Saskatoon Serviceberry Wine (3)

• 2-3 lbs Saskatoon berries
• 1 lb raisins
• 2-1/2 lbs granulated sugar
• 2 lemons (juice only
• 1 tsp pectic enzyme
• 5-7 pints water
• wine yeast and nutrient

Pick only ripe berries. Wash, destem and crush berries. Heat to low boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Fold top berries under, recover and simmer another 10 minutes. Pour into nylon jelly-bag and allow to drip over primary until pulp is cool. Meanwhile dissolve sugar into 3 cups boiling water and allow to cool. Chop or mince raisins and put in second jelly-bag. Add juice, both jelly-bags, all but 2/3 cup sugar-water, juice of 2 lemons, pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrients to primary. Wait at least 10 hours before inoculating with wine yeast. Cover well and set in warm (70-75 degrees F.) place, stirring twice daily. After 5 days, gently press jelly-bag of Saskatoon serviceberries to extract clear juice, discarding remaining pulp and seed. Recover and ferment additional five days. Gently squeeze raisin jelly-bag to extract juice, then dicard pulp. Siphon off sediments into secondary, add remaining sugar-water, top up, fit airlock, and set in cooler (60-65 degrees F.) place. Rack three times at 30-day intervals. Bottle when clear, racking again only if additional sediments have formed. Store in dark place to rreserve deep ruby color. May taste after 9 months but improves with age. This is a full-bodied wine. [Author’s recipe.]