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Dandelion wine is sunshine in a bottle and can be enjoyed throughout the year. Not only is it easy and fun to make, but it has an incredible, complex yet subtle character that has been compared to sweet Champagne. Slightly effervescent, summery, floral, and sweet, dandelion wine pairs with so many foods, from salads to white meat, vegetables to fish. It can also be used for cocktails, so you can have fun mixing your own signature summer drinks.
Dandelion wine takes at least six months to mature, but you can keep it longer, up to two years. The alcohol content is mid to low, so it’s perfect for those who want to limit their booze intake.
How to make dandelion wine
The first thing you need to do is collect as many dandelion flowers as possible. Pick them from a garden or field that you know hasn’t been sprayed, to avoid nasty pesticides. As you pick them, brush them gently to remove any insects hidden inside. By removing the flower of the plant and leaving the stem, you will allow the plant to bloom again, which will help keep your lawn wild and vibrant and a haven for bees and other pollinators.
Prepare the flowers
Once collected, take the flowers indoors and remove the yellow petals from the green calyxes. The calyx is the green flower skirt. Try to remove as much of the green as possible as if this gets into your wine it may affect the flavor, making it bitter. Compost the leftovers.
Viridi Green via Unsplash
Bring the water
Take about a gallon of water (3.8 liters), for, let’s say 50 dandelion heads, and bring the water to the boil. Turn off the heat and then add the petals to the water, making sure they are all well submerged. Cover and let the mixture macerate for three days, stirring once a day.
Bring to the boil
Take your pot of macerated dandelion and add the zest of a large lemon. Bring the entire mixture up to boiling point, turn off the heat and allow it to cool.
Strain
Using a paper coffee filter or cheesecloth, strain the entire mixture into another pot. Stainless steel vessels are fine for this process, but glass is even better.
Bring the sugar
Add about 1.5 pounds (700g) of granulated sugar to the mixture and stir until dissolved. At this point you can add citrus juice if desired, one lemon and one orange. We add about 3/4 of a pound (350g) of golden raisins which will feed the yeast over time.
Bring the yeast
When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, you are going to add some yeast. You can use wine, beer, cornmeal, or baking yeast, but wine yeast is best—the better the yeast, the better the wine. Empty the contents of your sachet into a cup of warm water and give it a good mix, this will wake the yeast, you can then dump the mixture into your wine.
Fermentation
Ladle the wine mix into sterilized jars and allow it to ferment in a cool place with a stable temperature. This should take between 10 to 14 days. You want to wait until the yeast activity in the jars has slowed.
Ageing
Use a sterilized siphon to transfer the wine to sterilized bottles. You are then ready to let your wine age. This will take from between six months to two years to complete, depending on the flavor you want for your wine. Simply leave them alone in a pantry or cellar and come back to them in the depths of winter, open, and enjoy a glass of zingy, sunshine-filled dandelion wine.
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