Julia's Wines: Elderflower 1993 - 16th February 2019

It has been a long time since we opened a bottle of Julia's ancient wines. When this one was being made, I was sitting my Law Society Finals and would not meet Claire for another two years.

I took the bottle to Ros's for an evening of Board Games and hilarity, and it was appropriate that Julia was represented. The wine looked beautiful and had an attractive scent. We all raised our glasses, toasted Julia, took a sip and poured the wine down the sink. It had not aged well.

Elderflower Wine - Final Bottle (3), 22nd-28th February 2018

What better to go with fish pie than a bottle of elderflower wine? Quite a lot, it turns out. The first taste was on the verge of rancid. However, it improved dramatically for being left in the fridge: maybe exposure to oxygen helped (though that sounds implausible).

On Friday night when drinking this, a loveable character in The Archers was killed off through sepsis, and I found myself surprisingly affected. I spent the evening feeling low.

My two glasses on Saturday were after a chamber music concert in Todmorden. The concert itself was good - Dvorak's serenade for wind, cello and bass, and the Strauss Serenade Opus 7 - but it took me nearly two hours to get there. And rather than thanking me for making the effort (or even greeting me with a quick 'hello'), all the conductor said to me during the evening was "Could you help me shift the piano?". I won't be returning.

Elderflower Wine - Fifth Bottle (5), 2nd-3rd July 2016

One of the reasons I chose this bottle for the House Warming Pary was so I could say to Charles "I didn't recognise you with your clothes on," and hand him a glass. [For reason, click here - it is safe!] Alas, Caroline and Charles (and their two young sons) were some of the last visitors, by which time the elderflower had gone. Much of it was drunk by other neighbours who came - Don & Sandy, and Lenny & Joan. It is a very English thing not to know who else lives on your street, and I am delighted that we had numbers 15, 16 and 24 come over. Don, Sandy, Lenny & Joan have lived here for decades and I think enjoyed the opportunity to have a poke about our house and garden.

Elderflower, Rhubarb & Mint Wine - The Making Of ...

It is a rare occasion that I ask a naked man if I can pick elderflowers from his garden. This was one such occurrence.

The tree I eventually used

I noticed last week that Charles & Caroline, two doors down, had an elder tree in their garden and I thought it would be good neighbourly bonding to ask if I could use some, possibly in return for a bottle. So at a respectable hour on Sunday morning, 12th June, I knocked on their door. It was opened by a four year old. I asked if mummy or daddy were home. He looked reluctant, but went off to find one of them. Charles came to the door, hiding behind it, but it was clear that he was wearing very little. Possibly nothing. Having knocked, I now had no choice but continue. I asked if I could get some elderflowers. He looked confused. "For wine" I explained. Looking nonplussed, he said he would ask Caroline and shut the door. I wasn't sure whether he meant 'right now' or 'at some point in the future'. I hung around awkwardly for a few seconds, but decided that discretion was the better part of valour and retreated with no dignity in tact.

A pint of elderflowers

There were plenty of elderflowers elsewhere and I picked about a third of a carrier bag, which translated into a pint of flowers once I had stripped them from their stems (tedious).

Rhubarb in our garden

Claire supervised my picking of rhubarb from the plants in our garden, and I got 2 lbs 13 oz. I chopped these into chunks, put them in the bucket and poured in the elderflowers. Our main mint plant is doing well, so I got a handful of leaves from this and a few from a mint that was here when we arrived, chopped these roughly and put them in the bucket. I added 3 lbs of sugar and 7 pints of boiling water, stirred it all round and left it overnight.

Our main mint plant

On Monday morning I added a teaspoon each of pectolase, tannin and nutrient and sprinkled in the yeast. I left this until Friday evening, 17th June, when I sieved out the solids and put the liquid into its demijohn. It was a quick job and done before seven o'clock. The wine is pink, but not as pastel delicate pink as pure rhubarb.

If you want to see how this wine turned out, click here

Elderflower Wine - Fourth Bottle (6), 15th-17th May 2016

We had already opened two bottles of wine on Sunday before getting stuck into the Elderflower. But it is not every day that you create the wherewithal for a pond in your back garden. One of those bottles was celery wine, so that doesn't count. The other was Mark's chardonnay and shared between six.

Claire chose elderflower for Sunday evening on the basis that there is nothing remarkable about it, and so it proved. I spent Sunday night wine-making. then on Tuesday we finished the bottle to bean burgers. Nothing remarkable at all.

This is possibly the dullest entry in my diary, and it faces some stiff competition. Apologies.

Elderflower Wine - Eleventh Bottle (A2), 20th-21st April 2016

I opened this bottle after our first WYSO rehearsal for the summer term. Mostly we are playing crowd-pleasing medleys (James Bond, Phantom of the Opera) but there is some real music too: Beethoven's Fifth, Night on a Bare Mountain.

