Elderflower Champagne (2024)

Mr Twister says:

Made 20L last summer, froze 10L and defrosted it in the Spring, still tasted good still fizzy, keeps much longer than 4 months.

Great recipe
Thanks

Jenny says:

Hi, Your recipe says 3 lemons for 10 litres and your video says 10 lemons for 20 litres…. Can you advise?
I made this last year, following your video and it was great, but can’t remember if I followed the receipe or the video quantities..

Anna says:

Will certainly try this out. It looks amazing. Can I ask if we can use stainless steel containers for the brewing instead of plastic buckets?
Thank you

Orlagh says:

Can I use dried elderflower and if so what weight instead of fresh

stephanie hart says:

I have elderflower cordial around still.
That is made with 2 of everything. 2 dozen heads, 2 lb of sugar, 2 lemons, 2 pints of water… ish, very “ish”
so i will line a large aluminium stock pan with a bin bag to stop the metallic taste, add 10 litres of water to “ a bit” of the cordial. (Probably a mug or 1/2 pint), throw in a chopped up lemon, a bag of sugar and …

I have some cider vinegar with the mother? Or just bakers yeast? Or some grapes?

Any advice welcome…

Many thx.

WAYNE COOPER says:

Hi Eric,

Thank you for a lovely instructive day in Linton Ross on Wye. We just got it in in time I think!

Can glass bottles be used for the Champagne?

Stephen Szmidt says:

Can I use cider vinegar instead of wine vinegar and brewing sugar instead of normal household sugar?

Clare Shepherd says:

Hi, we’ve just bottled our first 20l batch today. What’s best for storing the bottles for the next couple of weeks – somewhere cool & dark or just on the windowsill?

Sam says:

Hi there, I just made some elderflower cordial for the first time but it’s horribly sweet and so I’m wondering about leaving it to ferment a bit so it’s less sweet and more boozy. What do you think? Would that work out? I also am making some kombucha so another option could be to save it to splash into my second booch ferment. What do you think? I don’t want to waste what I’ve done so your thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you!

charlotte gordon says:

Hey, this is a great recipe and works really well.
Do we need to keep these bottles in the fridge once bottled or wait until they have been opened again?

Anne England says:

Hello – I made my 20L batch on June 1, bottled it June 5 (there was mould as indicated). Absolutely no fizz so far (as of June 10). Should I wait, or put it back into the fermentation bin and add yeast?

John Freeman says:

Tried your recipe. There was only one problem. The natural yeast didn’t work so I had to use some universal wine yeast because nothing was happening after 7 days. With the wine yeast the fermentation was complete in 4 days (starting gravity 1.032, final gravity 0.998). It is bottle now so I will patiently wait 2 weeks to know the final result. A quick taste when bottling confirmed that all was OK, despite no yeast protection for the first week.

Julie Mitchell says:

I have got some sediment in my fizz which is now on its second week of brewing in old lemonade plastic bottles. Every time I burp the bottles a little rises to the top. Also the fizz is still looking like cloudy lemonade too. Will it go clear, and what to I do about the sediment.

Trish Bellamy says:

Hi there,
I diligently followed your recipe, and bottled ten litres of Elderflower Champagne on the 3rd of June. They wouldn’t wait two weeks and I’m currently finding that I have to ‘burp’ the bottles twice or three times every day, as the bottles become round bottomed! Is this a good thing or am I doing something wrong?
All the best,
Trish

Geoff Snailham says:

Hi

Does the end product have much (if any) alcohol content?? Asking for a friend!

MANDY WILDE says:

Can you use the flowers from the purple leaved garden variety?

Graciela says:

I used this recipe to make a batch of champagne this year (2020) and it was delicious! I’ve actually made a little video about the burping bottles as I didn’t think there was enough out there, so if you’re interested then maybe you’d like to watch this. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLUCJex0VGgu0_bp02sxDuq_ASBAq6Mor&fbclid=IwAR1g1KW_mnzwSQAJdw2nDchTRZX4xzWW1CnCBc74dG08-pBftu-OnlKIbEM

Kate says:

Just bottled my first batch of 20 litres.

