Simple recipes for wine from black and red elderberry

What kind of fruits and berries are not used to make homemade wine? Surprisingly, the most delicious drinks are sometimes obtained from berries that appear to be of no value and grow under the fence under the guise of weed. For example, elderberry wine is in no way inferior in taste to a grape drink. But it also has pronounced medicinal properties, because all the benefits of the berries of this not very well-known plant are concentrated in it.

Benefits of elderberry wine

Many people only know about this plant from a well-known saying. And they make no difference at all between black and red elderberries. Meanwhile, there are significant differences. If black elderberry is a recognized medicinal plant, from the flowers and berries of which various preparations for the winter are prepared, then the berries of red elderberry contain frankly toxic substances. And making wine from red elderberry is not recommended.

Black elderberry berries have a rich and well-balanced composition of various substances beneficial to humans: vitamins, minerals, catecholamines, tannins, essential oils and various acids.

Black elderberry wine will be very useful for:

• migraines, insomnia and nervous disorders;
• atherosclerosis;
• diabetes mellitus, since it has the ability to lower blood sugar;
• pancreatitis;
• gastrointestinal diseases;
• various viral and colds.

Judging by the reviews, black elderberry wine can help increase the amount of milk during lactation, and also have a tonic and restorative effect during periods of depression, loss of strength and exacerbation of seasonal infections.

Secrets of making elderberry wine

There are several basic ways to make black elderberry wine at home. To preserve absolutely all the beneficial substances present in the berries, wine is prepared from juice pressed from raw berries. But there are nuances here. Berries in a raw state have difficulty releasing juice due to the presence of large amounts of tannins in them.

If you use preliminary heat treatment of the fruit, the juice is squeezed out much easier. In addition, many tannins and inorganic acids become more accessible to the body, and the drink acquires an additional aroma. True, some vitamins disappear irrevocably during heat treatment. Therefore, both cooking methods are good - each in its own way.

It is highly advisable to pick elderberry berries in sunny, dry weather so that the so-called “wild yeast” responsible for the fermentation of the drink is preserved as much as possible. It is also necessary to wait for the period when the fruits are fully ripe and the juice content in them is maximum.

A very simple recipe for black elderberry wine

This recipe is considered traditional when it comes to black elderberry. According to it, from the same number of berries, the largest yield of the finished drink is obtained.

You will need:

• 10 kg of black elderberries;
• 6 kg granulated sugar;
• 8 liters of water;
• about 100 g of wine yeast (or raisin starter).

Manufacturing:

1. Black elderberries, peeled from twigs and leaves, are placed in a saucepan, filled with 4 liters of water, heated to a boil and, turning the heat to the lowest possible level, boil the mass for 15-20 minutes.
2. During cooking, carefully knead the elderberries using a wooden spoon or spatula, being careful not to crush the seeds.
3. Cool the resulting berry mass and grind it through a sieve.
4. The remaining pulp is poured again with 2 liters of boiling water and, covered with a lid, left in this form until it cools.
5. The resulting infusion is filtered and the cake is thrown away. And the first and second decoctions are combined together.
6. At the same time, syrup is gradually prepared from the remaining two liters of water and all the sugar. When it becomes homogeneous, mix it with both decoctions.
7. The entire berry mass is cooled to room temperature, wine yeast or raisin starter is added.
8. Pour into a vessel on which a water seal is placed or an ordinary rubber glove with a hole in one finger is put on.
9. Place the vessel in a warm place (+ 22-25 ° C) for 5 to 14 days for primary rapid fermentation.
10. At the end of it, the drink must be carefully drained from the sediment through a straw and poured into bottles, filling them almost completely.
11. Having tightly closed the bottles, they are placed in a cool place for two months for “quiet” fermentation.
12. After which the wine can be tasted, having previously been removed from the sediment again, and poured into other bottles for permanent storage.
13. The final taste and aroma will appear in the wine after several months of storage.

