Elderflower Wine

I know it’s late this year but the weather has really thrown me out. In a dry hour today me, DSK and DDi went to get a bag of flowers. Our normal picking spot was disappointing with only a few flowers and lots of nettles (should have took gloves!) but I spotted a few huge bushes by the park nearby. With odd looks from passing dog walkers we grabbed about 30 heads. Tonight I’ve put 6 in a gallon of water with 1 1/2 sliced lemons ready for champagne and a pint of flowers in 4 pints of boiling water waiting until I go and get some raisins tommorow which I thought I had. I’ve not had much luck with the elderflower recipes over the years; the river cottage recipe exploded the glass bottles and put holes in the roof of the verandah! Its a good job no one was close. . My elder wine tasted horrible as I said most of my wine does. I did make a wicked cordial one year but last years went into the freezer but wouldn’t freeze so went in the bin months later. I don’t know why I’m bothering! Here is this years recipe for wine

Elderflower Wine      1 pt elder flowers 250gms of chopped raisins juice and rind from 2 lemons 8 pints of boiling water 2 Campden Tablets 2lb of sugar 1 teaspoon of Wine Tannin yeast and yeast nutrient Method Gather the elderflowers on a sunny day (hah! NOT IN 2012…) when you can smell the distinctive aroma of the flowers. Separate the flowers from their storks by pulling through fingers or cutting with scissors.  Add chopped raisins and the rind from  lemons to the petals in a clean plastic bucket and pour over boiling water. Allow to cool and add 1 campden tablet.  Cover with a clean cloth and allow to stand for 3 days stirring occasionally.  Add sugar and stir well until all the sugar is dissolved Add lemon juice, tannin, yeast and yeast nutrient Strain through a fine mesh bag or muslin into a 1 gal fermenting vessel or demijohn.  Fit an air lock and leave the vessel in a warm place about 20-22deg C for about 5 days.  Strain the liquid off again into another clean fermenting vessel and add another campden tablet.  Leave until the fermentation is finished. This will be when the S.G. is near 1.000 (if using a hydrometer) or when the bubbles no longer pass through the air lock.  Gradually the wine will clear and after about 8 weeks it should be ready to syphon into bottles. It is best to leave for about another 6 months before drinking. my method add flowers and rind of 1 1/2 lemons to bucket, pour over 4pts of boiling water meaning to buy raisins the next morning! Forget all about raisins.. 09/07/12 @ 23:15. 30 hours later send son to shop for raisins. 48 hours later add 200g of chopped sultanas that son bought instead to flowers. add 4 pts boiling water and stir. cover with a clean towel and leave overnight to cool Have hectic few days so forget about wine again… 13/07/12  @ 11:25 add 1 small cup of strong black tea plus 1kg sugar and stir to dissolve. pour through seive into demijonhn. when half full, add 1 tsp wilko yeast nutrient and youngs wine yeast compound. top up to shoulders and put a bung and airlock on the demihohn. place in unheated utility room. SG 1086 temp 19oC