Lilac Wines, Sherries, and/or Meads
- 3-1/2 quarts lilac flowers
- 2 lbs granulated sugar
- 2 lemons or 12 grams 80% lactic acid
- 7-1/2 pts water
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- Champagne yeast
Put water on to boil while culling through and rinsing flowers. Put flowers in primary and when water boils pour over flowers. Cover primary tightly and set aside for 48 hours. Strain flowers through nylon straining bag and squeeze to extract all flavor, then discard pulp. Stir sugar, yeast nutrient, juice of lemon or lactic acid into primary and stir until completely dissolved. Sprinkle dry yeast on top without stirring or add activated yeast culture to primary. Recover primary and ferment 7 days. Transfer liquid to secondary and fit airlock. Ferment 30 days and rack, top up and refit airlock. Rack again every 30 days until wine is clear and no longer dropping sediment. Rack into bottles and allow to age 3-6 months. [Adapted from George Leonard Herter’s How to Make the Finest Wines at Home ]
- 3-1/2 quarts lilac flowers
- 1-1/2 lb granulated sugar
- 10.5 oz can of Welch’s 100% white grape juice frozen concentrate
- 1-1/2 tsp citric acid
- 1/8 tsp tannin powder
- 7-1/4 pts water
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- Champagne yeast
Put water on to boil while culling through and rinsing flowers. Put flowers in primary and when water boils pour over flowers. Cover primary tightly and set aside for 48 hours. Strain flowers through nylon straining bag and squeeze to extract all flavor, then discard pulp. Bring 2 cups of must to boil and add sugar, stirring constantly until dissolved. Stir in frozen grape concentrate and immediately pour into primary. Stir in remaining ingredients except yeast. When must returns to lukewarm, sprinkle dry yeast on top without stirring or add activated yeast. Cover primary and ferment 5 days. Transfer liquid to secondary and fit airlock. Ferment 30 days and rack, top up and refit airlock. Rack again every 30 days until wine is clear and no longer dropping sediment. Rack into bottles and allow to age 3-6 months. [ Author’s own recipe ]