By Debra Maslowski
I’ve tasted some different wines over the years, but one of the best and most unique wines is this simple dandelion wine recipe. Enjoy!
Dandelions For Homemade Wine
Dandelions grow in most parts of the country. Here in North Carolina, we see them all year, but they mainly flower from March to November. You can collect the entire plant including the root if you want a drier, more bitter wine. Use just the flowers if you want a sweeter wine. Either way, clean them well. The roots can harbor sand in the crevasses, and bacteria on the entire plant. Neither of which are good in this dandelion wine recipe!
Dandelion Wine Recipe
I've tasted some different wines over the years, but one of the best and most unique wines is this simple dandelion wine recipe. Enjoy!
- Prep Time
- 1 hour
- Active Time
- 1 hour
- Fermentation Time
- 25 days
- Total Time
- 25 days 2 hours
- Servings
- 32 servings
- Course
- Beverage
- Cuisine
- American
- Estimated Cost
- $3
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 package winemaking yeast
- ¼ cup warm filtered water
- 4 cups dandelions chopped, or dandelion flowers (see explanation above to determine which one to use)
- 1- gallon warm water
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup lime juice
- juice from 4 oranges
- ¼ cup chopped orange peels
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 4 cups raw sugar or equivalent of sugar substitute*
Instructions
Step 1
-
To begin making this dandelion wine recipe, clean your dandelions well, making sure they are free of dirt and bugs.
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Add yeast to ¼ cup warm water and stir. Set the yeast mixture aside and move on to the next step.
-
Add all remaining ingredients to a pot and simmer for about an hour. Turn off and cool a bit. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.
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Cool to about 100°F. Transfer liquid to your glass jug and add the yeast mixture. Stir well and top with an airlock.
Step 2
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After you have the water lock in place on this dandelion wine recipe, let the wine sit in a cool, dark place for 3-4 weeks to allow fermentation to take place. You'll know it's done when the bubbling stops.
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When it's finished, you can strain off the sediment if desired. Next, bottle it in traditional wine bottles and cork them or use Weck bottles.
Notes
It is very important to be sure that the fermentation process for this dandelion wine recipe has finished before capping or corking. If you don’t, you risk an explosion.
*If you choose to use a sugar substitute you’ll still need to add some sugar. Yeast feeds on sugar, and without it, the yeast can’t grow and your wine won’t ferment. Add just enough sugar for the yeast (it’ll be converted anyway), about ½ cup, and wait to add the sugar substitute until the wine is finished. Then you can judge how much you’ll need.
Nutrition:
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Drinking Your Wine
Once you cap or cork the bottles, you can drink the wine from this dandelion wine recipe right away, or you can let it mellow. I allow my dandelion wine to sit for 3-4 months before drinking it. This seems to make it less harsh and much more mellow.
Dandelion Wine Vinegar
Some people don’t drink wine, but they use white wine vinegar for cooking. I have very nice champagne vinegar, but I’m thinking it could be made just as easily with this dandelion wine recipe.
Ingredients & Supplies
- 1 bottle dandelion wine (from recipe above)
- “mother” from raw vinegar (this is the gritty sediment at the bottom of a bottle of raw vinegar)
- non-metal bowl or jug
- cheesecloth
- rubber band
Directions
Mix the wine and the “mother” in the bowl or jug, and cover with several layers of cheesecloth. (Fruit flies love vinegar and will ruin it if they get inside.) Leave the vinegar mixture for 3-4 weeks. Pour into a bottle and cap.
Use for salads or anything else you would use vinegar for.
Do you have a dandelion wine recipe you love? If so, tell us about it!
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I can’t rate the recipe as I haven’t made it — but I wanted to leave a comment about seredipity and synchronicity and all that funny stuff that should be blamed on G*d acting anonymously . . . I’ve meant for at least two weeks to post on NextDoor (local NoVA) about dandelions in the lawn and getting rid of them. OF COURSE I wanted to include a bit of a carrot and give folks something worthwhile to do with their dandelions . . . but I didn’t get to it until HERE YOU ARE so we each get a two-fer.
I caan’t rate the recipe as I haven’t made it — but I wanted to leave a comment about seredipity and synchronicity and all that funny stuff that should be blamed on G*d acting anonymously . . . I’ve meant for at least two weeks to post on NextDoor (local NoVA) about dandelions in the lawn and getting rid of them. OF COURSE I wanted to include a bit of a carrot and give folks something worthwhile to do with their dandelions . . . but I didn’t get to it until HERE YOU ARE so we each get a two-fer.
What is the best way to sanitize any glass jugs or bottles used? Can they be boiled? I’ve come across some sanitizing products but they have too many chemicals for my liking!
Can any dandelion be used? Are there different kinds? Or can I use what’s in my yard?
Depending on where you live, Vanessa, you should be able to use what you have. Most all dandelions are edible, although some, like the white ones, may not produce the nice golden color and the flavor could be different. You’ll want to be sure no chemicals were used on the lawn, The best dandelions are harvested in the spring and summer, so you can dry them if need be.