Cowslip Wines, Sherries, and/or Meads

• 2-4 qts cowslip flowers
• 11-1/2 oz can of Welch’s 100% white grape frozen concentrate
• 1-3/4 lbs sugar
• 7 pts water
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 2 tsp acid blend
• 1/4 tsp tannin
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• Champagne wine yeast

Put water on to boil and concentrate out to thaw. Meanwhile, wash flowers and put in nylon straining bag in primary. When water boils, add sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and slowly pour over bag of flowers. Add acid blend, yeast nutrient and tannin. Cover with sterile cloth and allow to cool. Add concentrate and stir well to mix. Squeeze bag of flowers several times to extract color and flavor, then remove bag and drip drain, adding drainings back into primary. Add crushed Campden and stir. Recover primary and set aside 24 hours. Add activated yeast and recover. Stir twice daily until s.g. drops below 1.020 (7-10 days), then transfer to secondary and fit airlock. When s/g/ drops to 1.000, rack, top up and refit airlock. After additional 60 days rack again, adding another crushed Campden tablet well dissolved in warm water. Wait 30 days. If clear, rack, stabilize and sweeten if desired. Wait 10 days and bottle. If not clear, fine with gelatin, allow to clear and rack, stabilize and sweeten if desired. Wait 10 days and bottle. Can drink immediately, but improves with 6 months bottle aging. [Author’s own recipe]