Dandelions are at their peak season from late March until early May. This recipe produces a dry white wine with hints of honey which will mature in 6 months - 1 year. 

Dandelions should be picked in full sun, as the petals close at night. And take care to pick them away from areas with heavy traffic or where dogs are walked. Pick enough flowers to fill a one gallon container. When preparing the flowers you will just need the petals so snip them from the calyx (the green part behind the petals) - it doesn’t matter if a small amount of the calyx goes into the mixture, but a large amount will make the wine bitter. 

Wine Ingredients 

  • Dandelion petals to loosely fill a gallon/5 litre container
  • 4.5 litres of water
  • 250ml Vinclasse White Grape Concentrate
  • Juice and Zest of 3 lemons
  • 1.5 Kg Vinclasse Brewing Sugar
  • 1 packet of Vinclasse All Purpose White Yeast
  • Yeast Nutrient
You will also need Campden Tablets, Fermentation Stopper and Finings if you decide to clear the wine with finings.  

Equipment 

  • 1 x 12.5 Litre Fermenting Bucket With Lid, 5 Litre Fermenting Bucket With Lid, Temperature Strip and Airlock
  • Demijohn, Bored Bung and Airlock (Optional)
  • Large saucepan
  • 1.25m Syphon Tube
  • Plastic Paddle / Spoon
  • Hydrometer and Trial Jar
  • Nylon Straining Bag
  • Steriliser Tablets

Method

  • Place the petals in the 12.5 litre fermenting bucket.
  • Boil the water and pour over the petals. Cover and leave for 2 days, stirring occasionally with a sterilised spoon.
  • Following the instructions on the steriliser tablets, sterilise the 5 litre fermenting bucket, and anything that will come into contact with the wine, and rinse thoroughly. 
  • Strain the petal mixture into the 5 litre bucket, using the sterilised straining bag. Stir in the sugar. the grape juice concentrate and lemon juice and zest. Top the bucket up to 4.5 litres with cold water, if needed. Add the yeast and yeast nutrient and fit the lid with the airlock. 
  • Keep the fermenting bucket where the temperature can be maintained at 20-25C. At this temperature fermentation should take 3-4 weeks. If cooler the fermentation time may be longer.
  • Once signs of fermentation cease, draw off some wine into a sterilised trial jar and test with the hydrometer. If you have 2 readings, .995 or below, that are the same 48 hours apart the wine is ready for the next stage.
  • At this stage you can transfer into sterilised demijohn, with a bung and airlock, leave until clear then bottle. Or if you would prefer to clear the wine with finings, at the end of fermentation add 1 crushed Campden tablet and half a teaspoon of fermentation stopper. Leave in a warm place for 3 days to kill off the yeast. Then, leave the wine in a cool place (15 °C) to clear before siphoning it from the sediment. Add the finings, according to the instructions and when clear you can pass the wine through a filter to obtain a professional finish before bottling.
  • Store in a cool, dark place to mature for 6 months - 1 year.