If you find that you like making wines, I strongly recommend an excellent book. Although it is currently out of print, you should be able to locate a copy through your local libraries, either directly or through loan. With any luck you can locate a copy of your own through the various used and antique book stores. Successful Wine Making at Home by H.E. Bravery. Since wine making has become a popular hobby, you will find a good number of suppliers for the containers, tools, supplies and recent books on this topic.

The term crock used on this page simply refers to the first fermentation container. Although traditionally done in a crock, it simply needs a container of suitable material. I have always used a large 12-quart stoneware dough bowl for this purpose and a good kitchen muslin (sold in cooking supply stores) to cover the bowl as the ingredients are fermenting.

At the stage where the liquid is decanted off into a glass jug, compensation must be made for the fermentation that is still ongoing and gases still being produced. One method of stoppering the neck of the jug was a loose plug of cotton wool. More recently balloons were simply fitted over the neck and is the preferred method in many kitchens. A better method is to purchase a fermentation lock which is fitted over the neck of the jug and will indicate when all fermentation has ceased. All activity must cease before it can be decanted off into bottles and securely corked.

Elderberry	Grapefruit	Lavender	Loganberry	Oakleaf	Parsnip
Elderflower	Hawthorn Blossom	Lemon	May Wine	Orange	Plum
Gooseberry	Herb	Lemon Balm	Mulberry	Parsley	Potato
♥	♥	♥	♥	♥	Prune

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Elderberry Wine
Version 1

Pour boiling water onto berries and let stand 24 hours. Strain through a bag or sieve breaking the berries to extract the juice. Measure the liquid and to each gallon allow 3 lbs of sugar. Boil the juice with the sugar and other ingredients for 1 hour, simmering all the time. Let stand till lukewarm. Pour into a clean dry cask with yeast. Let ferment about 2 weeks and add brandy. Bung up cask and let remain for 6 months before bottling.

Elderflower Wine

Ingredients
1 gallon elderflowers 1 gallon water 3½ lbs sugar 1 oz yeast 2 lemons

Boil half the sugar in half a gallon of water and while boiling, pour over the flowers in the crock. Add the juice of the lemons and when the mixture is cool, add the yeast. Cover and ferment for 7 days. Strain out flowers and wring out well, but not too dry. Put the strained liquid in a gallon jar. Boil the rest of the sugar and water for 2 minutes and when cool, add to the rest. Cover or use fermentation lock and leave till all fermentation has ceased.

Gooseberry Wine

Ingredients
6 lbs gooseberries 3½ lbs sugar 7 pints water 1 pkg all purpose wine yeast

Crush fruit in crock and pour on 1 quart of boiled water that has been allowed to cool. Mix well. Take 1/3 of the sugar and boil for 1 minute in 3 pints of water. Allow syrup to cool, then stir into pulp. Add yeast and ferment 3 days. Strain pulp through fine muslin and wring out dry as you can. Put strained liquid into a gallon jar and discard the pulp. Boil another 1/3 of the sugar in 1 pint of water for 1 minute and when it has cooled, add it to the rest. Cover neck of jar or fit a fermentaiton lock and continue to ferment in a warm place for 10 days more. Siphon off the liquid into another container, leaving the sediment behind. Clean and sterilize jar and return liquid to it. Boil remaining 1/3 of the sugar in the last 1 pint of water. Allow to cool and add to rest. Refit fermentation lock or cover again. Allow to remain in a warm place till all fermentation has ceased. If there is not enough room in the jar for any of the last lot of syrup, place in a sterile jar and refrigerate until fermentation has reduced the volume of the liquid and then add the remainder. Allow to sit until all fermentation has ceased.

Grapefruit Wine

Ingredients
8 large grapefruit 1 lb raisins 3½ lbs sugar ½ baker's yeast or 1 pkg wine yeast 1 gallon water

Hawthorn Blossom Wine

Ingredients
2 quarts of hawthorn flowers 3½ lbs sugar 1 oz yeast 1 gallon water

Gather flowers when they are about to drop off and shake into a crock. Pour 3 quarts of boiling water over the flowers and leave for 7 days, well covered. Stir daily and cover again at once. Strain and wring out fairly tightly and return the liquid to the crock. Boil half the sugar in a pint of water and when cool, add to the liquid. Add the yeast. Cover and ferment for 7 days. Pour off into a gallon jar being careful to leave the sediment behind. Boil the rest of the sugar in the remaining pint of water and when cool, add to the rest. Cover or fit the neck of the jar with a fermentation lock. Leave till all fermentation has ceased.