I drank a couple of glasses while finding clips of Victoria Wood on i-player. Generally I am only vaguely interested when a celebrity dies, but I am genuinely upset about Victoria Wood. She was so funny, so talented and provided such a distinctive northern voice. It is too early for her to die.

Elderflower Wine - Tenth Bottle (B5), 27th March 2016

This was an Easter Sunday bottle of wine, drunk to a slab or roast pork with crackling done to perfection. We are in Newcastle and Andrew was the cook. Sooz quoted passages of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy at me (something to do with 'filthy elderflower concoctions') but mostly the wine was enjoyed.

Earlier in the day we had a sunny yet bracing walk along the Northumberland coast, taking in Howden, Craster and Dunstanburgh Castle. The distant storm clouds painted the scenery with dramatic light.

Elderflower Wine - Ninth Bottle (A3), 17th-18th February 2016

It is half-term this week, and therefore no WYSO. Instead I spent Wednesday evening in Wakefield at Nick's discussing the Pontefract concert in June. A James Bond medley could be fun; the Prince Igor Suite will not be. Back at home I shooed out Claire's quartet, opened this bottle and settled down to Bake Off.

On Thursday, elderflower wine kept me company as I made Lentil Farmer's Pie. I didn't get flustered and the end result was the best that I have done. The wine served its purpose and was as dependable, summery and floral as ever.


Recipe for Lentil Farmer's Pie (with apologies to Delia) (feeds 2)

3 oz green lentils
3 oz red lentils
1 onion
2 small-ish carrots
1 stick of celery
half a courgette
clove of garlic
a chilli (taking out as many seeds as you fancy depending on how hot you want it)
lots of butter
a tomato or two
pinch of mace
salt and pepper

as many potatoes as looks sensible for mash on top
more butter
bit of milk
strong cheddar cheese

1. Boil the lentils in separate pans in enough water to absorb and a bit extra until they are done. (Red lentils cook much faster than green lentils - hence the different pans. Probably 15 mins for the red lentils and 40 for the green - but that is approximate.)

2. Meanwhile, soften the butter, and put in the diced onion, crushed garlic and sliced chilli. Cook until onion is looking soft

3. Put in the diced carrot, sliced celery stick and (after a bit) the diced half courgette.

4. When the veg looks done, and the lentils are done, drain the lentils, squeeze out excess water, put them in with the veg and mix thoroughly.

5.  Add plenty of salt and pepper and mix through. Put in a dash of ground mace and mix that too.

6.  Put the mix into a small casserole dish, slice the tomatoes thinly and put those on top

7. Make mashed potato, mashing it with the butter and milk.

8. Put on top of the mixture

9. Grate the cheddar cheese and put on top

10. Put in the oven at Gas 6, 220 degrees, and cook for about half an hour (maybe a bit less).

11. Serve with whatever you fancy. I had chutney.

Elderflower Wine - Third Bottle (4), 13th-15th January 2016

This term, WYSO is playing music inspired by Shakespeare. On Wednesday night we came home having played Tchaikovsky's Romeo & Juliet Overture and much of Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream. All good stuff - and a glass of elderflower wine hit the spot nicely. I'm sure that if Oberon and Titania could choose a wine it would be elderflower.

I finished the bottle on Friday night after we had returned from the Playhouse to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It is a ridiculous musical but was done brilliantly. Once I had turned off my cynicism setting, I sat back and let the fun wash over me.

Elderflower - Second Bottle (1), 27th- 28th October 2015

Let There Be Light. The House now has working electricity. I flick a switch and lights go on. This is new and miraculous, and I can't tell you how excited I am about it. Despite this, I had a bit of a wobble on Wednesday night about the whole House thing and I am unsure why. Perhaps it is the massive crack our bathroom fitter unearthed in our bathroom wall, meaning the wall needs rebuilding. At least the elderflower wine helped in a small way - and several days later I am more relaxed about the crack.

The crack in the wall

Elderflower Wine - Eighth Bottle (A5), 23rd-24th September 2015

Of the four movements in Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony, it is the second that I love the most. It has a mournful, beautiful melody passed between the orchestra and, of course, the bassoon gets it last. We played this on Wednesday and I emoted as much as I could. The tune has been stuck in my head ever since.

I opened this bottle to Bake Off after WYSO and we finished it on Thursday to an episode of Mad Men. Elderflower is a solid, mid-week bottle: consistent, floral, just a little bit dull.

Elderflower Wine - First Bottle (2), 11th-13th June 2015

Elderflower is a reliable white wine with little variance between years. It has a semi-sweet floral taste: distinctive and summery. Mid-June is the perfect season to open a bottle.

I spent most of Thursday evening reading Jaws while drinking this in preparation for the Book Group party. It is old fashioned with pedestrian prose, but good fun all the same. People getting bit in half - what's not to like?

