Elderberry Wine

[dw06]

Who's made it?I haven't had elderberry wine for maybe 20 or more years.I remember in the 60s & 70s we always had jelly made from them,and some wine now and then.Just got a jar of jelly from a neighbor,and really enjoyed it.Put me in the mood for some wine too,so I'll be making a batch in short while.

[jvs]

I either make Elderberry Jelly or Wine every year.  One year I'll make Jelly and the next year I'll make Wine.  Every so often, if it is a bumper crop, I'll make both in the same year.  But that doesn't happen very often.

I also have a Elderberry Bush in my yard, plus I have two or three places where I can usually get as much as I want.  I suggest that you buy a bush and grow your own.  I had a bush that was over 12 feet tall and produced in excess of 10 pounds of berrys a year.  That went on for about 8 years until something got into the roots and killed it.  Three yrs ago I started over again with a new bush and this one is 8 feet tall now and has just produced its first half pound of berrys.

I got 3 qts of them last weekend.  A shopping bag full of stems/berrys and only 3 qts of berrys.  As you can tell, you have to get alot of them to end up with 3 qts.  And I still don't believe I can make two batches of jelly with the ones I have.  It takes alot of berrys to make enough juice for jelly.

I think I can get another 5 qts before the picking season is over around here.   Depending on where you are, now is the time to go get em.  Farther south, the season is already over.

Elderberrys are loaded with vital Vitamins and Anti-oxidants, even more than the Blueberry.  It is the only fruit that has the prettiest Ultra-Violet color.  No other fruit will have those properties in the same quantity as the elderberry.  In folk lure, Elderberrys have been used for medicinal purposes and even today science is looking into the mysteries that is locked into those small berrys.

[dw06]

Your right,ours are ready for picking soon.Hope to get out on sunday and get enough to make a batch of jelly.Glad you brought up about planting a bush of them,as I'm thinking of putting a few at the top of my yard.Couple questions for you,I see them in seeds,and also 3 inch root cuttings from a nursery.You get 12 of the cuttings,and they say you can keep them over the winter as long as you don't let them freeze.I would like to go that route if it sounds good to you?
Also I can plant where it stays moist all summer if needed as got a couple springs that run down in yard even in dry years.Think they would do well there facing south with plenty of sun shine?Thanks for any info.
One more question,what is your favorite wine yeast to use for elderberry wine?

[jvs]

Over the years I have not had any luck successfully transplanting elderberrys at any other time but Spring.   My 3rd year bush should be a 12 x 6 foot (or bigger) monster next year.  It more than trippled in size from year 2. 

Around here, Elderberrys seem to grow wild right along the road or close to creeks or other water supply.  Which leads me to think that elderberrys tend to like it a little moist but not sopping wet.  So I would guess that placing one or two in an area where they have access to water around the roots might be a good place to try planting them.   They will grow just about anywhere, but you may have to get the hose out if you run into drought conditions.  Elderberrys also require soil mostly on the acidic side.

I am not too particular about yeast for elderberry wine.  IF I have a packet from the wine hobby store I use it, but using regular bakers yeast is not out of the question.  If I do have some on hand from the wine hobby store, it is usually a wine yeast bred specifically for fruit wines.  I don't have any right now so I can't remember the name of the yeast.   I also shy far away from Champange yeasts except for Raspberry Wine.

[jvs]

dw06,

My passion for making Elderberry Wine and Elderberry Jelly every year is one of the reasons I asked "The Hammer" to have a forum for Gardening and Home Wine Making.  Happily, he agreed after a few times.  GB's generosity with sharing this great website for a multitude of interests will hopefully keep it growing.

If you plan to start some Elderberry plants on your property, maybe I can give you a few pointers on what to expect.  Before all that though, I think you should have solid plans on where to put them and what kind of soil is available.   In my experience, there is a tried and true method of propagating Elderberrys, and it almost guarantees MONSTER bushes in less than 5 years.

You should probably also know that there is more than one type of Elderberry available.  Some have Green Stems and some have Purple Stems (don't ask me which is which).  While it really doesn't matter which ones you plant, one type comes in about two weeks before the other, and if you have both, you probably can plan on a soilid three weeks of picking because of the staggered ripening.

Also, using Mir-Acid (Miracle Grow for Acid loving plants)  will really push production.

Site prep for me includes digging a hole and mixing the soil with Hardwood Mulch, so there is about a 50/50 mix. 

