The Great Best Elderberry Recipe..,

[Country]

Mom is turning 80 in a couple years. She loves elderberry wine and I am determined to make her the best elderberry wine possible for her birthday. Please share your recipes. My commitment is to make them all in small batches and find the perfect one, as far as me mum is concerned anyway. I should have fresh grown berries available this summer, also have access to concentrate and dried berries so please include all recipes under the sun. She does prefer off-dry to mildly sweet.

I promise to make them all and post results here. Fire away please, the more detailed the better!!

Thanks!

Elderberry Steve

 

[dralarms]

I make my elderberry from concentrate I get here: www.homewinery.com , it says makes a 5 gallon batch but I make it at 4.5 gallons for a little added flavor. Never been disappointed yet.

 

[Country]

Thanks! They are out of Elderberry juice concentrate right now but I will definitively try it when they are back in stock. Do you back-sweeten at all?

 

[dralarms]

Yes, last batch I Back sweetened to 1.006 I think.

I find the longer I make wine the less sweet I like it.

 

[Stressbaby]

I recommend a version of this: https://honest-food.net/elderberry-wine-recipe/

The author jumps around a little bit in the article, but the basics are:

• 3-5 pounds/gallon. I like 5#/gal.
• Heat the berries. Most here will tell you not to simmer fruit for wine, but this is the exception. He suggests food processor in the article, no need for that, just freeze the berries, then dump the frozen berries in boiling water, they'll break down just fine.
• Acid and sugar. I like to add about 2/3 of estimated amount, then fine tune after the cold soak. Don't use acid blend. I use either straight tartaric or 80/20 tartaric/citric.
• Cold soak for 2-3 days. Cover with Saran Wrap as described in the article.
• Bring it out on the 3rd day and warm it up
• Pitch yeast on day 4.
• Ferment with nutrients per protocol.
• Press or drain off when dry.
• Age with some oak. I use 7-14 cubes/gallon.
• Backsweeten if you wish, but don't forget sorbate.

 

[Country]

Thank you, can’t wait to try this when the berries come into season.

 

[Arne]

Something about elderberries I just really do not care for. Can drink the wine but definately not one of my favorites. But instead of throwing the berries away after you ferment them make a second run with them. I personally like the second run much better than the first. Will look later on today and see if I can find the recipe I used. If I do find it will post back. Arne.

 

[cmason1957]

Thank you, can’t wait to try this when the berries come into season.

If you do try this, be prepared for the dreaded green goo. I always get at least a bit and sometimes quite a bit. It is easy to remove, with vegetable oil, but it is slimy, gets everywhere, covers everything. Wear gloves you can throw away when handling elderberries.

 

[salcoco]

https://winemaking.jackkeller.net/index.asp also has recipe for elderflower wine

 

[franc1969]

the dreaded green goo

Is this sap-type green goo? Is this direct from the berries, or from stems? Obviously, I've never seen fresh elderberries, but I hope to have them this summer.

 

[cmason1957]

Is this sap-type green goo? Is this direct from the berries, or from stems? Obviously, I've never seen fresh elderberries, but I hope to have them this summer.

I'm not sure that anyone knows exactly where the dreaded green goo comes from. I have tried to have no stems and still experience it to some degree no matter what I do. I did make a batch from the elderberry can concentrate and didn't get any that I remember, so maybe it has to do with the type of elderberry I grow.

 

[franc1969]

Interesting, I'll ask if my friends have experienced the goo when making jam.

 

[Country]

I am also going to try a mead using dried elderberries. The possibilities are endless.

 

[Country]

Elderberry juice: The two widely available juices are Vintners Harvest Fruit Base and Vintners Best. I think this has come up before, the VH base is made of elderberry juice and water. The VB base is a combination of fruit juice and corn suryp. Everything tells me I should buy the one that is all elderberry but I would like to hear comments from anyone who has used both and can compare.