Must

Ingredients

Grapes

• 5 kgripe wine grapes, in good condition

Equipment

• a crusher or a large tub and clean hands
• a press or a strong cloth
• a fine sieve
• clean bottles

Nothing is added

• no sugar, no water

Note

• this ferments on its own within a day or two

Directions

1. Use wine grapes rather than table grapes if you can. They should be fully ripe, which is when they are picked for wine. Taste one: it should be very sweet with the skin still tasting fresh. Discard any bunches with mould or rot on them. Preparing the grapes takes a little sorting.
2. Pull the grapes off the stems. Pick out any shrivelled, split or mouldy grapes. Rinse them briefly in cold water and drain them. Do not scrub them, since the bloom on the skin carries the yeast.
3. Put the grapes in a large clean tub. Crush them with clean hands, or with a wooden pestle. In Moldova this is often done by foot in a large vat.
4. Work them until every grape has burst. Tip the crushed grapes into a press if you have one. Press slowly and steadily rather than forcing it.
5. Squeeze until the pulp gives up no more liquid. Do not press so hard that you crush the seeds. Pour the juice through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Clear must is not what is wanted here.
6. Let it settle for an hour if you want it slightly clearer. Pour it off the sediment carefully. It should be intensely sweet with a clear acid backbone.
7. Chill it thoroughly and serve it in glasses or tumblers. It will keep as sweet juice for about two days in the cold. Cover it with a cloth rather than a sealed lid. A sealed bottle of fermenting must builds pressure and can burst.

Technique

• Must ferments within a day or two and cannot be kept as sweet juice without pasteurising.
• Never seal it in a bottle, since fermentation builds pressure and can burst it.
• Fresh must is widely known to have a strong laxative effect, so drink a glass rather than a litre.

Substitutions

• Table grapes, though they give a much flatter juice.
• A strong cloth and hands in place of a press.

Variations

• Drunk after a few days, as a cloudy young fermenting wine.
• Boiled down into grape molasses for keeping.
• Made into must jelly, which some households do.

History

Sold and shared during the Moldovan vintage in September, the first taste of the year’s wine.

Frequently asked questions

What is Must?

Must is a drink from Moldova: cloudy sweet grape juice from the crush, drunk before it ferments. Sold and shared during the Moldovan vintage in September, the first taste of the year’s wine.

How long does Must take to make?

Must takes 30 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes varies with the crush. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Must?

Yes, within limits. Table grapes, though they give a much flatter juice. A strong cloth and hands in place of a press.

What is the most important thing to get right in Must?

Use wine grapes rather than table grapes if you can. They should be fully ripe, which is when they are picked for wine. Taste one: it should be very sweet with the skin still tasting fresh. Discard any bunches with mould or rot on them. Preparing the grapes takes a little sorting.