I know it may sound funny, but some years I have more Elderberrys than I know what to do with.  And I constantly run into people who ask me "what happened to all of the Elderberrys, they aren't around as much as they used to be."  Obviously, people don't look for them at the right time of year or it is just a passing interest.  Take it from me, they will always take a bottle of wine or a jar of jelly, but they will hardly put the time in to try to find them when they are blooming or just about invisible.

I got another Shopping bag full this morning, the first bag yielded about enough for two batches of jelly.  Out of this bag full I will probably keep enough out for roughly two gallons of wine, and the rest will go for jelly.   Even though the wine should be done fermenting by Christmas, I like to let it age for about a year, so it will be ready for Christmas 2009.

[dw06]

Thanks for all the tips jvs! Learned allot, and have been reading up on the different types of elderberry. Gives me something to think about before next spring, and I will get some started then.
I got enough today for a couple gallon batch of wine, and should get about that many more tomorrow. Will have to make a batch of jelly too, man is it good!!
I'll have to thank "The Hammer" too, it is a great site!! Wonder if he ever sipped some Elderberry wine?

[jvs]

I hit the Mother Lode of Elderberrys today.   I walked away with no less than 20 lbs of Elderberrys. 

I guess I will have enough for about 5 batches of Jelly (20 - 1/2 pt jars), probably up to 3 gallons of wine and a couple of pies.  I won't need any more this year even though I could easily get twice what I already have from my other sources. 

A friend of mine grew a Elderberry bush from a twig I gave him about 5 yrs ago.  That twig turned into a MONSTER bush that is 12 feet high and about 8 feet across.   And the dead ripe berrys are like small peas (roughly 1/4 inch in diameter).

[dw06]

Sounds like you did good, I got enough for a 5 gallon batch of wine and a small batch of jelly. Got a question for you, I have everything to do a batch of wine except forgot to get the acid blend. Can I sulfate it then add yeast, and when I rack and put airlock on it add acid blend? Or should I just wait till I get it and sulfate it with the blend?

[jvs]

Sorry dw06, I don't Sulfate anything.  When I make wine, I do it without that stuff.  I really have a hard time going for alll that chemical talk that the wine hobby shops think you need to hear.   I can guarantee you that I can make any wine without worrying about chemical additives.   I didn't lear how to make wine with sulfates and I don't think I will start using them now.  While I do indeed occasionally buy Fermentation Locks, Wine Yeasts and I use sugar in some of my wine making, I do not laden it down with chemicals that I believe are not necessary.

I believe that winemakers who use chemicalss are doing it because the books tell them that they are necessary.  In my opinion, they are NOT. 

I don't expect you or anyone else to quit using chemicals in winemaking, but in my opinion the only that happens is that you get poorer, while not getting any real benefit that you could have gotten without them.

Bacteria, Light, Heat and Oxygen are your enemy when making wine and storing it.  Take precautions against all of those and you too won't need chemicals.    If you start out with CLEAN supplies, keep air and bugs from coming in contact with the fermenting liquid, and properly bottle and cap the wine, you won't need anything else.  IMO.

While I believe that chemicals are required for many things in life, Wine making is not one of them.  In the long run, I suppose I am a Organic Wine Maker.

I don't want to sound like I am lecturing.  It is just that I get passionate about commercially available supplies that do no harm but are no benefit.

**********

I ended up with 7 batches of Jelly and 2 gallons of wine.  I opted not to make any pies.   Elderberrys have a high acid content to begin with.  As a matter of fact, elderberry juice should have to be diluted sufficiently to keep from killing the yeast.  It should not take more than 5 cups of elderberrys per gallon.

5c of Elderberrys per/gal -  simmered (pastuerized)  in 3 1/4 qts of water -per gal- for 20 minutes, then drained thru Cheese Cloth for a few hours will give you just about the right ph for yeast to do the job on a batch.  Roughly 3 pounds of sugar -per gal- a quarter teaspoon of dry yeast -per gal- and a fermentation lock is all you need to make a great Elderberry Dessert Wine.  If you feel a real need to acidify a batch, you can always squeeze 2 lemons and an orange in the juice and make a Sanghria.

 

[dw06]

Sure glad you said that jvs, as I've never used any sulfates or chemicals either and come to think about it my dad never used any. So I'm going to stick with the way I've been doing and do without them.Don't know why I even picked the sulfates up for. I have a batch of dry mead to bottle real soon, and its turning out quite good, wasn't sure I would like it but after a batch of sweet mead its nice now and then.
So since tomorrow is only day off for 9 days I think I'll get the elderberry started tomorrow.Thanks for the info!

