Selfsufficientish.com

Hi guys and girls

I am following your elderflower wine recipe:

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/elderflowercordial.htm

and noticed for yeast it says 25g or half an ounce of yeast.... isn't half an ounce 14 grams? which amount should I use?

thanks in advance...

Hiya, U R right in that 14 grams is half an ounce! What sort of yeast are u using? If its a proper wine yeast it should say on the tub what amounts to use per gallon - I would go by that.

I opened a bottle of my elderflower wine that I made a year ago. It was very sweet and quite thick, more like a desert wine. It was perfectly clear and I was pleased with the result. It def needs to be made into a long drink tho perhaps with lemonade and ice - its far too sweet on its own. Perhaps u could learn by my result and not add so much sugar - its easy to re-add some at a later stage but not to take it away.

Thanks for that, I will use the yeast as advised on the packet/tub, and i'll take on board your suggestion about the sugar.

Paul.

Ok, a question here about the final stages.

The elderflower, gorse, and Hawthorn are slowly settling down. The elderflower is down to 1 tiny bubble every 20 sec's.

I assume i need to wait until it has totally stopped, or do i add sorbate to stop the fermentation, and finings to give it that crystal clarity?

Or do i just wait until it stops, shake, settle, rack and then 4 months later bottle?

Just wondering, as the kit wines have a laid out recipe, whereas these fruit wines are more of a learn as you go thing.

personally - and a lot of this is down to opinion.. what I do is wait until it completely stops. then wait a bit longer.. its good if its out of sight and you can forget about it for a while!
Then, rack it off into another demijohn, to separate it off from the mucky crud (lees) at the bottom. when you are doing this - this is a good moment to have a little taste.

if it tastes like vinegar.. chuck it out.. nothing will change it. but if it just tastes horrid - well it might improve. if it taste good, yay. but also if its too dry you can introduce some more sugar in syrup form and let it work out.

if you have to leave alot of much behind, you will have a big air gap in the fresh demijohn - you can top up with boiled cooled water.. or sugar solution, if you want it sweeter.. stronger etc...

then plug it with another airlock and see wht happens. it may well start working agian.

when it stops again (or it it never restarts) it should start to clear - give it time.. then rack off into steralised bottles.. drink.. or if its a bit rough.. leave in bottle to improve and then drink!


now some people will add camden tables (sodium metabisulphate)to stop the wine working.. but I think it adds a nasty taste.. but thats down to opinion.

if your wine does not clear you can add finings.. or other clearhing chemical.. so rmake your own out of egg shells.. or decide you dont care...

Make your own out of eggshells?? Do tell.

never actually tried it.. but apparantly if you bake some egg shells until they are dry and crumbly - then crumble them up and add to demijohn and it is supposed to clear the wine...

Ok, just tasted my Hawthorn and Elderflower as i racked it off.

Shesh, damned nice, but it curled my nose hairs!!!!!!

More like a bloody spirit than a wine!!