German Style – Dry Or Medium Dry White Wine
(Can be sweetened)

NB: If you are new to winemaking, it is worth checking out our guide to success.

Intro

This is a very simple wine to make and uses ingredients that are available all year around.  I have chosen simple “supermarket” juices, plus a little extra sugar to give a wine of 9-10% alcohol only, and with a noticeable elderflower aroma.  I quite like this as a dry wine, but the match with decent everyday German wines is better if sweetened somewhat.  As it stands the following recipe gives a dry wine when the fermentation is taken to dryness.

Ingredients

• 1 Litre Apple Juice
• 1 Litre Apple & Elderflower Juice
• 500ml White Grape Juice
• 500g Granulated Sugar
• Sufficient Pectolytic Enzyme
• Gervin No.9 Yeast
• 1g / ¼ Teaspoon Yeast Nutrient
• Water to 4.5 Litres

Method

Make up the must by mixing the juices in the demi-john, adding the sugar and sufficient water to fill the jar to the shoulder.  Shake well to dissolve the sugar.  Now add the pectolytic enzyme and yeast nutrient.  Rehydrate the yeast and add to the must.  When the head subside add more water to tale the level in the jar well past the shoulder.  Ferment at 15-20 Degrees Celsius until no more bubbles emerge through the lock.  Now put the jar of wine in a cool place, leaving the lock in the neck of the jar to prevent air getting at the wine and spoiling it.  Rack the wine from the deposit and add one teaspoon of 10% sulphite solution.  If you wish to sweeten the wine, add a further 500ml of apple juice, mix well and leave the wine for 3-4 weeks to blend thoroughly.  When the wine is star bright, rack it, and add a further teaspoon of sulphite solution and bottle it.