Dandelion Wine

Recipe for 1 Imperial gallon

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 quarts of dandelion flowers
• 2 lemons
• 2 oranges
• 1 kg. sugar
• 1 cup of Wild Berry grape concentrate
• 1 tsp. citric acid
• 1 tsp. yeast nutrient
• 1/2 tsp. yeast energizer
• 1 packet Lalvin EC-1118 wine yeast
• 1 tsp. grape tannin
• 1 campden tablet

METHOD:

1. Fresh flowers should be gathered on a dry sunny day.
2. Only the yellow petals should be used. Green parts make the wine bitter.
3. Place the flowers in a bucket with the thinly pared rinds of 2 lemons and 2 oranges.
4. Pour on 12 cusp of boiling water.
5. Cover and leave for 3 to 4 days to extract the essence.
6. Because the flowers will float, you should push them down at least 2 times a day and give them a good stir.
7. Strain off the liquor and press the pulp until it’s dry.
8. Add 4 cups of sugar, 1 cup of Wild Berry white grape concentrate, a level teaspoon of citric acid, 1 tsp. of yeast nutrient and 1 packet of wine yeast (Lalvin EC-1118).
9. Stir thoroughly until sugar is completely dissolved.
10. Put in 1-gallon jar and fit airlock.
11. Ferment at room temperature, when fermentation slows down, top up with cooled pre-boiled water.
12. When fermentation is finished, rack into another jar and add 1 teaspoon of grape tannin and 1 crushed campden tablet.
13. Rack again in 3 months and bottle in another 3 months.
14. The wine can be sweetened using Sweetener and filtered if desired.