When it comes to grapes and its derivatives, it often happens to confusion between must and grape juice. The must includes a liquid part and a solid one, consisting of pulp, small fragments of rasppo, marc and marc. The juice, on the contrary, represents only the liquid component extracted from the fruit.
What is the must?
The must is obtained from the squeezing of grape berries and constitutes the first phase in the wine production process. Its composition is complex: next to the water, which represents the largest share, we find simple sugars, acids, mineral salts, nitrogen substances, polyphenols, vitamins and yeasts. The yeasts play a decisive role in fermentation, which transforms sugars into ethyl alcohol.
According to Presidential Decree 162/1965, the Italian legislation that regulates wine production, the must must have a natural alcohol content of not less than 8% into volume in order to be transformed into wine. Before fermentation, the actual alcoholic gradation can go up to 1%, a feature that makes it drinkable even fresh, although it is necessary to pay attention, because the abundance of yeasts, if consumed “raw”, can cause intestinal disorders.
How to prepare grape juice
Uva juice was born from a different process. It is prepared by cooking the berries with water, lemon juice and any aromas such as cloves or cinnamon. After cooking, you pass the mixture to the mixer or with a past, filter through a canvas and add sugar to taste. The result is a sweet and thirst -quenching drink, which maintains the antioxidant properties of fresh grapes.
Nutritional properties
From a nutritional point of view, grape juice brings good quantities of antioxidants such as polyphenols and lycopene, substances with protective properties for blood vessels and potential anticancer effects. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition has observed that in elderly patients with slight cognitive decline the consumption of grape juice for 12 weeks improved the function of verbal memory.
The cooked must, an ancient tradition
There is also a fascinating traditional preparation, the cooked must, which is prepared by cooking the must over low heat for several hours, up to the complete evaporation of the water, obtaining a dark and viscous liquid similar to the syrup. In the past the peasants prepared it after the harvest and used it throughout the winter as a natural sweetener. The cooked must is the basis of many regional desserts, such as the Mostaccioli Campani, the Nevole Abruzzo and the Apulian puppets.
How to choose between must and juice
The main difference between must and grape juice therefore lies in the production process and in the final destination:
Those who want to experiment at home can easily prepare grape juice with a kilo of berries, 600-700 milliliters of water and the juice of a lemon. For the must, on the other hand, specific equipment such as pressing pigmers and containers suitable for fermentation are needed. The choice depends on the use that wants to make it: a thirst -quenching drink or the first step towards the production of wine.
