ELDERFLOWER CHAMPAGNE QUERY

[dimar]

Hi - I wonder if anyone can help?

I made some Elderflower Champagne for the first time a couple of weeks ago (it was bottled on about 20 June), so two weeks is nearly up. The other night when I checked, it was looking cloudy so I shook two bottles. The next night there was a frog spawn like lump at the top of the bottles. Does anyone know what this could be? The other bottles are still cloudy and I have not touched them. Thanks in anticipation....

[kit-e-kate]

Could it be some kind of mould maybe? Did you sterlise the bottles before you filled them? I've never made elderflower champagne so i'm sorry i can't offer any sensible advice. Did you open a bottle? How does it smell?
Its a mystery! Hopefully one of the wine-expert-ishers will be along to help soon! : )

[dimar]

I had rinsed the bottles (which were new) with hot water. I haven't opened the bottles since the frog spawn appeared. I was really looking forward to trying it in a couple of days time so if anyone does know anything about this or the fact that it is cloudy because I made rather a lot!

[MKG]

What a coincidence - this is the second "frogspawn" query I've answered today.

Nothing to worry about too much normally - it's pectin. Usually, an excess of pectin will just give you a hazy wine (which you have), but sometimes it can gather around little particles of fruit residue, dust, whatever (even CO2 bubbles relaeased by shaking), and then clump together, giving you the frogspawn appearance. Normally it's relatively easy to get rid of by stirring in a double-dose (a heaped teaspoon per gallon) of pectic enzyme. However, you can't do that and still have elderflower champagne because you'll have to release the pressure and lose the bubbles. What you'd end up with is a very weak elderflower wine.

So - what to do? You're stuck with the haze, but it's completely harmless (there's tons of pectin in jam). I think that your only resort for your frogspawn bottles is to ignore them until it comes to drinking time. Then chill the bottle, strain the contents gently through a couple of layers of muslin, and drink immediately. I realise that this forces you to either drink the entire bottle or waste some, but I suspect that might not be such a problem

The question arises as to where the pectin came from. I've seen a few elderflower champagne recipes which just tell you to add an orange and a lemon. If you do that, you're introducing all the pectin you need to get into the situation you are in - the pith of citrus fruits is one of the most concentrated sources of natural pectin you can find. Use ONLY the juice and very thinly pared zest.

Let us know how you get on.

Oh - and don't shake any more bottles.

Mike

[dimar]

Thanks very much Mike - I am glad to hear it is harmless. You're right, I tried two different recipes both of which used lemons and one of them also used lemon peelings. I will let you know how it tastes when I try next week.

[dimar]

Just to let you know I sampled the elderflower champagne this week - and to my surprise it's lovely. I expected it be totally flat, but no, it had a slight fizz to it. Cannot believe that it is next to nothing to make and tastes so good!!! Even my hubby, who was very sceptical when I was making it, said I should feel proud of myself. Cannot wait to make some Elderberry wine now, though I think that is really going to stretch my winemaking skills.

[MKG]

Well done.

Elderflower champagne is a damn sight harder to make than elderberry wine!!! Stop worrying.

Although, as it's almost your first time, I'd recommend elderberry and blackberry - you'll get quicker results. Come to think of it, if you're feeling adventurous, do both. Elderberry and blackberry for a wine that's drinkable in a couple of months, pure elderberry to keep for as long as your patience holds out.

Mike

[boboff]

Well that is interesting.

I made about 50 pints of Elderflower champagne this year and its absolutely lovely.

I put 2 gallons of water with 1 kg of sugar, and used Distilled vineger (2 tbsp) to acidify.
One lot I added bread yeast the other I didn't, after a day I strained & bottled, and left in plastic screw bottles, releasing the gas every few days, and I kept it in a plastic lidded box just in case (last year it blew a hole in my plasterboard!) The one with just natural yeast took about a week longer to get up to fizz.

Both lots came out really well, I used a litre of it in a batch of Pink Gooseberry Jam I made, and that too is really nice.

The secret I think is not overdoing the sugar, use about half the amount you would use for Wine.

Having changed PC's it was googling the recipe that brought me back to this site!