Recipesberry

Hedgerow Wine

A blend of whatever the British autumn hedgerow offers — blackberry, elderberry, rosehip, sloe, and more. Every vintage is unique.

Difficulty
beginner
Yield
4.5L
Ready In
1 year

Hedgerow Wine (4.5L / 1 Gallon)

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg mixed hedgerow fruit (blackberries, elderberries, rosehips, sloes, damsons — whatever you find)
  • 1.1–1.2 kg white sugar (depending on fruit sweetness)
  • 100g sultanas (chopped)
  • 1 tsp yeast nutrient
  • 1 tsp pectolase
  • 1 tsp acid blend
  • 1 Campden tablet
  • 1 sachet red wine yeast
  • Water to 4.5 litres

Notes

The beauty of this wine is that no two batches are the same. A good mix might be: 50% blackberries, 25% elderberries, 15% rosehips (seeded), 10% sloes. Let what's available guide you.

Instructions

Day 1: Wash and prepare all fruit (stone damsons, seed rosehips). Place in a bucket with sultanas. Pour over 2 litres of boiling water. Mash thoroughly. Dissolve sugar and add. Top up to 4.5 litres. Add Campden tablet. Cover for 24 hours.

Day 2: Add pectolase, yeast nutrient, acid blend. Check SG (aim 1.085–1.090). Add yeast.

Days 2–7: Stir twice daily.

Day 7: Strain into demijohn.

Maturation: 12–18 months. The complexity of the blend rewards patience.

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