Sharp Elderflower Wine

[Mothman]

Hello All,

I'm looking for some expert advice - every year I do 5gals of a simple elderflower wine, the recipe running roughly along the lines of
take 3gals of wild elderflowers, cover with boiling water, steep for 3days ish. add 15lb sugar and champagne yeast. leave to ferment out, bottle (hopefully when there is enough sugar left to add a little fizz but not enough to blow the cork )

This always gives a reasonable wine of variable quality.

However last years vintage has turned out tasting very sharp, like lemon juice, it works well as a cordial or pimms mixer but not very nice when drunk neat

So two questions

1. Last year I reduced the sugar by about 2lb and may have used extra elderflowers - is one of these the cause of the sharpness? or is it something else?

2. Any ideas how to avoid getting a sharp vintage this year

[fatbloke]

Was the sharpness, acidic like sherbet/lemon juice ? did you think of checking gravity on it, and maybe even pH ? Or even think of getting an elderflower cordial recipe and making that up as well so you can add a little after the ferment is complete to keep some of the more delicate floral notes ?

If it was too acidic, you could have sulphited and sorbated the finished wine and then added some sugar, which would have masked the taste some. or even used something to reduce acidity/pH a bit.....

[Mothman]

Yes like lemon juice.
I'm afraid checking pH is a little advanced for me
Any ideas what to use to reduce the acidity? not sure about the sulphite and sorbate idea