How to Make Wine from Flowers

If you have ever considered wine making, why not start out with a non-traditional approach? Perhaps you would be interested in making wine from flowers-yes, that's right, flowers. While wine is generally made from grapes, it is possible to make wine from flowers, and by following a few simple steps you can make wine from red clover. Once you have mastered this, try making wine from various other flowers.

Things You'll Need

• Syphon
• Several fermenters, glass jugs or carboys
• 1 qt. red clover
• Large bowls
• Water
• Sugar
• Grape juice
• Acid blend
• Yeast nutrient
• Campden tablets
• Potassium sorbate
• Sterile wine bottles
• 3 lemons
• 4 oz. uncoated raisins

Instructions

1. Pick red clover early in the morning. You will want about 1 qt. of fresh red clovers for this project.

2. Cut the stems off the flowers and then wash the pedals to remove dirt or insects. Place your clean flowers in a large bowl and then cover the flowers with the juice from three lemons and 4 oz. of uncoated raisins.

3. Measure out ½ gallon of water and bring it to a boil. Then, add 2¼ lbs of sugar to your boiling water.

4. Pour your boiling water into the bowl with the flowers.

5. Add the following ingredients to the flower and water mixture: 1 pint of grape juice, 2 tsp. of acid blend, 1 tsp. of yeast nutrient and another ½ gallon of water. Wait until the water cools to room temperature and then add 1 packet of champagne wine yeast.

6. Stir the liquid occasionally for 7 days. This will help to reintegrate the material that gathered at the top of the bowl. On the seventh day, strain the wine into a secondary and seal. Your secondary can be a fermenter, a glass jug or carboy; whatever you use, though, should have a seal on the top.

7. Wait 60 days and then rack your wine. Racking wine involves siphoning the liquid from your secondary (carboy, jug or fermenter) into a sterile container. Siphoning should be done from the top of your secondary so as to avoid siphoning any sediment. Stop siphoning when the liquid has been removed and only the sediment remains at the bottom of your secondary.

8. Place wine in another sealed jug or carboy and seal.

9. Wait four months and then stabilize your wine using Campden tablets and potassium sorbate. Wait another 10 days and then rack your wine again. At this time you should also sweeten your wine to taste and then bottle it in sterile bottles.

10. Wait another 6 months before tasting your flower wine.