Elderflower Champagne

Funnily enough, it's exactly the same date that I made elderflower wine two years ago. Having so enjoyed that batch, but wanting to branch out, this time I've made more: about three gallons.

• 500ml of elderflowers (roughly trimmed from the stalks, and loosely pressed into the measuring jug)
• 1.5kg sugar
• 250g of chopped raisins/sultanas
• 4.5l boiling water
• 2-3 lemons' juice
• yeast nutrient & yeast

Tripled, in this case, but those are the quantities for one demi-john. One puts all the ingredients except the yeast into the bucket, and leaves it until it's about (or no warmer than) 20–25°C, when the yeast is added (tomorrow morning, realistically). I'm using Gervin GV3, which copes with higher alcohol content, and ferments well in the 12–30°C range, which is roughly what it will experience: it's also designed for sparkling wine.

That's because, this time, when the hydrometer reckons that the specific gravity has dropped to 1.010, I'm going to syphon off several bottles for transforming into champagne. I've been stockpiling strong/fizzy drink bottles of about 1l, specifically for this purpose: I'm planning about six bottles of champagne, and will leave the rest to become 'normal' wine.

Of course, last year's elderflower wine has only just been bottled, but these things take time, and we're out of 2010 vintage.