rhubarb wine

[mrdinkle]

Thanks for the info - it is busy fermenting in the bucket at the moment. I think that it will be ready to strain tomorrow night and then ferment out.

I bottled the dandelion wine last night - it is a lovely golden colour!

[Hazel at the Hill]

I am a little confused over SG though. Shirley states that you should start it off at 1.08 or 1.10 SG - I presume I just add sugar with the hydrometer in the container until the SG reaches the correct level (to take advantage of the included sugar)? It will have been standing for 24 hours at this point...

when you get to adding the water up to a gallon (or a gallon and a bit - you always lose a little of the wine in racking off, so I tend to make a bit over) measure the SG to see how far off 1090 you are, then add some sugar* by scooping a pint or so out and disolving the sugar over a low heat (it's quicker to disolve the sugar like this). Add the pint-and-sugar back to the rest and give it a stir and measure the SG again.
*50g of sugar raised the SG by about 5, so if you have a reading of 1060 (say) you need to add about 300g of sugar

Remember that the wine ferments like mad when you add the yeast, so you could let it have a couple of days fermenting in the bucket (make sure that you cover it completely with a cloth) before you put it in the demijohn.

My wine seems to be coming to a stop with its fizzing, its only been a week is it nearly doen with fermentation then? What do I do next and how do I do it?

That sounds about right, Witch - it will soon start to clear, so leave it well alone till it has a definite layer of gunk in the bottom of the dj, then syphon off the wine into a bucket (leaving the gunk behind) - it doesn't matter if it isn't clear at this point, you're just getting the dead yeast deposits out of the way.

Rinse the gunk out the dj, re-steralise, then put the wine back int the clean dj, fit the airlock to stop stray nasties getting in, then leave it to completely clear again and then you can bottle it.

[Gardenwitch]

My wine seems to be coming to a stop with its fizzing, its only been a week is it nearly doen with fermentation then? What do I do next and how do I do it?

[mrdinkle]

I opted to for the tinned recipe as I like my fresh crumble too much and upon inspection I think there is not quite enough

I am a little confused over SG though. Shirley states that you should start it off at 1.08 or 1.10 SG - I presume I just add sugar with the hydrometer in the container until the SG reaches the correct level (to take advantage of the included sugar)? It will have been standing for 24 hours at this point...

The cat definitely has a don't F with me attitude. We added IBAS to his name eg. Magnus IBAS (I Bite And Scratch)

[Gardenwitch]

Picked loads of rhubarb today I've got kilos of te stuff now lol Will chop and freeze though to make more wine at a later date this year.

Handsome Cat although he does have a DONT F with me look lol At least he has a lovely adopted family to get to know now and you got a bonus when you bought your house!

Good luck with your wine making too, keep us posted!

[mrdinkle]

Thanks Hazel. Neath Wilko's missed a sale there Boo!

The cat came with the house, well, they claimed they could not catch him and asked us to feed him for a day or so (he lived outside - poor bugger). Soon realised that they weren't coming back and he took ownership of us. He now lives in doors and has recovered from the ill treatment. Though still a bit short tempered!

[Hazel at the Hill]

Thanks Hazel, I felt rather lazy asking that question! I think there is probably about that amount on there....

No, that was a good question. I now know how many sticks to pull to make a batch of wine.

I've never used precipitated chalk, btw - I just use the CJJ Berry recipe that garden witch put up.

Oh - and that's a smashing cat.

[mrdinkle]

Having just got the scales out, I can report that about 8 fat stalks weigh 3lb.

Thanks Hazel, I felt rather lazy asking that question! I think there is probably about that amount on there....

I might take half, freeze as suggested by Hilary B and then bide my time until more is ready. Perhaps that will leave me time to do some nettle beer inbetween!

[mrdinkle]

Hi Ya, I did not get around to starting mine off yet. Finally got the greenhouse glazed and all the related bits and bobs.

My rhubarb was left by the previous owners and all said, it's the best thing they left (aside from the cat - see pic). I lifted it the first winter (to let the frost at it - I was told you should do this). I split it and foolishly gave a fair bit of it away. Now I have a rather modest crown, though it is holding up well.

It is sited between two compost bins and gets a fair bit of nutrients via leeching I'd imagine!

I am a regular visitor to wilko and looked for precipitated chalk just yesterday and could not see it. Is it known by any other names?

Thanks!

[Gardenwitch]

An update my rhubarb wine is bubbling away steadily and seems to have a lovely fizzy pearl colar as i call it lol. The most beautiful shade of pale pink as well! AND I can start to smell the delicate rhubarb winey smell as oppossed to the initial yeasty smell. Will let you know in a few weeks when fermenting should be at a slow down thanks for all the help on this learning curve

[Hazel at the Hill]

How many fat stalks is 3lb? I don't have huge crown, I take it that it is early enough for more to come up if I use it all on a wine experiment?

Having just got the scales out, I can report that about 8 fat stalks weigh 3lb.

[Hilary B]

If your rhubarb is well established, and well fed (loads of well-rotted muck in autumn) then as long as there are still some leaves on, the more stems you pull, the more you get. If there don't seem to be many stems available just now, take a few and freeze them, until you have enough.
If you use the 'dry sugar and cold water' method recommended by CJJ Berry, the acid content is reduced quite a bit anyway.
You can get precipitated chalk from any winemaker's supplier (eg Wilkinsons), in a tub similar to the ones of yeast, yeast nutrient, pectin enzyme, etc.
I don't much like the 'one piece' airlocks. I prefer the 2 part type, because it can be tricky taking the other kind OFF after fermentation stops, without some of the water being drawn back into the wine....

[mrdinkle]

So that would be 360 grams less sugar? I am just worried that I won't get another crumble out of the crown if I use it for wine

I think I might go for shirley's tinned rhubarb recipe first until I can establish more rhubarb.

What is, and where can one procure precipitated chalk?

thanks!

[burnie]

Rhubub can be a bit tart for some,you can use precipitated chalk to reduce the acid if you like,personnaly I use a kilo of sugar rather than 3lb,it makes it a little drier,which suits the tart taste.If you use the nice red stalks and use a dark fermenting vessel,you get a nice rose.

[mrdinkle]

I have an old tatty copy of the first steps book. In mine he reckons that rhubarb wine ain't very nice and to use it as a base for other wines?!

It put me off a bit, but I might just try it on your recommendation! I would have thought that it would make a fine wine - perhaps Mr Berry had a dislike of rhubarb?

How many fat stalks is 3lb? I don't have huge crown, I take it that it is early enough for more to come up if I use it all on a wine experiment?