Elderberry Bottling Gravity

[calumscott]

Racked my elderberry at the weekend and it's fermented out nicely. Down to 0.992.

But by heck it's dry. What, ideally, would be a good gravity for elderberry? By how much should I backsweeten?

 

[mwestin]

Mine was lower than that - bottled at weekend. It sucks any moisture from your mouth! I'm just going to bottle and see how it tastes in a year or two or three, but i don't like adding any chemicals to what i do so that's the reason why.

We tried adding a bit of sugar to the taster glass of wine and it was much less harsh. - quantities and procedures and readings i leave to others much more experienced than me.

 

[alanywiseman.]

I aimed for about 0.095 but the gravity is not directly related to the sweetness. So for example I oaked some and Cocoa nibed some. The Oak had higher tannins so appeared dryer but with time the tannins should mellow. THe nibed one though appeared much sweeter as it seems to have stripped some of the tannins from the wine.

 

[graysalchemy]

You are wanting to bottle it already? I would bulk mature to get rid of some of that tannin. RAck it to a clean Fv and leave it for 6 months minimum. :thumb: :thumb:

 

[calumscott]

I would bulk mature to get rid of some of that tannin.

Probably not a bad idea. There is so much that it left a greasy brown film on my racking cane!!!

The elder, bramble and damson is nowhere near as bad but then its got less than half the elder in it...

Any good suggestions for a 10l vessel to drop both demijohns into? I guess I need a whole-john...?

 

[calumscott]

eBay is my friend...

 

[graysalchemy]

I was going to say a water cooler bottle or a jerry can. :thumb:

Don't forget to leave them in the dark. I had some DJ's that got left for about 5 yrs and the resulting liquid was overly oxidised and clear with a faint tinge of brown. I didn't have any haze though :thumb: :thumb:

 

[calumscott]

10l plastic jerrycans are abundant...

...actually, I'll pop to the camping shop at the weekend and see what they have.

I know what you mean about the dark though, I'll gaffer-tape some binbags round it. :thumb:

 

[peteplus1]

I opened an elderberry from last year at the weekend. Given this will improve another year or more down the line, it was pretty damn good. Lovely colour and aroma. Not at all bad tannin wise but will get better. This was my first attempt at a wine and I left it to ferment right out. Have since lost the recipe but my point is that even at such a low reading it might be ok. And yes, can always back sweeten :thumb: