North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[mIEKAL aND <dtv@mwt.net>]

I've been using WhiteLabs liquid merlot yeast the last several years  
to make my elderberry wine & it has made a tremendous difference in  
the body & character of the wine.

http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/homebrew_strains.html

A number of people have thought they were drinking grapes, but maybe  
that doesn't mean anything.

~mIEKAL


On Nov 5, 2007, at 12:13 PM, Richard MURPHY wrote:

> Hello Martha and All;
>
> If you bought a wine kit, and it came with dried Elderberries, I  
> can almost promise you that they are Nigra, not Canadensis. Across  
> the pond, most, if not all are Nigra. When you buy dried  
> Elderberries on the web from a Herb Co., they are almost all Nigra  
> (I've not seen Can. yet). British people love Elderberry wine.
>
>     Regarding the winemaking........ I've used both successfully.
>
> Observations:
>
> DRIED:    cheap - always avail - 'unknown spray history' (usually  
> wild picked = no spray ??) , no green crud
>
> FRESH:    fresh or frozen - spray history known - green crud.
>
> What is Green Crud ?  It is a component of fresh Elder that turns  
> into tar-like green glue on the meniscus of the Primary  
> fermentation tank, and in hoses / tools. Not harmful, just a  
> nuisance to wash off.
>
> Both of my wines tasted very similar. Understand that I bring the  
> fresh Elderberries (in about 1" of water) in a covered pot to a  
> boil for about 3 minutes. This changes their taste, more like that  
> of the dried.
>
>
> Wine from 2/3 cider and 1/3 Elderberry-cooked-in-water is  
> awesome !! Better you make a lot !
> Get the initial S.G. up to 1.09   Ferment to dryness. Back sweeten  
> it a lot. (sorbate too) Oh my...
>
> Cheers !
>
> Murph