300g trimmed elderflower heads 1kg sugar 500g seedless raisins 1½ lemons and a lime thinly sliced ½ tsp tannin

This is the first 'duplicate brew' I've produced. Thus far every one has been different!


DAY 1: 06-06-04
The flower heads were trimmed from the heavier parts of stalk and thoroughly rinsed to remove wildlife. Meanwhile 4.5 litres water, the sugar and the tannin were brought to the boil. Once heated the water was poured over the flowers, sliced citrus fruits and raisins. The bucket was covered and left to cool over night.

DAY 2: 07-06-04
1 tsp pectolase was stirred into the cooled covered must which was then tightly covered.

DAY 3: 08-06-04
Stirred.

DAY 4: 09-06-04
Stirred. A starter bottle was prepared in the usual manner.

DAY 5: 10-06-04
The solids were strained from the liquor and the reactivated yeast added to the liquid. The bucket was closely covered and left to begin fermenting.

DAY 10: 16-06-04
The initially vigorous fermentation had settled and the semi-transparent pale yellow brew was transferred to a sterile demi john and airlocked.

WEEK 12: 28-08-04
The gravity was measured to be 0.992, indicating fermentation had completed successfully. The clarity was reasonable, if somewhat hazy. The wine was racked and treated with a little Harris Vin Clear. The demi john was returned to storage to clear further.

WEEK 25: 28-11-04
The light straw coloured wine with it's characteristic aroma had further cleared, leaving a small sediment. The brew was racked onto a crushed campden tablet and ½ tsp potassium sorbate. The wine was passed through the VinBrite filter fitted with a Crystalbrite pad. The now brilliantly clear wine was sealed with a safety stopper and stored to await bottling.

WEEK 27: 13-12-04
The wine was bottled into green glass. The wine wasn't bad even at this early stage. Hopefully it will last another 6 months without being drunk to mature a little!