Hawthorne Wine.

Any thoughts or suggestions for this please.
I'm not an experienced wine maker.


HAWTHORN BERRY WINE
1 gallon ripe hawthorn berries
6 oz. sultanas or raisins
2 1/2 Ib sugar
1 gallon water
1/2 oz. citric acid
Campden tablet
Pectozyme
Nutrient
Sauterne yeast
Pour the boiling water over the berries and sultanas or raisins and when cool the berries will be soft enough to crush with your hands. Add a teaspoonful of pectozyme, a Campden tablet and the citric acid. Cover and leave for two days. Then stir in the sugar, nutrient and yeast, cover and ferment for four days; then strain and press and continue fermentation to make a slightly sweet table wine.


(Hawthorn Wine Recipe)

Winemaking Ingredients: Hawthorn Wine - Wine Making Guides
4 pints hawthorn berries
3 lb / 1,350 grams sugar
1 lb / 450 grams sultanas
Citric acid
Campden tablet
Yeast energizer
Water up to 1 gallon
Wine yeast

Winemaking Method: Hawthorn Wine - Wine Making Guides
Boil the hawthorn berries and place in fermentation bucket. Add the sultanas and sugar and stir vigorously to dissolve the sugar. When cool add the citric acid, yeast energizer and wine yeast. Cover and leave for five days in a warm place, stirring daily. Strain and put into a demijohn and fit an airlock to seal the jar.

Store in a warm place and allow the fermentation to work. When fermentation has ceased, rack the wine into a clean jar and place in a cooler environment and leave. When the wine is clear and stable siphon into bottles.

 

I take it no one has ever done this or has any comments on it.

 

sounds interesting to me because Hawthorn berries are a cardiotonic, used to treat hypertension.

how much are the berries costing you?

as for taste, i've never tasted the berries..

sounds pretty cool though!

 

Yeh that's what I thought.


The berries are free.

The only beasties I like in my brews are yeasties......

I live a minute from a nurture reserve and it has miles of hawthorne hedgerows.
Hawthorne berries are sold has a health and is extremely good for the heart.

So...I full day of picking berries and on full day of prepping them.





I had enough for 5 gallons of wine.

I mashed them added raisins, lemon, campden tablets and enzymes. Along with 2 gallon of water to let sit for 2 days.





Little Bastids. Maggots!!!!!!

 

Lessons learned? Is there anything one can do to prevent this from happening? Man, you must have been pretty pissed off.

 

I'm thinking there is nothing I could do apart from probably picking a smaller amount and testing. Or processing in smaller batches in case it was just one tree that was infected.

 

I'm having another go at this. I found more bushes away from the infested ones.
The only problem I can see is that I left the soaking berries in hot water and they set to a jelly.

I have some enzyme and I hope that will sort it.

 

boiling is probably key. it'll kill the eggs and larvae. and yes, that is why there is pectic enzyme.

how did it turn out?

 

Did you continue with infected wine or did you discard it. I have just found my berries have maggots and wandered if it was ok to continue as i will be thoroughly straining it? If you could advice for or against this would be great
Thanks

 

Im going to carry on with my infected batch as i think the boiled water will kill all larvae and germs and then in a few days i will be thoroughly straining anyway. Hopefully it should be fine.

 

I have made hawthorn berry wine several times now - it can turn out fantastic and with a beautiful color when cleared..

I dont' have my exact recipe to hand but I use the hawthorn berries, some raisins and also some white grape concentrate - add sugar to bring to the desired SG and a white wine yeast. I would also use pectic enzyme and it may need acid added at times too.

 

For anybody interested. I have just strained the hawthorn berry wine into a demijohn and looks and tastes good so far. Whilst in primary i admit it stunk like rotting meat but apparently thats normal for hawthorn berries. As for picture Hawthorn berry wine is in the middle, and the colour looks great i think and the two batches either side are plum wine.