Very First Batch of Wine

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Petunia

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Hello Good Folks,

This morning I took my very reluctant eleven year old son out to gather elderberries. Together we filled seven five gallon buckets with the berry heads. I used two of them today to make a double batch of wine.

Actally, it is still cooling :rolleyes: all these hours later. So I decided to ask a question. The recipe does not give any SG or FG or any hint of using a hyrometer.

So just for kicks should I begin my batch with readings? Or just let the chips fall where they may without a reading or readings? After all, it is going to take a year anyhow to age this stuff, or so most of the elderberry wine recipes say.

Thoughts?

Thank you,

Petunia

I still have FIVE 5 Gallon buckets of elderberrys!!!!!! :eek: Maybe I will give some to the chickens.
 
If possible I would try to get a gravity reading. I'm not sure how difficult that is with fruit but it will help you determine the sugar content and eventually the alcohol content of the wine.
 
Petunia always try to get the gravity readings. This can be a big help in the future. When you do take the readings make sure you record them along with the receipe used. Later on if your wondering if it has fermented completely you can use the hydrometer to give a good idea where your at.

Lets say you start with a 1.1 OG and the yeast like a Champagne strain will take it 18% and everything has slowed to a crawl after 2 months and no activity. If you take a reading then showing 1.0 then you'll know for sure something has got stuck as it should be well in the .99 range. Hope this makes sense. It has been a long day for me.

Check gravity with each racking and best of luck. Get the OG before you pitch your yeast!
 
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