Fragrant elderflower wine

Elder flowers are also good for making homemade wine. They will give the finished wine an unimaginable aroma and a completely different taste than berries.

You will need:

• 10 black elderberry inflorescences;
• 4 liters of water;
• 1 kg sugar;
• 1 medium lemon (or 6-7 g of citric acid);
• 100 g unwashed raisins (or wine yeast).

Manufacturing:

1. Boil the syrup from water and half the sugar for 3-4 minutes, making sure to remove any foam that forms.
2. Flowers are washed in cold water.
3. Pour hot syrup over elderberry flowers, add finely chopped lemon along with the peel, but without seeds.
4. Mix thoroughly, cool to room temperature under the lid.
5. Add yeast or raisins, cover with gauze and leave in a warm place without light (+ 20-26 ° C) to begin the fermentation process. Once a day, the liquid must be stirred with a wooden stick.
6. After a few days, the semi-finished wine product is filtered through cheesecloth and squeezed well.
7. Pour into a container suitable for fermentation, install a water seal or glove and place again under the same conditions.
8. After 5 days, add the remaining 500 g of sugar.Pour 500 ml of wort, dissolve sugar in it and pour it back again, not forgetting to install a water seal.
9. After 2-3 weeks, fermentation should end. The wine is poured into bottles, sealed tightly and left to mature for another 2-3 weeks in a cool place without light.

The strength of the resulting drink will be about 10-12%.

Elderflower and Lemon Wine Recipe

Approximately the same technology is used to make homemade wine from black elderberries with lemon.

And the ratio of components you will need is approximately the following:

• 3 kg black elderberry;
• 1 kg granulated sugar;
• 3 liters of water;
• 1 lemon;
• About 10 g of yeast (or raisins).

How to make spiced elderflower wine

Using the same principle, a very aromatic spiced elderberry wine is prepared.

You will need:

• 3 kg black elderberry;
• 1 kg granulated sugar;
• 2 liters of water;
• 1 lemon or grapefruit;
• 3-5 buds of cloves;
• several cinnamon sticks;
• 8-12 g of yeast.

Manufacturing:

1. To prepare the wort, elderberries are covered with sugar, stirred and left for several hours to form juice.
2. Then pour in 2 liters of boiling water, place on the fire, add all the spices and simmer over the lowest heat for about a quarter of an hour after boiling with vigorous stirring.
3. Cool, add lemon juice and yeast. Cover with gauze and place in a warm place to begin fermentation.
4. In the future, the technology for preparing wine is absolutely similar to that described above.

How to make elderberry wine with honey

Since the healing properties of honey completely disappear when it is heated, here is a classic recipe for making homemade wine from raw elderberries.

For 3 liters of black elderberry juice you only need 2 cups of liquid honey. No additional ingredients are required for this recipe.

Elderberry juice is obtained in the following way:

1. The berries are sorted, removing plant debris, but not washed.
2. Grind into puree using a juicer, meat grinder or press and squeeze out the juice, for example, through gauze.
3. The remaining pulp is poured with water so that it covers all the berries, and left to infuse in a warm place for 5 hours.
4. Then the pulp is squeezed out again, and the resulting infusion is mixed with the originally squeezed juice.

Further, the cooking technology is not much different from the already familiar one. The juice is mixed well with liquid honey and placed in a warm place to start the fermentation process.

The main fermentation process itself with a water seal can last from 2 to 4 weeks. It is recommended to age young wine for 2-3 months before drinking.

As a medicine, take 100 g of black elderberry wine per day.

How to store elderberry wine

Store homemade elderberry wine in tightly closed bottles in a cool room out of direct sunlight. A basement or cellar is best suited for these purposes. In such conditions, wine can be stored for 2-3 years.

Conclusion

Elderberry wine, prepared at least once according to one of the recipes described above, will certainly become a favorite drink in the family, which will also act as a medicine.

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