first wine from scratch!!!!

[Cracked Cork]

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

 

[Cracked Cork]

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

 

[Waldo]

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

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

 

[jobe05]

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.......

 

[Cracked Cork]

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

 

[NorthernWinos]

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

 

[sangwitch]

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.

 

[Cracked Cork]

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

 

[zigzag65]

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.

!!!

!!!

 

[NorthernWinos]

 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...

 

[NorthernWinos]

 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..

 

[sangwitch]

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.

 

[zigzag65]

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

 

[Cracked Cork]

Did you add any oak to these guys yet? Crackedcork

 

[sangwitch]

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

 

[zigzag65]

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

 

[Cracked Cork]

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

 

[Waldo]

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.

 

[zigzag65]

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