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Elderberry wine is made from fermented juice of elderberries, which are small blackish-blue berries. The brewing and filtration process takes several weeks, and the wine needs to age for at least a year. Elderberries are toxic when eaten raw, so they are usually cooked before being used to make wine. The wine has a deep burgundy color and a slightly sweet undertone. It is believed to have health benefits.
Elderberry wine is an alcoholic beverage obtained from the fermented juice of a particular type of fruit known as elderberry. Winemakers mostly use cooked berries to make this hearty red wine, although raw berries can also be used. The brewing and filtration process can take several weeks, after which the drink typically needs to age for at least a year to reach its full flavor.
When people think of wine, most think of it as an alcoholic beer made from grapes. While it’s true that many popular wines are made from grapes, the fermented juices of other fruits also make for interesting and palatable wines. Occasionally, the juices of other fruits are added to grape wine to enhance its flavor, but in other cases, such as in the case of elderberry wine, grape juice is generally not used.
Elderberries are small blackish-blue berries that grow in clusters on bushy leafy plants. There are many varieties of elderberries, some of which are edible and some of which are not. Often, elderberry wine is made from the American elderberry, otherwise known as Sambucus canadensis. The berries, small globes usually less than 0.25 inches (0.6 cm) around, resemble blueberries but grow in tight, grapelike clusters. The bush grows best in moist, rich soil, but can be found in many different places throughout the United States, ranging as far south as Texas and as far north as North Dakota.
Generally, all varieties of elderberry have some level of toxicity and, when eaten raw, can give a person a bad stomach ache. When people make juice or jelly from the fruit, they typically cook it first to alleviate the toxicity and bring out its natural sweetness. The same goes for elderberry wine. While some winemakers use raw berries for their wine, most prefer to cook the berries first to produce a higher quality drink.
The process of making elderberry wine is quite complex and requires time and patience. Winemakers prefer to use freshly picked berries for the best taste, but must be careful to remove all traces of the stem from each berry. Otherwise, the stems produce a sticky, waxy residue that can spoil the wine. After the winemakers cooked and crushed the berries, creating a juicy pulp, they put them through a lengthy filtration and fermentation process that typically takes several weeks. Once bottled, elderberry wine generally needs to sit and age in a cool, dark place for a year or more before its full flavor is realized.
It may take 3 to 10 pounds (about 1.4 to 4.5 kg) of elderberries to make a bottle or two of wine. The wine itself has a rich, deep burgundy color and has an intense flavor with a slightly sweet undertone reminiscent of sherry. Brewers occasionally add other flavors, such as honey, to give the wine a unique taste. Sometimes, winemakers use the white flowers of the elderberry to make a lighter, clearer wine. Many elderberry wine aficionados claim it has remarkable health benefits and can relieve everything from the common cold to arthritis.
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