Making Elderflower Wine, its delicious & free (Part 2)

In part 2 of our simple, step by step series we share all the tips and techniques necessary to make a top flight Elderflower wine, from filtering ingredients, to starting yeast and airlocks
Country wines done well are immensely satisfying, absolutely delicious and almost free! Brew along with us in this simple, easy to follow series
Fir this recipe you will need (For each gallon / Demijohn / 4.5 litres / 6 bottles of wine)
500ml of trimmed elderflowers
Grated rind of 1 unwaxed lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
100g roughly chopped raisins
(Later)
1tsp wine yeast
Yeast nutrient (optional)
1.2 kg granulated sugar
Wine finings (optional to speed clearing)
Equipment
Clean Brewing Vessel
Unscented bleach for sterilising
Sieve / Collander
Muslin or cheesecloth
Demijohn
Cork / bung
Airlock
Large funnel
Wine filter (Optional)
Second brewing vessel / Demijohn for "racking off"
Siphon / plastic tube
Wine bottles
Cork
Corking gun (optional)
Wine shrink capsules (optional)

[@janemariawilliams]

Absolutely great descriptions

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Jane!

[@ericbertoldo7986]

My wife and I had this wine at a local winery and absolutely loved it. So I went searching for a recipe and found your channel. Thanks so much. I cannot wait for the weather to turn over here across the pond so I cant start making this delicious wine.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

It's a floral summer treat right enough! If you have any questions as you make it, please ask 🙂

[@KnackFarmer-theanswerismeat]

Yeah! I'm going to take that little moment of measurement clarity as something for my benefit! ;-) Great Part 2 --- exactly what needs to be there (What/Why/How/Outcomes) and nothing that doesn't need to be there ... x

[@EnglishCountryLife]

It absolutely was your suggestion! I will rely on you to give me a virtual slap next time I get into mix & match or forget to include lists of ingredients!

[@janemace6127]

Can’t wait to do this

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Its a bit late this year sadly, but I nay well do an elderberry port recipe when the the berries are ripe

[@zoeedwards2942]

loving these videos, just starting on the country wine making and getting inspired. would love an elderflower cordial video.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm slammed at the moment but will try to fit in an extra Elderflower recipe this year! Hugh

[@ritchieveteran1495]

Fantastic 👍

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Glad you liked it. Hugh

[@marcsallis-lyon7573]

Great video!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Marc!

[@Falney]

For stirring, I like the youngs plastic spoons. They are available in Wilko for £3.50 I think. But they are the perfect size to leave in the fermentation buckets so no need to sterilise when you stir your wine to decarbonate it.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I confess that fir degassing I now use a paint stirrer and a drill!

[@Falney]

@@EnglishCountryLife I'm in the camp that gives it a stir once a day during primary.

[@rachelalder2182]

In the midlands uk .. the elderflowers are just about to be ready ...

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Always exciting 😃

[@eastboundanddown5872]

I have just started this recipe today to see how it goes , I normally campden tablet the must but might see how it goes without

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@eastboundanddown5872 If you want to use a Campden it won't do any harm, but I've never found it necessary

[@eastboundanddown5872]

@@EnglishCountryLife thankyou for the reply I really appreciate it , you have a lovely house and I find your videos very therapeutic to watch with your no nonsense approach. I tried elderflower last year and it turned out bad thanks to the many thrips hiding in the petals , hopefully this year will be a winner

[@HappyHomestead]

I really mist make some elder flower wine! Will be raiding a friends garden next year!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

The quality of the blossom does vary by tree weirdly. Some taste great, some not so much

[@mattcairns832]

Please could you make Elderberry wine this year? Would love to brew along!!!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I will do my best Matt 😉. Hugh

[@user-mw5wy1mz1q]

Hi, i have thoroughly enjoying watching your tutorial viedos while trying to follow and make my own. It has been a day or so since i have added the yeast and i dont seem to have much action in the bubbler. Im not sure what i have done wrong. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Freddie, try putting a teaspoon of your yeast in half a glass of room temperature orange juice and wait 30 minutes. You should see bubbles form . If you do, your yeast is working. Add the orange juice to the wine and that should fix it.

