Primary Fermentation

Prepare the fruit: wash, pit, freeze, etc. For more extensive information on ingredients and preparation of fruit, see Chapter One of our Natural Winemaking at Home.

Sanitize the primary fermentation vessel.

Place fruit into the primary fermentation vessel.

Add sugar and stir into the fruit. Macerate for at least an hour, or until room temperature.

Boil the recommended amount of water. After the fruit is macerated and the sugar has drawn out the juice, pour the boiling water over the fruit and stir the mixture well.

Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, i.e. 60°F to 70°F.

Proof the yeast, if necessary.

Add the yeast to the must. Add yeast nutrient, peptic enzyme, acid blend, etc. at this time, if you choose to use them. Stir it all in.

Cover the bucket with a square of pure muslin, and secure with a large rubber band or string. Set the bucket’s lid loosely over the container.

Store the primary fermentation vessel in a draft free area. Keep temperature constant between 60°F and 70°F, or at a temperature range appropriate to your yeast.

Stir the wine each day for at least the first three or four days. Make sure to wet and submerge the cap into the must each time. It is a good idea to sanitize the utensil used to stir the wine. Rinse clean, and rinse wooden utensils with very hot water. (You do not need to use bleach or sanitizer, as natural wood has antiseptic qualities within the wood. If you do use a sanitizer other than hot water for the wood, be sure to rinse thoroughly.)

1. Secondary Fermentation

2. Sanitize the carboy (secondary fermentation vessel), funnel, strainer, 2-4 cup measuring cup (preferably glass), and a large spoon. You’ll also need a container for the fruit pulp, such as a bucket or bowl. (There is no need to sanitize the latter container.)

3. Place the funnel securely in the mouth of the carboy. Set the strainer into the funnel.

4. Using the measuring cup, carefully transfer the must into the strainer. Use the back of the spoon and/or bottom of the cup to lightly press the juice out of the fruit pulp. Use the spoon to scrape the pressed fruit pulp out of the strainer and into the bucket or bowl.

5. Install the airlock.

6. Continue secondary fermentation of the wine in the carboy for a minimum of 3 months. It may take as long as 6 months to be complete. The airlock should be free of pressurization when the wine is ready to bottle.

For additional information and more specific step-by-step instructions, see  Chapter Two, “Making the Wine” in Natural Winemaking at Home.

Makes 3 gallons

Make sure to use dandelion blossoms and not cat’s ear. Cat’s ear has fuzzy leaves and blooms in the summer. Dandelions bloom in the spring, usually from March through Mid May, at least in the Pacific Northwest.  Pick the dandelion blossoms. You may pick dandelion blossoms ahead of time and freeze them until you have collected the amount required. Only pick blossoms from areas that have not been treated with chemicals or pesticides. Remove all stems and most of the green parts as they make the wine bitter. Take a pair of scissors and cut that part off or break it with your hands. See Directions for preparing the dandelions.

Ingredients:

2¼ gallons dandelion blossoms.

3 gallons boiling water

7½ pounds granulated sugar

1 lemon sliced with peel, or 2 teaspoons of citric acid or acid blend

Yeast nutrient* (follow directions on package for amount.)

Yeast mix (can be made up to 12 hours in advance)

1 cup water

1 package wine yeast   (Recommended Yeasts: Cote Des Blanc or Lalvin K1-V1116)

1 teaspoon sugar

Making the Wine

Gather the dandelion blossoms and prepare them, or take them from the freezer and allow to thaw to room temperature.

Proof the Yeast:  Prepare the yeast mixture. In a small bowl or jar with a lid, warm the water to 75° – 80° Fahrenheit. Stir in the teaspoon of sugar.

Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the water and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes to hydrate. Then mix in the yeast and let sit covered at room temperature until you are ready to use them.

Put the water on to boil.

Clean and sanitize your primary fermentation vessel with a small amount of Nutrabiotic™ Solution or other sanitizer (¼ cup of chlorine bleach in 1 quart water) and let sit for 10 minutes. Rinse well with hot water.

Put the blossoms into the primary fermentation vessel. Pour boiling water over the blossoms.

Stir in the sugar and sliced lemon. (If using citric acid or acid blend, wait until must is cooled before adding the citric acid.

Cover with a cloth cover and secure with a large rubber band, string, or elastic.   Loosely set a solid cover over the container to prevent dust, spills, etc. from getting into the container.

When the must has cooled to room temperature, remove the cover and add the yeast nutrient and the yeast. Cover the container again.

Put the container in a spot that has a fairly consistent temperature range of 70° F to 75° F. Let the mixture ferment for about a week. Stir daily with a clean spoon for at least the first 4 days or every other day for the first 7- 8 days.   It is ready to strain when the must is no longer actively bubbling, approximately 7 to 10 days.  YOu may wait as long as 14.

Sanitize a three-gallon carboy or 3 one-gallon glass jugs. Strain the wine into the container(s).

Top each jug opening with a cork/ plug and air lock. This will allow fermentation gasses to get out without letting mold or wild yeasts, etc. into ruin your wine .

The fermentation is complete when there are no more bubbles in the air lock. This can take from 2 to 6 months. If a thick sediment (lees) precipitates to the bottom of the jug, rack off the wine to another sanitized glass jug and reinstall the airlock .

Taste the wine . Is it to tart? Add more sugar and continue fermentation until the bubbling ceases. Too sweet? Go to the next step, bottling, and allow the wine to age for several months.

From here, you can bottle your wine in smaller bottles (750 ml wine bottles), cork or use screw-top bottles.  Age the wine for at least 6 months.  Taste your wine periodically, so you know when it is ready. Be patient it can take anywhere from 6 to 18 months to mature.  12 months is the usual.

For more wine recipes and complete directions purchase a copy of

Natural WineMaking at Home with No Added Sulfites or Toxic Chemicals

http://www.natural-winemaking.com/the-book

Enjoy!

Its dandelion season until the middle of May in the Pacific Northwest.  Time to pick and make Dandelion wine.

1. Make sure you can properly identify the dandelion.  Pick in a areas that have not been treated with chemicals or pesticides.
2. Use a plant identification guide if you are not sure. The leaves will identify the plant.
3. There are other flowers, such as cats ear, and wild lettuces which look similar, but will not give you the same taste.
4. Select the dandelion.  You want to remove the stem and green sepals.  Both contain bitter juices that will make the wine taste bitter.
5. Hold the petals with fingers from one hand while You cut the stem and sepals off with the other hand.
6. Keep the petals.  The green petal wrapper will not adversely flavor the wine, you may keep or discard it as you prefer.
7. You can also break the end off with your fingers.
8. Keep the yellow petals and collect from 2 quarts -1 gallon of petals for each gallon of wine you want to make.
9. It takes me 1 – 2 hours to pick a gallon of petals.  You can pick the dandelions and freeze them until you have enough.