[1st time veg grower]

I also started some of this off yesterday, but have a couple of questions as I've never had a go at making any kind of wine before. 

First, the recipe I found said if it wasn't doing anything after a day to add 'a pinch of dried yeast'. Is this specifically brewer's yeast that other people have mentioned or can it be any kind of dried yeast?

And second when I come to bottle it, do you fill the bottles right up to the top without a gap or do you leave a gap?!

Many thanks.

[agingchick]

Hi I used a wine yeast they say brewers yeast gives it a funny taste.  I didn't leave a gap but found I should have done as it fizzes up quite a bit when you release the pressure
Diane

[Wombat18]

I used screw top glass bottles for mine last year and they made quite a mess when they all exploded in the kitchen.     Don't underestimate the pressure that can build up, it can be enormous, especially if you do what I do and over-estimate the amount of yeast you need.  This time I'm going with a demi-john and an airlock and leaving it in the shed for a couple of months before bottling.

[MoreWhisky]

I used screw top glass bottles for mine last year and they made quite a mess when they all exploded in the kitchen.     Don't underestimate the pressure that can build up, it can be enormous, especially if you do what I do and over-estimate the amount of yeast you need.  This time I'm going with a demi-john and an airlock and leaving it in the shed for a couple of months before bottling.

Now u got me worried was gearing up to bottle on wednesday. suspose it be ok if i release the pressure daily?

[Wombat18]

You should be okay if you check and release pressure daily.  I left mine blithely assuming they'd be okay and woke one night at 3am to the sound of shattering glass.  I'm not taking the risk this time, there is not much less fun to clean up than broken glass and sugary half fermented brew dripping down the backs of kitchen cabinets in the small hours of the morning.   

[ohbeary]

Hello the bear is back in town, just to set a few minds at ease, "mousey" is the smell and taste of some elder flowers, it carries on into the wine which tastes like wee!, the bad taste is less obvious in the berries but stil there and the berry wine will take years to be drinkable! , just smell a bunch of the flowers if its nice use em.
  Exploding bottles, Elderflower "Fizz" recipies can be hit and miss unless you get them right to the N'th degree, temperature, gravity and the right yeast, wild yeast can be very random and is generally not worth the bother, as for using vinegar!!! , NAH!, please dont , just make a simple elderflower wine as weak or strong as you like but above 12% will taste watery and may not condition well, SG1040 = 5.1%  - SG1080 = 10.6%, ferment to dry and clear, rack/siphon into clean DJ prime with 4tsp sugar and bottle, PET bottles are good but Cava/Champagne bottles are better, a 5% wine should be safe in Grolsch bottles.
As for Hugh Fearlessly Eatsall, "Ma!, person th' shotgun theres a varmint on th' loose!"

[Elcie]

As for Hugh Fearlessly Eatsall, "Ma!, person th' shotgun theres a varmint on th' loose!"

Not great for those of us who have used his recipe   

Hopefully mine will turn out nicely as some others on here have tried the recipe and seem to have been happy with the results.  I will let you all know 

[horticgirl]

Hello I'm new on here
I am reading this thread with interest - I am just off out to collect my elderflowers to try this for the 1st time.
I have read HFW's recipe and he seems to use alot of flowers? I have got a book called 'Wild Food' and that suggets only 4 flower heads for 2 litres. So not sure what to do.
I am trying to worK my way through four 2 litre bottles of lemonade so we can use the bottles! Hope it's worth it! 

[jimbeekeeper]

In the end I did not follow HFW, did not like the sound of the vinger.

Was given the following by a regular champ of elderflower champagne. My is not in a large beer brewing keg with an air lock in bubbling away niceley.

3 pints of elderflowers...no stalks
3lbs sugar
2 oranges
2 lemons
1 gallon water
champagne yeast....or wine yeast

Strip the flowers from the stalks (I found wilting them slightly and use a fork the best way) Add to the water and bring to the boil, simmer 15 minutes. Add sugar, thinly peeled rinds of oranges and lemons, boil another 15 minutes, strain into fermentation jar, when lukewarm add juice of oranges and lemons and yeast.
Ferment to a finish and allow to clear...racking off until clear. Siphon into champagne bottles and add a scant teaspoon of sugar to each. Cork and wire the corks down. Leave a few weeks to finish re-fermenting. Don't shake the bottles.

[Wombat18]

As for Hugh Fearlessly Eatsall, "Ma!, person th' shotgun theres a varmint on th' loose!"

Hehe...  Are you married?  If not, do you want to be?   

[Cazzy]

Bottled mine tonight in 3 2ltr plastic bottles, looks and smells lovely.

Think i'll pick some more flowers tomorrow for another batch, I like the idea of adding orange or maybe lime along with the lemon.

[Elcie]

Please everyone be really careful with this.  I took the advice on here and used 2ltr plastic bottles and one of them just exploded!  Yes, a PLASTIC bottle exploded with the pressure that had built up.  Remember to release it even if you are using plastic and be really careful!

[lmpd]

we had a plastic bottle explode this mornig, never heard anything like it, was just glad there was nobody in the same room

[MoreWhisky]

im bottling mine tomorrow , worryed now 

[Cazzy]

WOW!

Were you both 'degassing' and they still exploded?