Elderberry wine

[johncrobinson]

I agree kelper, Its mainly "fruit drinks" aimed at the kids that normally have all the preservitives and added sugar.
These REALLY need to be avoided.

Fortunately Pure fruit juice has caught on with the public and is a godsend for us winemakers,I often use it in place of water in my country wines as well.

 

[Elderflower.]

I am not surprised,they employ a low cunning.... I am aware using the chiller stuff is no guarantee of preservative free juice,but its a good start.Always worth reading the ingredients and also making a starter bottle up with a bit of the juice in to test it ferments ok before doing a whole batch.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

So, it's no guarantee that they don't contain preservatives.

I always go for the 100% juices then you know they have no preservative. (also read the ingredients if not sure)

 

[kelper]

Tesco apple juice 100% has a great shelf life. A month or more if refrigerated. Does not say it has any preservatives.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If it says 100% apple juice surely it cannot have anything else in it

 

[kelper]

If the presevatives total 0.4% or less by weight the juice would be 99.6% or higher and rounded up to 100%. But I'm not sure what the law says. European wines never declared sulphites but now they have to. I just thought our wines were better than those from USA. I was wrong.

If anyone has 100% juice handy, please check ingredients.

 

[johncrobinson]

DONE !!

Sainsburys orange juice with juicy bits>ingrediants orange juice from concentrate with juicy bits 100%

Lidl simply orange juice>ingrediants orange juice from concentrate fruit content 100%

 

[kelper]

ta

 

[johncrobinson]

Sulphites are a serious hazard to a few unlucky people and now need to be declared.

Rounding figures up or down is not done in regard to the list of ingrediants

For example salt Co-Op
ingrediants salt 0.05% anti caking agent (sodium ferrocyanide)

 

[johncrobinson]

As I do keep saying a lot of the fruit drinks on the market are not 100% juice and are full of various other substances which make them unusable/poor for wine making purposes.

As well as the term 100%
Another guide is the use of the word "Pure"
These are the terms to look out for when choosing winemaking juice.
And double check when looking at the packet.

 

[SamBrewster]

My best hedgerow wine. Made in 2018, great in 2018, even better in 2019:
Elderberries 4lb 3.4oz
Boiling Water 8 pints
Boil 20 minutes
Strain hot
Sugar 3lb 7.5oz
Ground Ginger 0.5 teaspoon
Cloves 6
Cool overnight
Campden Tablet
Tea 1cup
OG 1.114
Country wine yeast
Stir every day for 6 days
Demi & Bubbler when died down for 6 weeks
Siphoned off yeast
1 day warm, 2 weeks in garage
FG 1
Racked to new Demi
Carbonation Sugar 16g just to preserve
ABV 14.7
Drink after 2 months
Yum

 

[Elderflower.]

Wow that is a proper old school country wine,guaranteed to cure every ailment and would probably keep for decades :hat:
Not my usual tipple tho,I like to have a few glasses in a sitting,and not sure if my BP would cope
If I did do it tho I think I would skip the tea as plenty of tannin from all that fruit and just use the campden tab at the end. Does sound like a great xmas tipple though

 

[Chippy_Tea]

ASDA apple juice -



Information
Ingredients


Apple Juice, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid).



Storage
Keep refrigerated. Once opened, consume within 5 days.

Produce of
Produced in the U.K.

Preparation and Usage

• Shake well before opening and pouring.

Number of uses
approx. 6 Servings

 

[johncrobinson]

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C ) now that is one additive that is good for wine and its drinkers.

 

[foxy]

Looks like I am going to get a bumper harvest of table grapes, also I have a shed load of rhubarb. I know table grapes aren't suitable for wine but combined with rhubarb would they be any good for wine. I do know of one solitary elderberry tree close to me but not sure if I could get enough berries.
My other options are Feijoa which produces a good crop or Guava.

 

[kelper]

"Welch’s ready-to-drink 100% White Grape Juice does contain the preservative potassium metabisulfite, which is added to prevent browning and maintain color."

http://www.welchs.com/frequently-asked-questions I know this is a USA website. I'm looking for the EU labelling regulations. In some foods, preservatives don't need to be declared below a certain level.

 

[johncrobinson]

The first wine i made independant of my father was about 40yrs ago and was made with homegrown "eating" grapes.
It turned out rather nice,If a little cloudy by my standards today.

Re Kelper:> It is Fortunate that sulphite is not a total "killer" as far as winemaking is concerned. However this is an example of the wisdom of looking at the small print before buying gallons of the stuff.

 

[kelper]

I will try some Welch's white grape juice in a WOW and study the label.

 

[hedgerowpete]

My best hedgerow wine. Made in 2018, great in 2018, even better in 2019:
Elderberries 4lb 3.4oz
Boiling Water 8 pints
Boil 20 minutes
Strain hot
Sugar 3lb 7.5oz
Ground Ginger 0.5 teaspoon
Cloves 6
Cool overnight
Campden Tablet
Tea 1cup
OG 1.114
Country wine yeast
Stir every day for 6 days
Demi & Bubbler when died down for 6 weeks
Siphoned off yeast
1 day warm, 2 weeks in garage
FG 1
Racked to new Demi
Carbonation Sugar 16g just to preserve
ABV 14.7
Drink after 2 months
Yum

i would have said that the cup of tea was not required due to the amount of tanins in the juice to start with and the sugar was on the high side, but what do i know, if its your style then your wine is perfect

 

[kelper]

My wines with elderberry don't need any added tannin. So I have to agree.