Hawthorn Berry (Haw) Wine

Recipe
4 pints hawthorn berries
3 lb / 1,350 grams sugar
1 lb / 450 grams sultanas
Citric acid
Campden tablet
Yeast energizer
Water up to 1 gallon
Wine yeast


Method
Boil the hawthorn berries and place in fermentation bucket. Add the sultanas and sugar and stir vigorously to dissolve the sugar. When cool add the citric acid, yeast energizer and wine yeast. Cover and leave for five days in a warm place, stirring daily. Strain and put into a demijohn and fit an airlock to seal the jar.

Store in a warm place and allow the fermentation to work. When fermentation has ceased, rack the wine into a clean jar and place in a cooler environment and leave. When the wine is clear and stable siphon into bottles.

Notes
Taken from http://www.wine-making-guides.com/hawthorn_berry_wine.html

Update
Not tried this yet but now's the best time (Early January) when the haws are fat and ripest. 

Rosehip Wine

Recipe

2lb fresh rosehips
1 tsp citric acid

3lb sugar

1 gallon water

yeast and nutrient

pectice enzyme

Method

Start by boiling up the gallon of water and while this is on the go wash the rose hips well then crush, cut and chop (or blitz in small food whizzer).

Put sugar into polythene bucket and add the crushed rosehips.

Pour the boiled water over the sugar/rosehips and stir to fully dissolve the sugar. Leave to cool and then add pectic enzyme.

After 24 hours later add the citric acid, yeast and nutrient.

Leave closely covered in a warm place for 2 weeks stirring daily.

Strain the liquor through nylon bag and put into demijohn. Fit airlock and continue to ferment until the wine clears, approx 3 months.

Rack off into clean demijohn and store in bulk for a further 3 months.

Rack again then bottle.

Remember to keep all wine equipment sterilised at all times not forgetting the daily stirring spoon.

Notes

This recipe was lifted from http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/rosehip-wine-medium/

Update

Transferred to Demijohn and waiting to clear.       

Elderberry Wine

Recipe
10 lbs fresh, ripe elderberries
1-3/4 lbs finely granulated sugar
4-1/2 to 5 pints water
1 tsp acid blend
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp pectic enzyme
Montrachet wine yeast

Method
(1) Wash, destem and inspect the berries for ripeness and soundness. Put berries in a stainless steel or enameled pot with 3/4 pound of sugar and half the water. Slowly bring to boil while stirring occasionally and turn off heat. Cover and set aside to cool to room temperature. Strain berries over primary through a nylon straining bag and hang bag over primary to drip drain for two hours. Very gently press pulp to extract a little more juice, but do not overdo this. Stir in remaining sugar and dry ingredients (except yeast) and stir well to dissolve. Add enough water to bring to one gallon and add yeast. Cover primary and wait for active fermentation. Ferment 2 weeks

(2) Siphon off sediments into secondary. Top up and fit airlock. Ferment two months

(3) Rack, top up, and refit airlock.

(4) Rack, top up, and refit airlock.

(5) Rack, top up, and refit airlock.

(6) Stabilize, wait 10 days

(7) Rack, sweeten to taste, and bottle. Age one year before tasting.

Notes
Adapted from Julius H. Fessler's Guidelines to Practical Winemaking
Lifted from http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/elderber.asp
That's quite a few elderberries and it took me two trips and 4 carrier bags to accumulate
It didn't help that the berries started fermenting in the pot whilst i was on the second trip!

Update
Stage (1) Fermentation period started 19/09
Please note i seem completely unable to respond to comments atm which imo is ridiculous.

Plum Wine

Recipe3 1/2 lb Ripe wild plums
3lb Honey
1 Pack Yeast
1 Campden tablet
4.5 Litres boiling water
Method
(1)Wash plums and blend in blender (do in batches)
Place blended plums in bucket and add boiling water
Stir with wooden spoon.
Leave for ten days.

(2)Skim off any surface residue and mould carefully.
Strain using funnel and sieve or Muslin cloth into Demijohn
Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add yeast and give final stir.
Cork with Airlock
Leave until fermentation has completed.

(3)Skim off any surface residue
Strain again using mulsin cloth into bucket.
Add crushed Campden tablet
Decant into bottles.

(4)Ready in six months. Better after nine.

Notes
This is a modified recipe from http://grapestomper.com/recplum.html and their "Easy Plum Wine Recipe (one gallon recipe) " recipe.

Update
Now Bottled and (based on 6 months) will be ready by February.

Elderflower Champagne

Ingredients
8 litres water
1.25 kg sugar
8 large elderflower heads
4 Lemons
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Method
Boil the water and pour over the sugar to dissolve it.
Cool and add the elderflowers, the juice of two of the lemons, slices of the other two and the vinegar.
Cover with a cloth and leave for a day.
 
Strain with a muslin cloth, squeezing the flowers as you do to release more flavour.
Store in screw top bottles.
It will be ready in about 10 days to a fortnight and should be drunk within a month

Notes
This one really appealed to me because of its speed of maturity. Its now a week after when its drinkable and tastes delicious.

I used plastic bottles. The 2 litre spring water variety. They seem to hold the pressure though they must be done up tightly and they will bulge at both ends :p