Rhubarb Wine

Let the wine experimentation continue! I won't know how this is for 8 months or so, but this way I'll have a reference point for next year for this rhubarb wine. I may make another batch if I can hustle up enough rhubarb - I tasted the leftovers (having learned from the dandelion wine a few weeks ago to add MORE water so as not to come up short) and they are great. A bit beer like, at this stage. Not sweet at all, which I am quite pleased with. 

This time I followed this recipe, which was easy and had useful tips. I think I've been perusing too many possible wine recipes, and I ordered a couple too many things that I didn't need (like yeast tannin powder, which you don't need if you have a black tea bag). Fruit wine that is not grapes needs tannin, which can come from tea. Camden tablets are also highly recommended post fermentation to stabilize fruit wine, prevent it from turning brown, and to preserve the flavor. So. I racked the wine into the carboy about a week ago, which means I will rack the wine into a new one in three weeks. 6 months later I can rack it into bottles, give it one more month, and it's ready. So, January or February. Sooner than the dandelion wine!

One bonus of this one, you start by creating a rhubarb syrup with just rhubarb and sugar. After three days you strain out the rhubarb, add water and yeast, and let it ferment. Which means you have a sweet rhubarb by-product that I could not resist trying, despite my desire/efforts to not consume sugar. I ate some with some plain goat yogurt to cut the sweetness, and it was quite divine. I composted most of it, but it was a little painful. Next time I'll throw a party for my sugar-eating friends to eat up that goodness!

Photos show the cut up rhubarb in a 5 gallon bucket, first plain, then with sugar. This is the syrup making in action! (Under cover of a towel.) I neglected to take a photo of the syrupy finish.

*And again, add even more water than directed because you also lose some in the racking. I am going to add an extra full quart next time. Hopefully that doesn't sacrifice flavor.