HillPeople
Senior Member
Many serious vintners will dismiss Dandelion wine as "Fermented Sugar", however, we have been making it for 5 years now and it remains our second most requested wine right behind Blueberry/Honeyberry/Maple Syrup. So I thought if you'd like to try it, I'd give you the recipe we use . There really is nothing quite like it. Done right, it reminds you of sunny field in early spring. Flowery, earthy, fragrant- sunny. We make it bone dry. The following recipe makes around 20 gallons. I chose this quantity because it's about the amount of dandelion blossoms 2 or 3 people can pick in 4 hours on a bright sunny day in May.
Find a field full of dandelions and start picking off the blossoms. Leaves right under the flowers are no problem, but take off any stems. Fill a 5 gal bucket. As you add them, they shrivel up and compress, so it seems as if you are getting nowhere. Persevere until you fill the bucket, which will result in 12-14 lbs of blossoms.
Divide the blossoms into 3 five gal stainless kettles. Peel 12 oranges and 12 lemons, divide them up equally and add to the kettles with 1 cinammon stick in each.
Cover with water and boil for an hour or so. Let steep overnight. Best aroma ever will fill your house.
Squeeze the lemons and oranges, add the juice to the "tea" and strain into buckets. This should yield 8-10 gal of strong tea.
Dissolve 40 lbs of sugar in 8 gal of water. Combine the tea and simple syrup in your fermenter. Take a SG reading. I shoot for 1.092- 1.096. Adjust with water or sugar accordingly.
Take a pH reading. It will typically be in the mid 4's. Add acid blend to lower the pH to around 3.5. For this size batch, it's in the range of 8 tsp.
Add 4 tsp Pectic Enzyme.
Prepare a starter of 15 g D-47 and 21 g Go-Ferm with incremental additions of must. Pitch after 15-20 min.
Ferment down to .992- .994. Rack and add correct amount of K-Meta. 1/4 tsp./6 gal or so. Add a clarifier if you wish (Sparkalloid etc.)
Age in a cool space until next late winter. Rack and bottle.
Blow your friends away.
Find a field full of dandelions and start picking off the blossoms. Leaves right under the flowers are no problem, but take off any stems. Fill a 5 gal bucket. As you add them, they shrivel up and compress, so it seems as if you are getting nowhere. Persevere until you fill the bucket, which will result in 12-14 lbs of blossoms.
Divide the blossoms into 3 five gal stainless kettles. Peel 12 oranges and 12 lemons, divide them up equally and add to the kettles with 1 cinammon stick in each.
Cover with water and boil for an hour or so. Let steep overnight. Best aroma ever will fill your house.
Squeeze the lemons and oranges, add the juice to the "tea" and strain into buckets. This should yield 8-10 gal of strong tea.
Dissolve 40 lbs of sugar in 8 gal of water. Combine the tea and simple syrup in your fermenter. Take a SG reading. I shoot for 1.092- 1.096. Adjust with water or sugar accordingly.
Take a pH reading. It will typically be in the mid 4's. Add acid blend to lower the pH to around 3.5. For this size batch, it's in the range of 8 tsp.
Add 4 tsp Pectic Enzyme.
Prepare a starter of 15 g D-47 and 21 g Go-Ferm with incremental additions of must. Pitch after 15-20 min.
Ferment down to .992- .994. Rack and add correct amount of K-Meta. 1/4 tsp./6 gal or so. Add a clarifier if you wish (Sparkalloid etc.)
Age in a cool space until next late winter. Rack and bottle.
Blow your friends away.
