Ferment your own wine sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is probably the classic German ferment, but why not go one step further and ferment wine sauerkraut yourself? It's actually rather easier than traditional sauerkraut because wine is added and therefore not as much brine needs to be kneaded.

Fermenting your own cabbage is not only satisfying, it's also healthy. You know exactly which ingredients you are using and the ferment remains free of unnecessary ingredients. With wine sauerkraut, you can also choose the wine yourself - that's a good reason to make a toast.

The secret to fermenting wine sauerkraut yourself lies, quite obviously, in the addition of wine. A maximum of 15% of the total weight may be added to ensure reliable lacto-fermentation. Traditionally, white wine is chosen, but if you don't mind the color change, you can also try a variant with red wine.

Wine sauerkraut

Table of contents

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Course: Side dish, saladCuisine: GermanDifficulty: easy

Servings

6

Prep time

30

minutes

Fermentation time

12-18

weeks

Equipment

• 1 liter bail-top jar (1)

Homemade wine sauerkraut has the great advantage that it offers the maximum amount of probiotic ingredients. A 1-liter jar is usually sufficient as a side dish for 6 people.

Ingredients

• 800 grams cabbage

• 1 tbsp caraway seeds, whole

• 4-5 bay leaves

• 5 juniper berries

• 16 grams salt (2%)

• 50-80 ml semi-dry or dry white wine (Riesling or Scheurebe)

Instructions

• Remove the outer 3-4 leaves from the cabbage and set aside, you will need them later. First cut the cabbage into quarters, then shred into thin strips using a vegetable slicer on the smallest setting. The stalk is left out. You can of course also cut the cabbage into thin strips with a kitchen knife.
• Lightly press down the spices, with the exception of the bay leaves, and add to the cabbage. You can lightly toast them beforehand to intensify the flavors. Then add the salt and knead or mash the cabbage vigorously to break up the plant cells and release the cell sap. With fresh field pills, the process is quick and easy until the cabbage has formed enough liquid, the brine. With older, firmer stored goods, you can help yourself if you sprinkle the sliced cabbage with salt and leave it to stand for a while before kneading it. The salt draws water out of the cabbage and takes some of the work off your hands.
• You will learn exactly how much brine you need to knead over time. It must cover the white cabbage in the fermentation vessel by 1-2 cm during the entire fermentation time. With this sauerkraut, you don't have to use all of the brine, or alternatively you don't have to knead as much brine, but fill it up with the wine.
• The cabbage is compressed and filled into your fermentation vessel, preferably a swing-top jar. Add the bay leaves and press everything down firmly to avoid air pockets. Then fill up with the wine, cover everything with the cabbage leaves you put aside beforehand and press everything down well again under the brine. If the cabbage leaves are not enough, you can use weights or wedged wooden sticks - you can find my ideas in the chapter basic equipment for fermentation.
• During fermentation, absolutely no oxygen must reach the ferment, as otherwise mold can develop instead of the desired lactic acid fermentation. Once fermentation has progressed to the point where the pH value is low enough and the oxygen has been displaced, harmful bacteria and fungi can no longer establish themselves.
• Let the kraut ferment for at least 3 months. Then the taste is well balanced and it's so sour that it is shelf-stable. The oldest cabbage, which I have produced myself and then eaten, spent over a year fermenting in my fermentation station before consumption.

Notes

• For a 1 liter jar, the white cabbage should weigh about 1 kg, leaving about 800 grams of weight without the stalk after slicing. From the final weight of the cabbage, you calculate 2%, which is the weight of the salt to add.

Nutrition facts

• Calories: 126kcal

Did you try this ferment?

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Fermenting wine sauerkraut yourself is just cool

Self-fermented wine sauerkraut is not only a treat for the palate, but also a good start to exploring the world of fermentation. The taste is already familiar to many, making it a good ferment to start with. With the right amount of wine, reliable lacto-fermentation is ensured, which is not only responsible for the unique taste, but also for the health benefits.

Health benefits

Sauerkraut is a natural source of vitamin C, vitamin K and folic acid. As a study still to be confirmed shows, the probiotic bacteria produced in sauerkraut promote healthy intestinal flora. Probiotics also support healthy digestion and nutrient absorption. And personally, I think homemade sauerkraut tastes so good, it can't be a bad thing.

In contrast to conventional recipes in which store-bought, pasteurized sauerkraut is cooked with wine, you can also enjoy this wine sauerkraut gently warmed. The taste is familiar! And all of you who don't want to give up la single actobacillus can easily do so with this cabbage - without any loss of taste.

Pineapple sauerkraut

Sauerkraut with pineapple is very delicious - sweet and sour, anyone?

Halve the onion and cut into fine strips. Coarsely crush the juniper berries. Sauté the onions in the lard, add all the other ingredients except the pineapple, cover and cook gently for approx. 10 minutes. The lactic acid bacteria will stay alive if you do not heat the cabbage above 40° C.

Quarter the pineapple, cut off the core and peel, and, if you like, make tepache out of it. Cut the flesh into bite-sized pieces. Cook for another 20 minutes with the lid on and season with salt and pepper before serving.

Sources

Recent updates and perspectives of fermented healthy super food sauerkraut: a reviewhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10942912.2022.2135531

Azhari Siddeeg, Muhammad Afzaal, Farhan Saeed et al.