Dried Elderberry Wine
- 6 1/4 oz dried elderberries
- 6 1/4 oz white (golden) raisins
- 1 lb 13 oz granulated sugar
- 7 pts water
- 2 tsp pectic enzyme
- 1 finely crushed and dissolved Campden tablet
- 1 oz acid blend
- 1 1/4 tsp yeast nutrient
- 1 sachet general purpose red wine yeast
Put raisins in small bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Cover and set aside 12 hours. Strain raisins, discard water, return raisins to bowl, and add another 2 cups boiling water. Cover and set aside two hours. Strain again and chop raisins in blender, food processor or electric nut or coffee grinder in several short pulses. Place chopped raisins and dried elderberries in nylon straining bag, tie closed and place in primary. Add sugar to primary and then add 7 pints boiling water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Cover primary and set aside.
After 12 hours add pectic enzyme, recover primary and set aside another 12 hours. Remove 1/2 cup liquid and dissolve finely crushed Campden tablet in it. Add liquid back to primary and then add yeast nutrient and acid blend. Stir to blend, add activated yeast in a starter solution and recover primary. Punch down bag twice daily for 3 days. Drip drain bag (squeeze if desired) and discard contents. Transfer liquid to secondary and affix an airlock.
Ferment 30 days and rack. Top up, reaffix airlock and set aside until wine clears. Rack again, adding 1/2 teaspoon potassium sorbate and 1 finely crushed Campden tablet, both dissolved into a cup of the wine. When completely dissolved, add to wine, top up if needed and reaffix airlock. Let stand in dark place 2 months, then rack, sweeten to taste if desired, reaffix airlock, and return to dark storage. Allow another 2 months and rack into bottles. Wait 6 months before tasting, longer for full maturity. [Jack Keller’s own recipe]
In a previous dried elderberry wine recipe, I called for 4-5 1/4 ounces of dried elderberries and no raisins. This made a decent wine and I was always happy with it, until I tasted a better dried elderberry wine. The winemaker freely shared his secret but not the quantity — increase the dried elderberries slightly and add raisins in the same amount. I had to work out the quantity.