Elderberry Port.

[Becks the Elder]

Hi everyone,

Having posted a few weeks ago about my over sweet elderberry wine which eventually stopped at 16% abv. I have decided to turn most of it over to port. I tried to drink it but it is just far too sweet for my taste. What I intend to do is take 4 bottles of sweet wine and add 1 bottle of dry elderberry wine (also 16% abv.) and 1 bottle of Shop Brandy (40% abv.)

I figure that should produce a strong sweet Elderberry Port of 20% abv.

I have four questions:

1. Is the above calculation correct in regard to the final alcohol content of the Port?

2. Do I need to age the sweet wine for a few months before adding the other drier wine and the brandy? (It was started in early July and won't be considered for storage until the start of December.)

3. Once the brandy is added will the batch still be liable to oxidize if not treated in the usual 'wine' manner or will the 20% abv protect it against the evils of oxidation?

4. I have bottles and typical spirit style stoppers (short tapered corks with plastic top [http://www.homebrewcentre.co.uk/product.asp?pID=503&cID=162). Can I bottle the brandy, use these with shrinks and store the bottles on their sides for a year or more or would I be better off corking them in the usual wine cork style?

Thanks in advance,

Becks.

 

[Wade E]

Your link doesnt show us what you have but only the website, Im assuming your talikg about tasting corks which should be ok unless you are talking about more then a few months of agib=ng before drinking all. If longer then that I would cork them.

 

[St Allie]

I found that the wine cleared much faster after the addition of the brandy/vodka, bottled my blueberry port a couple of months ago.. in screwtop bottles.

Your final abv sounds about right to me.

I can't see why the port would oxidise after the addition of the spirits.. I've never come across an oxidised bottle of commercial port.

My thoughts on the stoppers are.. that by the time you add the spirits to your port it's now got a lot of time and money invested in the batch. I'd be inclined to go with wine corks just to be safe while aging.

Allie