Elderberry wine problem

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jneureuther

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Hi there. I'm new to this so patience please. I made 20 Gal. of elderberry from fresh berries. Im in the process of straining off the berries and putting the juice into carboys. There seems to be a reddish, sticky goo that covers the sides of my fermentor and the utensils I'm using. Hot soap and water don't seem to do anything. Even ran some things in the dishwasher. Have any of you made elderberry from fresh and ran into this stuff? I've made a few other kinds of wine, and have never had to deal with this goo before. I'm wondering if it's typical for elderberry?

Thanks, Jim
 
Ah the elderberry goo problem !!!!

just wondering, did you boil the berries ?
There seems to be less goo when you boil them.

Now I am from the netherlands and i make each year
loads of elderberry wine and never experienced the goo at all.
Two things might make the difference:
- I boil the berries
- We have different varieties as you have (presuming you
are in the US or canada, please update your profile)

Hence the question.

Now on to the answer.

What I have read is the best remedy would be oil
like sunflower oil or olive oil to clean it.
Afther that clean the oil away with soap and rinse a lot.

Luc
 
I have heard the same thing about the goo and like Luc said use an oil like Canola or Olive or Vegetable.
 
elderberry goo!!!

i'm betting you pressed the berrys to get ALL that goodness out of them, huh? in my experiance, you should never press elderberrys, thats what puts out the nastys. i put the berrys in a mesh bag, in a open primary(lid on too, of course!) let it "cook" for 6/7 days, pull the bags, strain to secondary to finish. THEN, you put the bags of berrys in a primary with apple cider, man oh man is THAT good!!!
 
Shoes,

I always press the berries after pulp-fermenting
and still never have the goo-issue.

Luc
 
Luc, do you think its the boiling that stops the goo? do you use peptic enzime to kill the haze?
 
The goo is most prevalent in less than ripe berries. It is a natural product of elderberries not a pectin. Does not break up with soap and water. However does clean up with a light cooking oil, then the pan, bucket and utensils can be easily cleaned with hot soap and water.

Personally I just steep my elderberries in boiling hot water until cool then hoist them out and let drain. No crushing of the berries. Crushing them increases the chance of the goo.
 
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i would only use Peptic enzyme if my must had nausia, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, or diahrea.
 
I do not think the goo causes a haze in the wine.

Hazes are from fruit parts floating in the wine and they got there by mashing and pressing the berries.

Always use pectic enzyme !!!

Time will settle the haze. It always does with my
elderberry wines.

Luc
 
I do not think the goo causes a haze in the wine.

Hazes are from fruit parts floating in the wine and they got there by mashing and pressing the berries.

Always use pectic enzyme !!!

Time will settle the haze. It always does with my
elderberry wines.

Luc

iv'e heard that boiling the fruit for the must sets the pectin. is that wrong Luc?
 
Elderberry Wine Waxy coating

Hi. I am strongly attached to the elderberry and the wine that can result from it. Early on in my experience I also ran into the waxy goo problem often associated with making elderberry wine. I did a number of experiments which resulted in my finding that olive oil removed it very easily. Most interestingly, other vegetable oils that I tried were not successful, and I could not help but make an association between the health benefits of olive oil and cholesterol levels that have been reported. Could the waxy substance that comes from the elderberry be similar to cholesterol in our arteries? It too is reported to be a waxy substance. It too is reported to be lowered by the use of olive oil in our diet. Anyway, good luck with your elderberry wine; let it age as long as you can. It only gets better, even after 20 years in the bottle.
 

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