# first wine from scratch!!!!



## zigzag65 (Jan 16, 2007)

started elderberry wine!!!!!


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## Wade E (Jan 16, 2007)

Looking good!


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## grapeman (Jan 16, 2007)

Beware Zig, you are in for some green goo with the elderberries. Don't fret, but be prepared for a hard cleanup. When you rack you will need some vegetable oil or olive oil to wipe on the goo so it will clean up OK.


I think the wine is worth the trouble though.


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## sangwitch (Jan 16, 2007)

Congrats!Looking forward tohearing about your progress - especially the green goo. I've heard horror stories about the green goo.


I started an Elderberry last week, but I used Vinter's Harvest - not scratch. I know Joan recently made an elderberry from scratch.


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## Waldo (Jan 16, 2007)

How is elderberry wine? That is one i have not tried...YET!!!


Keep us updated zig.......looking good !!


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## bmorosco (Jan 17, 2007)

Waldo said:


> How is elderberry wine? That is one i have not tried...YET!!!
> 
> 
> Keep us updated zig.......looking good !!




Well that IS a shocker...I thought there was not a wine out there you have not tried or made there WALDO!!


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## zigzag65 (Jan 18, 2007)

thanks everyone. will keep an eye out for the green goo and let everyone know if i have that problem or not. i've only drank elderberry once before and really liked it. will update as this progresses.


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## zigzag65 (Jan 18, 2007)

fermenting nicely!!!! wow!!! this smells really good. S.G. at 1.040 started at 1.100


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## sangwitch (Jan 18, 2007)

oh wow... that looks so good I could take a swim in there!


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## zigzag65 (Jan 18, 2007)

go ahead sang jump in and have a swim. LOL!!!


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## Dean (Jan 18, 2007)

Make sure you keep this wine in the dark as much as possible! Elderberry wine is about the most light sensitive wine I've seen. It will turn from a nice deep red to a gross brown almost overnight if not kept in a dark place, especially away from sunlight (even indirect). As far as I know, it doesn't affect the taste, but we also taste with our eyes right?


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## sangwitch (Jan 18, 2007)

oh wow. thanks Dean. I also have an Elderberry. It's from a can of Vinter's Harvest though... I imagine it has the same effect. So this is something we'll want to bottle in a dark bottle as well then.


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## grapeman (Jan 18, 2007)

Zig, you been sipping that stuff.






The level is down a couple inches from the first picture. I'd say you took the bag of elderberries out, but if you did what are those floating red plastic things?


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## kutya (Jan 18, 2007)

zig, I just racked a batch of elderberry into secondary last week. It really taste great, and smells wonderful.


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## sangwitch (Jan 18, 2007)

Appleman - great eyes! Wasn't it you who noticed something on Joan's label too? wow. So how bout it zig? Did you have a straw in the primary to sample the product??


I tasted my elderberry last night when I racked to glass and I gotta tell you it tasted really good. I wasn't too impressed when I first opened the can of VH and took a whiff, but the smell and taste last night were right on. I guess there's somethign to this elderberry afterall. Now I need to find me some jelly... heard it makes great jelly.


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## ScubaDon (Jan 18, 2007)

What is this aboutthe green goo. Is this something that is Elderberry specific? Anyone know what causes it.


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## jobe05 (Jan 18, 2007)

SD:


Not 100% sure about this, but I beleive it's due to the stem actually protruding into the berry itself. They are very long berries, average around here that I have seen are 3/4" to 1 1/2" long berries, some grow to 3" long. The green stem, is what cause the green goo.


I think??????


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## ScubaDon (Jan 18, 2007)

Wow, that is something. Thanks,


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## Wade E (Jan 18, 2007)

My parents neighbor has one of these trees and its huge. Back in the
day when I was going to school this used to be our bus stop under this
tree. When the fruit is ready the road was purple for about 2 months.
Ill have to stop by when the fruit is readt and say HI!


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## Dean (Jan 18, 2007)

jobe05 said:


> SD:
> 
> Not 100% sure about this, but I beleive it's due to the stem actually protruding into the berry itself.  They are very long berries, average around here that I have seen are 3/4" to 1 1/2" long berries, some grow to 3" long.  The green stem, is what cause the green goo.
> 
> I think??????



Are you sure those are the type of elderberries that you can make wine from? All the elderberries that I have seen are small like wild blueberry size. Sambucus Niger is the type of elderberry tree they use to make wine with. There are lots of other types of elderberries, but most will make you sick or taste really bad.

Here is an image of the typical wine making elderberry:






and you are very right, the green goo comes from the stems!


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## Cracked Cork (Jan 19, 2007)

Jobe, elderberries are round not long and nowhere approaching 3 inches,
but if you really so have an elderberry 3 inches across can I have a
cutting? Sounds more like you are describing a mulberry maybe?



