What parameters do you prefer for your dandelion wine?

[Rappatuz]

How do you like your dandelion wine with regards to ABV and sweetness (bottled SG)? Also, when making the must, my experience is that petals give off different flavors when treated with hot water compared to cold/room temperature water. In the poll, select one option from each of the three categories.

If you have an impression about how long dandelion wine takes to "peak" (taste wise), please add.

 

[Bossbaby]

I have not made it yet but this may be the year to do so, I am interested to hear other specifics as well, like lbs per gal or even variants blended with other fruits.

 

[Rappatuz]

I have not made it yet but this may be the year to do so, I am interested to hear other specifics as well, like lbs per gal or even variants blended with other fruits.

I started a small batch last spring which is still bulk aging, but first did a test. I weighed an amount of petals, put them in a cup and poured over a specific volume of hot water. I did the same thing with another cup, but used cold water. I let both cups sit in the fridge for about four days and did regular tastings. The hot water test had a flavor that I estimated to be 3-4 times stronger than the cold water test. However, the cold water test preserved floral tastes and aromas very well, unlike the hot water test, which had a more "earthy" taste, in lack of a better word. The hot water test was also more bitter (although, still a usable flavor).

I decided to go for quality over quantity, cold soaked, and used 200 g of petals (yes, only yellow petals) per liter. I made about 7.5 liters, which amounts to a lot of picking and even more work with separating petals from flowers.

If you haven't made dandelion wine before, I suggest doing the same test before starting the batch. In order to create the best chances for success, the must should taste great IMO.

 

[Rice_Guy]

I will heat treat the yellow in a microwave with a table spoon of water. The purpose of this is to inactivate the ripening enzyme system. opinion: the flavor is better at about five or eight days after flowering starts and goes down after this. ANY FEEDBACK?

How do you like your dandelion wine with regards to ABV and sweetness (bottled SG)? Also, when making the must, my experience is that petals give off different flavors when treated with hot water compared to cold/room temperature water. In the poll, select one option from each of the three categories.
If you have an impression about how long dandelion wine takes to "peak" (taste wise), please add.

 

[BernardSmith]

C J J Berry, suggests about 500 g (about 1 lb of petals per gallon) and that a two day maceration is the longest you should allow the petals to steep for otherwise you extract more of the vegetative flavors that then tend overpower the floral flavors and aromas. He suggests pouring boiling water over the petals before you macerate. He asserts that you can use the whole flower head. But the green makes for an unpleasantly bitter wine. I adapted his recipe last summer to make 1 gallon of wine and one of mead and both came out quite fine after 6 months in the bottle but this is a summer wine so I am holding back about 4 bottles of each for this summer.

 

[Rappatuz]

I will heat treat the yellow in a microwave with a table spoon of water. The purpose of this is to inactivate the ripening enzyme system. opinion: the flavor is better at about five or eight days after flowering starts and goes down after this. ANY FEEDBACK?

If I decide to make dandelion this spring I'll surely try to pick them early. Great tip!

C J J Berry, suggests about 500 g (about 1 lb of petals per gallon) and that a two day maceration is the longest you should allow the petals to steep for otherwise you extract more of the vegetative flavors that then tend overpower the floral flavors and aromas. He suggests pouring boiling water over the petals before you macerate. He asserts that you can use the whole flower head. But the green makes for an unpleasantly bitter wine. I adapted his recipe last summer to make 1 gallon of wine and one of mead and both came out quite fine after 6 months in the bottle but this is a summer wine so I am holding back about 4 bottles of each for this summer.

Two days max. I'll certainly try that out next time. Can't remember how long I let them soak in my last batch, but it must've been more than two days. From your post I understand that you only include petals, not the whole head?

 

[BernardSmith]

Only the petals and I use scissors to remove the petals from the green bulb. I view the speed of using scissors as a larger benefit than any loss of petals due to cutting rather than pulling and as I make only a single gallon or two then harvesting a gallon of petals per gallon is not too onerous over a few days: the idea being to freeze the petals in bags until I have collected a gallon.

 

[Rappatuz]

Only the petals and I use scissors to remove the petals from the green bulb. I view the speed of using scissors as a larger benefit than any loss of petals due to cutting rather than pulling and as I make only a single gallon or two then harvesting a gallon of petals per gallon is not too onerous over a few days: the idea being to freeze the petals in bags until I have collected a gallon.

