special rhubarb wine recipe needed!

So after attending my grans funeral today I realised she had a garden full of rhubarb. My uncles kindly hacked down around 1kg for me to use and after my initial rhubarb crumble idea (not a big fan) Ive decided I am going to make a rhubarb wine dedicated to my gran.

Ive seen Tims recipe but I was wondering if anyone else knows a cracking recipe? Reay want to make something special.

My other question is how much to make... I believe I have around 1KG (in scotland now but will weigh it when I get home) now should I just make a gallon..... or should I top it up with supermarket rhubarb to make a larger batch?

Finally, Am I better off getting this on the go asap with fresh rhubarb, or should I freeze it all?

Cheers all!

[Moley]

I'll get back to you this evening with a recipe if no-one has posted one in the meantime, but you will need 3lbs to the gallon.

Chop it into one inch chunks and then freeze it, you will get much better juice extraction when it is defrosted.

[calumscott]

I have made a couple of rhubarb wines. I don't tend to to do it very often because in my area rhubarb is quite expensive.

This is my recipe

2.5 kg or 6 lbs of red rhubarb

450 g or 1 lb of raisins

1.3 kg of sugar

1 crushed campden tablet

1 tsp of pectrolase

1/2 tsp tannin

1 tsp of yeast nutrient

1 sachet of lalvin EC-1118 yeast

Like Moley has said you need to cut up the rhubarb into chunks and freeze them.
Put the frozen rhubarb into a stockpot or bucket and let the fruit defrost.
Chop the raisins up and add it to the pot with the rhubarb. Also add the sugar at this point.
Pour on 2.5 litres of boiling water, but don't mash it up because the wine will take lots of racking to get rid of the pulp if you do.
Add the pectrolase and campden and leave for 24 hours.
Mix the tannin, nutrient and yeast in a small jug of warm water. Leave for an hour and then add it to the fruit.
Cover the pot/bucket and leave to ferment for around 10 days. Strain into a DJ, top with water and ferment it out.

If you want a little extra Umph, add 50 ml of Navy Rum to each bottle before bottling.

Also rhubarb has the same consistency as banana after pouring boiling water onto it, so don't mash it up. Muslin bags are really good for these types of fruit, but you can only use the bags once.

I have a Rhubarb Mead on the go at the moment...
The rhubarb is a stand in for acid blend I'd run out of at the time

1kg rhubarb boiled and strained into a DJ
500 gm honey
water to 4ltrs
nutrients
yeast (wine)

at 1st racking add 500gms honey + nutrient
at 2nd racking add 500gms honey + nutrient
at 3rd racking add 500gms honey + nutrient
etc....

I started this one in 2012 and it's still fermenting
Seriously, I'd forgotten about it. It was languishing in the shed, I knew I hadn't added stabiliser so gambled on the yeasies being asleep.

At the last racking it tasted wonderful and that's just with value range honey... I've added a 1lb of good quality honey and it smells fan-bloody-tastic.

It'll be racked and matured in bulk ready for xmas

[calumscott]

[calumscott]

[Moley]

Sorry, I found the recipe but never got around to posting it

3 lbs Rhubarb
3 lbs Sugar
Water to 1 gallon

Do not peel the rhubarb but chop it or slice it thinly. Cover the fruit with dry sugar and leave it until most of the sugar has dissolved (at least 24 hours) then strain off. Stir the pulp in a little water and strain again, and with more water rinse out all the remaining sugar into the liquor. Add a good general purpose wine yeast and the usual nutrients.

If you wish to preserve the rhubarb taste and the blush pink colour, when the time comes for racking do not use Campden tablets, just rack carefully to avoid splashing.

Reducing the sugar and using some grape concentrate, grape juice or sultanas would probably help.

The dry sugar juice extraction method should prevent any clearing issues later.

Cheers! Really toying with the idea of using a little red grape juice and sultanas but suppose i should really see how the basic wine would turn out first.

Sorry, I don't think I have heard of dry sugar juice extraction method method before?

Seems I might be a little on the short side. Chopped up the rhubarb and ended up with around 725g. To my knowledge thats a touch over 1.5lbs meaning im short by half. That leaves me with a few options....

Top up with store bought fresh rhubarb

Add a second fruit (any reccomendations and amounts)

Add raisins and rgj. Will this even work or will the lack of rhubarb be evident?

I did a similar recipe to the above, went with the freeze/defrost combo as well.

My main difference was I used Champagne yeast, then after 3 weeks (ish) bottled in plastic bottles with a teaspoon of sugar, Rhubarb fizz, a good drink when chilled, similar to the Elderflower fizz.

Right going to get this on the go on saturday.

As I am short on rhubarb would I be better off getting some more to accompany it or should i add another ingredient like fruits or raisns ect......

I have a rhubarb on the go at the moment but did mine a little differently. I love rhubarb crumble so didn't want to waste the fruit so simmered it for half an hour which made it quick mushy, but threw in some dried fruit to bulk it back up. Ended up with some tasty rhubarb juice which I made up as if I was doing a WOW and also something nice to make a pudding from.

What dried fruit did you use?

I just threw in a handful of raisins and sultanas. Not really to help the wine but to bulk up my pudding as the fruit had gone mushy lol

So i started this today. Finally decided with

1.8KG Rhubarb
500g sultanas
675g sugar
Pectolase.

After a few days I plan on straining it into a dj and rinsing out the fruit with some hot water. Then, if there is space I will top up with 1l of red grape juice not from concentrate.

.....Anyone know if any citric acid or glycerin will be needed?

Yes, don't add water. The sugar will draw moisture out of the rhubarb and turn to a syrup. Once you've done the extraction and started your wine the rhubarb will make a great crumble.

Thanks I'll be sure to make a crumble too

What's a good total sugar to go for, I was thinking maybe 1.2kg? That should give me about 12%, perhaps a little less due to topping up etc.