At what ABV should I bottle my elderflower wine to make it fizzy in the bottle?

[Laura Reid]

My elderflower wine is bubbling away happily. I just tested it at 1.019. So it's sitting at about 9.2% alcohol right now. I want to time the bottling so I don't have to add any sugar to the bottles and the fermentation just continues in the sealed champagne bottles. I've heard the target is 1.010, is this right?
My other question is that in the past, on opening any fizzy brew (cider etc), the lees in the bottom of the bottle suddenly get agitated and the drink becomes cloudy before pouring, after looking so lovely and clear in the bottle. Is there a way of clearing any residual sediment from the bottles and then resealing them? Should I rack them into new bottles after a certain amount of time?
Thanks, any advice welcome.

 

[Cwrw666]

The practice of bottling towards the end of fermentation in order to get a fizzy drink is kind of old style homebrewing. Of course it works but if you get it even slightly wrong you end up with a flat drink or a bottle bomb. Also you get all the sediment in the bottle that you leave behind if you completely ferment out your brew.
Advantages of fully fermenting out your brew then priming your bottles with an appropriate amount of sugar are obvious.
1. Less sediment.
2. Correct amount of fizz.
3. No bottle bombs.

 

[Laura Reid]

The practice of bottling towards the end of fermentation in order to get a fizzy drink is kind of old style homebrewing. Of course it works but if you get it even slightly wrong you end up with a flat drink or a bottle bomb. Also you get all the sediment in the bottle that you leave behind if you completely ferment out your brew.
Advantages of fully fermenting out your brew then priming your bottles with an appropriate amount of sugar are obvious.
1. Less sediment.
2. Correct amount of fizz.
3. No bottle bombs.

Brilliant. Thanks. Great advice

 

[old dog new tricks]

I let it ferment out fully or stop it and use fermentation stopping additived if you want to keep a certain sweetness and flavour.

I bottle and prime then to carbonate.

As said much more control and less sediment that if you leave long enough or use finings really clears up and any residual lees stays stuck to bottom of the bottle.

Other option is the soda stream type things to force carbonate. Can't remember the name but one model the pressure head stays on the bottle and allows it to be chilled to retain more of the fizz before transfer to wine bottle