Help! Andy Hamiltons port recipe

[Djwflub]

Just making Andy H's port recipe from Booze for free - it says to strain the must into a demijohn & remove fruit as soon as the mixture is cooled, leave for 24 hrs, put in yeast. Why is the fruit coming out so soon? I just dont get it!!!

[MKG]

I'm just checking now. I'm sure there's a something port recipe in there somewhere. Back shortly.

[MKG]

Here we go - I'm assuming you mean the elderberry port as I can't find any other

There's 4lbs and 5 ozs of fruit in there, and most of it is very highly flavoured (elderberries, blackberries, oranges and sloes). It's not going to need to be in very hot water for long for quite an efficient flavour extraction. The only thing Andy doesn't mention (and I'd certainly do) is to break up the fruit first. It doesn't need to be mashed into submission - just a sort of friendly squeeze to ensure that skins are broken and juice can flow. If that's done, a lot of flavour will have been extracted by the time the water has cooled and, as Andy does mention later, as the fruit hasn't been macerated to death it may well be suitable to use again, probably with the addition of some fresh elderberries if you want more port-style wine. I'd add that it will make a lighter-bodied wine with no further additions (apart from sugar, of course).

No harm would be done by leaving the fruit in for longer (two, three or even four days), though, to obtain a much heavier flavour - but you wouldn't be able to re-use the fruit. And, if you weren't sulphiting it, I'd be tempted to get the yeast in at the earliest opportunity to cut out any chance of spoilage.

Hope that helps