Elderberry wine

Try your hand at winemaking this autumn using one of the UK's most bountiful hedgerow fruits. This light but rich elderberry wine is perfect for the cooler months

Makes 2 bottles
Published: August 22, 2023 at 5:30 am

Elderberry wine is a delicious drink to enjoy with a meal or on its own as a festive tipple in the winter months. Made using the berries gathered from the elder tree, this is a lovely seasonal drink that can be made affordably at home.

Eaten raw the elderberry has a tart and unpleasant taste, and can be mildly poisonous, but cooked it can be used to make drinks, syrups or sauces.

This is a full wine-making recipe and, done well, can produce a red wine good enough to compete with many supermarket wines. Occasionally you will produce something truly exquisite. Just like grapes, elderberries can differ year on year. Some years every tree seems to be weighed down with massive clusters of plump, juicy fruits that all go ripe at the same time. Other years are leaner but elder trees are so abundant you should find enough berries for this recipe.

Ingredients

  • Large fermenting bucket with lid
  • Demijohn
  • Bung and air lock
  • Syphon tubing
  • Thermometer
  • Hydrometer (optional)
  • 2kg Elderberries remove stems and any green berries
  • 5l Boiling water
  • 1 ½kg Sugar
  • 1 Lemon, juiced or 1 tsp citric acid
  • 1tsp Pectolase
  • 2kg Elderberries (remove stems and any green berries)
  • 5l Boiling water
  • 1 ½kg Sugar
  • 1 Lemon juiced or 1 tsp citric acid
  • 1tsp Pectolase
  • 1 Campden tablet optional
  • 1tsp Yeast nutrient

Method

  • Step 1

    Freeze the berries overnight, as this makes it easier to prise them from their bitter green stems. It also breaks the skin and allows juice to run more freely.

  • Step 2

    Put the berries in the fermenting bucket and crush, squeezing out as much juice as you can. I recommend a clean pair of rubber gloves for this job. Gently squish the berries in your hands and try not to crush the seeds inside.

  • Step 3

    Whack in the sugar and pour over a litre of boiling water, stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved. Add the rest of the water, the acid, the yeast and yeast nutrient. If you wish, take a hydrometer reading to see how strong it is. The campden tablet (if using) should also be added now – this kills bacteria but can cause headaches in some. If you do use a campden tablet, leave the mix for 24 hours.

  • Step 4

    Syphon it into another demijohn, leaving the lees (aka sediment) behind. This process is called racking and should be repeated between 1 and 3 more times depending on how much sediment builds up. Top up with boiled-then-cooled water each time as you will lose some liquid.

  • Step 5

    When the air-lock stops bubbling, your wine is ready to bottle. Cold may pause the fermentation process, so if you are not sure then move your demijohn to somewhere warmer. The steadier the temperature is kept during fermentation, the better. A hydrometer allows you to be sure. Take a hydrometer reading after each racking. As soon as the reading is stable for three days, your wine is ready to bottle.

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