# Stinging Nettle wine



## Elforg (Jan 24, 2016)

I have bin planing to make some stinging nettle wine for some years. But where I live I rather not pick anny nettles, becasue there ar to hevvy trafick around. But I'm wondering if you could use dried nettles instead of fresh? This would give me the posibility to pick when I wissiting my parents!


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## Arne (Jan 25, 2016)

Lets see if this will work. @Bernard Smith , makes some light flower type wines. Maybe he will know the answer you want. If this doesn't get him to help, try p.m.ing him. Find a post he has made on here, click on his user name and it should come up where you can private message him. Arne.


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## BernardSmith (Jan 25, 2016)

I have never tried to make a nettle wine and have no knowledge about any differences dried nettles may have from fresh plants. Don't have any access to my books at the moment (won't be home until later this evening) but I wonder if CCJ Berry discusses making nettle wine using dried nettles (I know he has a recipe for nettle wine and I would assume that in principle you could use about 1 - 2 oz of dried leaves for every pint of fresh leaves) But that said, and again, I am speaking totally without any practical knowledge of this kind of wine, I believe that you can buy stinging nettle tea. Assuming that there is no problem with overly extracting tannins, I would make a gallon of the tea but rather than add more tea bags to the liquid take the boiling water off the heat and allow the tea to steep at about 210 F for about an hour and then strain the liquid from the leaves and add your fermentables (sugar or honey ) to the liquid, aerate, add K-meta and allow the tea to cool overnight then pitch your yeast 24 hours after you added the k-meta (or campden tabs). But I cannot emphasize enough that I have never had any dealings with nettles except as a boy in Scotland where I was routinely stung by this plant in overgrown and untended yards and gardens


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## DoctorCAD (Jan 25, 2016)

You could just drink ground glass...

Not sure I would make any food item from a "stinging" plant. I don't think poison ivy wine would be a big seller either!


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## Elforg (Jan 28, 2016)

I might try that


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## JimmyT (Jan 28, 2016)

Elforg said:


> I might try that




Which one? The ground glass or the poison ivy wine lol?


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## BernardSmith (Jan 28, 2016)

But CCJ Barry does have recipes for stinging nettle wine... and apparently it is a lovely wine...


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## DoctorCAD (Jan 28, 2016)

BernardSmith said:


> But CCJ Barry does have recipes for stinging nettle wine... and apparently it is a lovely wine...



Maybe it is, but I think I'll skip it,. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go rack my Owens Corning Pink insulation wine.


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## JohnT (Jan 29, 2016)

BernardSmith said:


> But CCJ Barry does have recipes for stinging nettle wine... and apparently it is a lovely wine...


 

AHHHH, yet another wine that is based on a dare..  

Just who told you that wine made from a weed is any good? Was this source the butt of a "dare you to drink this" challenge?? Perhaps he/she is looking for another patsy??

I really need to ask why on earth someone would spend time, money, and equipment on something like this???


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## BernardSmith (Jan 29, 2016)

Don't shoot the messenger.


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## dorfie (Jan 30, 2016)

Stinging Nettle, burning weed, common nettle, all names for the same plant Urtica dioica. the stinging is not produced from an oil product like poison ivy, but instead is caused by barb like hairs on the plant surface, that do contain irritating chemicals (formic acid) 
But it has been used for hundreds of years as a diuretic, to treat joint and muscle pain, hay fever and a plethora of other conditions. It is packed with Vitamins and minerals because the roots can grow to be quite extensive and deep, and as such can pull minerals from deep soil.
The stinging properties of the plant are removed if the plant is dried or cooked. I actually quite enjoy cooked nettles, they taste very similar to spinach. 
supposidly when you pick the nettles, if you make sure to only grab the plant on the stem and move up you can crush the hairs and allow you to touch the plant. i have always used gloves however 
i would think if you made a nettle tea, and then tested acid and added tannin to taste, then sugar to your level you could get a fairly decent wine. Sounds cool!


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## Elforg (Jan 31, 2016)

We eat stinging nettle soup every summer, so I think it would be a nice wine! But i think I just have to try if it works with dried nettles


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## dorfie (Jan 31, 2016)

I would say that it probably would work with dried nettles, beyond that I cant tell you much for conversions, or flavor differences, as i have never dried nettles. If you could find out how much fresh nettles dried down to how much dried material you could convert a recipe that way. 
I say go ahead with a small batch and see how it works!


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## BernardSmith (Jan 31, 2016)

dorfie said:


> I would say that it probably would work with dried nettles, beyond that I cant tell you much for conversions, or flavor differences, as i have never dried nettles. If you could find out how much fresh nettles dried down to how much dried material you could convert a recipe that way.
> I say go ahead with a small batch and see how it works!



I generally think that 1 unit fresh = 1/4 unit dried but that does not always work...
CJJ Berry's recipe calls for 4 pints fresh nettle tops (young) ; 3 lbs sugar, 2 lemons; 1/2 oz ginger root; 1 gallon water (p154 of his First Steps in Winemaking)


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## LenMajdan (Feb 4, 2016)

I made the CCJ Berry Stinging Nettle wine once from fresh nettles (Just use thick gloves for picking). It was extremely good drinking. Very popular among friends. Now I'm into making wine from fresh grapes and have moved away from the country wines other than Cider, Perry and recently and experimental batch of mead.

Anyway the upshot of this post is to say Stinging Nettle is really worth the effort. A good tasting wine. Anecdotally, I've heard that it is good for the liver and kidneys.


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## ibglowin (Feb 4, 2016)

Old wise tale:

_*"Just because something can be fermented does not mean it should be"*_

Author unknown......


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## BernardSmith (Feb 4, 2016)

But things like nettle wine have a long history in Britain... and I mean a LONG history..


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## ibglowin (Feb 4, 2016)

So has "Haggis" but that doesn't make it appealing in any way!


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## dorfie (Feb 6, 2016)

LenMajdan said:


> I made the CCJ Berry Stinging Nettle wine once from fresh nettles (Just use thick gloves for picking). It was extremely good drinking. Very popular among friends. Now I'm into making wine from fresh grapes and have moved away from the country wines other than Cider, Perry and recently and experimental batch of mead.
> 
> Anyway the upshot of this post is to say Stinging Nettle is really worth the effort. A good tasting wine. Anecdotally, I've heard that it is good for the liver and kidneys.



Nettles are great for you! they have been used in herbal medicine for most of human history. the plant itself has many uses, as food, fibers, and as a medicine to treat many ailments. 
I had thought of making a wine form them a while ago, maybe i will have to try this spring if i have time!


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## Elforg (Feb 12, 2016)

I am grateful for all the answers. Anyone have a good recipe?


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