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Author Topic: Rhubarb Wine  (Read 13684 times)

jacquip

  • Joined Apr 2011
Rhubarb Wine
« on: April 25, 2011, 08:04:54 pm »
Am attempting to make Rhubarb wine for the first time.  Now got to the stage where I have 2 gallons of the stuff happily fermenting away in the jars - quite lively at the moment.  It looks very cloudy, is this normal?  About how long will it take to ferment given the warm conditions at the moment?

Beewyched

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • South Wales
    • tunkeyherd.co.uk
Re: Rhubarb Wine
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2011, 08:12:28 pm »
Will take at least a month or up to 6 - cloudiness is part of the process - just sit back & wait for the bubbling to stop  ;)
Tunkey Herd - registered Kune Kune & rare breed poultry - www.tunkeyherdkunekune.com

jacquip

  • Joined Apr 2011
Re: Rhubarb Wine
« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2011, 08:14:10 pm »
Thank you very much for your advice. 

Skirza

  • Joined Mar 2011
Re: Rhubarb Wine
« Reply #3 on: April 27, 2011, 02:26:52 pm »
Ours usually takes around 3-4 weeks. First ever batch we made got thrown away because we mistakenly thought it had gone off the 'boil' too quickly and the yeast had died. Wiser now, just wait for everything to stop bubbling then we use finings to clear it. On a side note, last year I added gorse flowers to the rhubarb and it was absolutely wonderful

OldGaffer

  • Joined May 2011
  • Cambridgeshire
Re: Rhubarb Wine
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2011, 10:58:53 pm »
Gorse flowers sounds interesting, must try the next time I make some Rhubarb wine.

What you do need to be aware of is Rhubarb wine can go in to secondary fermentation, which occurs in the following Spring normally. I once had about a dozen bottles of the stuff, sitting in a wine rack and about 5am one Spring morning the bottles started exploding!

Works better than an alarm clock  :)

daddymatty82

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • swindon
Re: Rhubarb Wine
« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2011, 07:37:49 pm »
any recipe? as im  tempted as i get my nans rhubarb and need to try something other than crumble any help would be great

jacquip

  • Joined Apr 2011
Re: Rhubarb Wine
« Reply #6 on: June 29, 2011, 08:56:03 am »
Me again.  This rhubarb wine has been fermenting happily since 25th April and now appears to have stopped.  There is sediment at the bottom of the jar but the wine is still cloudy.  Advice welcome on next steps. 

Skirza

  • Joined Mar 2011
Re: Rhubarb Wine
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2011, 08:16:49 am »
This is just what I do...not saying it is right

Pour the wine into a clean container and add finings. Leave for 72 hours and bottle. I know some people rack the wine off and leave it for another 6 months before bottling, but like I said...this is what I do :D

http://www.wineworks.co.uk/product/kwik-clear-2-part-wine-finings-270l/

jacquip

  • Joined Apr 2011
Re: Rhubarb Wine
« Reply #8 on: July 28, 2011, 09:11:21 pm »
Many thanks for all your help.  The wine appeared to have stopped fermenting and just went crystal clear on its own.  So I syphoned it into clean jars. I checked it with a hydrometer and it was reading 0.995 so I had a quick sip and to my surprise it was very good (if a bit potent) so I bottled it today.  I presume I have to store it now, but for how long?

Gordon M

  • Joined Sep 2009
Re: Rhubarb Wine
« Reply #9 on: August 21, 2011, 11:45:55 pm »
Only until you're thirsty!!
Seriously though, it should really be left bottled for 12 months at least, if you think it's good now, you'll notice a huge difference in a years time. Hopefully you wont experience any secondary fermentation as mentioned above!

cloddopper

  • Joined Jun 2013
  • South Wales .Carmarthenshire. SA18
Re: Rhubarb Wine
« Reply #10 on: July 30, 2018, 11:05:09 pm »
Gorse flowers sounds interesting, must try the next time I make some Rhubarb wine.

What you do need to be aware of is Rhubarb wine can go in to secondary fermentation, which occurs in the following Spring normally. I once had about a dozen bottles of the stuff, sitting in a wine rack and about 5am one Spring morning the bottles started exploding!

Works better than an alarm clock  :)

 Camden tablts are used to " Stop " the wine   once you take the fermentation to a calculated /tested level of alcohol  or in technical term it's used to prevent further fermentation .
Don't forget to rack the wine off the dead yeast cell sediments into a sterilised clean demijohn before you stop it so it does not develop off flavours & fit a sterilized water filled air lock once again,   topping it up as needed with clean cooled boiled water .  Sometimes the stopping can take  several weeks,  the wine starts to clear ( even quicker if you add finings ) Then when it's finally clear re rack it of the sediments . Stopper it in bulk & store it in a cool dark place for a few months so it can mature in bulk with the tannins ,  mallic acid  & ester alcohols developing a deeper flavour for you .

 Almost ice cold  gin clear rhubarb wine is something to behold & sip carefully as it can have a creeping rubber leg effect & put your teeth on edge if it is a full dry wine @ 14 % or so . 
« Last Edit: August 09, 2018, 05:51:54 pm by cloddopper »
Strong belief , triggers the mind to find the way ... Dyslexia just makes it that bit more amusing & interesting

DavidandCollette

  • Joined Dec 2012
Re: Rhubarb Wine
« Reply #11 on: July 31, 2018, 06:05:33 pm »
And if you are using that lovely pink slim variety of rhubarb and the wine comes out pink and ever so slightly bubbly, make sure you have something soft to land on.....

 

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