Dandelion wine

[Green Aura]

Hi
I've spent the last couple of weeks picking and freezing dandelion heads to make some wine.
I've been told by one person that you have to take off all the green bits, but someone else told me that if you leave it on the resulting wine tastes like retsina.
Anyone know if this is true? I looooooove retsina and may have to increase my picking to make several gallons.
Maggie

[MKG]

I did it once and didn't bother removing the green bits (well, a few, and then I got bored). The result was a bitter wine almost, but not quite, resulting in the whole lot being poured down the drain. A bit of sugar masked it, however, so I was able to imitate a newt whilst swearing never to do that again. Retsina - no, that's not how I would have described it, even though retsina is an acquired taste.

Dandelion wine is actually quite gingery even without the addition of ginger, and gingery-bitter shouldn't be what retsina tastes like. I suppose you could add pine sap (or even, some would say, Dettol) if you really wanted to go the retsina way.

[Green Aura]

Oh you've started something now.

My OH wants to add Dettol to it to make it taste like retsina!

I suppose we'll be picking lots of green bits off frozen dandelion heads this weekend.

Hey ho.

Maggie

[andyt]

Hi Green Aura, i've just read 2 recipes, & both state "remove flowers from stalks".Neither recipe gives advice on making substitute Retsina!!(Having sold the stuff from a bar in Athens i can understand why)!!!Both receipts(got bored with writing "recipe"!) say "make now.......ready to drink by the time Santas making a nuisance of himself"