While floating the Yellowstone this fall I happened to notice the rose bushes along the railroad tracks were bursting with new color -- rose hips! The tiny fragrant berries were the inspiration. What followed was my first-ever foray into winemaking.
Start with a two pounds of fresh rose hips, which is way more than you think. Then pluck the blossom ends off and grind them up in the blender.
Add a lot of honey and boiled water and a bunch of other more technical ingredients (because there's way more to winemaking than I thought) put it in a mesh bag and let it ferment.
After about a week, siphon the wine into gallon jar (thanks to Martha at Cafe Regis) and wait....
...and wait, and wait. That's the hardest part. Wine needs to mature, and clarify even after the yeast has done its thing. My rose hip wine probably won't be done until early next summer, but won't it be fun to pour a glass on the river next summer and toast the rose bushes in full bloom?
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