Bilberry Port Wine (1)

• 1 lb dried bilberries
• 8 oz dried banana chips, chopped
• 1/8 oz dried elderflowers
• 1 cup red port-type grape concentrate
• 2 lbs finely granulated sugar
• water to 1 gallon
• 1 tsp acid blend
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 tsp pectic enzyme
• Port wine yeast

Bring water to boil. Meanwhile, put dried bilberries in nylon straining bag and tie closed. Put chopped dried banana chips (unsulfited) and dried elderflowers in second nylon straining bag and tie closed. Place both bags in primary with sugar, acid blend, yeast nutrient, and grape concentrate. Pour boiling water into primary, stir well to dissolve sugar, cover with cloth, and allow to cool to lukewarm. Add pectic enzyme and recover. After 12 hours add yeast and recover. Ferment 48 hours after fermentation is obvious, gently squeezing both bags to extract flavors twice a day. Drip drain both bags, returning drained liquid to primary. Save both bags of pulp to make BILBERRY CLARET WINE (below), or dehydrate bilberries for later reuse. Wait 12 hours and siphon wine off sediment into secondar. Fit airlock and set aside. Rack, top up and refit airlock after 3 weeks and again after additional 2 months. Bulk age under airlock 4 months, stabilize, wait 10 days, and rack. Bottle dry or sweeten to taste and then bottle. Age 18-24 months in bottles. [Adapted recipe from W.H.T. Tayleur’s The Penguin Book of Home Brewing and Wine-Making ]