Elderflower wine

[chadspad]

Have just tested my elderflower champagne & wine by hydrometer which I bought after watching the bloke on 'Down on the Farm' test his cider. It tells me (bearing in mind I know nothing about this process ) that my champagne has an alcohol content of 6%, higher than I thought but my wine (which has just gone in for the 3 months stint) is rated as 'dry' which was the lowest on the scale - the last number shown is 5%, then sweet, medium & dry. Will the wine get stronger during the 3 month stint now? Have I read this right for the champagne? Gonna have to crack open a bottle or 2 of that tonight!

[The Orkney BeeGee]

If you found the yeast you used was slow to get going try SB23 Super Yeast - - - it go whoosh.

[chadspad]

I have just bottled my elderflower wine, trying a little as I went and its revolting!! Its beautifully clear tho. I could taste the elderflower, hiding, and it was certainly alcoholic but it was very vinegary and sour - will this improve with the bottling process? How long should I store it for now?

It tastes exactly as I imagined home-brew would taste and Im a little disheartened. I had plans to try huge amounts of different flavours but it seems as waste if theyre all gonna end up being thrown away

[dmwcarol]

Vinegary isn't a good sign - it usually means the wine has started to oxidise and that's not fixable so far as I know.

Don't throw it away though, turn it into proper vinegar. Just add a bit of cider vinegar, leave for a couple of weeks during which time it will gradually get stronger, When it reaches tastes properly vinegary you need to kill off the vinegar producing bacteria by boiling it for about five minutes. You can then bottle it and use next time you're making chutney or suchlike. Not sure the elderflower flavour would work with chips though.