as promised mollysmum & lizzie
you will need
4lbs elderberries
9 pints boiling water
to each gallon of juice:
2.5lb sugar
1.25oz yeast
0.25oz root ginger
8oz raisins
put the clean fruit raisins and ginger in a bucket & pour the boiling water over the fruit, pressing well to extract the juice
leave for 4 days to infuse
strain off liquid & measure
add sugar & yeast.
leave to ferment in a warm place, when bubbling ceases, stir well then leave to settle for 3 days.
strain through a muslin into a cask, which must be completley filled otherwisw the wine will taste like vinegar. cork with an air lock fitted and leave for at least 6 months.
bottle and leave for at least another 12 months in a cool dark place, as this wine will taste better over time.
Good luck!
elderberry wine
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retropants
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Nice one Retropants.
I like the approach you've used. So many recipes talk about simmering the elderberries then straining off the juice. For the last few years I've added the yeast at the start so it can get to work on the fruit itself. This can give you more tannin & mean leaving a little longer, but the results seem worth it.
One other thing that sometimes comes in handy: If you only have intermittent access to places where Elderberries grow, it can be hard to pick enough in any one go. I found myself freezing smaller harvests till I had enough.
Pouring the boiling water onto the frozen elderberries seems to have some extra benefits:
a) because it helps releasing a bit more juice
b) the end temperature is a little cooler, letting you add the yeast a little sooner.
Here's to more slurping this Autumn
I like the approach you've used. So many recipes talk about simmering the elderberries then straining off the juice. For the last few years I've added the yeast at the start so it can get to work on the fruit itself. This can give you more tannin & mean leaving a little longer, but the results seem worth it.
One other thing that sometimes comes in handy: If you only have intermittent access to places where Elderberries grow, it can be hard to pick enough in any one go. I found myself freezing smaller harvests till I had enough.
Pouring the boiling water onto the frozen elderberries seems to have some extra benefits:
a) because it helps releasing a bit more juice
b) the end temperature is a little cooler, letting you add the yeast a little sooner.
Here's to more slurping this Autumn