Elderflower Champagnesparkling Wine Recipes

ELDERFLOWER WINE

Steps:

• Read our guides on how to clean brewing equipment and home brewing safety tips before you get started. Trim the elderflower florets off the stems with scissors or a wide-toothed comb into a clean bucket.
• Add the sultanas, lemon zest and juice to the bucket. Dissolve the sugar and citric acid in 2l boiling water and pour into the bucket. Cover and leave for 8 hours or overnight to steep.
• Add the tea and 2.5l cold water, stir, then sprinkle the yeast over. Cover and leave in a moderate (15-20C) spot, out of the sunlight, to ferment until the foam has died down - this usually takes five days, but could be up to 14.
• Transfer into a clean bucket or demijohn, leaving the sediment behind. Top up to 4.5l with cooled boiled water if desired. Cover tightly (a lid with an airlock is recommended). Leave to ferment, this usually takes six weeks (little trails of bubbles are a visual indicator).
• When the liquid stops bubbling and clears a little, transfer to a clean bucket, leaving the sediment behind and adding the campden tablet. Leave to clear, which may take a few months, then decant into sterilised bottles. Store in a cool, dark place. The wine will improve for up to 18 months.

ELDERFLOWER CHAMPAGNE/SPARKLING WINE

Steps:

• Add sugar and water and stir till the sugar is dissolved
• Add the elderflower heads, lemon, vinegar and yeast
• Cover with a muslin cloth (to allow air out, but no bugs in)
• Elderflower heads should have enough natural yeast on them to get themselves going. If after 24 hours there doesn't seem to be any fermentation (no bubbles) add a teaspoon of bread, champagne or white wine yeast.
• Leave to ferment a further 4 days, then lay the muslin inside your regular sieve and pour the liquid out so that it catches all the plant matter in the sieve. This is where I pour it into the demijohn and place the bulb into the cork.
• Put some water into the bulbs - this allows the gas to escape but doesn't let air in and leave for 3 - 4 days while it ferments further.
• From here, add a half teaspoon fine white sugar to your 500ml bottles, and decant the champagne into individual bottles. Check from time to time so that they don't explode, but set aside for 2 weeks.
• Chill before serving - there may be sediment at the bottom of the bottle, so don't pour it out all the way.

ELDERFLOWER CHAMPAGNE

Steps:

• Read our guides on how to clean brewing equipment and home brewing safety tips before you get started. Fully dissolve the sugar in 4l just-boiled water in a fermenting bucket. Add 6l cold water.
• Shake any bugs loose from the elderflower, then strip the florets from the heads with a fork. Let the sugar water cool to 20C and stir in the lemon zest, juice, flowers and yeast. Cover, and leave to ferment out of direct sunlight for six days. If your bucket doesn't have an airlock lid, gently rest the lid on top of the bucket.
• Strain through boiled or sanitised muslin into the second sanitised bucket, leaving the sediment behind. Leave it to sit for a couple of hours for any last pollen or sediment to settle.
• Siphon into sanitised wine or fizzy drink bottles and seal. Leave for five days in a cool dark place. Check the carbonation by lightly opening the lids to vent excess CO2. Keep in fridge if notably vigorous. If you drop the sugar to 1.6kg, it shouldn't finish above 8% abv, at 2kg, 10%. Champagne yeast is tolerant up to at least 15%.