Elderflower Champagne

The time of year has arrived to make Elderflower Champagne.  Last year we tried this recipe and with a few amendments it worked- Yipee, so we will be giving it another go 

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It is hard to say the exact quantity of Elderflower we used, we were working with the motto of 'the more the merrier' and this year we must've picked a great day to collect them as the trees were positively bursting with flowers.  We ambled around our local area, armed with a large collecting bag (not plastic as these tend to make any contents hot and wet in the sunshine), picking the whitest most delicately scented blooms we could find. Ive read that at certain times of day the aroma changes from banana scented to that of cat-pee-make of that what you will. 

We then placed all our ingredients into a large (new) bucket and it's sitting in my dining room, covered with muslin cloth, near the patio window, happily fermenting in the warmth of the sunshine.  It does give off a very distinct aroma, like that of Lychee, quite perfumey and delicate.  I recall that we added additional champagne yeast last year, as a boost for the natural yeast and to aid fermentation along. I will check on the progress in a few days before deciding if that's necessary this time. Then it will be decanted or strained into plastic bottles and kept in our shed for a few weeks. A quick google search will identify many tales of exploding bottles, hence we use plastic bottles and put it out of harms way in the shed.  Last year, to my amazement, the bottles would swell with the pressure of the carbon monoxide inside and I would release this with a twist of the bottle tops.  One thought with this though is how this will affect the final fizz factor when the brew is ready? Surely one 'de-gas' too many would result in a flat champagne?  Think I need to read more about this.

Some Elderflowers

 Hopefully, our 'champagne' will be ready in a few weeks, just in time for my birthday, which would make a lovely celebratory tipple.  Much of my reading around this champagne suggests that the alcohol content is variable, with a maximum of 14%.  Last years' brew did have a definite alcohol content, but I doubt it was anywhere near a strong wine or 14%.  Without going to the expense of buying a kit to test this I wouldn't really know.  That said, the beauty of drinking this is, for me, the knowledge that I have succeeded in using natural wild food to create it. 

Fingers crossed-I will keep you posted.