Herb Wines
(quick)

1. Choose a wine which will compliment the herb being used.
2. Coarsely chop ½ to ¾ cup of herb depending on its strength. Place in a wide-mouthed jar. Add 1 pint of wine then set aside for 2 weeks, covered. Strain and place wine in a fancy bottle with your own label.
3. Suitable herbs are borage, clary sage, clove, carnation, elderflowers, anise hyssop, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena, mints, rosemary and sweet woodruff.

Lavender Wine

Ingredients
½ oz dried lavender buds 1 gallon water 2½ lbs sugar 1 lb golden raisins 3 oranges (quartered) 1 pkg all-purpose wine yeast

Put lavender, raisins, and oranges in a crock. Pour ½ gallon boiling water over contents of crock and allow to sit for 2 to 3 hours, covered. Boil half the sugar in 1 quart of water for 2 minutes and add this to the rest while still boiling. Mix well and when cool enough, add the yeast. Cover again and ferment in a warm place for 10 days, stirring daily. After 10 days, strain out the solids and wring out as dry as you can. Put the strained liquid into a gallon glass jug. Boil the other half of the sugar in the remaining quart of water for 2 minutes and when cool add this to the rest. Cover or fit with a fermentation lock and continue to ferment in a warm place till all fermentation has ceased.

Lemon Wine

Drop the whole lemons into boiling water. Push them under the surface of the water and then take them out and discard the water. Cut the lemons into small pieces, place in crock and pour over them ½ gallon of boiling water which has been allowed to cool. Cover and leave to soak for 48 hours, crushing and pressing the peel to extract the oil. Then boil half the sugar in a quart of water for 2 minutes and when cooled, add this to the orange pulp. Add the yeast. Ferment in a warm place for 5 days. Then crush and strain through muslin, wringing out as dry as possible. Discard pulp and return liquid to crock. Allow to sit for another 10 days. Carefully pour off into a gallon jug leaving behind as much sediment as possible. Boil the remaining water and sugar togethr and when cool, add to the rest. Cover neck of jug or use a fermentation lock. Continue to ferment in a warm place till all fermentation has ceased.

Lemon Balm Wine
Source: 1788 Receipt Book of Richard Briggs) (ver. 1) and Herbal Simples by Dr. Fernie - 1897 (ver. 2)

Version 1

Loganberry Wine

Ingredients
3 to 4 lbs loganberries 3 lbs sugar 1 pkg wine yeast 7 pints water

Crush fruit in crock and pour on 1 quart of boiled water that has been allowed to cool. Mix well. Take 1/3 of the sugar and boil for 1 minute in 3 pints of water. Allow syrup to cool, then stir into pulp. Add yeast and ferment 7 days. Strain pulp through fine muslin and wring out dry as you can. Put strained liquid into a gallon jar and discard the pulp. Boil another 1/3 of the sugar in 1 pint of water for 1 minute and when it has cooled, add it to the rest. Cover neck of jar or fit a fermentation lock and continue to ferment in a warm place for 10 days more. Siphon off the liquid into another container, leaving the sediment behind. Clean and sterilize jar and return liquid to it. Boil remaining 1/3 of the sugar in the last 1 pint of water. Allow to cool and add to rest. Refit fermentation lock or cover again. Allow to remain in a warm place till all fermentation has ceased. If there is not enough room in the jar for any of the last lot of syrup, place in a sterile jar and refrigerate until fermentation has reduced the volume of the liquid and then add the remainder. Allow to sit until all fermentation has ceased.

May wine
Yield = 3 quarts

Ingredients
12 or more sprigs of sweet woodruff 3 pints fresh, ripe strawberries 2 bottles Rhine or Moselle wine ½ cup sugar woodruff sprigs and blossoms for garnish edible flower blossoms such as violet, Johnny-jump-up, pansy, rose petals 1 bottle of champagne

Heat the woodruff sprigs on a baking sheet in a low oven for a few minutes to bring out the scent of coumarin. Rinse the berries lightly and pick them over, reserving a pint of the best for garnish. Remove stems for 2 pints of the berries and taste for sweetness. Add 1 pint of berries to each of 2 pitchers along with half the sugar, if the berries are tart, less if sweet. Crush berries with sugar, then add the woodruff (dividing it evenly). Pour a bottle of wine into each pitcher and stir well. Cover pitchers with plastic wrap and refrigerate upto 24 hours. To serve, strain the wine into a punch bowl. Stir in the bottle of champagne. Garnish with reserved strawberry, woodruff and flowers.

Mulberry Wine

Oakleaf Wine
Presented for its historical value.

Put the oak leaves in to a pan and pour the water over them. Let them steep for 8 hours. Add the sugar and the lemons (cut into slices) and let the whole simmer for 20 minutes. Let it cool down and then add the yeast when it is lukewarm. Let stand for 36 hours, then place in a cask after fermentation has ceased. It should be ready for use in 6 to 8 months.