Crackedcork


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## Cracked Cork (Jan 19, 2007)

ScubaDon, I read somewhere that it might be a nonpolar substance which
is why water wont dissolve it but vegetable oil will. We have used the
vegetable oil like Mr. Jack Keller described on his site and it work
very easily to clean up the green goo.





Crackedcork


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## Waldo (Jan 19, 2007)

sangwitch said:


> oh wow... that looks so good I could take a swim in there!




WoooooooHooooooooooooo look out sang. Im a coming in too !!


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## jobe05 (Jan 19, 2007)

Cracked: YOu are correct, I was thinking of the Mulberry, sorry about the confusion, I have Mulberries on my brain. Thats the type of plan/tree that I want in my yard (for wine making). However, after seeing your plants, I now have two things on my brain.......


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## Cracked Cork (Jan 19, 2007)

I ordered a couple of Illinois Everbearing from Millers to put in my
front yard, going to try to keep them pruned short enough to pick from,
on our favorite tree we have to throw a rope around a limb and pull it
down with my truck until we can reach it, the berries are getting
harder and harder to reach.



Crackedcork


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## NorthernWinos (Jan 19, 2007)

Around here there is a Wild Elderberry, plants looks the same but the fruits are red and you DO NOT eat those...they are very early and the Robin's take their young to eat those berries....read someplace they might be poisonous.

I had planted a pair of Elderberries a few years ago, the biggest plant died... [there was a gopher underneath] I planted two more last year, hope that my bushes will produce some day.

I liked the Web Page on Elderberries that Cracked Cork put together....very nice


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## sangwitch (Jan 19, 2007)

waldo... you crazy


CC - I've been looking at "one green world" I saw the link on the elderberry page you made. I think I may order some of the various currants... black, red, white. The elderberries are all over the place along the railroad tracks near my house.


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## Cracked Cork (Jan 19, 2007)

Actually for currants I would go to noursefarms.com as they are way up
north and have cold hardy raised plants, mine from there have all grown
very well and their plants are very nice, had to really use a shovel to
plant some of them almost like planing a tree!



Crackedcork


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## zigzag65 (Jan 19, 2007)

thanks dean,will make sure i keep mine in a dark place.i havent tasted it yet guys,gonna get a little nip when i rack to secondary.i was holding the bag of elderberries up,is why the level looks down,and it was dripping into the must,and thats what the red things are protruding up out of the must.i hope mine taste as good as it smells,this stuff smells really good.i stirred my must earlier and found two guys in there swimming around.



!!!



!!!


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## NorthernWinos (Jan 19, 2007)

zigzag65 said:


> i was holding the bag of elderberries up,is why the level looks down,and it was dripping into the must,and thats what the red things are protruding up out of the must.!!!
> 
> 
> 
> !!!



Geez...I saw those red things in the bucket and thought "WOW!!! This guy really has a strong fermentation going there" I felt that I was a failure because my wines never 'boil' like that photo...


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## NorthernWinos (Jan 19, 2007)

sangwitch said:


> waldo... you crazy
> 
> CC - I've been looking at "one green world" I saw the link on the elderberry page you made. I think I may order some of the various currants... black, red, white. The elderberries are all over the place along the railroad tracks near my house.



Sangwitch...are your wild Elderberries black like the tame ones???? We have wild ones growing here, they are red and not edible..


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## sangwitch (Jan 19, 2007)

I believe they're a deep purple color. I guess they could be black. I never paid much attention to them, but I know my neighbor goes out and picks them for jelly.


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## zigzag65 (Jan 19, 2007)

i am getting ready to rack to secondary,should anything be added at this time?(like campden or sodium metabisulfite)


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## Cracked Cork (Jan 19, 2007)

Did you add any oak to these guys yet? Crackedcork


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## sangwitch (Jan 19, 2007)

I have not added oak to the elderberry. DO you usually oak yours CC?


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## zigzag65 (Jan 19, 2007)

racked to secondary. had a taste and was very pleased.


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## Cracked Cork (Jan 20, 2007)

Congradulations are in order, there isnt anything you cant ferment now
that you cant catch  As for oak, when we made our first batch
from our own berries last year we decided to take a risk and oak it,
after all its a strong red wine, and it was very nice. We didnt add too
much, its just barely back there mostly just adding to the whole
flavor, but this year we are putting in a bit more of the toasted
oakmor just to see what happens. This is only our second season with
fresh berries so we havent had too much experience yet with these
guys but I think the oak is a big plus.



Crackedcork


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## Waldo (Jan 20, 2007)

zigzag65 said:


> i am getting ready to rack to secondary,should anything be added at this time?(like campden or sodium metabisulfite)


Nothing else is necessary until fermentation has ended. After you have confirmed this with SG readings and you are ready to rack it again then you need to add your Kmeta and Sorbate and degass the wine.


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## zigzag65 (Jan 20, 2007)

ok!! wasnt for sure if anything was added at that time or not,thanks for the help waldo.


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