Hello! I've just recently gotten into making wines and I'm now in the process of learning about all of the chemicals, tests, equipment, etc needed to make a successful batch. My first batch, however, was created entirely on a whim, so I have a few questions.
Basically, I followed a recipe for dandelion wine that I found online. (Copy and pasted in for ease of access)
Ingredients:
2 qts dandelion flowers
2 lbs 11 ozs granulated sugar
4 oranges
1 gallon water
yeast and nutrient (didn't add a nutrient, and had to use bread yeast because there are no brewing stores nearby where I live)
(Added squeezed lemons, powdered ginger, and clove.)
Directions:
"Pour the boiling water over the flowers, cover with cloth, and leave to seep for two days. Do not exceed two days. Pour the mixture back into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the peelings from the four oranges (again, no white pith) and boil for ten minutes. Strain through a muslin cloth or bag onto acrock or plastic pail containing the sugar, stirring to dissolve. When cool, add the juice of the oranges, the yeast and yeast nutrient. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel, fit fermentation trap, and allow to ferment completely. Rack and bottle when wine clears."
As you can see, this recipe does not call for campden tablets or anything, so as a complete beginner I did not think to add them. Currently, this batch is in a gallon-sized gatorade bottle with a balloon fitted over the top (with holes poked into it.) I tried to do this on the cheap although since this batch I have ordered the needed tablets, acids, yeasts, etc.
Do you think that this will end up being safe to drink (given the lack of campden tablets?) I wouldn't be devastated by any means if this batch ended up disastrously, however I would like to try to salvage it if possible.
Thanks so much for any input!
Basically, I followed a recipe for dandelion wine that I found online. (Copy and pasted in for ease of access)
Ingredients:
2 qts dandelion flowers
2 lbs 11 ozs granulated sugar
4 oranges
1 gallon water
yeast and nutrient (didn't add a nutrient, and had to use bread yeast because there are no brewing stores nearby where I live)
(Added squeezed lemons, powdered ginger, and clove.)
Directions:
"Pour the boiling water over the flowers, cover with cloth, and leave to seep for two days. Do not exceed two days. Pour the mixture back into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the peelings from the four oranges (again, no white pith) and boil for ten minutes. Strain through a muslin cloth or bag onto acrock or plastic pail containing the sugar, stirring to dissolve. When cool, add the juice of the oranges, the yeast and yeast nutrient. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel, fit fermentation trap, and allow to ferment completely. Rack and bottle when wine clears."
As you can see, this recipe does not call for campden tablets or anything, so as a complete beginner I did not think to add them. Currently, this batch is in a gallon-sized gatorade bottle with a balloon fitted over the top (with holes poked into it.) I tried to do this on the cheap although since this batch I have ordered the needed tablets, acids, yeasts, etc.
Do you think that this will end up being safe to drink (given the lack of campden tablets?) I wouldn't be devastated by any means if this batch ended up disastrously, however I would like to try to salvage it if possible.
Thanks so much for any input!
