May 13, 2015
Flower WineDid you know that wine isn’t only made from grapes?
You can make wine from berries, vegetables, fruits,
and flowers! Any flower that is edible can be used to
make an interesting wine. It is important to know what
parts of a flower can be used. Never use the steam
and leaves because they tend to be bitterer than the
petals. Flower wine is the easiest type of wine to
make at home. In fact, flower wines are usually made
at home and are seldom found in grocery stores.
Dandelion Wine
Perhaps the most common flower
wine in the United States is the one
produced from dandelions. Because
dandelion wine is very light, it needs
an acid to help give it body. Raisins,
lemons, oranges, dates, sugar, and
figs are usually added. Dryer wine will
use less sugar.
Red Clover Wine
Red Clovers make beautiful wines. Lemons,
raisins, grape juice, and sugar are usually
added to the wine to give it more flavors. It
is amber in color and almost tastes like
clover tea. It is best to collect these flowers
once the dew of the morning is gone.
Honeysuckle Wine
Honeysuckle flowers create a dry wine. It is usually
made with honey and an acid blend to give it its
light, flowery taste. Never use the berries of the
honeysuckle, which are very poisonous. Also, make
sure to clean the honeysuckle flowers thoroughly
because insects tend to find in them.
Marigold Wine
Marigold creates a light,
golden wine. At times, it may
even be red, depending on
the colors of the flowers.
Adding acidy flavors like
oranges or lemons, gives this
wine a citrus flavor. As
always, never include the
stems or sepals and sugar is
added to your sweetness
preference.
Berries Can Be Used Too!
Even though flowers give you that light and
flowery taste, berries are also popular to
brew. They give you the most guaranteed
results. Raspberry wine takes a long time to
make, often more than a year, but the
outcome is delicious. Blackberry wine is a
favorite among wine brewers because of its
high alcohol content. Elderberry is another
favorite because of its rich taste and tannin.
Elderberry Wine Elderberry wine has been used for
thousands of years. Unlike dandelions, they
produce a rich wine and are usually added
to other wines to enrich their color and
tannin. The amount of berries used
determines how much taste the wine has.
How To Make Flower Wine At Home
1. Grow edible flowers (rose, lilac, chamomile,
honeysuckle, marigold, dandelions)
2. Pick & clean flowers in the morning
3. Remove petals from steams
4. Add hot water or simmer flowers for 1 hour
5. Add sugar
6. Add an acid blend (orange juice, raisins, white
grape juice, etc.) & yeast
7. Leave for three days, and then strain. This may be
done every 60 days until there are no more
particles in the wine. When left to age for more than
6 months, the taste of the wine will be extraordinary.
One year is the best.
We hope you have enjoyed this
presentation on flower wines.
For information on the benefits
of wine and resveratrol, visit us
at Vine Vera Cosmetics.