🥃 Grape must

Grape must is freshly pressed grape juice with skins and seeds. It is what wine is made from.

Must is obtained after the berries are crushed and pressed. It contains a lot of sugar, usually 170-250 g/L. When yeast starts work, the must becomes fermenting must and then wine. Juice that runs off by itself is called free-run must. Juice obtained under the press is press must. They differ slightly in taste and composition.

Must is used for more than wine. It can be thickened to make concentrated must. From it and from grape juice, churchkhela is made, a Georgian sweet on a string with nuts. Unlike ordinary grape juice, must often stays together with the skins and pulp. If left uncontrolled, it will ferment on its own. The sweetness of must depends on the grape, the ripeness of the berries and the weather in the harvest year.