Dandelion Wine Questions...........

[wildhair]

I'm still waiting for the big bloom.

 

[sour_grapes]

I'm still waiting for the big bloom.

Come to my house!!

 

[Arne]

Come to my house!!

===LOL, somebody has to keep the neighborhood in seeds. Sounds like my place. Arne.

 

[wildhair]

HA! I always prefer my dandelions locally grown - but thanks for the offer. Feel free to pick them and send them to me, tho. LOL

 

[Pmac332010]

I cant find a place where dandelions grow around here in sufficient quantity to make a good batch of wine.
I normally don't bother going through it all if I cant fill up my 8gal primary. When I do I always end up disappointed when that batch of wine runs out too quickly.

 

[wildhair]

I like to start small with a wine I've never made before and see if I like it. I can always scale up next time. And I like to make other stuff from my fruit besides just wine - jam, dried fruit, pie filling, etc. I don't want to get that "drunken old wino" label hung on me.

You're correct, tho - now that it's in the bottles, and it IS quite tasty - I wish I had made more than 2 gallons.

 

[Pmac332010]

I like to make other stuff from my fruit besides just wine - jam, dried fruit, pie filling, etc. I don't want to get that "drunken old wino" label hung on me.

I dont care what people label me as. If they know me well enough for me to care what they think then they know the truth. If they dont know me then I couldnt care less what they think lol.

 

[Pmac332010]

now that it's in the bottles, and it IS quite tasty - I wish I had made more than 2 gallons.

I've had that happen to me so many times I try to never make less than 6 gallons. Always ends up in me being disappointed in a really good wine. Beside the worst wine I've ever made wasnt undrinkable. I've got a friend or two that doesnt care what they taste like so it never goes to waste.

 

[Jal5]

My dandelion wine is in the primary and I left about half the lb. of white raisins in there. good idea or bad? Fermenting away in the gallon bottle now. I had about 1 qt. of juice leftover and stored that in the refrigerator will use that to top off the gallon when I rack the first time. Joe

 

[wildhair]

Seems like a good idea to me. Should help it have a little more body. We just now are getting enough flowers to go out and pick - my neighbors are probably ticked that I haven't mowed them down or sprayed them away yet! LOL

 

[HillPeople]

Just thought I'd post our recipe if anyone is making a big (18-20 gal.) batch.
We just finished picking today.

17 3/4 lbs.Dandelion blossoms
Peels from a dozen lemons and a dozen oranges. Juice and save for later
A cinnamon stick
Divide into 3 or 4 5 gal. Stainless kettles and cover with water.
Boil for 1 hr. Let steep overnight.

The next day strain the tea through cheesecloth and pour into a large enough fermenter to hold 18-20 gallons.
Add the previous orange and lemon juice and pectic enzyme.
Bring the SG up to about 1.096 by adding sugar dissolved in spring water. Around 40 lbs. for 20 gallons.Check the TA and adjust with acid blend to about 3.5.

When the liquid is a round 72 degrees, make a yeast starter with Go_Ferm and D47 and pitch.
Ferment until dry, around .992, and rack.
Add oak if you wish. Rack again after a month or two and sit on it for a year.
Rack again and bottle.

Cheers!

 

[wildhair]

Yep, that's a BIG batch!

 

[Jal5]

you guys must LOVE dandelion wine!

 

[wildhair]

you guys must LOVE dandelion wine!

LOL Even if I loved it, I wouldn't have room to store it! Let alone make anything else. That's a commercial winery size batch.
Finally got some blossoms picked last night. Picked a gallon bag, deflowered (de-blossomed ?) them in about 1/2 hr. Measured them & frozen them & picked more today. I'll have to check and see how many I need. I did find that if you pick them and put them in the fridge right away, they don't close up.

 

[HillPeople]

Just thought I'd post our recipe if anyone is making a big (18-20 gal.) batch.
We just finished picking today.

Sorry - that should have been pH of 3.5, TA of 7 or so

 

[HillPeople]

you guys must LOVE dandelion wine!

Yes we do, but we are not alone.

 

[Jal5]

Update. My gallon is clearing nicely in the basement. It was so cloudy we thought it would never clear on it’s own.
Joe

 

[HillPeople]

We never had a clearing problem until the 2017 batch. Had to treat it with additional pectic enzyme. Those pesky orange and lemon peels no doubt. Let us know how you like it in a few months. Did you ferment it down to .992 or so? I say the drier the better, but that's my personal taste. 2018 batch is almost at the end of its ferment on D47. 1.010 last time I checked.

 

[Jal5]

It went pretty dry 0.994 if I remember.
Willneed some backsweetening later. We visited a winery out of town and tried their dandelion. Sure was good...brought a bottle home!

 

[wildhair]

I haven't been able to start mine yet. I just cleaned up the flowers and froze them.