This recipe for making champagne is completely from scratch and worked better than any kit, maybe its just lucky or worth a second try.

Crisp, dry and refreshing ready for summer.

Ingredients

• large bucket of elderflowers
• 2kg sugar
• 5gallons fresh water
• zest and juice from 4 lemons
• 5g packet of champagne yeast

First Collect the flowers

Collect a big bucket of flowers. Boil a large pot of filtered fresh water and make tea from the flowers. Let the flowers steep for 24hrs in the tea

Make the brew

• Strain the flowers out of the tea
• boil 2 liters of fresh water and dissolve 2kg sugar
• add tea and sugar water to a fermenting bucket
• add the lemon rind and juice
• add water to reach 5 gallons mix well
• ensure the mix is room temperature
• sprinkle champagne yeast do not stir

Leave to ferment

let the brew ferment for 6 days, then transfer to a clear carboy with an air trap. Let it continue for another week and then bottle. After the 6 days it is ready to taste, check on the process as it continues in the secondary stage.

Bottling

I like to add a little simple syrup 1oz to each bottle as the live yeast will continue to ferment in the bottle producing a bubbly, dry sparkling wine. Its a fine line between explosive and flat. Have fun.

The elderberry trees here in Squamish produce berries that are no good but the flowers are plentiful and the bushes grow like weeds.

Pick the flowers in the early spring under a full moon for best results