Elderflower wine
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Tim Crowhurst posted - Here's the recipe I used for my elderflower wine this year:
3L white grape juice
1L apple juice
2.6kg sugar
0.5kg raisins (liquidised in 1/4 pt water)
juice & grated rind 5 small lemons
6 bags rooibos
2 tsp each yeast nutrient, glycerine, yeast extract, pectolase
1 sachet champagne yeast
1.6L elderflowers
I brought a gallon of water to the boil and poured over the sugar, raisins, rooibos bags, lemons, nutrient, glycerine, extract and pectolase in the primary, stirred well so the sugar dissolved and left for an hour. I then removed the rooibos bags, and added the juice and enough water to bring it to 3gal, then left to cool. Once it had cooled to room temperature I pitched the yeast. I left for five days, then took out 2L of must, brought it to the boil, and poured over the elderflowers to sterilise them, then once they had cooled I added to the primary and left for a further 5 days. I then strained into sterilised DJs and added airlocks.
Adding the elderflowers late in the process should (in theory) mean you get more flavour out of fewer flowers. That said, with the number of elderflowers there are this year you could easily just add more at the start. It's certainly simpler that way!
This is a 5 litre version using the same recipe -
1L white grape juice
900g sugar
175g raisins (liquidised in 1/4 pt water)
juice & grated rind 2 small lemons
2 bags rooibos
1 tsp each yeast nutrient, glycerine, yeast extract, pectolase
1 sachet champagne yeast
1pt elderflowers
Same instructions
What is Rooibos?
Rooibos is another name for redbush tea. I use it because I prefer the flavour to ordinary black tea.
Champagne yeast can be used for still wines as well as sparkling, and is a good general-purpose yeast for white wines. It has a high tolerance for acidity as champagnes are generally quite acidic wines, and whites in general tend to be more acidic than reds to account for the lack of tannins.
Because it has a high tolerance for alcohol, it is easy to turn a still wine into a sparkler if you used a champagne yeast. (This is also true of any other high-alcohol wine yeast, of course). My 3 gallon batch of elderflower must will become 2 gallons of wine (which I'll stabilise and leave to mature in bulk) and 1 gallon of champagne (which I'll prime, condition then leave to mature in the bottles). I'm also intending to do an experimental 2 gallons of rosepetal wine, each gallon using a different yeast (neither of them champagne yeasts) but in both cases I'll make 4 bottles of still wine and 2 of sparkling. The intention is to find out the different flavour characteristics of the two yeasts.
There's no reason why you shouldn't use a different yeast, of course. If you want a sweet table wine, champagne might be one to avoid. A more suitable yeast would be one with a lower tolerance for alcohol, so that it stops fermenting before all the sugar has been used up. That way you don't have to stabilise the wine when it reaches the SG you want. Unfortunately only one yeast manufacturer (Vintner's Harvest) actually tells you the alcohol tolerance of their yeasts, so if you want to try that you're limited to their yeasts. Fortunately they do have a good range.
3L white grape juice
1L apple juice
2.6kg sugar
0.5kg raisins (liquidised in 1/4 pt water)
juice & grated rind 5 small lemons
6 bags rooibos
2 tsp each yeast nutrient, glycerine, yeast extract, pectolase
1 sachet champagne yeast
1.6L elderflowers
I brought a gallon of water to the boil and poured over the sugar, raisins, rooibos bags, lemons, nutrient, glycerine, extract and pectolase in the primary, stirred well so the sugar dissolved and left for an hour. I then removed the rooibos bags, and added the juice and enough water to bring it to 3gal, then left to cool. Once it had cooled to room temperature I pitched the yeast. I left for five days, then took out 2L of must, brought it to the boil, and poured over the elderflowers to sterilise them, then once they had cooled I added to the primary and left for a further 5 days. I then strained into sterilised DJs and added airlocks.
Adding the elderflowers late in the process should (in theory) mean you get more flavour out of fewer flowers. That said, with the number of elderflowers there are this year you could easily just add more at the start. It's certainly simpler that way!
This is a 5 litre version using the same recipe -
1L white grape juice
900g sugar
175g raisins (liquidised in 1/4 pt water)
juice & grated rind 2 small lemons
2 bags rooibos
1 tsp each yeast nutrient, glycerine, yeast extract, pectolase
1 sachet champagne yeast
1pt elderflowers
Same instructions
What is Rooibos?
Rooibos is another name for redbush tea. I use it because I prefer the flavour to ordinary black tea.
Champagne yeast can be used for still wines as well as sparkling, and is a good general-purpose yeast for white wines. It has a high tolerance for acidity as champagnes are generally quite acidic wines, and whites in general tend to be more acidic than reds to account for the lack of tannins.
