Priming Elderflower Champagne......

[Gobhoblin]

......Ok, it's had two weeks primary and we're due to bottle it this weekend. How much sugar will it need for secondary fermentation? I have 16 litres and would like to batch prime it before bottling into 1 litre PET bottles. Would like it quite fizzy but not over the top!
Thanks!

 

[Tim_Crowhurst]

I've not done any sparkling wines before, but I always assumed you had to wait until the wine had cleared first, or had at least cleared enough that you could tell whether or not you've got a haze problem. Has this happened already?

 

[Gobhoblin]

Not sure that'd be an issue. Everything I seem to have found on t'internet seems to turn up a rather cloudy brew with no stories of great clearing success! Never made any wine before, plenty of beer though! So does elderflower champagne actually qualify as a wine? I just assumed it was a mildly alcoholic fruity thing that country folk like me knocked up once a year!?

 

[RobWalker]

are you using a recipe like this?

http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/c ... gne-recipe

if so, wait for it to fully ferment and clear first! it will mean a near sedimentless bottle and no chance of exploding :

 

[Tim_Crowhurst]

Elderflower bottlebombs only smell nice temporarily :lol:

 

[alanywiseman.]

I am sure I read 14g per 750ml champagne bottle. Will you degorge (is that the right word?).

 

[Tim_Crowhurst]

I am sure I read 14g per 750ml champagne bottle

:shock:

I'm pretty sure it's 10g per litre, in which case 14g is about right for two champagne bottles.

 

[alanywiseman.]

I will check this evening. But I think commercial champagne is primed with about 18g per 750ml. They will loss a few bottles due to explosion but a home brewers using second hand bottles it is safer to reduce the priming sugar to avoid bombs.

I got the information from Award Winning Wines by Bill Smith.

 

[alanywiseman.]

I am sure I read 14g per 750ml champagne bottle. Will you degorge (is that the right word?).

Ok commercial champagne are carbonated to 6 atms which is equal to 17g per 750ml bottle. For an amateur this would be dangerous so Bill Smith recommends carbonating to 4 atms or using 11-12g per 750ml bottle.

Make sure to only use the heavy champagne bottles (usually over 2lbs empty) as these will be the strongest.

 

[Gobhoblin]

Excellent. So 17g/L bottle (PET) will be ok then.
Was also thinking of back sweetening it a little as it's turned out very dry. Seen a few non fermentables suggested but I have plenty of "Canderel" to hand, would this be ok to use?

 

[godfrey]

My peach wine I have almost 2 litres over after filling 3 DJ's from the FV

I am thinking to make some peach fizz with the excess...

I guess I can use the same quantity (about 10-12g) to prime my peaches in 750ml champers bottles