[@user-mw5wy1mz1q]

@@EnglishCountryLife Thank you so much for your swift reply, I have tried this and it is now going like the clappers. I cannot wait to tast the result.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@user-mw5wy1mz1q Result! 👍

[@tayjames55]

Hey thanks for the videos! Do you add a tsp of yeast for every 4.5litres? Or for all 9liters? Also is the nutrients needed for this recipe? Thanks, 😊

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I generally add one per 4.5litres but if you add less, it does reproduce so will "catch up" over time. I think yeast nutrient is always a good idea with flower wines.

[@mrjl78]

Any idea how long before there are regular bubbles coming through the airlock after you have poured it into the demi john and fitted the lock?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Generally 36 hours or so, but it will speed up for a few days. If you get no bubbles in a 5 minute period after 48hrs, pitch some more yeast

[@jasonniehoff9372]

Thanks for making these videos. Did you mention how to clean/ sterilize the siphon. Also, do you sterilize everything that comes in contact with the wine, or just the fermenting vessels? I'm making a my first wine (dandelion wine), and doing an open primary ferment before transferring to jars with airlocks, is it safe to taste the must while it is still fermenting?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Jason! Its fine to taste must at every stage. It won't always taste good, or like the finished wine, but you learn a lot by tasting. It doesn't hurt to sterilise everything. 15 mins immersion in a bucket of water with an egg cup full of bleach followed by a good rinse will do it. Dandelion is a cracking wine! Hugh

[@jasonniehoff9372]

@@EnglishCountryLife Great thanks! we'll see how it turns out, the must is fizzing away pretty good, which is exciting. I also have some wild ferments going in the kitchen, like milk/ water kefir, and a Jun scoby hotel. Will these cross contaminate the must,? Also, if the must does go sour or gets the wrong type of bacteria, will it be obvious, is the wine still drinkable and just taste bad, or are the microbes in it actually bad for you?

[@mikeharrison2545]

Hi just getting ready to start the next step to my Elderflower wine. I'm making 3 gallons. Do I use 3 teaspoons of wine yeast and 3 yeast nutrient and 3 teaspoons of sugar in the half glass or is 1 teaspoon of all 3 used for what ever quantity you make. Thanks Louise

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Either will work - but use 3 spoons 🙂

[@susanoneill7401]

Do you bottle the wine once it's stopped bubbling and do you add anything else e.g. Camden tablets?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Susan, we cover when and how to bottle in the third part of the series kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIPNenp7mLl2e9U Hugh

[@kevinfuller6569]

Hi, very good videos, I'm following your process, however I can only find Young's Super Yeast and not natural, is this ok to use and will it be the same process? thanks

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Young's Super Wine Yeast is absolutely fine. 👍 Hugh

[@kevinfuller6569]

@@EnglishCountryLife Thank you!

[@m0bob]

Hi Hugh, Should I add plain water to the airlock or do I need to add something to the water? Also, it is currently 26c indoors, will that be a problem? Your voice sounds similar to a work colleague from Lancashire, but I expect you are miles from there. Thanks, Rob.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Rob, Some people use glycerine in airlocks because it doesn't evaporate, but I've always used water. 26c may make it ferment quickly but its no cause for concern. I'm a Devon boy with Hampshire parents, a Scottish wife who has lived and worked all over so my accent is mixed I think 🙂

[@cagansaraltun6161]

Thank you so much for your videos! I am following your recipe but I will not be using yeast or nutrients and I thought of doubling the flowers to account for the lack of yeast and using brown sugar for the nutrients. Do you think this sounds like a good adjustment? What can go wrong? :D

[@EnglishCountryLife]

You may get lucky with wild yeast, but its not certain - good luck

[@cagansaraltun6161]

@@EnglishCountryLife Thanks!

[@heatherwhiting7950]

These videos are great and I have my first batch on the go .. however many videos I have watched say to put the yeast in the bucket and leave it to ferment in there for a week or two and then put into a Demi jon, could you say why you don't do this, does it make a difference... I have read the Demi Jon's could explode? I am following your method it is bubbling away nicely but pondering weather to leave the yeast in the bucket then strain for my next batch. Thank you

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Heather! The reason that some wines need their initial (primary) fermentation to be in the bucket is that its a vigorous fermentation that runs the risk if foaming through the airlock of the demijohn. I've not found that ever to be a problem with elderflower, it has always fermented steadily for me, so I don't find a need to do the initial fermentation in a bucket. There is no risk of explosion, don't worry, the worst that will happen with an airlock fitted is that bubbles of liquid force their way through the airlock, but that's never happened to me with Elderflower. Hope that reassures you! Hugh

[@heatherwhiting7950]

That's great thank you so much for your relpy

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@heatherwhiting7950 Any time - its always nice to chat with a fellow brewer!

