Elderberry Wine

I have been making elderberry wine for several years and this recipe is probably my most favorite so far.

A- 5 Gallon glass water bottle. Or a 1 gallon glass wine bottle. (divide all ingredients by 5)

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/collections/winemaking-equipment/products/6-gallon-glass-carboy

I bought mine from a water dispensing truck for $5 each.

B- Standard Carboy Cap

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/collections/winemaking-equipment/products/carboy-cap-3-5-6-gallon-carboys

C- Silicone Hose

D- Wine yeast

E- 1TBS Kosher/Canning salt

F- Frozen grape juice

G- Fruit press Sieve

H- 7 pounds of fresh elderberries or two pounds of dried

I- Aromatic Hop Saaz (optional)

J- Hop Magnum (optional)

Many of the above items can be purchased at local wine beer suppliers.

A word of caution about wild elderberries:

Wild elderberries have a tendency to grow along road sides, along railroad tracks and fence rows. They can be found along ditches where there is plenty of water below. When scavenging for wild elderberries, it is very important to know the location. Seepage from railroad ties, runoffs from treated farmlands and fence-line that are sprayed with vegetation killers or use those that use treated wood and posts are not desirable places where one should harvest these fruits. The two photos above are two desirable locations along a dirt road that I frequently travel on. During the winter months, looking down the ditches where these plants grow, there are no indication of hazardous waste, trash accumulation and so on.

Another consideration is that since these are water loving plants, certain animals like snakes, insects like chiggers/mosquitoes as well as some spiders may dwell among these plants which fruit in early to mid July. Therefore it is important to dress appropriately before entering such environments. Also, one has to beat the birds to these precious little fruits since they have a tendency to feed on these fruits shortly before they ripen.

Last year I decided to plant 74 wild elderberry plants in two rows at the edge of our field just to make sure that my elderberries' harvest was organic. However, it may be next year before I can use my own elderberries for my wine making. For this project, I am using my last 2 bags of organic Bulgarian elderberries I purchased online.

These are air sealed fruits and once the bags are opened, the aroma of elderberries are undeniably intoxicating.

Again, if you can find 7 pounds of fresh elderberries grown in safe areas locally and/or commercially, use it instead. A comb can greatly help in separating the fruits from the stems. If one prefers more bitter flavors, adding some stems or being more aggressive with the fruit press can enhance the wine's flavor. With fresh berries, be sure to submerge them in water long enough for all the bugs to surface when they no longer can hold their breath while hanging on to the stuff below the water. :)

Begin by placing the dried fruits in a large bowl and pour about 6 cups of ~115 degrees water over them before covering it with a grocery bag. After about 45 minutes of "rest", the berries should be rehydrated and ready for the press.

This a very functional vintage fruit press used for jams and jellies. The legs allow the press to sit above the bowl so that juices can flow easily. The wooden cone is rotated to the right or left to press the fruits and extract the juice and pulp. Have a pitcher of water handy to drip small amounts of water over what is left until almost everything is washed out except the seeds. The idea is to use the least amount of water possible but not damage the seeds by being too aggressive.

Pour the liquid into the 5 gallon bottle.

I have three types of hops and they are all growing together so, the only way I can tell which is which, is by smelling them. I used about two cups of the hops which is probably equivalent to 1/2 package of the store bought. I am sure many readers are thinking, "using hops in wine???" Yes, it does blend to make a unique flavor and the acid is helpful since this a fairly dry wine with some fresh ingredients. It is entirely optional.

I used 8.5 pounds of household sugar but for a more sweet wine you may want to increase it with an additional 2-4 pounds. Use a rolling pin to crush the hops and cover them with sugar (1/2 pound more or less).

Put two bags of sugar and 1-TSP salt in about a gallon of water in a pan over the stove at high heat and stir until it clears. Turn off the heat and let it cool while preparing the hops. The sugar should soak up the moisture and oils out of the hop. Throw the whole thing in a pot of water and as soon as it starts to boil, turn the heat off and strain the hops. Add the strained liquid into the other sugary water before pouring everything into the 5 gallon bottle.

I added three can of frozen concentrated grape juice to the mix and Used a large and narrow bread knife (you can use a clean stick or whatever you can find) to stir the liquid before "pitching" the yeast and topping the bottle with water just above the top ring. Place the cap and the water lock over the bottle.

The liquid should begin to ferment and if by the next day the water lock is not aggressively letting gases out of the bottle, there is something wrong. Fluctuation in temperatures could be one cause. Lack of oxygen could be another factor so make sure when you stir the liquid, enough air is getting mixed in. Also, when pouring the liquids into the bottle, hold the pans high enough in order to introduce oxygen to the liquids.

This is the only time oxygen contributes to making a good wine. Once the airlock is placed on the bottle and fermentation begins, outside air can ruin the wine.

Here is the hard part- It may take 2-4 months for the wine to fully develop indicated by airlock no longer "burping" and the water level on both chambers reaching equilibrium.

At this point you can choose to do one of the followings:

1- Transfer the content into another 5 gallon bottle making sure the sediments at bottom of the bottle is left behind. The second bottle is then topped off with either A- water or B- juice or sugar water. In the case of B a secondary fermentation occurs which requires additional waiting and then following step two below.

2- Transfer the wine into smaller jugs and allow several weeks for the wine to fully clear.

A stiff hose attached to the silicon flexible hose is used for the transfer. The stiff hose is place over the airlock hole of the lid and pressed into the bottle to about 4" above the sediments. The fixable hose is placed into the bottle to be filled. The cap from the air trap of the lid is removed so one can blow air into the wine bottle and force the wine out. Once the flow starts, it will not end syphoning the wine out of the bottle as long as the receiving bottle/jugs are positioned 3' or so below the 5 gallon wine bottle. I put my 5 gallon bottle on the kitchen table and the bottle/jugs on the floor. The silicon hose should be at the bottom of the receiving jugs/bottles to minimize the introduction of outside air.

Once the flow stops, place the flexible hose in an empty one gallon jug, insert the stiff hose about 2" above the sediments, tilt both the wine bottle and the stiff hose in the same direction and remove as much of the wine (by blowing in/syphoning) without getting too much of the sediments in it. You can add some fruit juice or sugar water to this jug and let it go through a secondary fermentation before it is "racked".

Be sure the lids are screwed loosely over the jugs for a few months or they might explode.

Personally, I enjoy the taste of a young mulberry wine but I assure you, if you can allow this wine to age about 6 months or so, you will be in for a real treat.

Some saying about wine:

-A young wine is like a horse, it is extremely vibrant. It needs taming. It has lots of life, the edges need beveling and we need to reduce the tannins.

Georg Riedel

-Men are like young wine. They all start up like grapes and it is our job to stump on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into some thing you would like to have dinner with.

— Jill Shalvis

-Age gets better with wine.

Not sure

-Men are like wine- Some turn into vinegar- but the best improve with age.

Pop John XXIII

-I cook with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food.

Not sure