How to Make Dandelion Wine

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This guide will teach you all about how to make dandelion wine–a light and refreshing drink that’s perfect for the spring and summer!

With the coming of Spring, so comes the sunshine, the warmth….and the dandelions! Some people see them as weeds, but they can be used to make wine and more!

If you’re like us, you don’t spray chemicals on your lawn, so you have organic dandelion flowers.

Why not try your hand at making some Dandelion Wine?

We’ve been making our own Dandelion Wine for years now.

We never make a lot, but we do get a small batch of wild wine going each Spring.

If this is going to be your first time making any kind of wine at home, you will need a wine making equipment kit. It’s a one time investment and will pay for itself with the first batch of wine.

Dandelion Wine has a light and delicious flavor – give it a try this year.

 

How to Make Dandelion Wine

Ingredients for 1 Gallon

• 3 quarts dandelion heads (no stalks)
• 3 quarts boiling water
• 1 pound seedless raisins
• 3 sliced oranges
• 3 sliced lemons
• 1 quart water
• 1 teaspoon wine yeast nutrient
  

 

Instructions to “Brew” Dandelion Wine

Gather dandelions blossoms and put them in a freshly washed crock. Note: I have not picked off the green leaves at the back of the flower, but there are no stems in there.

Pour boiling water over dandelion petals, enough to cover. Then cover the crock with a clean towel and let stand overnight. 

The next day, strain through cheesecloth, pressing until dry. Put strained liquid into a plastic pail or crock.

Cutting up the lemons and oranges to add. The fruit and zest will add a wonderful citrus flavor to the wine.

Add oranges, lemons, raisins and a sugar syrup made from boiling 1/2 pound sugar with 1 quart water. 

Adding Yeast to Make Dandelion Wine

Sprinkle the packet of wine yeast over the liquid and citrus, trying to distribute the yeast fairly evenly. Cover and ferment for 15 days at room temperature (and in a dark place if possible), stirring every day. 

On the last day, you need to make a sugar syrup. Use 1 pound sugar and 2 cups water and heat it on the stove. You don’t want it to boil, you just want to dissolve the sugar.

Make sure the mixture is warm, give it another stir and remove from the heat. Let it cool.

Slowly and carefully, strain the fermented juice through cheesecloth, coffee filters, or a fine mesh strainer to filter out solids. Then add the cooled syrup.

We put the fruit into a colander and just let the juice drip out. It is likely best to NOT mash the fruit as this can result in cloudy wine.

Instead, just leave it for several hours to allow all the liquid to drip out.

Pour into a gallon jug fitted with a fermentation lock or a carboy. Leave in a warm place until all fermentation has stopped.

I like to wrap an old towel around the jug to keep the light out.

Racking and Bottling Your Dandelion Wine

After about 4 weeks, rack it down into another jug. Notice the sediment in the bottom of the jug on the right. You want to siphon it without disturbing this sediment.

Over time you rack it again and again….and each time you are left with clearer wine. This is because you leave the sediment on the bottom of the previous jug. 

The longer it stays in the jugs between being racked down again, the better. Wait till it stops working to bottle it. Use a hydrometer to determine specific gravity.

If it is at .98 to .99 then the sugars have finished working and it is ready to be bottled.

Here is Dandelion Wine from 2010 all bottled. It was started in the early Spring of 2010. This wine was not bottled until November 25, 2010.

We made 2 gallons and bottled it mostly in 375 ml bottles.

We gave it a try. It is fairly citrusy tasting, with a hint of honey flavor. It’s dry, probably a 00.

Storing Dandelion Wine

These bottles are going down to the wine cellar, to be brought out one at a time in a year or so. As long as they are kept in a dark cool place, they will be fine. 

Enjoy! We have been making Dandelion wine every year since we moved here in 2006.

Just a small batch; maybe two gallons worth. Sometimes we bottle it in the smaller wine bottles (roughly half the size of a regular bottle). We open a bottle for a special occasion and that gives us just enough to each have one nice sized glass of wine.

Since bottled wine will last for years, we are often drinking 5 or 6 year old Dandelion wine. But we keep making it every Spring!

Now you know how to make Dandelion Wine, be sure to give it a try in early Spring!

More Dandelion Recipes You’ll Like

• Want to learn how to make Dandelion Jelly? We’ll show you how.
• Read here about cooking with Dandelions.

 

Want to find out which are The 5 Easiest Vegetables to Grow?

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originally published 2011; latest update July 2022