Dandelion wine, the ultimate in “home” winemaking. The flowers are often a nusance and we try very hard to get them off our lawns. An entire industry has been created to come up with various chemicals and tools to get rid of these pesky plants.
Personally, I quite like the flowers, I like their tenaciousness and I find that they look pretty as well. My main reason in liking them is the fact they they make good wine. Dandelion wine was actually the very first wine I made. This was over 20 years ago. I was a teenager then and the wine was not that good but it sure made me popular around the block… Since then, I have made a few improved batches and my enjoyment of dandelion wine has increased since then.
The wine itself can be made in various styles but my personal favorite is just off dry. A perfect summer wine and quite refreshing.
This little video series prepared by acclaimed commercial dandelion winemaking Phil Tonks of Grandview Winery goes through the whole process and and very well done.
It kinda makes me want to put my lawn mower away and watch the weeds grow so that I can get another batch of dandelion going soon.
I raise a glass to the joys of summers, holidays, sunshine and the wines that go along with it.
Happy winemaking!