Making Wine from Flowers

April showers bring May flowers, and May flowers bring wines…

by Jill Misterka

Dandelion wine is synonymous with homemade wine to some old-timers, while others wonder how it’s possible to make wine from something that’s not even a fruit. Actually, wine can be made from many flowers besides dandelions, and it’s not difficult once you know how. Just follow these important steps:

Choose a blossom that’s edible.  Other parts of the plant may be toxic as long as the flower petals can be eaten safely. Research and know how to identify plants to avoid those that are poisonous. It’s also a good idea to use blossoms that have not been sprayed with strong pesticides, herbicides or fungicides.

Pick flowers while in full, fresh bloom.  Get dandelions after they open in the morning but before the heat of the afternoon. Strip flower beds and rosebushes when blossoms are at their most fragrant. Most petals can be frozen until enough are collected.

Remove all green.  This includes sepals, the green parts at the base of blossoms, because they will make the wine bitter. Removing stems and sepals can be labor intensive depending on the size of the petals; e.g., dandelions with their small petals take much longer to process than roses.

Add water.  Usually it’s hot water, to better extract the flavor from the blossoms while creating the volume of liquid needed. In other words, flower wines start out like herbal tea.

Add sugar.  Since blossoms don’t contain much natural sugar, add enough to make the alcohol and to achieve any desired sweetness in the wine.

Add acid and possibly tannin.  These add to the taste, aid in fermentation, and have a preserving effect on the finished wine.

Additionally, flower wine recipes may include golden raisins, orange rind or juice, white grape juice concentrate or banana slices to add body to the wine. Due to the delicate flavor and nose flower wines may have, filter at your own risk.

What kinds of flowers can be used? We have successfully made dandelion wine, lilac wine and rose petal wine. We’ve also found recipes for or references to chamomile, red clover, corn­flower, cowslip, daisy, daylily, elder flower, heather, marigold, red hibiscus, honeysuckle, orange blossom, primrose and violet wines.

Nasturtiums and pansies are edible flowers that are described as pleasant tasting so may make good wine, though we’ve never seen recipes for those.

What are the rewards of making wine from flowers? You have unique wines to impress your friends. You make the neighbors happy by ridding your yard of dandelions. You have wines that are perfect for sipping while strolling in the garden or sitting on the porch on a lazy warm afternoon, or to remind you of summer on a cold wintry evening.

And do you dream of making estate wines but can’t plant a vineyard in your yard? Plant flowers!

LEFT: Friends contributed lilac sprays from their yard for our lilac wine.  RIGHT: Our rose petal wine contains petals from this ‘Spartan’ rosebush.

Several flower wine recipes can be found at winemaking.jackkeller.net. Other resources used: C.J.J. Berry’s First Steps in Winemaking; www.wineworldfdw.com; www.chelseagreen.com; Democrat and Chronicle 6/14/08.