Elderberries are strong, dark and tannic, so a small amount of fruit goes a long way. Enter your berries below to see how much sugar they need.
Hydrometer targets
Use only fully ripe, dark berries and remove all stems and green berries, which are toxic. Don't use red elderberries. Raw elderberries can also cause nausea and vomiting. Winemakers disagree on whether heating is needed, so the cautious route is to simmer the crushed berries before fermenting.
White sugar to add for a dry wine, using a typical amount of fruit and average ripeness. Ripeness changes these figures, so use a hydrometer for an exact amount.
| Strength | 4.5 Lwith 1.24 kg fruit | 10 Lwith 2.75 kg fruit | 1 US galwith 2.3 lb fruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% ABV | 741 g | 1.65 kg | 1.37 lb |
| 12% ABV | 919 g | 2.04 kg | 1.70 lb |
| 14% ABV | 1.10 kg | 2.44 kg | 2.04 lb |
Above about 13%, add the sugar in stages. The calculator shows you how.
Strip the berries from the stems with a fork. Freezing the clusters first makes this much easier. Then crush them and, if you are taking the cautious route, simmer them gently and let them cool before adding yeast.
Traditional recipes range widely, from about 1 to 2.3 kg per 4.5 L (2 to 5 lb per gallon). The calculator's typical amount sits at the lower end, because more fruit brings more tannin and a harsher young wine.
If the wine tastes rough, it probably needs time rather than fixing. Elderberry wine often benefits from a year or more of ageing. Keep the time on the fruit short if you want a softer wine, and strain it off after 5 to 7 days at most.
Most fruit has far less sugar than wine grapes, so country wines need added sugar. How much depends on the fruit and how ripe it is. That is why the result shows a range. A hydrometer reading of your must removes the guesswork.
Target gravity = 0.996 + ABV ÷ 131.25. One gram of sugar per litre adds about 0.384 gravity points. Fruit sugar uses typical values per fruit. Acidity is a rough estimate from typical fruit acid, so measure it with a kit if you can.