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Rhubarb WineCountry Wine · Dry

Rhubarb Wine

E
by @essesser
13.7%
ABV
1.1
OG
0.996
FG
4.5 litres batch · target 13.5% ABV
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About this recipe

Easy homemade rhubarb wine recipe for one demijohn (1 gallon). Cold sugar extraction, no boiling, and a proper use for the patch that will not stop.

Ingredients

rhubarb stalks1.5 kg
sugar1.2 kg
water4 l
wine tannin0.25 tsp
pectic enzyme1 tsp
campden tablet1
yeast nutrient1 tsp
sachet Lalvin 71B1

Method

1
Wipe the rhubarb, trim off every trace of leaf and chop into short lengths
2
Layer the rhubarb with the sugar in a sterilised bucket, cover, and leave 3 days, stirring daily
3
Strain off the syrup and discard the pulp
4
Top up to 4.5 litres with cold water
5
Add the pectic enzyme and a crushed campden tablet, leave 24 hours
6
Add the tannin, nutrient and yeast
7
Ferment 5 to 7 days in the bucket
8
Transfer to a demijohn and fit an airlock
9
Ferment out for 2 to 5 weeks
10
Rack off the sediment
11
Age 9 to 12 months before drinking
Tools for this brew: scale it to your batch size, work out ABV from your readings, or correct a warm hydrometer reading. All free.

Brewer's notes

The old cold extraction method, and it matters here. Cooking rhubarb drags out oxalic acid and the wine turns harsh, so you draw the juice out with sugar over a few days instead. Leaves go on the compost, they are poisonous. It froths like mad in the first week so leave headroom. Starts sharp and mellows slowly, give it the best part of a year before judging it.

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