Last spring I made a batch of elderberry wine from concentrate. No oak, nothing fancy. I wanted to try my hand at making it, because years ago my late grandmother talked about elderberry wine. It sounded like the perfect compliment to a hot summer day and something on the grill. So not long after bottling, we popped one to see what it was like. My disappointment paled in comparison to my wife's totally disgust. Since I figured that it was one of those batches that you end up giving away, I did just that. I gave away a case of the stuff.
This past weekned, I decided to give it another shot. At worst, I would have an empty bottle. So I poured a glass and WOW!! The bitter, stingy sourness was gone. All that was left was a wonderful, semi-sweet berry that was bright, and danced on your palate. What's more, my wife was really upset that we had not given it a chance to mature and instead basically handed it out.
All in all, a valuable lesson was learned. If in doubt about a wine, wait. If it doesn't get better in a year, wait another. Some of the best wines never reach drinkability in the lifetime of the vinter.
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