Dandelion Wine

[wildhair]

This is the first year I made dandelion wine and I made a dandelion-lemongrass variant at the same time. It bulk aged a little over 6 months and has been in the bottle another 3 months. There is a bit more of the Q & A on petal removal, a detailed after-action report as well as the recipe ~

https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/dandelion-wine-questions.56599/#post-684945

I realized I should probably post the actual recipe in this forum, so here goes. Good luck!

Dandelion Wine –

• 8 cups dandelion petals - packed
  
  
• 1 ½ cups dried lemongrass (optional)
  
  
• 1 gal water
  
  
• 2 cups fresh dandelion petals
  
  
• 3 cups water treated w/ Campden tablet. ( I treat a gallon w/ 1 tablet and keep it in the fridge.)
  
  
• 2 ½ lbs granulated sugar (or enough to get a starting SG – 1.100 - add less to get a lighter wine)
  
  
• 2 lemons (juice and zest)
  
  
• 3 oranges (juice and zest)
  
  
• Test ph – 3.1 - 3.5 or add Acid Blend to achieve (1 t tsp +/-)
  
  
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
  
  
• ½ tsp pectic enzyme
  
  
• ¼ tsp tannin
  
  
• 1tsp Bentonite
  
  
• Vintner’s Harvest SN9 yeast

Prepare flower petals beforehand. Put 1 gal water on to boil., then pour water over 8 cups of the petals and the lemongrass. Cover & steep for 24 hrs. Pour 3 cups of treated water over remaining 2 cups of petals, mix well and add to original “tea”. Steep for an additional 24 hrs.

Prepare zest from citrus and add to dandelion water, bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Strain tea into nylon fruit bag, drain and squeeze bag to extract all liquid. Stir in sugar until completely dissolved. Test SG - 1.090 - 1.100

Pour “tea” into primary then add juice of citrus fruit, tannin, yeast nutrient & Bentonite. Cover and allow to cool to room temperature. Add pectic enzyme, cover and set aside at least 12 hours. Add activated yeast and cover. Stir twice daily for 5 days, check SG daily. When SG stabilizes - mine stopped at 1.010 for one and 1.005 for the other - rack into secondary & fit airlock and set aside in a dark place or wrap the secondary in brown paper to help prevent the color from fading. Rack after 2 weeks, then 30 days and again every 2 months for 6 months, adding another crushed Campden tablet during middle racking and stabilizing at last racking. Backsweeten if needed - Wait another month and rack into bottles. Cellar 6 months and enjoy a bottle. Cellar another 6 months and enjoy it all................maybe not all at once, tho.

Altered from a Jack Keller Recipe Dandelion Wine #2 . There are several others on his website, too.

 

[Shayne Edwards]

By the Lord Harry, that sounds like a lot of work.

 

[wildhair]

LOL Not so much. Picking flowers - not what I call work.

 

[Shayne Edwards]

Obviously you don't have Red Belly blacks, Taipans and King Brown snakes in your neck of the woods. Super venomous snakes aside how do you find enough of the flowers to harvest?
Oh, I get it now.
Are you using this as an excuse to not mow your lawn, as in "Sorry sweet heart I can't mow the lawn just yet, I'm waiting for the flowers to pop up so I can make that wine you really, really like."

 

[balatonwine]

Picking flowers - not what I call work.

Do note, the recipe calls for petals, not flowers. The petals are just the yellow parts, no green parts allowed else your wine can be bitter.

 

[Shayne Edwards]

Wow,Still seems like a lot of work. Can I ask how long that took to do?

 

[meadmaker1]

Oh, I get it now.
Are you using this as an excuse to not mow your lawn, as in "Sorry sweet heart I can't mow the lawn just yet, I'm waiting for the flowers to pop up so I can make that wine you really, really like."

I try too use my bees as an excuse for not dealing with dandelions, but the wife ain't having it.

 

[wildhair]

Do note, the recipe calls for petals, not flowers. The petals are just the yellow parts, no green parts allowed else your wine can be bitter.

Actually - some of the green petals are just fine. I ate every part of the flower just to see where the bitter parts were. The bitterness comes from the while "milk" which is below the flower head. Everything above the drooping lower petals is fine & has no bitter taste.
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/dandelion-wine-questions.56599/page-2#post-689445

 

[wildhair]

Wow,Still seems like a lot of work. Can I ask how long that took to do?

I can pick a FULL gallon bag in about 30 minutes. It takes about and hour to "de-petal" them. You end up with about 5 cups of packed petals.

 

[Shayne Edwards]

I realise this isn't the right thread but I know that you waxed lyrically about your super special de-flowering instrument somewhere.

I started wondering about it and think I have an idea or two to contribute if you would care to discuss your instrument further.

 

[Shayne Edwards]

I try too use my bees as an excuse for not dealing with dandelions, but the wife ain't having it.

Considering just how important bees are to our environment, surely your hugs and kisses is being just a little too hard, I personally believed every word of that statement and appreciated the sacrifice you are willing to make around mowing for the environment, it's just wrong brother, just wrong.

 

[wildhair]

I realise this isn't the right thread but I know that you waxed lyrically about your super special de-flowering instrument somewhere.

I started wondering about it and think I have an idea or two to contribute if you would care to discuss your instrument further.

I don't recall "waxing lyrically" - but I'm open for suggestions. Having used it some this year - I can now see some faults and needed corrections. However - we can do this in a private conversation.

 

[Shayne Edwards]

Ok in all fairness, I exaggerated a little around the "waxing lyrically" part, and certainly the rest of the euphemism was certainly over the top and I apologise unreservedly if I offended. In my defence though Mr. Jim B. was involved again and I kept getting visions of Viking warriors with flowing red locks landing upon the shores of Bonnie Scotland and...…...I think I should stop right there.
However the ideas for your invention may be helpful and I will PM you with them mate.

 

[wildhair]

LOL No harm, no foul. Aye - waxing lyrical - best left to the poets, no?
I did start a private conversation on this topic with you - check the envelope in the upper right of the page.

 

[Shayne Edwards]

saw this a bit late sorry