Dandelion wine sangria

No more news to report on the renovation. And in this case, no news is not good news. We've hit a roadblock, and that roadblock is called rough plumbing. Nothing can move forward until the plumber comes so we've had a subcontractor-free few days.

Luckily, a visit from great friends helped take our minds off reno delays.

And this. Dandelion wine from Russell Orchards in Ipswich, MA. Along with nine pounds of sweet, plump blackberries and blueberries, our friends also picked up an assortment of nontraditional wines. Blueberry. Pear. And dandelion.

This photo was taken after we'd downed much of the bottle, but look at the color. There. Way down toward the bottom of the bottle. Yes, it's yellow. Really, really yellow. The Russell website says, "unique flavor has the essence of sherry wine." And yes, it was unique. Very sweet. Almost syrupy. With a hint of...dandelion flower?

Too sweet for the majority of us. So, we turned it into sangria. A perfect summery drink and a great way to use a not-exactly-to-your-taste wine.

Dandelion wine sangria
Bottle of dandelion wine (or any sweet white)
2 cups seltzer water
2 oz. brandy
juice 1 lime
1 cup fresh blackberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
Ice cubes

Put ice cubes in a pitcher. Pour wine and brandy over ice. Add lime juice and berries. Lightly crush berries. Let sit for 15-30 minutes. Add seltzer before serving.

This is a very flexible recipe. You can use a wide variety of fresh fruits and wines, whatever you have on hand. For a dry wine, try adding ginger ale instead of seltzer.

Russell Orchards had an abundance of ready-to-pick blueberries and blackberries. Unlike picking strawberries which involved lots of stooping and crouching (sadly difficult for my rusty knees), I found picking blueberries very relaxing, almost zen. Add fresh cider donuts and nearby Crane beach, this becomes a perfect day's outing.

Apologies for the photo.
Plastic doesn't photograph as well as glass,
and my glass pitchers are packed away.