Dried Elderflower wine - C J J Berry

[shirlthegirl43]

Ingredients:

Dried elderflowers - 1/2 ounce (no metric alternative)
Sugar - 3 1/2 lb (1.5 kilo)
Raisins - 1/2 lb (250g) OR White wine concentrate 1/4 pint (140ml)
Lemons - 3
Grape tannin - 1 teaspoon
Water - 1 gallon (4 1/2 litres)

Bring the water to the boil and pour over the flowers, then add the sugar, chopped raisins or concentrate and lemon juice. When cool 21C add the yeast (a prepared wine yeast is best but a granulated yeast can be used), your grape tannin, and nutrient. The nutrient is MOST important in this case. Cover well and leave to ferment in a warm place for four or five days. Strain into another jar, fit an airlock, and leave to ferment. When it clears, siphon the wine off the deposit for the first time; two months later rack it again, and bottle it.

[lockwood1956]

Cheers Shirl

[shirlthegirl43]

Nope. SG is not mentioned at all. He does say 'a prepared wine yeast is best but granulated yeast can be used'

I have to say that none of the recipes I have followed so far mention a starting gravity. That is probably why I keep forgetting to do that bit!!

[lockwood1956]

It's something to be careful about......


some recipes are from an age where sweeter wines were preferred, so probably best to adjust to where your personal preference is.


cheers
Bob

[shirlthegirl43]

Indeed.

I have to confess that I have made this wine but due to a spell of poor health (I have chronic fatigue syndrome and sometimes just don't have the energy for anything) I forgot all about it - it is still sitting in the ferment demijohn so I guess I have spoiled it! Is there any hope or should I chuck it and start again?

[shirlthegirl43]

Read somewhere that it is not good for it to sit on the lees. Not sure what to look for so thought I would ask before I chuck it out.

[Mamgiowl]

Don't chuck it whatever you do. Rack it off the leas, take Hydrometer reading, taste and only then decide if it needs chucking. Highly unlikely I would think. If it's finished let it age for a while, you'll find that unless you've actually got vinegar ageing will improve it no end.

[shirlthegirl43]

Thanks Mamgiowl. Sure I will find a bit of energy to sort it out soon. Wish the wind would stop blowing - maybe then I could get a good kip and maybe re-charge the batteries!

[medpretzel]

whatever happened with this wine? Did you chuck it, or did you rack?

[Welsh Paul]

Dried Elderflower Wine

Hi all,

I use 2 ozs (50 grms I think) of Dried Elderflowers,
4 Teaspoonfulls Of Citric Acid,
4 Teaspoonsfull Of Tannin,
4 Teaspoonsfull Of Yeast Nutrient
4 Kilos of Sugar
and a teaspoonfull of general yeast.
with 4 gallons of water

Boiling enough water to disolve the sugar, I add the Elderflower and make up to 4 gallons in the brewing bucket.
Then add the remainder of the ingrediants, stir daily for 7 days (this reduces the chance of the flowers going mouldy)

Wait until clear (Flowers will sink, when fermentation complete) bottle and or drink.

This works well for me.

Welsh Paul

[shirlthegirl43]

whatever happened with this wine? Did you chuck it, or did you rack?

Yikes, just spotted this question. I chucked it having learned a valuable lesson - DO NOT LEAVE RUBBER BUNGS IN GLASS DJ'S. It tasted more of rubber than anything else so down the sink it went.

I want to make another batch sometime but every time I go to the brew store they don't have any dried elderflowers.

Apologies it took so long to update