We've been making a recipe of home-made red wine for well over forty years now, and since we've rationalised the recipe, I'm wondering if a reappraisal of the addition of acids needs to be taken into account.
The recipe is based on dried elderberries, dry cider, sugar, pectolase, acid and yeast. It was originally started by C.J.J.Berry, and is a great cheap and fast wine to make, as well as very easy. (The was a post here under the term ''Christleton').
We used to boil the hell out of the dried elderberries, but nowadays just add pectolase for twenty-four hours, then boil the sugar, add the cider and start a six gallon fermentation with super-yeast. It's usually ready in four weeks, but we do fine it to make sure there is no pectin haze lurking around.
But as we enter late middle age, the sharpness of the acid may be something to reconsider - I usually pop in about five small tsps.
Does the team think this may be too much - or little?
The different batches take on their own tastes and strengths, but the basic flavour remains the same!
Thoughts anyone?