I've "pinched" petals off the flowers the two times I've made dandelion. Although you quickly get the technique down, it still takes a lot of time this way. The advantage is that you get all (and whole) petals, and zero greens. The speed of a scissor may be unbeatable, though. Especially if you pick them when they're closed, although I think I've read that they should be picked in full sun.

 

[BernardSmith]

You want to pick the flowers when they are open and dry.

 

[ruhbarb76]

Look Ma, No scissors: For removing the petals, There is a You Tube video where a girl is sitting in a field of dandelions twisting the petals loose. It does work. It goes like this: With an opened flower, firmly grasp the bulb (under-side) between the thumb and index finger. Now, roll it. Presto, the petals are loosened ( At times, a reverse roll might be required).

 

[Rappatuz]

I have not made it yet but this may be the year to do so, I am interested to hear other specifics as well, like lbs per gal or even variants blended with other fruits.

Forgot to address the blending aspect. I think both raisins and bananas are popular for adding body to dandelion wine. I've tried both, but the verdict is still out on the raisin one. Hopefully, someone with more experience will touch on the subject.

You don't want to overpower the dandelion flavor. I made sure that the "body enhancer" weighed no more than half the mass of the petals.

 

[Alibaba.41]

Hi folks I'm still new at all this I only have two reds juices completed with success not really challenging I would say... and two on the way but ever since I started all this, it's like a new passion/addiction. Before these last holidays I didn't really have a pallet for win or what so ever I had my [email protected] and I was happy so here we go.... I strated a dandelion wine with 18%yeast exactly two weeks ago tomorrow, I Racked it just now and it was completely dry, and at first I had a 15% potential before the three oranges and the 125g, of Raisin. My question is...: Can I backsweet with some honey or should I pass it through metabisuphite first? Thanks again.

 

[Alibaba.41]

I think there still hungry lol

 

[Rice_Guy]

We typically age a month then rack off yeast and rack in three months hoping it is clear.
I would expect active live yeast till nine months old but usually OK at a year. If there are active yeast you need k sorbate to back sweeten.

 

[Alibaba.41]

Thanks you so much.. how long can that wait? can I do it tomorrow or the yeast will have settled already?

 

[Alibaba.41]

If I get this right I can wait months and then backsweet?

 

[Bossbaby]

If your fermentation is complete and your wine has been racked off its Lee's a few times and whether you choose to age or not you will want to add potassium (sorbate )b4 you add any sweetener to keep the yeast from multiplying and starting another fermentation.

 

[Alibaba.41]

Understood, but if my goal is to push the yeast to its full capacity 18% then re-rack and let it age at least a year.. so I thought I could just add sugars to keep it going

 

[Rice_Guy]

What you are suggesting is called step feeding. Yeast live better if they are not shocked by seeing a very high change in their world. As a result they keep chugging along. Large changes create stalled fermentations.

Understood, but if my goal is to push the yeast to its full capacity 18% then re-rack and let it age at least a year.. so I thought I could just add sugars to keep it going

This multiple post thread is a how to push alcohol up. Safe and not likely to wind up super sweet. (see search function in top menu)

it is important to follow good yeast nutrient practices wine setup feeding. start step feeding at sg=1010 and increase to 1020. monitor the wine asit reduces to 1010 again then add sugar syrup to 1020. continue to do so until sg does not change.
for abv calculation use formula %abv=(begining sg-final sg) 131 do so at each step and then add the abv's together. for example
first ferment step with beging sg=1090 and first step addition at sg=1010 the first calculation is (1090-1010)131=10.48%
next step feed
(1020-1010)131=1.31%
next step feed
(1.020-1.010)131=1.31% if stopped her then tonal abv would be 10.48+ 1.31 + 1.31 =13.1

I did this with EC1118 and got 20% abv. I used sugar syrup witch is two cup sugar to one cup water.

good luck

If I was in the pilot plant with pumps and a balanced continuous in/out reactor I would keep the available sugar even higher.

20/20 hindsight of course but as Winemaker81 wrote - even if you are going for a high ABV, don't start out with all the sugar in the batch. Keep the OG down to 1.100 and just step feed it. I prefer to step feed when my wine is in the 1.040 - 1.050 range where the yeast is still rolling along at a fast clip. Even if I have to do 2 step feedings to get to the ABV - I've had less than stellar outcomes on wine that I started out above 1.110. Also Temp and Yeast selection are two critical items make sure both the temp ranges of the yeast and ABV tolorance and are well within what you are going to have.

Also @hounddawg does exclusively high alcohol.

 

[Alibaba.41]

Can I use honey to do so? or will I risk contamination? Thank you