Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups Elderberries
- 12 cups water
- 10 cups raisins
- 3 campden tablet
- 1 teaspoon pectic enzyme
- 1 teaspoon yeast nutrients
- 1 package wine yeast
Recipe 2
preparation
Chop raisins. Put into primary fermentor with 10 cups cold water. Dissolve campden tablets in 2 cups hot water. Add to primary fermentor. Let sit overnight.
On day 2, add yeast. Stir vigorously each day for 2 weeks.
On day 15, Wash elderberries and remove stems. Put berries into an oven-proof container (not metal). Put it in oven at 250′F for 15 minutes, or until juice runs. Strain the juice from the skins.
Strain the raisins from the wine. Add the cooled elderberry juice (should be at least 2 1/4 cups juice).
Add pectic enzyme. Stir.
Siphon into secondary fermentor and attach airlock. Finish as for dry wine or sweet wine below.
Finishing
For a dry wine, Rack in three weeks and return to secondary fermentor. Rack again in three months, and every three months until 1 year old. Bottle.
For a sweet wine, rack at three weeks. Add 1/2 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup wine. Stir gently, and place back into secondary fermentor. Repeat process every six weeks until fermentation does not restart with the addition of sugar. Rack every three months until one year old. Bottle.
Variations
A
Substitute 1/2 pound dried elderberries for the fresh ones. Soak them in hot water 30 minutes before making the wine.
B
Add:
1 - 2 inch cinnamon stick
1 inch fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon whole cloves
7 cups brown sugar in place of granulated sugar
C
Add:
2 cups chopped plums with the berries.
NOTE:
Recipe 1 is ready to drink in about 3 months, and only continues to improve for about 2 years. Recipe 2 is best if you can refrain from drinking it for a year from the date it was started.