I added some fresh garden mint too to increase the flavour & left it for 2 + weeks before bottling today so fingers crossed it will be ready for our family get together celebrations after july 4th!

hilary fletcher says:

I am just going to bottle my 1st batch but was stumped by your ” depression ” comment could you explain please.

Lisa says:

Mine turned out to have quite a pong is this still ok

Too much pressure says:

I have successfully made my 2020 elderflower champagne and bottled in recycled sparkling water plastic bottles.
I was burping them daily and all was good. I have been on holiday and now that I have returned the remaining bottles are rock solid and look like they are under explosive pressure. Previously when I opened a bottle that washed been regularly burped and didn’t seem so pressurised the plastic cap flew off and burnt my hand with the explosion. I have moved the bottles into the garden as I am concerned they might explode… Anyone any ideas how to safely release the pressure… pliers? goggles???

Jewel says:

Ha bit late reply Too much pressure but if recycling plastic bottles, should be fine outside. Always good to burp them daily for first few weeks but just keep bottle still with cloth round top & release v slowly. I’ve made similar recipe for nearly 50 years & always works. Made loads last year for 70th so just finishing last bottles now as make this year’s. Imoho nature ferments for herself, so needs nothing but acid & daily stir for few days before drain & bottle – only 2/3 full 🙂

Emma R says:

Hi there, I bottled up my Elderflower Champagne yesterday, but i only had the swing top clear IKEA bottles (with similar tops to a Grolsch beer bottles but thinner glass) I’m concerned they’re not strong enough, plus I’ve been burping them twice a day, and they’re extremely explosive, I’m getting sprayed with fizz, but I smell amazing 😂
I don’t want to fridge them yet because I’d like them to have more fermentation time (would like them to be more alcoholic tbh😂) should I continue to burp them for 2 weeks to ensure full fermentation has happened, should I rebottle them all into proper beer bottles with proper tops fitted (I found a brewing friend who has proper bottles) or should I put them in the fridge to stop fermentation and just drink them all as low alcohol fizz?
I would very much appreciated your advice 😘
Thank you,
Ems x

Ocean says:

Hey, I bottled mine around lunch one day in glass beer bottles 😅 I burped them 3 times during the day, last time at 1130pm, and the next morning I had an exploded glass!. I decided to dump the wine back into the bucket and every bottle I opened shot out like a rocket. Any advice should I rebottle it in plastic? should I leave it in the bucket to calm down?

Esme says:

Hi! I made this 5 days ago and still no mound or fizzing sound! Maybe I have been stirring the mound away? Wondering whether to bottle up yet? Thank you. Love the easy method!!!

Chey says:

Hi, we’ve just found a 2ltr screw top plastic bottle of elderflower fizz at the back of our fridge. It’s still cloudy and has a little bit of sediment. We did the go through the burping process before putting it in the fridge. The bottle seems to have bloated a little, despite being refrigerated.
Our main concern is that it’s dated 14.06.21. So it’s been there for a while.
A. No problem. Worse scenario is it will taste horrid, but it’s safe.
B. Open with caution and ditch if it tastes funky.
C. Hold at arms length and dispose as a biohazard.

Genuinely asking advice, despite the flippant delivery.

Shirley says:

When and how is the best time to pick the elder flower for champange? I would like to make some ready to drink for my wedding anniversary mid April and my birthday in August.

Dolly says:

I have been making Elderflower champagne for years but have always found it far too sweet to drink at six weeks as recommended. Mostly I make it this year for next year. Recently we drank some of a 3 yr old batch and it was perfect in pour, fizz and taste. I was really surprised as I expected it to be off. I bottle in glass 330ml brown beer bottles with press on caps.

