# Making elderflower champagne more alcoholic



## Jnay (Jun 23, 2014)

Hi I have a recipe for elderflower champagne but I would like to know how to

make it more alcoholic please.

This is the recipe and instructions.........

ALCOHOLIC ELDERFLOWER CHAMPAGNE	
Grated rind of one lemon 
500ml/1 pint of elderflowers 
3.5 litres/8 pints of boiling water	
1.3kg/3 lbs sugar 
Juice of one lemon 
Champagne yeast

Put flowers into fermentation bin and mix with lemon rind. Pour over boiling water and allow to stand for 4 days, stirring occasionally.

After 4 days strain through a fine sieve or muslin cloth. Stir in sugar, lemon juice and yeast. Keep at room temperature to ferment, try not to let it go down to 18°c.

When you are sure all the bubbling has ceased, stir the wine and allow to settle for 3 days Strain in demijohn and allow to ferment fully.

Bring 200ml of water to the boil and add 70g of sugar. Allow to cool then strain the wine into a another demijohn leaving the sediment. Add the 200ml of sugar solution and leave in a warm place for 24 hours.

Siphon into champagne bottles seal with champagne corks and secure them in place with metal cages. The wine should be kept at room temp for the first 10 days. After this time it is moved to a cooler place, such as a cellar. They should initially be stored horizontally and over the next three months they should be gradually moved upside down. This can be done by placing the neck into sand. Chill for 24 hours before serving and do not disturb the bottle before opening.

Thank you everyone xx


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## sour_grapes (Jun 23, 2014)

Here is the article that this recipe came from, in case it helps anyone answer Jnay's question: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2011/may/12/gardeningadvice-gardens


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## sour_grapes (Jun 23, 2014)

First of all, why do you think you want to make this more alcoholic than the recipe? Do you have any reason to suspect it won't be sufficiently alcoholic?

If you add 1.3 kg of sugar to 3.5 liters of water, you get a specific gravity of about 1.130. If you were to ferment all of that sugar, you would get an ABV of 17%. That is plenty alcoholic.

This really strikes me as a bad recipe, and a really tough one for a beginner to gain success with. Do yourself a favor and buy a hydrometer and learn the science behind making wine, rather than trying to blindly follow recipes! Here is a thread that has some information on making sparkling wines: http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f5/help-first-sparkling-wine-690/


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## Jnay (Jun 24, 2014)

Hi
I was told by ppl who made this recipe last year that it was about 3 to 4% Alcohol. I would like mine to be slightly higher alcohol 

Thanks


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## Jnay (Jun 24, 2014)

Hi,

Is there anyone who might be able to link me to a good elderflower champagne recipe. All I want is a fizzy alcoholic elderflower drink. I know it's not really champagne. I'm not sure about this recipe now after reading sour grapes comments.

I'm at the stage where I have put the elderflowers in the water with the lemon zest. I did this last night.......

Any help would be really appreciated, thank you


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## cintipam (Jun 24, 2014)

Jnay, like Paul said the recipe you posted should produce 17% alcohol. You do need to buy a hydrometer (called triple trail hydrometer) to be sure you ferment to dry(a reading under 1.00) Leaving extra sugar in your champagne would just create conditions where too much extra fermentation would continue to happen in your sealed bottles and they could turn into bottle bombs. Since you have a recipe, why don't you just try the one you have. Yes it would be nice if you learned all about what you are doing and why you are doing it, but I sense that is not your goal.

It would be safer to follow the bottling procedure they outline in the thread Paul suggested. Read all thru that and you will learn enough to make lots of stuff fizzy.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f5/help-first-sparkling-wine-690/

Pam in cinti


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## BernardSmith (Jun 24, 2014)

The recipe you have is close to a traditional British elderflower wine in that the wine is bottled before fermentation has completed and half the bottles explode because of the unpredictable quantity of CO2 that builds up. 
My recipe is simple and safe.
I aim for about 12% ABV (alcohol by volume) and so that means I aim for a specific gravity of about 1.090 (hence the need for a hydrometer). A starting gravity of 1.090 means that I have about 2.25 lbs of sugar (about 1 kg) in every US gallon of liquid. 
I have only started to grow elderflowers so I have only used dried flowers and I use about 2 oz in each gallon. 
After I add the flowers to the water I add campden tablets (or Potassium Meta-bisulfite) to inhibit all wild yeast and bacterial growth. Twenty four hours after I add the K-meta I pitch the yeast. 
I add yeast nutrient because I suspect that the flowers are not high in nitrogen. I add 1/2 of the total nutrient day 2, 1/2 of what is left day 4 and the rest on day 5 or 6 depending on how much sugar is left to ferment . The nutrient usually advises you how much to add per gallon 
My notes show that I used 71B yeast but champagne yeast is fine. 
I aim for a pH of about 3.5 so I add acid blend after the fermentation has ceased. 
I allow the must to ferment in a bucket covered with a towel and mix vigorously with a sanitized spoon or paddle to aerate and ensure that the florets are always soaked two or three times a day. I measure the gravity every couple of days. 
When the gravity falls from 1.090 to around 1.005 I siphon (or rack) the elderflower wine into a glass or plastic carboy and seal the mouth with a rubber bung and airlock. 
After two months I rack the wine onto an appropriate quantity of K-meta in a sanitized carboy and I repeat this racking every two or three months. Adding K-meta every time I rack ensures that there is sufficient free SO2 to inhibit oxidation. 
At the end of about 9 months I rack onto more K-meta plus a measure of K-sorbate (the quantities of K-meta and K-sorbate depend on the volume of your wine) into a bottling bucket. The K-meta with the K-sorbate stuns into a coma any remaining yeast. If there is still a large colony of yeast the additives will not have any significant effect and then I add enough dissolved sugar to raise the gravity to about 1.007. The remaining yeast will not referment the added sugar if I have reduced their colony over time by racking. I then bottle the wine and let it age for a couple of months. In other words, this recipe is for a still elderflower and one that is slightly sweet and slightly tart (remember the pH is about 3.5). 
I don't actively remove any dissolved CO2 because I think that any remaining CO2 (and there will be very little) adds to the texture and flavor of this wine as it is traditionally drunk very sparkling. My wine is at best close being what is called "petillant". But that said, I am planning on experimenting with a sparkling version for my stepdaughter's graduation next year but that will mean only that I will allow the wine to ferment dry and then add about 1 oz of dissolved sugar for every gallon of wine. That will be enough to create a sparkling wine but not enough to blow out the caged corks in bottles designed to hold sparkling wine.


