2018 Wines - Chapter 1 - Elderflower

I thought making some elderflower wine would put a dent in the final berry total, but not so much. I'm keeping expectations very low for this wine to improve the odds of a pleasant surprise.

• 3 pints elderflowers, cleaned with the Luc Volder method 
• 4 quarts sorbate free white grape juice
• 3 lemons, juice and zest
• 2360g sugar
• 1/2t tannin
• 2g water

Starting pH 3.06, SG 1.087. Used K1-V1116, step fed Fermaid K, and held it at 66F to about 1.046 when I bumped it to 70F to help it finish. At 1.030 it went to carboy to finish up. It was a slower ferment, going from 1.087 to 1.030 in 10 days, then several more days to finish up.

Today I racked and dosed with KMS. I didn't measure the SG but by taste it is dry. Honestly, as with my first batch of elderflower, I don't get that much elderflower aroma. 

Memorial Day 2018 - Bachelor Weekend

Lisa went to Santa Barbara to visit Allison so I'm home alone for the weekend. After two days the chore lists has a satisfying look to them.

Not much mulching left to go.

For lunch last week and this weekend we made a very nice zucchini lasagna. Only problem was there was a lot of moisture in the zucchini, but still made for several tasty meals.

For Mother's Day the kids bought Lisa a sous vide cooker. We tried it out on ribs and it was also a success. Finished in the oven with a little BBQ sauce.

The elderflowers are coming on strong. After making some 6 gallons of elderberry wine last year, I'm considering some elderflower wine this year instead. To help with the decision, I popped open some elderflower wine from 2014, the only batch I've ever tried before. Not much elderflower...not any, really, but not bad wine. Elderflower wine is back in the rotation.

One of this weekend's chores was building a new set of sawhorses. I hope they last as long as the last set and that this is the second to last set of sawhorses I ever build.

Lisa and Allison seem to be having a good time in California.

My two favorite women