Author Notes
This is a recipe for gardeners and friends of gardeners. When the delicate flowering herb Sweet Woodruff (Asperula odorata) blooms in May, harvest its dainty white blossoms to make May wine, a fragrant, herbal-infused white wine traditionally served with a strawberry. It makes a light spritzer mixed with equal parts sparkling water or inexpensive sparkling wine. —AppleAnnie
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Ingredients
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1.5 liters
of an inexpensive, young, mildly sweet or fruity white wine, such as Chablis, Chenin blanc, Riesling, Rhine, or Moselle. (one bottle)
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20 sprigs
sweet woodruff blossoms, including some leaves and stems
Directions
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Pick the woodruff and rinse in cool water, spread out on a towel to dry.
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Preheat over to 275 degrees F. Transfer woodruff blossoms to a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for up to 5 minutes, or as soon as the distinctive fragrance becomes noticeable.
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Open the bottle of wine, and quickly add the warm blossoms to the wine, pushing them down into the bottle. (Chop sticks are helpful here.) A little wine may have to be poured out if it overflows, but keep the wine level right up to the top of the bottle, to protect from oxidizing.
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Tightly close the bottle with a wine stopper or cork and store in a cool dark place. It can be tasted after three days, but will be best after five to seven days. If you taste, add more wine to keep the bottle full.
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Strain before serving, and served chilled, with a strawberry in the glass. (Good in spritzers with sparkling water, cava, or prosecco. The spritzer becomes a punch or “May bowl” --a German cousin to Spain’s white sangria--with the addition of a cup of sugared strawberries, crushed or sliced.)
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