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Fresh Elderflower Wine

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  • Fresh Elderflower Wine

    Try to use flowers that are in full sun as these seem to give the best flavour and bouquet.


    1/2 Litre of Petals,stripped off the stalks and packed loosely
    1. kg Sugar
    250grm grape concentrate or a Litre of apple juice
    Pectloase
    Tannin
    1tsp Yeast Nutrient
    1tsp Acid Blend or citric acid
    Gervin N0 3 or all purpose yeast.


    Strip most of the petals off the stalks, a few bits don't matter,and pour 2 pints boiling water over them.
    Leave overnight and add the rest of the ingredients and 4 pints cold water

    Leave 2 days and strain into a demi-john.

    When the vigourous bubbling slows down,top up to one gall with cold water and leave to ferment out as normal

    After about two weeks all the bubbling will have stopped, syphon into a clean demi john and add:
    one campden tablet and 1 potassium sorbate tablet.

    I usually add Kwik Cleer finings at this point.

    It's better to taste the wine before you add the campden tablet, if it's too sweet leave it a bit longer, if it's too dry{sour} you can always sweeten it later.

    Using apple juice instead of grape concentrate gives a different wine that tends to mature quicker.

    I haven't tried this recipe yet, but plan to with this years crop, but I'll be making 10 gallons coz Elderflower is my favouritest white wine in the whole wide world, well, so far anyway...
    HRH Her Lushness

    Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

  • #2
    here is another

    284 ml. Elderflowers (1/2 Pint) (white not cream coloured)
    852 ml. White grape concentrate (1 1/2 pint)

    226 g sugar (1/2 lb)
    1/2 tsp citric acid
    1 tsp malic acid
    1/2 tsp Tartaric acid
    1 - 3mg Benerva tablet
    1 Tablet yeast nutrient
    1/2 tsp ammonium phosphate
    1/2 tsp yeast energiser
    yeast starter
    water to 4.55 litres (1 imp gallon)

    method
    1st Day- Prepare yeast starter
    2nd Day- Place the grape concentrate and sugar syrup, together with the rest of the ingredients (except the flowers) into a container, fill to the 4.55 Litre (1 gallon imp) mark with boiled cooled and aerated water, cover and keep at 21 deg C (70 deg F)
    7th Day- Add the flowers contained in a filter bag.
    10th Day- Take out the flowers, funnel the liquor into a demijohn top up with warm water if necessary fit holed bung and part water-filled airlock, and keep at 21 deg C (70 Deg F)
    ferment to dry, racking and bottling as normal.
    N.G.W.B.J.
    Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
    Wine, mead and beer maker

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    • #3
      And lots and lots of Elderflower (and Elderberry) recipes here
      N.G.W.B.J.
      Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
      Wine, mead and beer maker

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      • #4
        A very dopey question! To get the measure of flowers half pint or half litre, how many clusters of flowers do you need? I ask because we will be travelling out of town to find our bloms and want to make sure we collect enough!

        Thanks,
        Pam

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        • #5
          I'm afraid that a question like that is one of those "how long is a piece of string" type questions.

          Having said that, if you have one of the digital luggage type weighing devices then I have found in the past that approx 1KG of picked heads is equal to 450G of petals once you've de-flowered them. I find my weighing thing worth it's weight in gold once the real fruit picking season comes into full swing - especially at the pick your own places as it saves you spending more than you need if you're picking fruit for a specific recipe.

          Also according to CJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ Berry, 3/4pt Elderflower petals is equal to 3OZ, which also makes 1/2 litre of petals equal to 110G or 0.4LB.

          Obviously these calculations are rough, but I've found them useful in the past.

          You're lucky to be able to go picking as there's nothing out round here yet.
          HRH Her Lushness

          Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

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          • #6
            A much better method for an elderflower type wine, is to make a wine number 1 and add a very small amount of elderflowers (about 2 tablespoons) toward the end of fermentation, this will extract the elderflower bouquet.
            N.G.W.B.J.
            Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
            Wine, mead and beer maker

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by lockwood1956 View Post
              A much better method for an elderflower type wine, is to make a wine number 1 and add a very small amount of elderflowers (about 2 tablespoons) toward the end of fermentation, this will extract the elderflower bouquet.
              Yeah, but that's waaaaaaaay too easy doing it like that!
              HRH Her Lushness

              Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

              Comment


              • #8
                What about the infamous elderflower champagne, has anybody actually made a great tasting sparkler from fresh flowers? I getting to the point I think its an urban myth.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Pyrosfx View Post
                  What about the infamous elderflower champagne, has anybody actually made a great tasting sparkler from fresh flowers? I getting to the point I think its an urban myth.
                  Please please please


                  dont anyone on here try that ridiculous recipe....it creates glass hand grenades.


                  the guys on jimsbeerkit were all trying it, and thinking it was funny when the bottles were exploding, thats because they were lucky enough not to be in the room when the bottle exploded....


                  I have made good sparkling wine from apple and elderflower ....but using champagne method and proper bottles.

                  regards
                  bob
                  N.G.W.B.J.
                  Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
                  Wine, mead and beer maker

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Luckily my system has been tested to 8 volumes, so no risk of explosion, I'd never contemplate this with glass, have be a complete fool (though the BBC site actually recommends glass screw top over PET, I e-mailed them ages ago, but no change).

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Pyrosfx View Post
                      I'd never contemplate this with glass, have be a complete fool
                      HAHAHA! My ex-boss, all fired up with enthusiasm after sampling some of my elderflower wine decided to make 10 bottles of elderflower champagne last year without telling me... needless to say, all 10 bottles blew up in her garage and made a terrible mess. I didn't laugh... much...
                      HRH Her Lushness

                      Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Hi
                        Just picked the Elderflowers thia morning, stripped and covered with boiling water in an hour, so should be fresh, this is my first attempt on winemakeing for 25yrs, hope it turns out ok.

                        Squint

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                        • #13
                          best of luck
                          A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by wipka84 View Post
                            best of luck
                            Thanks

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                            • #15
                              I picked one small bunch of flowers earlier and it had 7 or 8 small bugs on it, hope you lot are checking them before using them!

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