We finished the bottle after returning from the theatre: The Rise and Fall of  Little Voice. This was mostly bleak and gritty with a fabulous musical sequence and some excellent, powerful acting from the three leads.

Little Voice Poster

If you want to see how I made this wine, click here

Elderflower Wine - Seventh Bottle (B6), 5th April 2015

Having the Parents over was wonderful, but it was nice when they left. Claire and I had spent a disturbed night between Saturday and Sunday, sleeping on an air mattress, which needed an emergency inflate at two in the morning. Therefore, as soon as we had said 'goodbye' to the last set to leave (mine), we crawled into bed for an afternoon snooze.

By the evening we were ready for an Easter bottle of wine, so I opened an elderflower. It feels like summer might arrive one day, and this wine was in early anticipation, drunk to leftovers.

Elderflower Wine - Sixth Bottle (B2), 18th-19th March 2015

This bottle began life as a post-WYSO snifter. It is our concert in a week and a bit, and Wednesday was our last go through Schumann's First Symphony before the day. It was alright - which also serves as a description of this eldeflower. Floral, fragrant, a teensy bit bland.

We finished the bottle on Thursday. I spent some of the evening helping Rory move out of his student digs into a private (but still very studenty) flat. He has been plagued by undergraduates since September, with their continual partying, and it has affected both his work and health. The move only took two car-loads, and then we went to the Chemic to drink beer and watch a man play with his dog.

Elderflower Wine - Fifth Bottle (A1), 20th-21st February 2015

This bottle did for both Friday and Saturday, which suggests temperance. An argument might be made in that direction for Saturday, but on Friday night I also had two pints at Derek's leaving do, a glass of crab apple and I finished my birthday whisky (which was the wee-est of drams). Therefore, sticking to the elderflower after Music Club on Saturday (where a mezzo singing Brahms was the highlight) was sensible.

Earlier in the day we went to look at a house: a large bungalow north of Street Lane. It was fine, but not "us". Interesting to see other houses, though, and we are early in the search.

Julia's Wines - Elderflower 1993, 7th February 2015

Not one of Julia's best. This wine was drinkable but was thin and not very interesting. The elderflower taste was hardly there. I apologised to Julia (in absentia) as I reached for the Prosecco instead. The evening as a whole was fantastic, though. Claire cooked many curries and we feasted with Ros, Emma, Christian and Kate. There was much laughter, plenty to drink and we ended the night playing Ex Libris. Which I won convincingly (he said, smugly). Claire and I did not get to bed until well past midnight, and that never happens. We already setting dates for the next get together.

Elderflower Wine - Fourth Bottle (B4), 11th-13th December 2014

I started this bottle on Thursday night while watching The Missing  on i-player. It has been a terrific, if bleak, series so far and there is only one episode to go. Claire was out playing string quartets and I know that elderflower is not her favourite flavour.

The second half of the bottle was drunk after our WYSO concert, mostly because my mother found the Blackcurrant & Red Gooseberry far too dry. She pulled a comic face and fell on the Elderflower eagerly. David (Anne's new fellow) helped empty the bottle, and also preferred it.

Elderflower Wine - Third Bottle (B1), 8th October 2014

Perhaps drinking an entire bottle on a Wednesday is not the best of ideas. However, it was the Great British Bake Off final. For each previous episode we have had half a bottle between us. This time, though, I would argue it was a special occasion. And I thoroughly enjoyed the show. It had the right mixture of tension and loveliness, and Nancy was a worthy winner.

Earlier in the evening we played the Weber bassoon concerto at WYSO with Amy - who is a far better soloist than I. If she wasn't such a delightful person I would have spent the evening in bitter envy.

Elderflower Wine - Second Bottle (A2), 7th-10th September 2014

On Sunday Claire dragged me to the British Wool Festival in Harrogate. Rather than spend the £8 entrance fee to look at coloured yarn, I spent my time outside in Hookstone Forest foraging for berries. I need more blackberries for the freezer, and elderberries are mostly ripe. It was a lovely way to spend Sunday midday and did not involve overpriced wool, though Claire came out with stacks of the stuff.

In the evening we drank most of a bottle of elderflower wine to curries made from lamb and potatoes.

Elderflower Wine - Eleventh Bottle (A6), 7th-9th August 2014

I shared this bottle with Sue Jones in St Dogmaels, over grilled mackrel caught the day before. It was a lovely meal and elderflower goes well with fish. I had spent the day at a beach near Cwmtydu, some of it being swept up and down by turquoise waves.

The wine did not affect my playing of incidental music to The Merchant of Venice which was performed in the grounds of St Dogmaels Abbey. Nor did it affect my ability to down a quick pint in The White Hart afterwards.

Being on holiday is excellent.

The beach with turquoise waves