I never "cook" elderberries before starting to ferment them. From the
freezer I let them defrost and then treat them with a solution of
metabisulphite and then start the fermentation.
Cooking any fruit gives the wine produced a totally different flavour which
is why kit red wines are still never as good as white kit wines. To obtain
the colour extraction from the grapes for kit reds a "heat treatment" is
necessary -- i.e. they get cooked!

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire, England
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"alan williamson" > wrote in message
...
> I have made wine from elderberries without cooking them. I left them in
the
> freezer with blackcurrents and when ready I was ready to use them, I
poured
> boiling water on the berries this helped to release the juice.


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