Because it has a high tolerance for alcohol, it is easy to turn a still wine into a sparkler if you used a champagne yeast. (This is also true of any other high-alcohol wine yeast, of course). My 3 gallon batch of elderflower must will become 2 gallons of wine (which I'll stabilise and leave to mature in bulk) and 1 gallon of champagne (which I'll prime, condition then leave to mature in the bottles). I'm also intending to do an experimental 2 gallons of rosepetal wine, each gallon using a different yeast (neither of them champagne yeasts) but in both cases I'll make 4 bottles of still wine and 2 of sparkling. The intention is to find out the different flavour characteristics of the two yeasts.
There's no reason why you shouldn't use a different yeast, of course. If you want a sweet table wine, champagne might be one to avoid. A more suitable yeast would be one with a lower tolerance for alcohol, so that it stops fermenting before all the sugar has been used up. That way you don't have to stabilise the wine when it reaches the SG you want. Unfortunately only one yeast manufacturer (Vintner's Harvest) actually tells you the alcohol tolerance of their yeasts, so if you want to try that you're limited to their yeasts. Fortunately they do have a good range.
Last year I did a 5l elderflower wine and used a 1l measuring jug full of flowers. Worked a treat.
great, which leads me to my next question - how do you pick them? What I mean is, is it a 1L jug full of just the very flowering part, no greenery at all?
ah - just found some picking instructions elsewhere! Seems easy enough.
Ive a free demijohn and airlock, and a couple of bottles of Wilkos white grape concentrate, so looks like i'll be harvesting elderflowers tomorrow!
Ive a free demijohn and airlock, and a couple of bottles of Wilkos white grape concentrate, so looks like i'll be harvesting elderflowers tomorrow!
Last edited:
very easy and quick recipe....
3/4 pint of elder flowers, pick them on a dry and sunny day, they will pop off easier!
3tsp citric acid
1tsp wine tannin
Water up to 1 gallon
1.25Kg Sugar
1tsp yeast nutrient
1tsp yeast
Dissolve your sugar in boiling water and pour over flowers. Add citric acid and tannin. Add water up to neck of DJ. When cool enough add nutrient and yeast.
After 5 days remove the flowers and top up remaining water. Allow to continue until you reach a taste you like.
Stabilise and rack in the usual manner.
You can add a tbsp of glycerine for vinosity or grape concentrate if you like.
This makes a great drinking wine or mixing wine as the flavour is carried to the donor wine.
Too tip; if you choose your flower heads strategically off your tree you can still have reachable berries come autumn time
3/4 pint of elder flowers, pick them on a dry and sunny day, they will pop off easier!
3tsp citric acid
1tsp wine tannin
Water up to 1 gallon
1.25Kg Sugar
1tsp yeast nutrient
1tsp yeast
Dissolve your sugar in boiling water and pour over flowers. Add citric acid and tannin. Add water up to neck of DJ. When cool enough add nutrient and yeast.
After 5 days remove the flowers and top up remaining water. Allow to continue until you reach a taste you like.
Stabilise and rack in the usual manner.
You can add a tbsp of glycerine for vinosity or grape concentrate if you like.
This makes a great drinking wine or mixing wine as the flavour is carried to the donor wine.
Too tip; if you choose your flower heads strategically off your tree you can still have reachable berries come autumn time
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I'm half way through making 2 x 5ltrs of elderflower wine from dried flowers I bought off ebay. I put 50 grams of flowers in each. Smells fantastic!
My recipe is pretty much like Grinchy's. Don't leave the wine on the flowers for more than 4-5 days because when I racked mine from buckets there were decaying flowers in the bottom, and I think I only just caught it in time before it spoiled.
I'll definitely be picking some flowers next time.
Good luck!
My recipe is pretty much like Grinchy's. Don't leave the wine on the flowers for more than 4-5 days because when I racked mine from buckets there were decaying flowers in the bottom, and I think I only just caught it in time before it spoiled.
I'll definitely be picking some flowers next time.
Good luck!
50g per 5ltr sounds like an outrageously high amount but I suppose it's a matter of taste! I made the last 5 gal batch from fresh flowers picked locally, but usually get dried ones from SpicesOnTheWeb along with my curry stuff. Dirt cheap and good quality!
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The recipe said 20 grams, but it's my first non-kit elderflower and I wanted to see how it comes out. It doesn't look that much in the bag to be honest. Even if it's disgusting I'll still drink it. 
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My wine didn't turn out half bad, although the taste is quite strong. I did 2 Djs, one finished SG 0.995 which was dry, but I prefer the one that finished SG 1.000 as it has a bit of sweetness.
I've seen a few recipes, some call for raisins or sultanas and some don't. I tried without this time and it's drinkable...then again I'd drink most things. Next time I'll try sultanas.
I've seen a few recipes, some call for raisins or sultanas and some don't. I tried without this time and it's drinkable...then again I'd drink most things. Next time I'll try sultanas.
That's about 15 grams. To be honest 50 grams of dried flowers doesn't look that much, so I put the lot in like "suck it and see". I'll try less next time