Mirimar sinclair says:

I’m going to make a batch soon, shall I add champagne yeast? And if so how much?
Thank you

steve says:

We have made a batch but the flowers haven’t sunk yet (4 days since brewed) should we wait ? or bottle ? we have the mould and the fizzing sound, thanks

SandraAnn says:

Hi, I’ve made this for the first time and bottled it a week ago, reusing the plastic water bottles from the water we used in the mixture. So far timescales have pretty much matched with your recipe. I am having to burp the bottles every few hours though (bit like having a newborn in the house!) and I’m concerned if I go out for any length of time they may explode. The weather has been warm and I’m keeping them in a built in cupboard but don’t really have anywhere that is particularly cooler other than the fridge. Can you suggest/advise the best course of action? Thanks in advance.

Ocean Warrior says:

Great recipe – had to use champagne yeast to boost the fermentation. I would suggest buying champagne bottles full of champagne, or Cava, or Prosecco then have your cake and eat it.
X

Alott says:

Made a batch this year with a bit of extra elderflower as last years tasted more like lemonade…tastes lovely when drinking it, but has a very strong odd aftertaste…kind of musky and perfumey at the same time..bottles are clear, with the usual sediment and not having any ill effects from drinking it, but I have never had this aftertaste before, just wondering if the extra flowers are causing it or something else.

Karen Vian says:

Just finished my last bottle from last years stock . It was delicious and very clear and sparkly. Looking forward to doing it all again this week

Pip Masters says:

I am making a 5 lt batch today, I am using fresh and recently frozen Elderflower (I wonder what it will look and taste like?). Also planning to use Glass Flip top bottles ( ex French Lemonade / Corona we used to call them). Made some during Lockdown and very refreshing it was. Thanks for the Recipe!

Ian Moore says:

When bottling or similar could you put it all in a demijohn with a bubbler airlock to save the burping or will it not work doing it that way ?

Alan S says:

What about the type of sugar. I’m not a fan of pure refined sugar as it has its health issues. I’d much rather use unrefined sugar, but would this alter the colour/taste of the finished product? I guess elderflower is actually quite a refined flavour that might be overpowered if the wrong ingredients are used?

Gwyneth Owen says:

I made some years ago. 1st batch good. 2nd turned to vinegar , I think because I left too long. Is it necessary to use Milton?
Surely, people have been making it without that for hundreds of years? Anyone tried?
Gwyneth

Peter M says:

hi there, I’m currently making my 1st batch. Although it looked clear when 1 1st bottled I am seeing quite a lot of sediments floating and settling in the bottle which seems a bit weird. is this normal or has the batch spoiled with a yeast or mould overgrowth or something? I burped the bottles today and will wait one more week. any help appreciated. Thanks.

Jo says:

Thanks for the recipe – one of my bottles has a floating precipitation near to the top – is this mould? Is it safe to consume? I only bottled them yesterday.

Sally Landis says:

Hi, I’ve made this for the first time (so excited) it’s now in the bottles, but mold is also growing on the surface in each bottle! Is this normal or should I throw it away and start again?

Rachel H says:

I bottled my first ever batch of champagne (pink!) yesterday and all seemed to be working brilliantly – but I’ve just realised I misunderstood where to cut the stalks and I put the whole heads of flowers in rather than removing as much stalk as possible right up to the flowers. It tastes AMAZING so far, but will I poison myself???

Jane says:

Hi I made it last year with champagne yeast in 1 litre tonic bottles . It was fabulous and quite strong . Needed burping daily on utility windowsill . I just made it today but horror ! I had no vinegar ! So I put I little splash of chip shop vinegar in and am keeping my fingers crossed I haven’t spoilt it ? It was cloudy today when I picked the flowers so I put a few extra in – if I pick them in warm sunshine they have a lot more smell ? Better ? Hoping to get a prize in our village fate with it ! Got first with elderberry wine last year !:-)

Helen Price says:

I wanted to use pink elder flowers but was worried you said could be posinous how can this be avoided