Sweet Mulberry Wine

" Any one who has a mulberry tree in the yard knows that these berries can be a real pain in the neck. The fruit falls all summer long, creating disagreeable purple stains on the patio, shoes and children's clothes. When you do gather enough to make something of them, the stems are difficult to remove and you end up with purple fingers and meager results. In fact, as far as we can tell, there's only one thing mulberries are really good for, and that's making wine. Maybe that's why we found so many mulberry wine recipes. Here is one on the sweet side."

Makes 1 gallon

5 pounds mulberries

1 teaspoon pectic enzyme

4 pounds sugar

1 Campden tablet

1 package wine yeast

1 teaspoon yeast nutrient

1 1/2 cups ornage juice at room temperature

1 teaspoon acid blend

1/4 teaspoon grape tannin


Crush the mulberries in a 2 gallon fermenter. Pour 2 quarts of boiling water over them. Let the mixture cool, add the pectic enzyme, and cover the container with plastic wrap or foil. Let stand for four or five days, stirring daily.

Strain the liquid through cheesecloth and add sugar, stirring to dissolve. Add a Capmden tablet and let sit for 24 hours, well covered, before proceeding.

In a jar, make a yeast starter culture by combining the wine yeast, yeast nutrient and orange juice. Cover, shake vigorously, and let stand 1 to 3 hours until bubbly, then add to the must.

Add the remaining ingredients, plus enough water to make 1 gallon and pour the liquid into an airlocked fermenter. Let the wine complete the fermentation process. When it is clear, rack and bottle the wine.

Wait at least six months before sampling your first bottle.




Technorati Tags: Wine, Winemaking, Mulberries, Recipe