# Dandelion wine



## MJC417 (Jul 26, 2008)

I'm thinking about making dandelion wine next spring and most recipes include sugar. Can I use my own honey instead or do I have to use sugar? Thanks


----------



## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Absolutely you can use honey! It will lend its own character to the wine (technically, mead), but definitely go for it. My experience with dandelion wines is that it takes a LOT of dandelions, and the very best results are even more labor-intensive because you remove the green calyx from around the flowers. Definitely don't include any stems or leaves due to the bitter sap.


----------



## nursebee (Sep 29, 2003)

Took five hours to pick the dandelions for a one gallon batch, then I forgot to add the raisins and the result was NASTY!


----------



## zippelk (Sep 1, 2010)

I love dandelion wine, it's one of my all-time favorites. I was surprised how much it naturally tastes like honey, until I realized that it is full of nectar and pollen from the flowers (doh!). adding more honey would bring that out even more, of course. it does take a lot of dandelion heads (1:1, gal:gal), but skip the removal of greens, and skip the raisins, neither is necessary. good luck!


----------



## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

My dad made the most awesome dandelion wine. We painstakingly removed all the green parts. Only yellow and white blossom parts were used. Not sure if he used raisins or not.


----------