Orange Wine

Ingredients
12 large oranges 4 lbs sugar ½ oz yeast 1 gallon water

Drop whole oranges into boiling water, then push each one under the surface. Remove and discard the water. Cut the oranges into small pieces, place in crock and pour over them ½ gallon of boiled water which has been allowed to cool. Cover and leave to soak for 48 hours, crushing and pressing the peel to extract the oil. Boil half the sugar in a quart of water for 2 minutes and when cool, add to pulp. Add yeast. Ferment in a warm place for 5 days. Crush, strain through fine muslin and wring out dry. Discard pulp and return the fermenting liquid to the crock. Allow to ferment for another 10 days. Pour off into a gallon jar leaving as much of the sediment behind as possible. Boil the rest of the water and sugar together and when cool add to the rest. Cover or fit a fermentation lock to the neck of the jar and continue to set in a warm place till all fermentation has ceased.

Parsley Wine

Ingredients
2 oz dried parsley 1 oz dried mint ½ oz dried sage 1 gallon water 2 oranges, quartered 2 lemons, quartered 3 lbs sugar ½ oz baker's yeast or 1 pkg wine yeast

Place all ingredients (except sugar, yeast and water) into a crock. Pour ½ gallon of boiling water over the contents of the crock. Leave for 2 to 3 hours, covered. Boil half the sugar in 1 quart of water for 2 minutes and add this to the rest while still boiling. Mix well and when cool enough, add yeast. Cover again and ferment in a warm place for 10 days, stirring daily and covering immediately again. After 10 days, strain out the solids and wring out as dry as you can. Place the strained liquid into a gallon glass jug. Boil the other half of the sugar in the remaining quart of water for 2 minutes and when cool, add to the jug. Cover or fit a fermentation lock and continue to ferment in a warm place till all fermentation ceases.

Parsnip Wine

Version 1

Scrub and grate parsnips, then simmer gently for 5 minutes in 3 quarts water. Remove all scum. Strain and add half the sugar at once and stir till all is dissolved. Add cut-up raisins and cut-up oranges and lemons and their peels. Allow to cool and then add yeast. Cover and ferment for 10 days. Strain and wring out as dry as possible. Boil the rest of the sugar and water together for 1 minute and when cool, add this to the rest. Put into a gallon bottle and cover or fit fermentation lock and leave till all fermentation has ceased.

Plum Wine
NOTE: Dark red, fully ripe fruits are required for this wine to be at its best.

Version 1 Ingredients
10 lbs plums 7 pints water 3½ lbs sugar 1 pkg port type wine yeast

Place all ingredients (except sugar, yeast and water) into a crock. Pour ½ gallon of boiling water over the contents of the crock. Leave for 2 to 3 hours, covered. Boil half the sugar in 1 quart of water for 2 minutes and add this to the rest while still boiling. Mix well and when cool enough, add yeast. Cover again and ferment in a warm place for 10 days, stirring daily and covering immediately again. After 10 days, strain out the solids and wring out as dry as you can. Place the strained liquid into a gallon glass jug. Boil the other half of the sugar in the remaining quart of water for 2 minutes and when cool, add to the jug. Cover or fit a fermentation lock and continue to ferment in a warm place till all fermentation ceases.

Potato Wine

Ingredients
2 lbs potatoes 1 lb raisins 4 oranges 4 lbs sugar 1 oz yeast 5 quarts water

Scrub and grate potatoes and place in ½ gallon of water. Bring slowly to boling point and simmer for 1 minute. Strain into crock. Add half the sugar at once and stir till all is dissolved. Add cut-up raisins and cut-up oranges with their peels. Allow to cool and add yeast. Cover and ferment for 10 days. Strain, wringing out pulp as dry as possible. Boil remaining water and sugar together for 1 minute and when cool add this to the rest. Place all into a gallon bottle and cover or fit a fermentation lock to the neck. Leave till all fermentation has ceased.

Prune Wine

Ingredients
6 lbs prunes 2 lemons 3½ lbs sugar 9 pints water 1 oz yeast

Wash prunes and place in crock. Boil 2 lbs sugar in 7 pints of water and pour over fruit while still boiling. Allow to cool and add the yeast. Cover and ferment for 10 days, crushing well each day as soon as fruit becomes soft. After 10 days, crush well and strain out the solids. Wring out as dry as possible and put the liquid in a gallon jar. Boil the rest of the sugar in the remaining 2 pints of water and when cool, add to the rest. Cover neck of jar or fit a fermentation lock. Leave till all fermentation has ceased.