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## WVMountaineerJack (Jun 25, 2014)

Not sure the original authors story is accurate, they say to store the bottle upside down but dont mention why - such as this is the traditional step to freeze the yeast plug and then disgorge it and reseal the bottle after topping it off. No reason to store them horizontally just put them upright, you are going to have a little crud on the bottom but that is just some yeast and wont hurt anything. Our elderflowers are blooming like crazy now, we pick at least 2 of those 8 gal brew buckets full of brackets to make a 5 gal batch, and use honey instead of sugar giving it much more body and a little character from the honey. Make sure you dont store these near the wifes favorite rug until you get the hand of it, not as bad as a red elderberry blowing the cork out but still a sticky mess to clean up. WVMJ


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## Jnay (Jun 26, 2014)

Thank you everyone for helping me.

I have copied all your comments to my diary so I can keep rereading them.

It's a lot to take in all at once.

Thanks again x


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## Jnay (Jun 28, 2014)

Hi again,

Cintipam you're right I don't really want to know the really specific things about making wine.
This may sound daft but I don't drink wine or beer or anything really lol but I do love the taste of elderflowers and I make the cordial every year so I thought I would give this champagne a go lol 

There are lots of tiny little bubbles coming to the surface of the liquid now, it smells lovely. I did a hydrometer reading because my hydrometer was delivered yesterday. It reads just below 1.100
Do you think I should leave it for a few days then take another reading, when I get readings nearly the same is the fermentation finished? 
I will try to upload a photo, I do seem to have trouble tutting photos on here though

Thanks


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## sour_grapes (Jun 28, 2014)

Looks like you are in good shape. Your hydrometer is reading a little _above_ 1.100, looks like maybe 1.106 from here.  

Yes, this should continue to bubble away for a week or so, and eventually the hydrometer will read close to 1.000 (hopefully, a bit less, like 0.994 or so). And yes, when it reads the same value (close to 1.000) three days in a row, you can call it done.


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## Jnay (Jun 28, 2014)

Thank you Sour Grapes,

I'm feeling very optimistic lol


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## Jnay (Jul 10, 2014)

Hi sour grapes and everyone,

I took this hydrometer reading last night.

Am I close to bottling it yet please ?

Many thanks


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## sour_grapes (Jul 10, 2014)

No, it looks like your SG reading is still about 1.030. There is still a lot of sugar in there that could ferment in the bottle, and cause you problems.

Is the SG still changing? Or has it been at this value for more than a few days?


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## Jnay (Jul 10, 2014)

Hi Sour Grapes,
It's still changing
I'm checking it every other day at the same time of day and it's never been the same ..


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## sour_grapes (Jul 10, 2014)

Great! Hang tight until the SG is below 1.000, and it has not changed in 3 days. You are on your way!


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## Jnay (Jul 10, 2014)

Hi,
Thanks sour grapes.

Speak soon x


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## Jnay (Jul 17, 2014)

Hi Sour Grapes,

I took this reading this morning.

Do you think it's ready or shall I wait some more?


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## sour_grapes (Jul 17, 2014)

sour_grapes said:


> Great! Hang tight until the SG is below 1.000, and it has not changed in 3 days. You are on your way!





Jnay said:


> Hi Sour Grapes,
> 
> I took this reading this morning.
> 
> Do you think it's ready or shall I wait some more?



What is the SG now? Has it been unchanged at this value for 3 days?


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## Jnay (Jul 18, 2014)

No it's still changing, this mornings reading was different.

I'm going to the UK on Monday and I was wondering if it will be ok left how it is for a week or shall I put it into the Demi Johns on Sunday before I leave.

I just don't want it to spoil. And I cannot put the trip off either. 

Thank you


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## sour_grapes (Jul 18, 2014)

Yes, you could put it into the demijohns now that vigorous fermentation is completed. This will reduce the exposure to air. The thing to avoid is putting into a sealed bottle, as your wine will continue to produce CO2. Do you have an airlock for the demijohn?

If you don't, you could cover the hole in the demijohn with (and I am just making this up now) plastic wrap or something to keep unwanted stuff out, but not be an airtight seal. An airlock would be better, obviously.


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## Jnay (Jul 19, 2014)

Hi Sour Grapes,

Thank you so much for all your advice.

I have a red rubber bung thing with a hole in it that goes onto the top of the Demi John , then I have a thing that goes in the hole and you add a bit of water to it and it bubbles. Is that what you mean. Cos I have them.
Thanks again


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## maurtis (Jul 19, 2014)

Yes, that is an airlock and will work wonderfully. Have a great trip!


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## Jnay (Jul 19, 2014)

Thank you Maurtis, 
I hope I do!!!


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