Hedgerow wine chemicals

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Willshill1

Willshill1

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Hi all I’m planning an elderberry/blackberry wine soon and have read and watched lots of recipes, I’ve counted about 8 different chemicals/additives, seems like I’ll have quite a bit to spend, is there an alternative option, kit etc or can I reduce quantity of chemicals/additives or go au natural like some suggested
 
I haven't done much hedgerow wine but I've only used campden tablets for chemicals. Some like to add tannin, an alternative is a strong cup of tea which I do for turbo cider.
 
Think elderberry are high in tannins, but been suggested, campden , Pectolase, different acids , vit b1 yeast nutrients, and a few more, it’s whether I need all, can pick lots of free fruit but don’t then want to then have to spend a lot on add ons , thanks
 
Saw one video, totally chemical free using lemons , one whole and juice of 4 others for five gallons, liked the simplicity of that recipe but was open to other ideas
 
I just use boiling water on the blackberries, but I do use pectalose and yeast nutrient. I made one batch last year with Citric acid and one without, I preferred the one without.
 
I only add a campden tablet to my wine and yeast.
No need for anything else in my opinion and they all drop clear and taste great after 12 months
 

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Hi have you you done a elderberry/ blackberry, did you mash/ sugar/boiling water method and leave on pump ?
 
Willshill1 said:
Hi all I’m planning an elderberry/blackberry wine soon and have read and watched lots of recipes, I’ve counted about 8 different chemicals/additives, seems like I’ll have quite a bit to spend, is there an alternative option, kit etc or can I reduce quantity of chemicals/additives or go au natural like some suggested
Click to expand...
Used to do a lot of hedgerow stuff in my teens when I had no money. Don't recall additives being expensive: yeast, yeast nutrient, sodium meta being about it. What list have you got?
 
I have after making this post found houseofhomebrew website in Belfast and most additives are £1-£2 each instead of £6 ish elsewhere, but views on chemicals or not are of interest to me
 
I've made loads of `hedgerow fruit' wines over the years.
Basic recipe is:
3 to 4 Lbs of fruit to make 1 gallon of wine.
Pick the fruit, chuck it in a sanitised fermenting bin (don't check for maggots - you'll only upset yourself!)
Pour on about 6 pints of boiling water and leave to stand for about a week with the lid on.
By this time it'll be fizzing away like mad (wild yeasts). Strain off the fruit and add about 2 or 2.5 Lb sugar plus a teaspoonful of wine yeast/nutrient mix. Let it ferment in the bin for another week then transfer to a demijohn and top it up to a gallon with boiled water.
That's it - no chemicals whatsoever. Wild fruits are always acidic enough without adding lemons or citric acid. Blackberries, elderberries and sloes are so strong tasting you always end up with a good tasting wine. Raspberries too are awesome.
 
So you use the natural yeast and just nutrients , doesn’t the boiling water kill the wild yeast?. Sounds like a very organic result, I like the simplicity and it’s almost free
 
I've done it two different ways, but the results have been the same.
2kg fruit, 1kg sugar and boil it up in 3l water.
Once cooled, add a campden tablet and chuck it in an fv and add yeast.
Leave for 5 days and rack it in to DJ and top up to 4.5l. Leave for another 2 weeks and then rack again. Leave for 6 months and finally bottle it.
Method two is similar but after boiling, mash the fruit and squeeze it all through a sieve. Again add a campden and follow the same method of brewing, racking, bottling.

Both methods seem to have the same result. Bit harsh after 6 months, but really pleasant 10% hedgerow wine if you leave it 12-18 months.
 
Willshill1 said:
So you use the natural yeast and just nutrients , doesn’t the boiling water kill the wild yeast?.
Click to expand...
You would think so but of course the boiling water isn't boiling anymore when it's added to the cold fruit. Maybe hot enough to kill bacteria, but maybe not enough to kill the wild yeasts. But then you add proper wine yeast. I don't know why. I got the recipe from a country wine book back in the 70s by a `Mrs Genery Taylor' if I remember correctly. It had a vast array of recipes many of which were truly awful but had this basic recipe for a fruit based wine which always seems to work well.
 

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