Elderflower wine ... Am I doing this right??

[deebee1901]

Hi guys

I started 3 gallons of Elderflower wine on 18th June, racked on 2nd July and again on 21 July. It now appears to have stopped fermenting (either that or it just waits until I stop watching to emit bubbles). SG is approx .99. There doesn't appear to be much sediment in any of the DJs and it seems to be clearing nicely. It's currently a bit dryer than I would have liked for an Elderflower wine but know (?) that I can sweeten it if required at some stage.

So ... am I right in thinking that I just leave it to do it's thing for a few months until it becomes a thing of beauty? How do I know when to bottle it? Can you leave it in the DJ too long? Do I need to add a stabiliser or anything else?

This is my first attempt so have nothing to go by or compare it with.

Cheers. x

 

[Nicks90]

Will be very interested to hear any response to this one, as I am in the same boat as you.
It's sat in a DJ since July in my cold cellar doing "it's thing", but no real idea when I should bottle it.
Hoping it'll be somewhat drinkable at Christmas!

 

[Bigeck]

Hi guys

I started 3 gallons of Elderflower wine on 18th June, racked on 2nd July and again on 21 July. It now appears to have stopped fermenting (either that or it just waits until I stop watching to emit bubbles). SG is approx .99. There doesn't appear to be much sediment in any of the DJs and it seems to be clearing nicely. It's currently a bit dryer than I would have liked for an Elderflower wine but know (?) that I can sweeten it if required at some stage.

So ... am I right in thinking that I just leave it to do it's thing for a few months until it becomes a thing of beauty? How do I know when to bottle it? Can you leave it in the DJ too long? Do I need to add a stabiliser or anything else?

This is my first attempt so have nothing to go by or compare it with.

Cheers. x

At SG 0.99 it would appear to have fermented out. What was your starting SG? How much suger was added at the start?

 

[deebee1901]

The recipe I followed was:

500ml elderflowers
1.5kg sugar
250g raisins washed and lightly chopped
1/2 mug strong tea, cooled
3 lemons squeezed for their juice
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp yeast
4.5l boiling water

I tweaked it pro-rata according to the amount of elderflowers I'd picked that day. I 'think' that the SG was 1.060 but it was my first time of using a hydrometer and may have been slightly out. It smells ok and of elderflower but my memories of the elderflower wine when my dad made it was that it was much sweeter than the one I have.

If it's fermented out do I have to bottle it or could I leave it in the DJ indefinitely?

 

[Tau]

The recipe I followed was:

500ml elderflowers
1.5kg sugar
250g raisins washed and lightly chopped
1/2 mug strong tea, cooled
3 lemons squeezed for their juice
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp yeast
4.5l boiling water

I tweaked it pro-rata according to the amount of elderflowers I'd picked that day. I 'think' that the SG was 1.060 but it was my first time of using a hydrometer and may have been slightly out. It smells ok and of elderflower but my memories of the elderflower wine when my dad made it was that it was much sweeter than the one I have.

If it's fermented out do I have to bottle it or could I leave it in the DJ indefinitely?

1060 seems a little low for 1.5kg of sugar in a gallon, sounds more like 1160 if you're hydrometer reads that high. But a reading of 0.99 after two or three racks sounds like it probably has finished or at least on a very slow ferment. What yeast did you use?

If 1.5kg was fermented and you now have 15/16g at 0.999 in you're wine then the abv is going to be high 16% + abv. So the yeast may have given up the ghost. If you're reading is 0.990 then it's finished and all sugar has being fermented.

 

[deebee1901]

Nope, I've just checked the hydrometer and it doesn't go to 1160 and I remember being confused at why my reading was 60 (didn't understand the 1.060 bit). I had to watch a couple of YouTube videos to understand.

So ...

What shall I do with this batch?
Will it be drinkable if I leave it? If so, should I bottle it or leave it in the DJ?
Can it be rescued?

I'm really deflated tbh as I thought I'd followed the instructions to the letter. Now I'm wondering if I've cocked up with the other two that I've got on the go :cry: I've just picked a bag of blackberries that I intended getting in the FV today but might make crumbles instead lol:sulk::sad:

Any help/advice would be welcome. x

 

[Tau]

Nope, I've just checked the hydrometer and it doesn't go to 1160 and I remember being confused at why my reading was 60 (didn't understand the 1.060 bit). I had to watch a couple of YouTube videos to understand.

So ...

What shall I do with this batch?
Will it be drinkable if I leave it? If so, should I bottle it or leave it in the DJ?
Can it be rescued?

I'm really deflated tbh as I thought I'd followed the instructions to the letter. Now I'm wondering if I've cocked up with the other two that I've got on the go :cry: I've just picked a bag of blackberries that I intended getting in the FV today but might make crumbles instead lol:sulk::sad:

Any help/advice would be welcome. x

Have you tasted it yet? Seems like it is fine and nothing to get worked up over. It's possible that when you dissolved the sugar and topped up you didn't stir and mix the dissolved sugar layer well and got a lower reading on the hydrometer, as 1.5kg remains and would have fermented regardless of the reading you got. Bottle it and have a taste you will be able to tell the difference between 8.5%abv and 14% plus abv.

As for blackerries camden them after washing and crushing leave for 3 days, if not heating, but leave enough air room in dj if used large fv doesn't matter.

 

[deebee1901]

I tasted it this morning and it's definitely 14% plus. Wow! Still tastes very slightly yeasty - will this disappear with time? It's getting there but hasn't cleared completely yet. IYO is it best to leave it to clear naturally or use finings? And is the aim to bottle as soon as possible or is it ok in the DJ for a while?

Thanks for your help. x