[jvs]

I can't say I never used a chemical product in wine that the wine hobby stores sell.

I was fascinated at one time about the rumor I heard that you can make wine from a big jar of jelly.  So I set about proving it.  The problem was that I needed some product that, thru ionization, made the pectin sink to the bottom of the jug.  So I got some.

I am happy to report that you can make wine out of jelly.  As a matter of fact, it is probably the cheapest way to make wine because the sweetener is already there in the jelly, and at the correct portion.

Some vicious circle it turns out to be...  Jelly out of wine, and wine out of jelly.

As for Sulfates, you may tend to reduce the amount of people who can drink such stuff because they are alergic to sulfates. 

My wine making days go way back to the 60's.  I learned by trial and error.  Some of the stuff I made was just terrible.  Other times I made the best vinegar.  Luckily, a good friend of mine and I both had the same hobby and over the years things worked out. 

Now as my friend and I are getting closer to retirement, with all of the kids gone and physical chores get spread farther apart, it works out better when you have a life long hobby.

Some of the funniest times we have is when some 'know it all' drinks a healthy glass full and tries to stand up.

Just say "Good Night".

[jvs]

That's enough about me and how I got here.  I asked for a place to discuss these things and Bill (GB) was nice enough to arrange it.

This forum is for the members and their opinions.

My opinion about additives is no more valid than any other members opinion.  If you choose to go 'by the book' in order to enjoy your hobby, I have no authority to tell you any different.

What ever it takes to keep you happily busy at your hobby is good enough for me.

[dw06]

Well finally got my batch started yesterday! I ended up with enough to make 6 gallons. Doing it like Dad used to and started it with just a cloth cover over it. Will stir the top half once a day for 4-5 days, then take gravity reading and when it gets down to 1.010 or close will rack to a 5 gallon carboy and a 1 gallon jug and put airlock on.
Boy it smells good working, and has about an inch or so of foam working on top.

[jvs]

My wine has been fermenting in 1 gallon jugs (my prefered method) for over a month now and it is about the time that I sometimes tinker with the alcohol content a little bit.

I have been known to take the fermentation locks off once a week and add 1/4 cup of sugar, and watch the yeast go nuts for another week. As I usually have enough shoulder space in the jug that doing this can kick the alcohol content at the end to roughly 18% to 20% (if I'm lucky), and still not end up being 'pucker' dry.     

Eventually there will be so much alcohol in the wine that the yeast can not survive in the conditions it has created, this is when I consider my wine 'done'.  At that point the wine gives you a real warm spot, deep down inside ya.

Other than that, I don't mess with the jugs.  I put everything in the jug at the beginning, add 1/4 teaspoon of dry yeast, put the fermentation locks on the jugs and let it be.

I handle my wine three times during its life.  Once when it goes in the jug for fermenting, once when it goes in the bottle for final settling, and once when it goes in the glass.  From jug to glass may take a year, but I got the time.  Nobody, including me, knows what my wine tastes like before it is a year old. 

[dw06]

Just checked it, and it now has 3 inches of foam on it and is working real good. Just had to taste it and boy is it good, real nice flavor. I have the same problem jvc, never get it aged past a year.  But I give some away to friends and coworkers to try so I got plenty of help!
Funny it seems I almost enjoy making it as much as drinking it, well almost.

[jvs]

You may have misunderstood me about my wine.  I don't bottle it for 4 to 6 months after fermentation stops, then after it is bottled I don't touch it until it is a year old.  My wine goes nowhere for the first year, except from the jug to a bottle.  Every bottle of elderberry wine that I made this year will not be opened until Christmas 2009.

Oddly enough, I don't like drinking wine.  I like beer better.  When I was younger, I got Snockered on a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20, and that kind of broke me of drinking wine until this day, even my own.   Driving the Big White Bus and the Dry Heaves are still a vivid memory.

While I do have some wines that I like better than the others, I doubt I have more than a half ounce out of each batch, just to make sure it rises to my expectations.  With homemade Elderberry or Sparkling Raspberry, I may have a small glass full, but not necessarily.  I have my fun by making it not by drinking it. 

What's worse, I give it away.  I tell people 'if I give it away, I take requests... if I sell it, I gotta take orders'...  (which I never do)