When Iv'e gathered sloes, not this year, I prick then to allow the juices to seep into the alchohol, so I shouldn't think there is any harm done to your damsons.

I use sour plums and stuff as many as I can intoa kilner jar, add sugar then gin, seal the jar and keeping it in a dark place turn it daily to dissolve the sugar, after about 6weeks taste it for sugar then seal again and strain before use at C.....mas ( its too early to use the Cword. :0)))

What the French do here is to put all their ripe damsons into a large bin and allow them to ferment naturally. Then they put the resulting liquid after several weeks into their private 'stills' and make 'eau de vie' or what the Irish would call poteen or potcheen!
Apparently many of the old folk still have the right to do this, but the result is a beverage which takes the top of your head off and leaves you with a monumental hangover the next day.
Good luck with your damson wine! Sounds a lot better!

Mines a corruption of sloe gin......

Yours sounds like firewater Bertie. :0)

My pen friend's husband does this Bertie - he says he is doing "on behalf of his father", although the "droit de paysan" to distil doesn't apply to the younger generation, sadly. Its wonderful stuff, as i can personally vouch for! My son was given the directions for making the still, involving quantities of dry bracken as far as I remember, but I don't think he ever actually tried it!