Miker,

If you visit Jack Keller's dandelion recipe page you'll find a boatload
of information as well as recipes. Two years ago I made both recipes
#1 and #2. Both took a LONG time (10 - 12 mos) to clear, and only so
after using Sparkalloid. #1 had more body (per the raisins) and I
believe I sweetened it a bit more than the batch of #2. I just cut the
heads from the stalks on recipe #1, and for recipe #2 I pinched off
just the yellow petal. Talk about labor intensive, my fingers hurt for
a week and it took that long for the stain to finally wear off. #1 was
far more palatable than #2 in my opinion, and since it is much easier
to just cut the heads off I will stick with that recipe in the future.
I only bottle this wine in 375 ml bottles because most of it is given
to friends to try, and I always tell them not to decide whether they
like it based on the first sip. Some like it right away, some after a
few sips and some dump it. If your wine is too dry for your tastes,
maybe add a bit of corn syrup. Good luck...

Paul


miker wrote:
> Just wondering how long I have to wait for my dandelion wine to start
> tasting good.
>
> I've read that it takes time, but every time we taste it, I get closer
> to dumping it. It has always smelled and tasted bitter and nasty. Made
> it in the summer of 2003 from flowerheads (not just petals) and it is
> still not clear despite several rackings. Anyway, we kept it despite
> the fact that I can barely stand the smell, because I've heard that
> this wine takes a lot of time. Really have my doubts that it will be
> drinkable, though.
>
> .