To Make Elder Wine

This elder wine recipe hails from early 18th-century England, around 1725, and was recorded by Dorothy Stone. In an era when grapes for wine-making were not easily grown in much of Britain, resourceful home cooks turned to local fruits like elderberries and dried fruits such as Malaga raisins to create rich, sweet wines. Such recipes were cherished both for their festive appeal and for medicinal purposes—elderberry wine was believed to bolster health during the winter months. The recipe is part of a larger tradition of household wine-making, when cellaring and home fermentation were commonly practiced by well-off households as a means of preserving seasonal bounty and creating convivial drink.

Back in the early 18th century, cooks would have used large earthenware or wooden tubs for soaking and fermenting the fruit, wooden spoons or paddles for stirring, and a sturdy linen cloth for squeezing out the raisin pulp. Barrels made from oak or other woods were essential for aging and storing the wine, as was clean, cold cellar space to keep the wine cool during maturation. Bottling would be done with glass bottles sealed with corks or wax, often by hand. The process was labor-intensive and relied on manual power—no fancy gadgets or electrical appliances, just practical hand tools and plenty of communal effort.