Post by rose on Mar 24, 2006 15:14:14 GMT -5
I think I compiled this recipe for elderberry wine from two I found on the internet plus information found in the front of a book called "Making Wild Wines and Meads" by Pattie Vargas and Rich Gulling. So many wine recipes call for yeast nutrient, acid blend, and tannins added. I don't like to add powders to my wines, so I found out what fruits and plants contain these things and add them instead. The results may not be as consistant but I don't care.
10 1/2 lb. elderberries, because that is how much I had when I got home
6 lb (1/2 gallon) honey
1/2 lb. chopped raisins (for tannins)
1/2 cup lemon juice (for acid)
juice of 1 large orange (also for acid)
Slowly cook berries and honey with enough water to cover the berries. Stir so they don't burn. I also used some water to get the dregs of the honey out of the jugs and added it to the cookpot.
Remove from heat and add raisins and citrus and enough water to make about 3 gallons.
When cooled to tepid, pitch the yeast (a red wine variety this year) into the mix. Cover loosely and let work a minimum of 3 days and maximum of a week. Siphon and strain into a 3-gallon carboy for secondary fermentation; add water so that it is really 3 gallons. Keep in a dark place until fermentation has stopped (no more bubbles coming up through the airlock) and then bottle.
I haven't bottled mine yet though it is ready and I should. So I don't even know if this is a good recipe. However, the book "Making Wild Wines and Meads" is chock full of good info on making wine from everything from peaches to blackberries to plums to tomatoes to sage.
1 prefer to make tiny batches (1-3 gallons) so that if I get something wrong (like it goes to vinegar) I can just cook with it and it's no big deal. Also, I can get more variety this way.
--Charlene
10 1/2 lb. elderberries, because that is how much I had when I got home
6 lb (1/2 gallon) honey
1/2 lb. chopped raisins (for tannins)
1/2 cup lemon juice (for acid)
juice of 1 large orange (also for acid)
Slowly cook berries and honey with enough water to cover the berries. Stir so they don't burn. I also used some water to get the dregs of the honey out of the jugs and added it to the cookpot.
Remove from heat and add raisins and citrus and enough water to make about 3 gallons.
When cooled to tepid, pitch the yeast (a red wine variety this year) into the mix. Cover loosely and let work a minimum of 3 days and maximum of a week. Siphon and strain into a 3-gallon carboy for secondary fermentation; add water so that it is really 3 gallons. Keep in a dark place until fermentation has stopped (no more bubbles coming up through the airlock) and then bottle.
I haven't bottled mine yet though it is ready and I should. So I don't even know if this is a good recipe. However, the book "Making Wild Wines and Meads" is chock full of good info on making wine from everything from peaches to blackberries to plums to tomatoes to sage.
1 prefer to make tiny batches (1-3 gallons) so that if I get something wrong (like it goes to vinegar) I can just cook with it and it's no big deal. Also, I can get more variety this way.
--Charlene