# What is the normal color of elderberry wine?



## Stressbaby (Jun 26, 2014)

Title says it all.
Mine from last year is not that of a typical red wine. It is more garnet to tawny colored.
Looking at my notes, there was one two-week spot where the sulfites could have dropped to a level that was not protective. However, I see a lot of pics online that show the same color as I have. It tastes good to me.


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## cmason1957 (Jun 26, 2014)

I was just heading down to the wine area to take a taste of my elderberry. So here is a picture of a glass with the carboy in back. To look at mine you think that is a dark red wine.


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## Stressbaby (Jun 27, 2014)

cmason,
Is that straight juice? Or how many pounds per gallon?
I pretty much followed this recipe but did not sorbate/backsweeten.
Here are pics of mine.


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## Turock (Jun 27, 2014)

I think the color looks just fine. Our elderberry looks more like yours than cmason's.


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## Julie (Jun 27, 2014)

mine always comes out a nice dark red color. You need to use 5 lbs per gallon when making elderberry. Jack Keller's recipes are normally light on fruit.


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## ffemt128 (Jun 27, 2014)

Mine is a deep red almost purple color. My last 2 batches have been almost 8-9 lbs per gallon. It coats the glass nicely.


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## cmason1957 (Jun 27, 2014)

I used closer to 5 lbs per gallon of elderberries and also added some oak for about two months. This was the first time I had made elderberry wine and I am pretty impressed by it so far. We just added a tiny bit of sugar to it, I think 1 lb and that really smoothed it out.

On a side note, I had some blackberry that was a little light in color and about a half gallon extra of this elderberry. I added that to the blackberry and boy did it darken it up and smooth it out.


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## ffemt128 (Jun 27, 2014)

I'll try to open a bottle this weekend and if I do I'll take pic..


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## Stressbaby (Jun 27, 2014)

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Turock's response is reassuring. It tastes good so I guess we'll just go with it!


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## WVMountaineerJack (Jun 27, 2014)

You can go all the way up to 100% juice, especially if you steam it. I see why you call yourself StressBaby, you have a pretty wine that tastes good but are stressing out because its not the same color as someone elses?? Looks like you did a good job to me! WVMJ


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## Stressbaby (Jun 28, 2014)

WVMountaineerJack said:


> You can go all the way up to 100% juice, especially if you steam it. I see why you call yourself StressBaby, you have a pretty wine that tastes good but are stressing out because its not the same color as someone elses?? Looks like you did a good job to me! WVMJ



LOL...I played in a band in college called the Stressbabies and it just stuck.

I'm glad you think it is a pretty wine. I'm just going to drink and enjoy!

Thanks.


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## Wangotango1 (Jul 4, 2014)

As a side note... a previous poster said Jack Keller's wine recipe's are usually "lite" on fruit... I disagree. As a matter of fact, I made a couple of his elderberry recipe's including my last one that used 10 Lbs per gallon! Disparaging someone's recipes as "lite" because you like it a different way is not also taking in all the awards posted as proof of his recipe's winning reputation. I find many different variations on his site, and use them or vary them as I see fit, without broadly painting them as lite. Which most are not BTW.

Steve


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## WVMountaineerJack (Jul 4, 2014)

We have been enouraging Mr Keller to beef up his recipes. That 10lb/gal is his friends recipe  A few members here consider anything less than 100% fruit to be lite, except for black currants, you just can do 100% with them and get away with it! WVMJ


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## Wangotango1 (Jul 4, 2014)

My only point is that when it comes to recipe's, the proof is in the pudding. The fact that some people want more fruit is fine, but I've been making award winning wines from Jack's recipe's for years and think that throwing a blanket statement over successful recipe's makes no sense. I tinker with everything now, but I tend not to pretend I'm the end all be all of anything other than my own taste.


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## Julie (Jul 5, 2014)

Wangotango1 said:


> My only point is that when it comes to recipe's, the proof is in the pudding. The fact that some people want more fruit is fine, but I've been making award winning wines from Jack's recipe's for years and think that throwing a blanket statement over successful recipe's makes no sense. I tinker with everything now, but I tend not to pretend I'm the end all be all of anything other than my own taste.



You need to calm down, my statement was not a blanket statement! I have tried quite a few of his recipes and they are weak in flavor and I am not the first nor only one who states that.

This thread is about someone with a wine that isn't sure if the color is normal. Do not come on here trying to start an issue.


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## Wangotango1 (Jul 5, 2014)

The fact that your'e using directives and exclamations where I have not tells me you are the one agitated not me. I see no need to subscribe to a site where some low level moderator uses forum consensus to disparage others. Cheers


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## WVMountaineerJack (Jul 5, 2014)

Mr Keller trolls through all these winemaking sites and even picks some questions to answer from time to time to help everyone. I dont think he needs you to defend him here. I especially like last year I sent him a bottle of our dried elderberry and it inspired him to create his own version, of course it had less berries than I use  WVMJ


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