Country Winemaking Recipes

 

Equipment needed

1 Gallon, clear & dark demijohns
Airlocks & rubber bungs
1m clear siphon tube
Plastic funnel(s)
1 Gallon+ Plastic buckets or containers
1 Gallon+ Metal pans
Wooden kitchen spoons / stirrers
Masher
Teaspoon & Tablespoon
Tea Towel

Common ingredients needed

All purpose wine yeast
Wine yeast nutrient
Pectolase
Citric Acid (Fresh lemons will sometimes do)
Granulated white sugar
White or red grape concentrate (Pure supermarket grape juice could be used as an alternative)
Campden tablets

Birch Sap Wine (spring)

4 Litres birch sap
250 ml grape concentrate
1 tsp citric acid
Winemaking Yeast
Yeast nutrient
1kg sugar

Collect birch sap ideally in March, when the sap is rising in the tree. Ideally a hole drilled just under the bark,
where the tree becomes softer, with the hole facing upwards. Minimum of 2 foot of clear plastic tubing is ideal
for collecting the sap, which can be the same size as the hole or use a rubber bung to get a tighter fit in the
drilled hole, therefore use a smaller diameter tubing.

 

Collect into a plastic container (ideally 5 litre) which should then be transferred at home into a clean and
sterilised demi-john. The sap does give a sweet drink which can be drunk without being used in the winemaking
process and remember that the hole should be plugged, either with a removable bung for future collection or
with a snug fitting permanent 'repair' such as a stopper also made of birch.

Hawthorn Berry Wine (September, October, November)

0.5 Gallon Freshly collected hawthorn berries
0.5 Pint White grape juice concentrate
2.5lb White sugar
1 tsp Pectolase
1 tbs Citric Acid
1 Gallon Water
1 Campden Tablet
Yeast
Yeast Nutrient

Rinse the freshly collected Hawthorn Berries (ideally september onwards) then place them
in a large bowl and pour over 6 pints of boiling water. When they have cooled, mash them well and
stir in the pectolase, crushed campden tablet and citric acid.

Leave this for 24 hours then add the grape juice, sugar, yeast & nutrient. Now leave covered in the
bowl for 5 days (in a warm place) and strain the lquid into a 1 gallon demijohn, top up to the base of
the neck with cold water and fit an airlock.

 

Elderberry Wine (September, October, November)

3lb freshly collected elderberries
3.5lb White sugar
1 tsp Citric Acid
1 Gallon Water
Yeast
Yeast Nutrient

Collect the required quantity of elderberries, get a large container or two and, using a fork, carefully
strip the berries off the stalks into one of the containers (Use the other for the waste to compost or
put on an open fire - very therapeutic!)

Weigh them until the required amount is reached then mash them to a pulp. Pour on approx 0.75 gallon
of boiling water and let it cool before you add the citric acid, the yeast and the nutrient.

Leave it covered in a warm place for three days, stirring every day, then put the sugar in a bucket or container
and strain the liquid on to the sugar and stir vigorously until the sugar is dissolved.

Now pour this into a dark coloured demijohn, as this helps to retain the colour which may be lost if a clear
jar is used. Fit an airlock and leave in a warm place.

At first, elderberry wine can be quite vigorous when fermentation starts so use the 0.75 of a gallon
of water that was boiled originally, only top up when fermentation has subsided slightly.

Elderberry wine can take quite a while for fermentation to slow. It is recommended to keep the bottled wine
for at least six months before drinking.

 

Apple Wine (August, September, October)

6lb freshly collected apples (or windfall)
2.5lb White sugar
0.25 pint white grape concentrate
1 tsp Citric Acid
1 Gallon Water
Yeast
Yeast Nutrient

Perfect for using up that heavy crop of apples! Weigh out the required quantity of apples. Fill a large pan
with one gallon of water and bring to the boil.
Turn down the heat to simmer, then attack the apples!
Wash them then cut up and use everything, do not peel, use skins & brown patches (though good to
remove the pips). Simmer the apples for about quarter of an hour, then strain the resulting liquid onto the
sugar in another container and add the rind of the lemon, together with the grape juice, yeast and nutrient.

Cover the bucket with a tea towel or similar and leave in a warm place for 24 hours.

Pour into a clear demijohn and fit an airlock.

*** Apple wine can be very vigorous at the start of fermenting, so do not fill the jar beyond the base of the
neck or you could end up with an airlock full of mashed apple liquid and need to pour some out! ***

Leave this to ferment for 4 weeks before siphoning this into another clean demijohn and airlock to continue
fermenting. Best left for 6 months before bottling and even thinking about drinking!

 

Oak Leaf Wine (May, June is best)

1 Gallon freshly collected oak leaves
3lb White sugar
1 tsp Citric Acid
1 Gallon Water
Yeast
Yeast Nutrient

Place up to 6 pints of water in a large pan and bring to the boil, dissolving the sugar in it. When this clears, pour
the boiling water over the oak leaves and leave this to infuse overnight. Then strain in to a demijohn, adding the
citric acid, yeast and nutrient and give it a good shake! (with your hand over the top of the jar!) Top up the demijohn
to the bottom of the neck with cold water, fit an airlock and leave in a warm place to ferment. Oak leaf wine benefits
racking again, after it has cleared the first time.

 

Sloe Gin (September, October)

1L Kilner preserving jar, half filled with sloe berries
125g castor sugar
Almond essence (optional)
1-2 Cinnamon sticks (optional)
Dry gin

Ideally pick the sloes after the first frost and prick each berry 2 or 3 times before adding or returning to the
jar. (Old folklore suggests it is bad luck to prick them with a fork and a thorn from the blackthorn should be used)
A skewer or carefully with a knife should suffice.

Add the castor sugar then top up with dry gin (no need to use expensive gin!!)

Shake the jar well, daily, until the sugar is dissolved.

After a week or two, or at the start if you prefer, add a few drops of almond essence or a couple of cinnamon sticks,
broken in half. It is useful to strain the liquid before final bottling. Sloe gin made mid September to mid October should
be fine for Christmas.

 

Rowan Berry Wine (September, October)

3lb freshly collected rowan berries
3lb White sugar
1 tbs Citric Acid
0.5 pint Concentrated red grape juice
0.5lb Wheat
1 Gallon Water
Yeast
Yeast Nutrient

Rinse the rowan berries and then pour 1 gallon of boiling water over them and leave to stand for four days,
covered with a cloth or tea towel. Then add the grape concentrate, wheat, citric acid and sugar, stirring well
until all the sugar is dissolved. Then you can add the yeast and nutrient. Leave this for a further 16 days! and
allow it to ferment, closely covered before straining the liquid into a fermenting jar and fitting an airlock.

Elderflower Cordial (June, July)

20 elderflower flowerheads
1 lemon (sliced)
1.5 kg (3.5 lbs) of sugar
2 tsp of citric acid
1.2 ltr (2.5 pints) boiling water

Boil 1.2 ltr (2.5 pints) of water

Fill a suitable large bowl with the other ingredients.

Pour the water over the ingredients, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.

You may have to skim the surface of the water to remove any scum that forms
Ideally cover the bowl with something like a tea towel.

Stir the mixture twice a day for five days.

After five days, strain the mixture though a fine sieve or muslin and then strain into sterile screw topped bottles.
Refrigerate. (alternatively, use plastic screw top bottles and freeze immediately.

Dilute with 5 parts water to serve.