You can't eat them but you can make a lovely wine out of elderberries though, if you know how. You certainly would not fancy eating a raw English elderberry, sloe, quintz or indeed many of the other multifarious ingredients English wine makers transform into their "wine". To be quite honest nor would I, but many people do drink the wine.

Not even 20% of home made wines in England are even "just about drinkable" to someone who has grown up in the lands of the grapevines; some, around 10% don't give you a massive chemical hangover; some are quite nice but too new; but around 5% are really very pleasantly wine-like. The Romans used to do the same.

Many people nowadays get a taste for the chemicals (if they drink a lot of home-made wine) and so don't notice them, whilst if one is not used to the taste it's horrid. Some, but very few, wine-makers at home never use chemicals or clearing mediums. They just wait until it's ready. The Romans used to do the same.

The chemical user will go to the supermarket and get his Pack of "home made wine", with all the instructions as to how to carry out this chemical process in the least possible time and to gain the maximum alcohol advantage out of the finished item (I hesitate to call it wine). It will taste disgusting but will certainly pack a punch. Many Romans used to do similar.

Romans far from home in England had to improvise their wine. No grapes? We will have to make some wine out of local fruit, and at the same time plant some vineyards. So the noble art of wine-making was taken to England. Well, actually, that's entirely wrong. The locals had been making wine for a few thousand years, although they, as today, were considered a Nation of beer drinkers, "wine" was made from berries.

When you put a bit of honey or sugar into a pot of fruit it will ferment from the natural yeast in the fruit. If the fruit has a high sugar (fructose) content then it will ferment itself, but if like elderberries the fruit is bitter and with a low fructose content it will need a bit of a helping hand from sugar and yeast. The Romans, when they invaded Britain, brought with them the ability to make much better wine than the English.

However, even the best Roman wine made without grapes was not as good as the "real thing", so English vineyards were started and the Romans taught the English how to make wine properly. Decent grapes really don't need sugar or yeast, as these are in the fruit itself.

Of course English wine, even 2000years ago, was not as good as Italian wine, but it certainly cheered up many a Roman soldier consigned to the freezing wastes of Hadrian's Wall. However, when they returned to Rome after a few years service they didn't bother to take any elderberry wine with them. They were going home to the real thing.

SEO Solutions and one way link
publicity services provided by LinkAcquire.

David C Skul - CEO
LinkAcquire.com and Relativity, Inc. can provide
global market exposure and solutions

About the Author

None

Wine Bottles and More

The Italians taught the English how to make wine.


You can't eat them but you can make a lovely wine out of elderberries though, if you know how. You certainly would not fancy eating a raw English elde...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Featured Wine Bottles Items

Ch Ducru-Beaucaillou


"I tasted the 1996 Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou on four separate occasions from bottle in January. The 1996 is long, with a deep mid-palate. It also reveals tannin in the finish. This dry red wine is remarkable. It is muscular, concentrated, and classic. Bottled in late June, 1998, this French wine exhibits a saturated ruby/purple color, as well as a knock-out nose of minerals, licorice, cassis, and an unmistakable lead pencil smell that I often associate with top vintages of Lafite-Rothschild. It is sweet and full-bodied, yet unbelievably rich with no sense of heaviness or flabbiness. The wine possesses high tannin, but it is extremely ripe, and the sweetness of the black currant, spice-tinged Cabernet Sauvignon fruit is pronounced. This profound, backward Ducru-Beaucaillou is a must purchase. It will be fascinating for readers who own the 1996 to follow the evolution of this exceptional vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035." RP - 95 (Subject to Availability) DUCR96 DUCR96


Price: 227.99 USD



Wine Bottles in the news

Sparkling Wine: A Well Deserved Texas Treat!

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 06:04:41 -0800
Choosing a sparkling wine is a very personal thing, particularly for a holiday or New Year’s Eve celebration. For a wedding event, it can be fittingly compared to selecting a soul mate. What may appeal to one person may not please and even cause an uprising in another. ...For More: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=355

WSJ.com - Easy on the Wallet, Lovely on the Palate

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 13:21:02 -0800
Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher on delicious bargain-priced wines, including high-rated bottles for $10 or less.

New Year's Eve Foxwood and Mohegan Sun Bus Trip, Free

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 10:12:20 -0800
Leave at 2p from Warwick, RI. $25.00 bonus at Foxwoods and $20.00 Mohegan Sun. Cost of trip: $41.00. After bonuses, net cost $0.00.Wine and cheese served en route. Call Valerie at Gourmet Traveler 401-823-9620 or book on line http://www.gourmettravelertours.com


Grape Varieties
Wine Icon

Labels: Kosher Wine

Posted by Austin Smithson | 0 comments