My Father’s Recipe for Elderberry Wine by Barry - 25.10.2001

You can also use this recipe for Cranberry Wine, substituting Cranberries for Elderberries

Ingredients:
2 pounds elderberries
2 oranges, juice and rind
2 campden tablets
1 teaspoon nutrients
2 1/2 pounds granulated sugar (about 7 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon pectic enzyme
water
1 package wine yeast

Crush elderberries and place in primary fermentor. Add 12 cups cold water, orange juice and rind, campden tablets, nutrients and pectic enzyme. Let sit overnight. DO NOT add sugar yet.
The next day, add yeast. Stir daily until frothing stops -- about 3 days. ADD SUGAR. Strain and siphon into secondary fermentor and attach air lock.
For a dry wine, rack in three weeks, and every three months for one year. Bottle.
For a sweet wine, rack at three weeks. Add 1/2 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup wine. Stir gently, and place back into secondary fermentor. Repeat process every six weeks until fermentation does not restart with the addition of sugar. Rack every three months until one year old. Bottle.
When wine is 6 to 12 months old, bottle. Wine is ready to drink one year after the date the batch was started.
 

Variation:
Spiced Elderberry Wine

Use 1 lemon in place of the oranges.
Use 3 pounds brown sugar in place of the granulated sugar.

Add with yeast:
1/2 oz thinly sliced ginger root
2 inch cinnamon stick
1 cup raisins, chopped

Proceed as above.