Light Elderberry Wine

Great Morning...I am starting another batch of elderberry wine today, using dried elderberries. The last batch I made, I used purple grape juice as a base. It turned out very nice, but a little dry. With this one, I was thinking about using white grape juice for a base, and adding some hibiscus. Has anybody ever tried pairing hibiscus and elderberries? This is my last bag of elderberries, until summer, and the website is out of stock. It seems that the wonderous Sambucus is getting alot of attention these days, for it's cold fighting abilities, and I don't want these beauties to go to waste.

I made three gallon batches of hibiscus, elderberry and rosehip wine, plus a mead. Added one can WWGJ per gallon. Exact recipes using sugar vs honey. Absolutely fabulous, and tastes amazing. Wine all gone, but the mead I actually bottled two gallons and one left to bulk age, that way I can enjoy a bottle whenever. Even bottle carbed some.


Check Amazon also for bulk dried elderberry.

We just cant dry enough elderberries anymore, if we make any wine that is even supposed to be a little red we put them in, its hard to make a white wine in our house. How many dried elderberries are you using for each gallon? If you add to much hibiscus it will add to sharp a taste, but I think in the right amount it would balance out nicely with the elderberries. WVMJ

For 3 gal batch:
2 cups dried hibiscus
3 tbsp dried elderberry
3 oz dried rosehips
30 oz fresh pressed cider
15 oz POM juice
3 cans white grape juice
Water to 3 gal
SG to 1.090
Cotes de Blanc
Basics: enzyme, nutrient, energizer

I placed berries and flowers in straining bag and added to boiling hot water, allowed to steep until cool and then transferred to primary. Topped up with hibiscus tea if need be. Straing bag was removed around Day 5.

Next time I may add some concord concentrate. The wine was nice as soon as clear, mead good six months later but better as it ages. You definitely tasye elderberry, sweet tart hibiscus, and floral rosehips, almost citrusy. I had it dry, liked it best at 1.006, some mead sparkling, and some mead at 1.008. I would love to bottle some with a whole flower in the bottle, like the syrup preserved hibiscus flowers that sell for $15 a jar.

Sorry, I missed the "light" wine part of the original post, I was really asking how many pounds of elderberries, not teaspoonsfulls WVMJ

WVMJ said:

Sorry, I missed the "light" wine part of the original post, I was really asking how many pounds of elderberries, not teaspoonsfulls WVMJ

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I only have used dried elderberries, and an all elder wine can be made with 3-6oz per gallon, more or less. Tends to take a while to age out, which is why the blends are nice while you wait.

We have been using about 11 ounces a gallon, simmered 20 minutes and since we usually age everything about a year in a carboy its already good by then, just opened one from 2008 recently, man this stuff just keeps getting better, and meads made from them, the dried ones are different enough from the fresh ones, kind of a deeper taste. WVMJ

I used a pound for 3 gallons. I used the white grape juice this time and 2 cups of hibiscus. It tasted wonderful, so I kept out about a quart, to make cold/flu ice cubes, before I added the yeast. I understand about the color thing. To me, that is just as important as taste. That is why I love throwing a few hibiscus in a dull color wine. This time, I used more than a few, so I could get a deep red purple color. Although I have never made elderberry wine out of the fresh ones (I have used them in other wines) I would have to agree that there is a deep taste when using the dried ones. I chalked it up to the wine being dry and a little tannic, is the only way I can describe it. It is very good, and almost gone. I am hoping the Pricky Pear will be ready today, so I don't have to go without my "remedies". Thanks for the cool insights!