Sweet Chestnut Champagne

I went on a foraging course with Fergus the Forager a couple of years ago for my 30th birthday, and that’s where I was introduced to the magic of fermentation. At the end of the day, Fergus let us all have a shot of his sweet chestnut champagne. Apparently, all you have to do is collect some catkins from a sweet chestnut tree, add some sugar, and fill it up with water. Within a day or two, it starts fizzing—and away you go!

A year later, I gave it a try myself and ended up drinking it on my 32nd birthday by a lake in the Jura mountains with my now-wife, Sam.

This video was taken about six weeks after starting the process. It had been topped up with just water a couple of times—and it’s still fizzing like crazy!