Wine Making

You’ve waited six weeks for your elderflower wine to finish fermenting. You rack it off the lees into a clean demijohn, hold it up to the light, and it looks…

You’ve brewed your own beer. You’ve made wine from garden elderflowers. And now you’re eyeing those copper-topped distillation kits on Amazon and wondering: can I actually make gin at home?…

You’ve got six demijohns of elderflower wine bubbling away in the spare room, a blackberry batch from last autumn that’s nearly ready, and a mate just dropped off a carrier…

Every June, elderflower bushes erupt across the UK — in hedgerows, canal paths, park edges, and back gardens. For about three weeks, the creamy-white flower heads fill the air with…

Your garden is drowning in blackberries and the neighbours are refusing to take any more. The freezer is full, you’ve made enough crumble to last until Christmas, and the birds…

Imagine a rainy Saturday afternoon, the perfect time to unleash your inner vintner while enjoying a glass of your favourite tipple. Whether you fancy crafting a bold red to impress your mates or a crisp white to sip on a sunny garden picnic, making your own wine can be a delightful and rewarding…

You’ve got a demijohn bubbling away on the kitchen counter, the airlock pops every few seconds, and the liquid inside has turned cloudy and slightly intimidating. Something is clearly happening in there — but what, exactly? Most home winemaking guides tell you to “let it ferment” as if that…

You’ve just come back from a holiday in southern France, still thinking about that rosé you had with lunch every day — the one that cost €3 from the village…