Nettle Wine
Herb wines have a pronounced flavour that makes them ideal for aperitif and after-dinner wines, though they typically require extra ingredients to enhance vinosity and alcohol content. Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) is notable for its wide range of culinary uses. Personally, I enjoy adding it to soups as a perfect substitute for parsley or spinach, particularly delicious in a creamy nettle soup. The young leaves are excellent for making wine or drying for tea. While I cultivate nettles in my garden because they complement other herbs well, they are also commonly found in moist meadows, rich hardwood forests, and along waterways. When harvesting, it’s important to wear gloves to avoid stings. Nettle greens are not only versatile but also highly nutritious and rich in protein.
Nettle wine is a sweet and aromatic wine with a distinct and unique flavor profile that has been carefully enhanced by the addition of fresh ginger, as well as fresh lemons and oranges. The entire fermentation and preparation process took about 6-7 months before the wine was finally bottled. For the best taste and quality, it is important to allow the wine to mature in the bottles for at least 6 more months before consuming. This additional aging time helps to develop and deepen the complex flavors.
Basic Process of Wine Making for all wines:
Day 1: Harvesting the fruit or herbs.
Day 2: Crushing and pressing the fruit or herbs you are going to use. Preparing the must (fruit pulp, water plus sugar). Sterilizing all the equipment. Preparing the mother yeast starter.
Day 3:Adding active yeast starter to the must. Waiting 5 days during this initial fermentation. Must (from the Latin vinum mustum; lit. 'young wine') is freshly crushed fruit juice, herbs etc (example: grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace and typically makes up 7–23% of the total weight of the must. Making must is the first step in winemaking.
Day 6: Straining the must into the carboy and placing the airlock.
Day 6 onwards: fun part of watching fermentation (approximately 5-6 weeks)
Day X: ‘Racking’ is a medieval-sounding term for a simple task of transferring the fermented must from one carboy, also known as a demijohn, to another. and leaving the sediment or lees (leftover yeast particles from autolysis) behind. Racking helps to clear the wine and it is done when no more bubbles appear in the airlock, fermentation is over and the wine must be rack. Racking is done with help of the syphon. An optimal temperature of around 55°F (12°C). Use your cold cellar.
Day Y: Within a few weeks, the wine will be clear and must be racked for the second time.
Maturing: All maturing wines are kept in a cool and a dark place and need to be racked every 2 months. Regular racking is also essential to prevent from re-fermentation when the weather gets warmer. If wines are bottled too early, the bottles my burst under pressure, which can be messy and dangerous. When the wine is perfectly clear it is the time to bottle it.
Bottling: You will require wine bottles, corks or stoppers and the syphon. All equipment must be properly sterilized.
NETTLE WINE RECIPE
By Zosia Culinary Adventures | Date: June 21, 2025
Preparation Time: starting wine 6 days, fermentation 5 weeks; racking 2-3 months; bottling after 6-7 months; consumption after 6-12 months after bottling
Yield: 10 bottles x 750 ml
Equipment and proper tools/ sanitizer for the wine making:
sanitizer (One Step No-Rinse Cleanser)
15 liters carboy glass or demijohn ( need at least two - the second one is for racking
2 large buckets made from food grade plastic (18.9 L)
5 liter stainless steel stock pot to boil water
airlock and rubber bung or stopper that will be inserted into the mouth of the fermenter
nylon bag for squeezing, strainer, and a funnel
long handled spoon
corks size #8 fits all basic wine bottles, wine bottles, the corker and the heavy duty carboy brush
hydrometer to check alcohol level (optional)
Ingredients:
4.5 L fresh young nettle leaves
2260 g granulated sugar
2 whole organic oranges (no chemical wax or spray), thinly peeled and juiced
2 whole organic lemon (no chemical wax or spray), thinly peeled and juiced
8 Litres filtered water
650 g sultana raisins, minced
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 juniper berries
1 sachet of Yeast Lalvin EC- 1118
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp tartaric acid
1 tsp grape tannin
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1/2 tsp sodium metabisulfite (to guard against bacteria growth)
8-10 L stock pot
Instructions:
Sanitize everything that will be used during wine making process.
Wash, drain well and crush nettle leaves and place in the large stock pot.
Peel fresh ginger and chop into small pieces. Add to the stock pot.
Boil 4 litres of filtered water and pour over the nettle and ginger. Cover and let it infuse for 24 hours.
Making Mother Yeast Starter: Find a small well sanitized bottle with capacity of 0.5 litre, no cork is needed, just a cotton wool. Bring 250ml water to boil, when cool to internal temp no higher than 25°C, (otherwise yeasts will die), pour it into the bottle. Add 1 tsp sugar, squirt of fresh lemon, a pinch of yeast nutrients and finally the full package of yeasts. Plug the mouth of the bottle with cotton wool. Leave it till next day or until it starts to "work" (bubbles form).
The next day, prepare the sugar syrup by bringing 4 liters of filtered water to a boil along with half of the granulated sugar (approximately 1130 grams). Stir continuously until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture becomes clear and smooth. Once fully dissolved set aside, add freshly squeezed orange juice along with the orange peels, as well as fresh lemon juice and lemon peels, to infuse the syrup with their vibrant citrus flavors.
Mince in the blender the sultana raisins thoroughly with 1/2 cup of hot sugar syrup.
Strain the nettle and ginger liquid carefully to remove all solids. Pour the clear, strained liquid into a large bucket, then add the infused sugar syrup along with citrus fruits, finely minced raisins, half a cinnamon stick, and two whole juniper berries for added depth of flavor. Let it cool completely before proceeding to the next step.
Once the mixture has cooled, add the active yeast starter and all other remaining ingredients. Note: add only 1/8 tsp of sodium metabisulfite at this stage.
Stir all the ingredients thoroughly in the bucket to ensure they are well combined, and then cover it securely with the lid. Allow the must to ferment for a period of 5 full days at a consistent temperature of 22ºC or 70ºF, making sure to stir the mixture three times each day to promote even fermentation.
On the fifth day, gently press the pulp to extract any remaining juice, then strain the liquid into the clean carboy for fermentation. Add 1/8 teaspoon of sulphite to prevent unwanted bacteria or wild yeast during fermentation, and securely attach the airlock on top of the carboy to allow gas exchange while keeping out contaminants.
Whenever the fermentation begins to slow down noticeably, feed the remaining sugar in increments of 113 grams each, ensuring the last portion is added shortly before the racking process. At this stage, the specific gravity (S.G.) should ideally be between 1005 and 1010 if you choose to measure it; however, this step is optional and can be skipped depending on your preference.
When the fermentation process comes to a complete halt, which typically takes approximately 5-6 weeks for nettle wine, proceed to rack the wine several times until it achieves a good clarity and is free from any sediment that may have settled at the bottom. An optimal temperature to keep carboy is 55°F (12°C). Use your cold/dark cellar. Lightly sulphiting at each racking.
Once the wine is perfectly clear and has reached an ideal level of clarity, carefully bottle, cork, and label the delightful nettle wine. It is advisable to store the bottled wine for a minimum of six months before serving, allowing the flavors to mature and develop further during this time.
The nettle wine is most enjoyed when served well chilled, as this helps to enhance its naturally refreshing and delicate flavors. It makes a delicious aperitif, perfect for stimulating the palate before a meal, as well as a pleasant after-dinner wine to unwind with. This versatile wine pairs exceptionally well with a variety of aged cheeses, complementing their rich and complex tastes beautifully.