[@evenlow610]

hey great vid, was wondering if you have tried or had success with elderflower wine without adding the yeast, as i know the elderflower has yeast in it?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

It can work certainly. Some wild yeasts cannot tolerate the level of alcohol present in wine so it can end up sweet & weak if you are unlucky, but it can work well. I've had more consistent results with orchard cider

[@evenlow610]

@@EnglishCountryLife Thanks so much I am brewing my own wine and beer for my wedding so as not to play the guessing game I will do it with the yeast, will try it the other way some time but not for the wedding =) Ps how long does elderflower keep after its all done and bottled?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

The stuff we are drinking now is 6 years old but it will last much longer. Congratulations on the wedding!

[@hannahloulou8417]

We have been following this recipe. We have had our mixture in the bucket for days but cannot strain it and place in the demijohn until Friday and this will make it six days in the bucket. Is that okay? The person I making it with thinks that it will spoil if we don't. Urgent advice please

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Keep it tightly covered Hannah. Provided that you haven't added sugar or yeast it should be okay. Provided that there's no signs of mould or stagnant smells, its fine. Hugh

[@Lua_Aki_Van]

Greetings from Hungary first, me and my friend will do this recipe, but I'm living in a flat and my parents said that the fermentation will be smelly. Can you tell me how much does two gallons of wine will change the smell of a room?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hello Richard! It can make a yeasty smell, not unlike bread baking. I don't find it unpleasant, but it is noticeable. It disappears after a few days Hugh

[@ragnarasplund6544]

If the yeast is stressed or something else got into the must, it can smell a bit like a fart or like drain water. With a bit of nutrients from the raisins in there, it'll probably just smell slightly of elderflowers and a bit like bread dough.

[@jacquiehahn4910]

I am still trying to replicate the astonishingly good stuff I made in a very slap-dash manner first time around. It was glorious, like a fine Muscat. I've had everything from drinkable to nail-polish remover since. I keep trying though. Great video.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Do try to remember which trees you used, it makes a difference! Never wash the flowers & pick on a warm dry day. Hope that helps!

[@leeeyres6501]

Was wondering ,Why no camden tablet with this recipe.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I've never found any problem with elderflower carrying unhelpful yeast, indeed many use their natural yeast to make elderflower champagne 🥂

[@barbaramuir6356]

Hi, I made the must then four days later I discovered my ‘yeast’ was yeast nutrient. It is now six days, should I add yeast or chuck it and start fresh

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I would add yeast & cross my fingers 🤞🤞

[@barbaramuir6356]

@@EnglishCountryLife thank you, I’ll let you know. In the meantime the next lots is on

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@barbaramuir6356 Perfect - it's hard to have too much!

[@getmovingtoday]

Help! I did this and there are no bubbles.....what can i do???

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi! Make another starter culture of yeast and juice. Wait until its definitely full of bubbles. This confirms that the yeast is working. Add the new starter to the demijohn and cork firmly

[@terenceadamson4849]

My must looks much darker than yours. I couldn’t detect any strange odours though. Why do you think this is? It’s in the semi johns now. Hope I don’t end up with two gallons of Elderflower vinegar 😂

[@EnglishCountryLife]

It takes a lot of colour from the raisins. If yours were darker, that would explain it

[@terenceadamson4849]

@@EnglishCountryLife That makes sense. I realised afterwards that I forgot to sterilise my spoon before I used it to stir in the sugar and I didn’t realise I had to sterilise the straining bag before I used it for the first time. Would that increase the chance of fermentation failure. The air locks seem to Be bubbling okay though. Thanks for your advice. I really appreciate it.

[@chadroeder]

why leave it on the windowsill?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Just because its a nice warm spot & unlikely to gey knocked. Any warm, out if the way, plaace is fine. Hugh

[@hannahloulou8417]

Because they are trying me mad with elderflower anxiety.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Does it look & smell okay?