h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Very interesting entry, might just be time to get the elderberry wine ready for Christmas. I picked a carrier bag full of elderberries in Delamere Forest at the weekend and I want to brew them into something nice. Just one query though, isn't there some sugar missing, the elderberry port recipe has 1200g of sugar. I wouldn't have thought the natural fruit sugars in 1kg elderberries and 454g of raisins was enough. A lot of the alcohol is added in the form of brandy though so maybe it doesn't need it, can anyone enlighten me? Also, why does it need to be simmered for an hour? Surely this would kill some of the fresh fruity taste? Is there some beneficial chemical process going on with the boiling?

I have started trying out a few wine recipes recently and am intrigued by the variety of recipes and methods. Sometimes I assume the recipe has been handed down through the generations and is the way it is because it has always been done that way and it comes out ok. I Can't help questioning the ingredients and the methods though. Why do I have to put a four year old unplucked cockerel into my nettle and knot weed beer? (I made that one up).

Hi geekyoyd,

>>>Just one query though, isn't there some sugar missing, the elderberry port recipe has 1200g of sugar. I wouldn't have thought the natural fruit sugars in 1kg elderberries and 454g of raisins was enough. A lot of the alcohol is added in the form of brandy though so maybe it doesn't need it, can anyone enlighten me?

One of the ways to make a wine with a greater alcoholic kick is to add sugar. You can make a less alcoholic wine by using only the natural fruit sugars.

In this recipe the alcoholic content is increased using brandy.

>>>Also, why does it need to be simmered for an hour? Surely this would kill some of the fresh fruity taste? You are right, it most certainly would.

>>>> Is there some beneficial chemical process going on with the boiling?

The beneficial process is pasteurization, which kills microorganisms. However an hour's boil is overdoing it. 140-degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes is enough. That's 60-degrees C, according to my converter.


>>>> I have started trying out a few wine recipes recently and am intrigued by the variety of recipes and methods. Sometimes I assume the recipe has been handed down through the generations and is the way it is because it has always been done that way and it comes out ok. I Can't help questioning the ingredients and the methods though. Why do I have to put a four year old unplucked cockerel into my nettle and knot weed beer? (I made that one up).

I've check other elderberry wine recipes. One gives a shorter boil time, and also calls it "simmer" suggesting something less than a full-out rolling boil. Another calls for sun extraction. As you say, an intriguing variety of recipes and methods.

I haven't made elderberry wine, but I've used various fruit when making melomels (fruit mead). I bring the water to a boil for about 10 minutes to drive of the chlorine, turn off the fire, then quickly put the honey and fruit in. In 10 minutes, check the temperature, if it is still above 140-degrees-F, and it ought to be, it's pasteurized.

A lot of older home wine recipes depend on tradition rather than science/engineering. In the case of some recipes, they are really beer recipes which have been modified to make fruit wines. When making beer, the barley is boiled for an hour for a good chemical reason (to get rid of DiMethylSulfide) but there's no reason why fruit must be boiled the same length of time.


Happy Nerd