Elderberry Wine Recipes

ELDERBERRY WINE

Steps:

• Crush the berries by hand, or pulse them in a food processor in batches just enough to break up the berries. Do not liquefy them.
• Pour the crushed berries into a large pot with 10 quarts of water. Add 3 pounds of the sugar. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Heating elderberries makes them easier to digest, and helps set the color of the wine.
• Pour the juice into a freshly cleaned 5-gallon bucket and let it cool to room temperature. Test the juice for acid and sugar. Both may be a little low, so be prepared to add another 1 to -3 pounds of sugar and possibly tartaric acid. Add tartaric acid to get the juice to about 7 grams per liter. You might not need to add any - I've had elderberry batches that needed no additional acid and, others that needed a lot. We're dealing with a wild food, and wild foods are variable.
• Add the pectic enzyme (and tannin, for blueberries and blackberries and blueberries), and chill to below 50°F in the fridge or with ice packs. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the juice to keep out air. Keep the juice covered and at this temperature for up to 3 days. The longer you cold soak, the more flavor you extract. (But you run a higher risk of oxidation, which will turn the wine an unappetizing brown, or of spontaneous fermentation, which can ruin the whole batch.)
• On the third day, bring the juice up to room temperature. Add half the yeast nutrient as the juice warms. Once the juice is at room temperature, hydrate your yeast and add it in, then follow the above directions from here.

ELDERBERRY WINE

Steps:

• Freeze the berries overnight, as this makes it easier to prise them from their bitter green stems. It also breaks the skin and allows juice to run more freely.
• Put the berries in the fermenting bucket and crush, squeezing out as much juice as you can. I recommend a clean pair of rubber gloves for this job. Gently squish the berries in your hands and try not to crush the seeds inside.
• Whack in the sugar and pour over a litre of boiling water, stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved. Add the rest of the water, the acid and yeast nutrient. If you wish, take a hydrometer reading to see how strong it is. The campden tablet (if using) should also be added now - this kills bacteria but can cause headaches in some. If you do use a campden tablet, leave the mix for 24 hours.
• Syphon it into another demijohn, leaving the lees (aka sediment) behind. This process is called racking and should be repeated between 1 and 3 more times depending on how much sediment builds up. Top up with boiled-then-cooled water each time as you will lose some liquid.
• When the air-lock stops bubbling, your wine is ready to bottle. Cold may pause the fermentation process, so if you are not sure then move your demijohn to somewhere warmer. The steadier the temperature is kept during fermentation, the better. A hydrometer allows you to be sure. Take a hydrometer reading after each racking. As soon as the reading is stable for three days, your wine is ready to bottle.