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!
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
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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.
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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.