Elderberry Wine

[Loner]

I've never made elderberry but would have left the fruit in at least until the sg dropped to 1.040. Taking it out early like you did will cost you in both flavor and color. Your pectin needs at least three days to extract the good stuff from your fruit. It's your wine .. If you are happy with it like this so be it. If you are looking for Max color and flavor you should leave it in a bit longer next time.

 

[pjd]

I leave mine in for a week. If I were you, I would put them back in for a few more days. you still will have enough goodies for your second run.

 

[ckvchestnut]

I'm definitely going for max flavor and colour it just seemed that the recipe I was following on a thread here for the red and the blush from the same berries said to take the fruit oh of the reds after 12 hours and then transfer it to new primaries for the blush. So now my question is can I allow the blush to ferment for a few days on the fruit and then transfer the fruit back to the reds that I just started? Or... Since I haven't pitched the yeast yet for the blush, can I store the juice I have already made and transfer fruit back to the red primaries now, allow them to ferment and then transfer it back to the blush primaries when I'm done fermenting the reds? Thanks for your response! I appreciate it! I have a large fridge that I could store the 2 blush primaries in... They have already been treated with everything but the yeast!

 

[ckvchestnut]

Ah wonderful sorry I didn't see your post until after I asked my questions! So should I store blush in fridge while reds are fermenting on the fruit? Also my blush isn't very blush anyways. It's almost as dark as my reds because I didn't squeeze the fruit out or keep it in the original primaries to ferment in the first place!

 

[pjd]

I'm definitely going for max flavor and colour it just seemed that the recipe I was following on a thread here for the red and the blush from the same berries said to take the fruit oh of the reds after 12 hours and then transfer it to new primaries for the blush. So now my question is can I allow the blush to ferment for a few days on the fruit and then transfer the fruit back to the reds that I just started? Or... Since I haven't pitched the yeast yet for the blush, can I store the juice I have already made and transfer fruit back to the red primaries now, allow them to ferment and then transfer it back to the blush primaries when I'm done fermenting the reds? Thanks for your response! I appreciate it! I have a large fridge that I could store the 2 blush primaries in... They have already been treated with everything but the yeast!

.
That is a good plan, Put the berries back into the first batch for a couple more days and put the second run primaries in the fridge. Don't be in a hurry, three days in the primary is a minimum with me. I usually go a week. Good luck and I hope you love it as much as I do mine. I made 15 gallons this year and skipped doing the second run.

 

[ckvchestnut]

Thanks so much! I'll try to go for the 5-7 days I'm hoping that in the fridge the blush juice will keep well for that long! I did put the campden in them already so maybe that will help? Also I only put in half the called for sugar so after putting the fruit back in I can adjust both the sugars and the acid as needed! I'm very excited! This is my first time making the elderberry wine. The recipe is from the Eckraus page. What recipe do you follow?? What taste style do you end up with? Sorry or all the novice questions. I have to say this is such a fun learning adventure! I have tons of muscadines to harvest this year and less grapes we had a very dismal rainy summer this year, so I was thinking of mixing muscadines with my Concordes when everything is finally ripe!

Because I did what I did will I effectively end up with 4 batches of 2nd run type reds? I definitely don't think my intended blushes will turn out blush (thinking pink) maybe a bright red... I was looking to end up with a crisp fruity taste to the blushes and the more fullbody red for the reds!

 

[ckvchestnut]

One other thought I had is I could put the blush juice in my chest freezer on a low setting and start defrosting it 2-3 days before I need it. But would freezing the juice change the flavor, quality or other properties for the wine?

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Good golly, your questions are all over the place. With elderberries its very easy to extract the color and flavor, they are just small berries with thin skins. The contact time for elders has to do more with how much tannins you want extracted. Leave them in for a long time and you get a more tannic wine, take them out sooner, like after 3 days, and you get a fruitier less tannic wine. You can make a seconds from the berries, as you learned there is an almost unlimited supply of color from elders. You are using EC1118 for your big red so you can easily keep the fruit in longer with that yeast and keep feeding it a little sugar to boost the alcohol to balance with the higher tannins. Since you already put your berries in the red with yeast your blush will also have EC1118 so dont be surprised when it eats all your sugar. Are you using a hydrometer? WVMJ

 

[ckvchestnut]

Thanks so much for your response! And that sounds like a great plan to add sugars during the primary fermentation only or also the secondary? Sorry I know all over the place lol!

Well, actually what I did was take the fruit out Of the primaries for my big reds prior to pitching the yeast. Then I made juice for the blush, but now I have already put the berries back into the fermenting red primaries. I have 1 pkg of the 1118 yeast (from 2012 hence why I haven't used it yet) left and I have the K1-V1116 and 71B-1122 yeasts that I intended to use for the blushes. Thought the latter would help give a fruity taste based on my LIMITED reading experience! Lol

Would it be weird or bad to have the berries that fermented with the 1118 then be fermented by these new yeasts? I haven't topped up with the total amount of water or sugar or acid for the blushes yet... I appreciate all your patience everyone!! I figured the only way to learn was to join a forum with a wealth of knowledgable people on board!

 

[ckvchestnut]

So for the blush since its already a deep red, how long would you recommend fermenting on the berries for that one if I want less tannins than my big reds? And for the reds?

 

[ckvchestnut]

Oops yes I have a hydrometer... I took the S.G. reading tonight batch 1 was at 1.102 batch 2 was at 1.105 with a must temp of 70 degrees F. This is 24 hours after pitching the yeast.

 

[ckvchestnut]

And the batch with higher S.G. reading had 2 more pounds of fruit in it.

 

[ckvchestnut]

Sorry to be a pain! I found my answer about yeast on another thread that basically if I put my fruit that are being fermented by EC-1118 will now only ferment by the same yeast in my 2nds for the blush. However as I was going through the recipe I hadn't originally intended to put the fruit back in after fermentation. Hence why i was going to start the blushes on new yeast.

Question: is it better to put the fruit back in and just allow the 1118 to ferment on the new juice and the skins and pulp and sacrifice having a lighter fruitier taste on the blush by putting it on the fruit longer? Or could I get away with not putting the fruit back in and starting a new ferment with my other yeasts? The juice already ha the fruit and pectic enzyme in it for 24 hours. And it's already a dark red colour. I really don't want too much tannin in the blush so that I can have a lighter fruitier taste but don't want to sacrifice having no body at all.

What about fermenting that fruit in the reds for a full 7 days or until dry and then pressing out as much of the juice as possible and then begin my ferment for the blushes and hopefully not add too much tannins and more colour?

 

[Stressbaby]

Does anyone have thoughts on the cold soak described in this recipe?

 

[Julie]

Does anyone have thoughts on the cold soak described in this recipe?

Extracting color from the elderberries is very easy, I do not see any reason to cold soak. Actually, I wonder how much wine this guy has made, I seen a couple of things he said that caused me to wonder.

WVMouintainerrJack has explained the best method. Three days in make a very good color and very fruity wine. Take the bag put it in another bucket and make a blush, use some Welch's white grape OR another flavor, Cherry and Elderberry makes a very good second run.

 

[ckvchestnut]

That's helps me too thanks Julie! Any thoughts on the addition to adding sultana raisins to blush elderberry recipes? What properties do they offer flavor or otherwise? Would it be too strong a flavor to add a cup to a 5 gallon batch?

 

[ckvchestnut]

I went and did a search on the raisins so I'm not such a pain with all my questions!