Now that the chickweed wine‘s been bottled, a sampling is a must!
Jack Keller may advise aging for 1+ year before drinking (he says it becomes “remarkable” after a year and “even better” after two years), but it’s pretty drinkable at only a couple of months old. On the front end, I tasted green honeydew with a hint of a slightly sharp note (possibly orange oil – I’ve encountered the same flavor in orange wine) mellowing to honey on the finish. Very pleasant.
I think the rough edges of the citrus note may soften with time, so I’m going to leave the bottles for a few months and revisit them later. Let me just tell you, though, no one would guess that this pale gold elixir was made from humble chickweed.
Realistically, though, unless a bottle gets hidden somewhere, there’s no way this will last for two years. I know what I’ll be gathering chickweed for next year…cheers!