Traditional fruit, flower, vegetable and herb wines — tested, practical recipes for the home winemaker.
13 recipes
Lemon balm has been cultivated in Britain since medieval times for both culinary and medicinal use. Its sweet lemon fragrance has made it a favourite herb in cottage gardens for centuries, and traditional home winemak…
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Mint has been cultivated in Britain for centuries for culinary, medicinal and aromatic purposes. Traditional country winemakers soon discovered that its fragrant leaves could also produce a refreshing and elegant wine…
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Nettle wine is one of Britain's oldest recorded country wines, with recipes appearing in household and herbal manuals dating back hundreds of years. The humble stinging nettle has long been valued not only as a food a…
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Oak leaf wine has been part of British country winemaking for centuries. Long before commercial oak barrels became common in home winemaking, country brewers recognised that young oak leaves naturally contributed tann…
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Pine needle wine has been made for generations in northern Europe, where fresh spring pine needles were valued for both their refreshing flavour and their naturally high vitamin C content. Country winemakers discovere…
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Although raspberry leaves are best known for their traditional use in herbal teas, they have also been used for generations by country winemakers to produce delicate and refreshing wines. Compared with blackberry leaf…
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Rosemary has symbolised remembrance and hospitality since ancient times and has been cultivated in Britain for hundreds of years. Its distinctive fragrance has made it a favourite culinary and medicinal herb, while tr…
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Sage has been valued since ancient times as both a culinary and medicinal herb, and it found its way into country winemaking wherever it was grow. Despite its robust reputation in the kitchen, sage undergoes a remarka…
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Spruce tips have been used for centuries across northern Europe and North America to produce refreshing drinks, beers and wines. The bright green spring growth contains delicate aromatic compounds that create a remark…
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Thyme has been cultivated for thousands of years and has long been associated with strength, courage and healing. In Britain it became an essential herb in monastery and cottage gardens, valued for both culinary and m…
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Although blackberry fruits have long been used for winemaking, the leaves were equally valued by traditional country winemakers. Rich in gentle tannins and delicate aromatic compounds, young blackberry leaves produce …
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Bay laurel has been cultivated for thousands of years and was highly prized by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Although best known as a culinary herb, it has also been used traditionally in herbal drinks and country wi…
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