Has anyone tried dried elderberries

[BettyJ]

I thought I might try this to mix in with my next batch of red wine. Any thoughts?

 

[Luc]

Depends on what wine you are making.

I have used dried fruits in the past for making wine, not for an addition to a wine though.
The ratio is 1/3 to 1/4 th.
So if a recipe calls for 3 teacups of elderberries you would use 1 cup.

Be carefull however when creating your own recipe. Elderberries are very strong in flavor and in tannin. It is easy to overdo it.
But I am sure they will give a nice deep dark red color to the wine.

Luc

 

[BettyJ]

Cabernet

I am using the SunCal concentrate and it just is not rich enough. My husband and I love red wine and there are no fruits here to work with (we are on an island in Belize). The concentrates are the best for me since I have people bring them whenever they visit. However, I have not tried dried fruits, which would be even better.

I have added the following in the past to my red wine, which helped:
peppercorn juice (I boil and reduce)
dark raison juice
bananas
blackberry flavoring / glycerin
I have also ordered the tannin that you add after fermentation, but haven't received it yet (I have a batch that is almost finished that I will use that on).

I did order enough for a 1 gallon batch - maybe I will make it and blend later through tests (if it is that strong).
Thanks for your advice!