Flavor Additives

[JeffA]

Hello all. I was wondering if anyone has had experience using Flavorings with their wines. I am wanting to make a Elderberry orange wine but I'm not sure how much flavoring to buy. I plan to ferment the elderberry wine and then add the orange flavor to taste but was wondering if anyone has used it and could give an idea of it's strength so I have somewhat of an idea how many 4oz bottles to buy?

 

[MiBor]

I have used flavorings a few years back when I was experimenting with enhancing not-so-great wines and I was never satisfied with the results. They always imparted a chemical note to wine, regardless of being marketed as "natural" or not.

You'd be much better off using dry elderberry flowers to make a tea that you'd add before fermenting the wine, then add a flavor pack made with real oranges after fermentation.
@joeswine has a long thread on how to make flavor packs and enhance wine.

 

[winemaker81]

Another idea is to add fresh orange zest during fermentation and/or bulk aging.