white elderberry?

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white elderberry?
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tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45669
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 09 8:22 am Post subject:
Wide range of sedums too.

87sambucus

Joined: 06 Jun 2009
Posts: 2

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 09 8:54 pm Post subject: best fruiting variaties

all varieties listed by ART have the best flavor particularly any hybrid done by the Germans or any in usa. the best flavored are those with green berries as they have a low tannin level and as the age tend to have a higher sugar content, and so will tend to make a good full bodied white wine best recommended vars are sambucus nigra viridis from ART. there are other green varieties sadly only available from usa ie (sam. nigra goldbeere) and i must apoligise cgf are waiting for me to propagate my stock. but i do know that i have viridis in stock at the moment small plants in 9cm pots and i will forward them to cgf.net this week

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45669
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 09 9:36 pm Post subject:
What about flowers? I've had elderflower water at ART from American elder (different species isn't it?) are some varieties better than others for flavpur

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45669
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 09 9:40 pm Post subject:
Any other unusual berries you grow? And is tyour interest primarlily wine?

James

Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 2866
Location: York

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 09 8:14 am Post subject:
Thanks for your advice, 87 Sambucus. Do you know of the variety 'Cae Rhos Lligwy' that I mentioned earlier in this thread? If so, how does it differ from your variety "viridris"? Also, what is ART?

rich59

Joined: 11 Jul 2020
Posts: 15

Posted: Sat Jul 11, 20 4:10 pm Post subject:
It's a long story but I'm growing currently about 20 different strains of white elderberry. The main purpose for them is to find the best strains for wine making. Also have been working on finding the best strains for elderflower wines. I can probably answer quite a few questions anybody has got.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Jul 12, 20 5:34 am Post subject:

hi welcome aboard, blackberry wines are my speciality if that is not an overstatement

i find that year's weather to be as if not more important than the strain of bramble for making "port"

that said my bramble(as seen in assorted wildlife snaps) does seem to be a good un even if it is a wild one rather than a named variety
it is prone to rust but it seems to cope with that and does ace fruit compared to most of the local wild ones
that might be feeding more than type and it is almost certainly not location as mine does not get the sun it deserves, unless that helps in some odd way
probably the feed and watering regimes is the most important reason i get a high yield.

rich59

Joined: 11 Jul 2020
Posts: 15

Posted: Sun Jul 12, 20 7:44 pm Post subject:
Hi dpack, How long have you been making "port" from your bramble? What quantities do you make? Is it your own recipe? Commercial yeast?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Jul 12, 20 10:48 pm Post subject:

decades , the last ten years off the ones in the yard, before from forage

i got 5 gallons last year, which i do need to bottle(and some fresh light wine which never got to this year from the first pickings, we get pie and dessert fruit off it as well)

at gallon scale

approx 5lb best berries, 2 lb white sugar, port yeast

ferment on pulp , strain, add sugar, make up to 3/4 gallon

wait

add 1 lb sugar and pint of water

wait

add a pint of strong dark tea(tannins) and a bit of sugar

wait til it drops, takes a while as it is a slow ferment, bottle

it improves over several years if it lasts that long

the 2019 will be ok from xmas 2021 etc

i use a 5 gallon rig as wee bits are make life complex and if needs be several batches of strained fermenting juice and more sugar can be added to the barrel with an airlock on top
once it is done and settled the tap makes the decant to another barrel easy, then tis just filling bottles and sealing them well

ps the sugar goes in as crystal and the fruit is not treated so it still has wild yeasts to go with the commercial port yeast for a slow ferment with loads of complex chemistry

it passes for a fairly decent port style strong wine if the fruit is ripe.

good bramble is worth training, pruning and feeding, far more productive as most very similar wild living ones and full of wildlife

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15967

Posted: Mon Jul 13, 20 6:36 am Post subject:
Sounds interesting. I will have to try to get some port yeast.

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