Drink anyone????

[widowpurple]

I have got a humungous elderberry tree in my back garden and thought I might like to have a go at making elderberry wine...hic....and the some elderflower drinkipoos next year when the flowers come (obviously)....anyone know what the heck I do?? I need recipe and instructions pleeeze??Cheers

[smudge]

We also have a large Elderberry tree in our garden, but have never made wine from the fruits - we leave them for the birds to enjoy! However, I've just found the following website & if you scroll down the page, you will find how to make Elderberry wine. Good luck:

Here

[mullein2]

well you need a bucket with a lid..that must be sterilised ..you then add 4 pound of elderberrys..a lemon chopped up a gallon of water 4 pounds of sugar yeast and nutrient for wine making..wilkinsons sell it if you are in the uk..boots used to i dont know if they still do..you put it all in the bucket with the lid on put it some where warm ..it will start to ferment within 24 hours..stir it daily after a week strain it into a demijon add the bung and airlock and away you go.....now you can experiment you can add a carton of grape juice or apple juice from the supermarkets..you can add root ginger and cinnamon to the mixture in the bucket..you can also add a bit of chopped orange or apples...even blackberrys or any fruit you can get hold of...you ferment it in the demijon till it stops bubbling then move it somewhere cooler and it will clear of its own accord..the same applys to the elderflowers only you will only need about 6 bunches of them as they are strong in scent...again add things experiment and happy drinking..anytime you need to know just post a question for me as i have made wine for 22 years..i shall be off out blackberry picking in the next day or so..if you can get hold of some decent wine making yeast try the sherry or port ones..they really give the wine body..their is a web site for home brewing supplies just do a search.. 

[widowpurple]

I never thought about the birds Smudge...how selfish am I?? We have a rose hip bush and lots of other bushes with berries on so I hope I am not depriving them...

mullein2 thank you for the precise information..I am definately going to have a go...will keep you posted...cheers!!

[Impret-Sir]

We have made wine from a nearby wild tree for the last few years, just started this years demijohn at the weekend in fact! I got the recipe from this wesite: www.patch-work.demon.co.uk/elder.htm , its delicious!

[WendyS]

Hope you're a patient individual !

We made about 15 gallons of elderberry wine many years ago.  It is VERY HIGH in tannin and can be vitually undrinkable for two or three years.   But if you can bottle it up and forget about it for that period of time it will turn into a very drinkable wine.   If you've got a winemaking club anywhere near you, it's worth joining if you want to do this seriously or at least getting a winemaking book out of the library.  .  You will learn a lot of tips and probably find them a sociable group of people.  Also, watch out for the little vinegar flies which always seem to apper from nowhere  when making wine and make sure your filtration traps are kept full of liquid to prevent them getting anywhere near the liquid  - or they will totally ruin in.  Good luck and happy drinking!