Concentrated and reconstituted juices today do not surprise anyone. Almost 100% of the drinks that are sold in stores today are precisely the diluted concentrate. That is, initially the juice was condensed so that its transportation became most convenient, and then diluted with water. With this, everything is more or less clear. Do you know what powdered wine is? This is the current model of modern winemaking, which allows you to get a lot of inexpensive raw materials.
Have you ever been surprised at the abundance of wines in stores? Surely each of you wondered whether they are really natural. And what is powdered wine, for sure will interest lovers of this drink.
Technology for making grape wine
Let's first remember how a classic drink is made. Natural table, dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet wines are prepared only by fermentation of grape must. Moreover, ethyl alcohol and concentrates are not added in the process. Thus, if you read about natural powdered wine, then there is clearly something wrong.
We can assume that we are talking about the production of wine from concentrated, dried, and then diluted with water grape juice, but most often this is not so. Wine material is a fermented grape must, that is, juice that has been processed and stabilized. It is impossible to make a concentrate from this alcohol-containing raw material, due to the low boiling point and, as a consequence, the high volatility of alcohol.
Almost natural
Above, we described how the preparation of natural grapes in the original occurs. However, this drink is produced not only in the southern countries where vineyards grow, but also in the northernmost regions, where the vine can be grown only in greenhouses. What is the raw material here? Of course, to carry grape must is problematic, due to the need for large volumes, therefore, it is evaporated and dried grape juice that is used. In place, it is diluted with water and then fermented.
Such production is a violation of the technological process, the result is a “natural” powdered wine, which professional winemakers contemptuously call “sticky”. However, for a simple layman it is practically impossible to distinguish it from the present.
Wine without wine
However, there is another variety of drinks on the market that are sold under the brand of wines. Immediately make a reservation that it is difficult to determine by bottle what wine is powdered. There are indirect signs that we will talk about later, but these are just guidelines. It is not always possible to determine the fake and taste. The only exceptions are specialists, tasters and true connoisseurs who can appreciate the color and aroma of the drink.
In fact, it is a mixture of alcohol, flavorings and water. You can’t expect any benefit from the body. On the other hand, if the manufacturer uses quality ingredients, there will be no harm either.
Pros for the manufacturer
Of course, to make powdered wine is much more profitable. The process of transporting raw materials is greatly simplified, logistics becomes cheaper, which means that it is possible to produce more final product in record time.
Evaporated grape juice with the addition of alcohol, yeast and flavorings does not require special storage conditions. The final drink is not "sick", is not covered with a film, but does not ripen. That is, years will pass, and he will not get better, as is the case with quality wine. It is clear that the lowest-grade drink - a mixture of alcohol, dyes and flavors - is a cheap fake that cannot be called wine.
Inspect the bottle
There are a number of points that you need to pay attention to. True, not one of them directly says that this is a natural product, but indirectly it still indicates this:
- The label must necessarily contain all information about the country of origin, the factory at which the wine was produced, its composition, alcohol content.
- The date of manufacture is necessarily present on the label, and it is stamped on the label separately, and not printed in the general field.
- The label must be made to a high standard. Invalid blurry image.
- Refuse immediately from buying inexpensive wine in an overly elaborate bottle. In this case, the manufacturer invests more in packaging and cares little about the quality of the product.
Now turn the bottle into the light and sharply turn it down with its neck. The presence of a large amount of sediment should be suspicious. A small amount of it may be in quality wine, but such a suspension will quickly settle.
Be sure to pay attention to the cork. She should not crumble and smell bad. These are the first signs that the drink was not properly stored or spoiled.
Express diagnostics
If you are going to present a bottle as a gift, it is very important that the drink is really natural. So let's talk about how to distinguish powdered wine. Attention to the label. Powdered surrogate cannot be seasoned or vintage. There are also no dry artificial wines. That is, it is among this category that it is better to choose a gift.
If in doubt, take one bottle per sample. Pour a little drink into a wide glass. When it rotates, “tracks” should remain on the walls. They are called "wine legs." The longer they hold, the better the wine is considered. Moreover, the thinner they are, the older the drink. This is the first way to distinguish powdered wine from natural wine. There are many of them, although, we repeat, any of them does not give 100% of the result.
The most reliable way
Close the bottle with a stopper and shake it well. It is required to shake vigorously to form a foam. Now fill the glass with wine. Here, again, we recall physics. Depending on the density of the drink in the bottle, the foam will behave differently. A natural drink forms a beautiful hat in the center of the glass. At the edges of the foam is not collected at all, in addition, it falls off very quickly. If you observe such a picture, you can be sure that this is a natural wine.
If its base was water with concentrates and flavors, then the foam will immediately disperse along the edges, stick to the walls and hold for a fairly long time. In this case, talking about naturalness is not necessary.
We continue the experiments
The next step may be an analysis of the taste of the drink. First of all, it is worth evaluating the aroma. In a natural form, it is rich, dense and rich. Beverages made from reconstituted powder have a pungent odor as chemical flavors are added to them. Although it will be difficult to distinguish this without preparation, this is what the manufacturer expects.
Have a drink. Since it is very difficult to identify powdered sweet wine, try to avoid dessert drinks. All taste flaws in them are successfully masked by sweetness. But semi-sweet and semi-dry can be recognized by the aftertaste, which is absent in powder wines.
Evaluate the presence of dye
Real wine in itself has a rich color and does not need to be enhanced. Do a little experiment. You will need a glass bottle with a wide-necked medication. Be sure to choose a bubble with transparent glass walls. In addition, you will need a clear glass of water.
Then it’s small. Fill the vial with wine and lower it into the glass, covering the neck with a finger. After that, the finger is removed and the result is observed. The density of natural wine is very different from the density of water. They will by no means mix without effort on your part. Counterfeit is water with additives, so the liquid in the glass instantly turns red, pink or orange.
If you are looking for a simple way to distinguish real from powdered wine, then you can assume that you have already found it. If, after you removed your finger, the water remained clean and transparent, then this is definitely a product made from grape juice.
Pharmaceutical glycerin
There is another proven way to distinguish homemade wine from powder. You will need a glass and ordinary glycerin, which is sold in any pharmacy. You will need to pour a little wine into the glass, which needs to be checked for authenticity. Enough 50-70 ml, the rest can be consumed for its intended purpose. Gently add approximately 10 ml of glycerin. Just a few seconds, and testing is complete.
If glycerin smoothly descends to the bottom of the glass without changing its appearance, then you have a natural wine. In powdered wine, glycerin instantly changes color, it turns yellow or red.
Common soda
Another proven way. To do this, take a glass of wine and pour a little soda into it. Now carefully observe the reaction. Natural wine contains grape starch. These two substances will react, as a result of which you will see how the drink changes. Usually it gets greenish, grayish or bluish tones. Powder wine does not change.
We collect information about manufacturers
The most reliable way to determine whether a natural or powdered wine is in front of you is to inquire in advance about the manufacturer and its products. No serious company that has been producing vintage wines for many years will engage in fakes. Of course, such products are more expensive, but quality is guaranteed to you.
Manufacturing plants that have been growing like mushrooms recently do not have their own raw materials and production capacities. Consequently, they will use surrogate raw materials and saturate the market with powdered wine. Pay attention to the cost. The low price indicates that this is definitely an artificial product.