Honeysuckle Wine

[PatrickRB]

Hi all, I was driving home this afternoon and passed a huge patch of honeysuckle. It's not in bloom now, but when it is it is very fragrant, and the nectar is very sweet. Has anyone tried to make honeysuckle wine? I figure it would take a massive harvest of flowers just to make a gallon batch, but wouldn't it be worth it? Ideas? If no one else does it it may be the first thing I try when I start making wine. (After a couple of kits, of course, just to get my feet wet.)

 

[NorthernWinos]

In the book THE JOY OF HOME WINEMAKING by TERRY GAREY...she lists Honeysuckle as one of the flowers to use in flower wines....
Martina [Med Pretzel]makes many flower wines...she might know...
Here on our land we have wild Honeysuckles growing, they have pink flowers in the spring and they have little red berries after they bloom...have never tasted them, they are the size of B.B.'s, so would be hard to pick....Is this like the Honeysuckle you have???

 

[PatrickRB]

Actually, what we have are apparently called Japanese Honeyuckle, based on the pictures I found at a university website.

As you can see, it is pretty bushy and has yellow and white flowers.

Here's a close-up of the flowers. I've never seen berries on one of these. They smell so good that I have to believe they would produce a good wine. However, it is possible that scent and flavor do not actually correlate. I'll learn as I go.

 

[Funky Fish]

Patrick,


Here's Jack Keller's Honeysuckle recipe:
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques81.asp

 

[PatrickRB]

Thanks, Funky! That looks like a pretty comprehensive site. And the recipe is definitely a good place to start.