Elderflower Wine — Home Brew Recipe

Elderflower Wine — Home Brew Recipe

Elderflower Wine

Elderflower wine is a quintessentially British country wine that transforms foraged blossoms into something truly special. The flowers impart a delicate, almost Muscat-like character with hints of honey, pear, and subtle citrus. This recipe produces a medium-dry white wine around 11-12% ABV.

Ingredients

For approximately 4.5 litres (1 gallon):

  • 20-25 large elderflower heads (freshly picked)
  • 1.2kg granulated sugar
  • 4 litres water
  • 2 lemons (juice and zest)
  • 1 orange (juice and zest)
  • 250ml white grape concentrate (optional, for body)
  • 1 tsp wine yeast nutrient
  • 1 sachet wine yeast (Gervin GV1 or similar white wine strain)
  • 1 Campden tablet (crushed)
  • 1 tsp pectolase

Equipment Needed

  • Fermentation bucket with lid
  • Demijohn with airlock
  • Siphon tube
  • Muslin cloth or straining bag
  • Hydrometer

Method

Day One — Preparing the Must

Pick elderflowers on a dry, sunny morning when the pollen is most fragrant. Choose fully open, creamy-white heads and avoid any browning flowers. Gently shake off insects but don't wash the flowers — you'll lose precious pollen.

Boil 4 litres of water and dissolve the sugar completely. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Place the elderflower heads in your sanitised fermentation bucket. Add the citrus juice and zest. Pour over the cooled sugar water. Add the crushed Campden tablet and pectolase. Stir well, cover loosely, and leave for 24 hours.

Day Two — Pitching the Yeast

Add the yeast nutrient and white grape concentrate if using. Sprinkle the wine yeast over the surface. Cover and leave to ferment at 18-22°C for five days, stirring daily.

Day Seven — Transfer to Demijohn

Strain the liquid through muslin into a sanitised demijohn, squeezing gently to extract maximum flavour. Fit an airlock and leave to ferment in a warm spot.

Weeks 3-4 — Rack Off the Lees

Once fermentation slows significantly, siphon into a clean demijohn, leaving sediment behind. Refit the airlock.

Months 2-3 — Secondary Fermentation

Rack again when a fresh layer of sediment forms. At this stage, taste and assess sweetness. Add 50g sugar dissolved in a little boiled water if you prefer a sweeter wine, then add half a Campden tablet to prevent refermentation.

Month 6 — Bottling

Once completely clear and stable, bottle into sterilised wine bottles. Cork or cap securely.

Expected ABV

This recipe typically produces 11-12% ABV. Take hydrometer readings before and after fermentation to calculate precisely.

Brewing Tips

  • Timing is everything: Elderflowers bloom late May to mid-June in the UK. Pick when fragrant and avoid flowers near busy roads.
  • Clarity: Elderflower wine can be stubborn to clear. Be patient with racking, or use a wine finings if needed after three months.
  • Ageing: Drinkable at six months, but genuinely superb after twelve. The floral notes mellow beautifully.
  • Sweetness adjustment: For a sweeter dessert style, backsweeten with 100g sugar per gallon before bottling, stabilising with Campden and potassium sorbate.

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