Make sure to pick clean, ripe elderberries and remove all the leaves and stalkes. Wash well under running water.

Crush the berries to create a must –  I use my PASSATUTTO machine which works very well for this.

Once you have your must, pour it into a large enough container to hold all the product and have some spare space to allow for foaming during the first few days.  Now add about three litres of boiling water for every litre of fruit.  Close it well and leave it  for one day to sterilise the must. Add pectinase enzyme and leave for another day.  Adjust the pH and sugar contents, add your wine yeast and yeast nutrients and ferment on the must for about ten days. Remember to stir twice a day and always use clean sterilised equipment. Always close the container well to prevent contamination and fruit flies getting into the must.

After 10 days, rack and filter and adjust for sugar if required. Now pour your wine into a large enough Damigiana to make sure their is not too much air space, then put on an airlock and wait.

Rack and filter when the ferment is becoming clear and sediment is visible (about 2 – 3 weeks). Every time you work with the wine, top the Damigiana up to the neck with similar sugar content syrup or fruit juice. Airlock and ferment.

After another few weeks the fermentation will become slow and it is then time to rack, filter and top up again.

Make sure the fermentation has stopped completely before you rack, filter and bottle.

Leave it alone for a month and ENJOY!!