and very sweet.
For every 100 kg of grapes, approximately 50-70 liters of must are obtained, it depends a lot on the different pressing systems that we use.
The must is a natural product also known as grape juice .
2- How to make homemade grape must?
This question is as if we were asked how orange juice is made. The answer is pretty obvious. You have to have the grapes and press them. The resulting liquid is the grape must, which will obviously contain all the parts of the grapes such as pulp, skin, seeds … if we want the product to be a more refined product we can filter it.
If we are going to work at a more professional level, we must also have a press , to be able to take better advantage of the juice that remains in the parts of the skin and the skin.
If we let this grape juice ferment in the right conditions, that is when we will obtain wine .
In the video that we show below you can see how homemade grape must is made in a fast, clean and comfortable way.
3- Properties of the must.
The must is an antioxidant , it comes from a fruit, the grape, with many flavonoids that protect our cells from aging.
It contains a lot of vitamin E which is also an antioxidant.
Resveratrol is another of the famous antioxidants in fashion, which is more present in red grapes than in white ones.
Grape must improves blood circulation . It makes the blood more fluid, improving circulation and blood pressure. Take care of the heart.
Grape juice provides us with potassium and group B vitamins.
It is an excellent food for children and for athletes.
The must is purifying and benefits patients with rheumatism, gout, excess cholesterol …
It is preventive of breast, prostate and colon cancer and myocardial infarction.
4- In general terms, the must is composed of:
1 – Water: It is the compound that is found in the highest proportion. It represents between 70-80% of the must content.
2 – Sugars: They are natural sugars and are glucose and fructose, they are the food of the yeasts to carry out the fermentation process, transforming into alcohol.
3 – Polyphenols: They are usually located in the skin (skin) and seeds. The most important are flavanols, typical of white varieties, anthocyanins, located in the grape skin and responsible for the color of red wines, and tannins. The last two are very important for the subsequent aging of the wines.
4 – Organic acids: Tartaric, malic and citric, on which the acidity of the wine will depend.
5 – Pectic substances: Derived from some acids of plant tissues.
6 – Nitrogenous substances: important for the proper development of the must fermentation.
7 – Mineral substances, enzymes, vitamins: these are minority, but very important for the correct course of fermentation.
These in general terms are all the substances that the must contains, which will pass in various ways to the final wine, a very complex product in which more than 1000 substances appear.
5- In a glass of wine made from grape must, according to the CSIC, we will find:
0.1 grams of protein
0.1 milligrams of niacin
0.1 milligrams of zinc
1.1 grams of carbohydrates
8.7 milligrams of calcium
0.7 milligrams of iron
0.01 milligrams of riboflavin (vitamin B2)
8 milligrams of magnesium
6- The concentrated must.
What is concentrated must?
Basically, the concentrated must is dehydrated natural must.
The natural must is taken and 60% of the water it contains is eliminated through an industrial process. As natural must has an important part of water, when it is eliminated, it takes up less volume and weight, but still maintains the organoleptic qualities of the must.
The result of dehydration is a very sweet thick liquid, which can be recovered only by adding the necessary water until it returns to the initial state.
7- Use of must in other beverages.
The must, whether concentrated or not, is used to:
- Increase sugars in winemaking.
- Increase wine grade.
- Elaboration of sweet wines.
- Production of juices, ciders …
