How I made wine from elderberry from my mother-in-law’s garden and spent only 60 rubles on it

My wife has a strange friend, Irina. He constantly sends her something: either pictures, or videos, or pictures from the Internet. Only the phone clogs, and, frankly, fed up.

— How do you stand it? I ask my wife.

I just don’t pay attention.

And somehow early in the morning again – sawing, sawing. Another message. We open it – there is a recipe for “healthy elderberry wine”. And then I got interested.

My mother-in-law has heaps of this good, it grows for itself, no one pays attention to it. Maybe try Irkin’s recipe? At least once benefit, as they say, from women’s whims.

Story from my subscriber Denis.

Why I decided to make alcohol myself

I have heard about various strange wines for a long time. But we, the inhabitants of the middle zone, are accustomed to the traditional set of currants and gooseberries for home winemaking. Grapes for us – of course – an unaffordable luxury. He just doesn’t grow up.

I went to my mother-in-law and said – so and so, I want to make wine from your elderberry. And she answers me:

– I can’t say about wine, but I know for sure that birds gain strength from this berry before flying south.

Oh how! So, the wine will be what you need! I studied Irkin’s recipe and got to work!

What do we need from the ingredients

My wife was surprised that I took up Irkin’s recipe.

“She’s always giving us shit.” And besides, I heard that elderberry is poisonous. Are you going to poison me?

– Poisonous red, and black, on the contrary, useful. At least that’s what your mom said.

The last argument made an impression on his wife. She obviously had nothing to hide. Well, okay.

So, for wine I needed:

• black elderberry – 1 kg;
• water – 3 liters;
• raisins – 100 grams;
• sugar – 500 grams.

Cheap and cheerful.

The cooking process

I have prepared everything necessary, but the experience itself is overcome, the berries will have to be boiled. What can be obtained from a compote? Well, I think the attempt is not torture. I’ll make a small amount first, if anything, I’ll throw it away.

The workflow went something like this:

1. We separate the berries from the branches.
2. Pour 2 liters of water and cook for 20 minutes.
3. We wipe the berries through a sieve, pour the remaining mass with 1 liter of water and cook for another 10 minutes.
4. Strain, combine both liquids and add sugar.
5. We add raisins to the still warm liquid and put it on fermentation, you will need a glove or a water seal.
6. After 10-14 days, the fermentation will end, the wine is poured into bottles with a hose.
7. After 2 months, when the ripening process is over, pour again.

Previously, I used to be engaged in winemaking, but I had not yet had to boil berries. The result was hard to believe. I’m waiting for what will happen, but I’m studying the Internet myself and I don’t find anything like that. I scold Irka, my wife’s girlfriend, for myself – she slipped us a “duck”.

And, indeed, fermentation did not work for me on raisins. I waited three days and decided to add wine yeast. That’s when things got off the ground.

And now my wine is ripe, I bottled it for ripening, I tried it. But nothing!

With the result that

The first to be treated was Irka. They invited her for tea and gave her wine to drink. True, then, they drank only as an aperitif, little by little.

Irka liked the elderberry wine, she says, I’ll dig up something else interesting, I’ll definitely send it.

The drink turned out, however, pleasant:

1. Tart berry flavor with hints of almonds.
2. Nice colour.
3. Tonic effect.
4. Fortress 8-10 degrees.

This was the first experience of making elderberry wine, then I got a few more recipes. It turns out that even flowers come into play.

What can be changed in the recipe

While I was preparing this wine, I realized that you won’t go far on one raisin. You need yeast. Therefore, those who take up elderberry wine should take this into account.

1. Instead of raisins, you can take wine yeast.
2. You can add lemon and spices to the broth, for example, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise.
3. Berries can not be boiled, but squeezed fresh juice and prepare a drink in the classic way.
4. Decoction-based wine can be made from elderberry flowers.

And a few more tips for those who want to try an exotic drink:

1. Elderberry is painted, so it is better to work with it with gloves. Traces remain not only on the hands, but also on the surface of the table.
2. In order for the boiled juice to begin to ferment, it is better to use yeast.
3. It is better to use glassware, not plastic.
4. The strength of the drink can be enhanced with sugar if it is added during the fermentation process. The more sugar, the stronger the drink will be – a classic.
5. After the end of fermentation, the wine should stand for several weeks.
6. You can even use unripe berries.

Important! Not to be confused with the red elderberry – it is poisonous!

What is the cost of this product

I spent almost no money making this wine. If only a little nervous, because it did not immediately begin to ferment. As they say, cheap and cheerful.

• 100 g of raisins – 40 rubles;
• 500 g of sugar – 20 rubles.

1 liter of aromatic drink will cost 60 rubles.

I once read a book by Ray Bradbury called Dandelion Wine. Having made wine from elderberry, and later from its flowers, I realized that almost any plant can serve as a raw material for winemaking. Search, try, discover something new! I discovered a new amazing taste for myself!

Who wants to join me?