Elderberry Wine

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Try this tasty Elderberry Wine recipe in lieu of its store-bought counterpart. This recipe is excerpted from The Old-Fashioned Fruit Garden (Skyhorse Publishing, 2012), a simple guide to understanding the basics of fruit gardening. For additional information on elderberries and more elderberry recipes, go to 4 Delicious Elderberry Recipes.

Elderberry Wine Recipe

The following proportions make a medium‑dry red wine; increase or decrease the amount of sugar for a sweeter or drier wine. Use clean dead‑ripe elderberries.

• 3 1/2 pounds elderberries
• 1 tablespoon wine or baking yeast
• 1 lemon
• 7 pints water
• Sugar

1. In a large preserving pot, combine elderberries, lemon, and water. Simmer, covered, until fruit is soft, mashing to expel juice. Strain mixture through a jelly bag and let drip overnight. Squeeze bag to extract trapped liquid. Simmer pulp, covered, and strain again.

2. Dissolve yeast in a little warm water. Combine and measure liquid from extractions. Place in a large crock or plastic bucket and stir in 2 pounds sugar to each gallon juice. Add yeast and stir mixture again. Cover container with a plastic bag and tie bag. Let mixture ferment at 70 to 75 degrees until obvious bubbling ceases.

3. Siphon contents into glass jugs, using cotton plugs as stoppers. Store wine at 60 to 65 degrees, away from direct sunlight. When wine stops bubbling completely (in about 1 month), resiphon into permanent bottles. Seal and store in a cool, dark, dry place. If using corks, store bottles lying down.