Things You'll Need:
- 1 gal water
- 6 to 7 lbs red rhubarb
- 2 1/2 lbs fine sugar
- juice from 2 large lemons
- 1 crushed Campden tablet
- 1 oz precipitated chalk
- 1 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient
- Sauternes wine yeast
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Step 1
Wash the rhubarb and cut into 1/2-inch lengths. Crush them with the end of a sterilized baseball bat in the primary fermentation vessel. Crush the Campden tablet and dissolve it in a gallon of cold water and pour it over the rhubarb. Cover the primary container and allow it to sit for three days, stirring once a day.
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Step 2
Strain the must through a nylon straining bag, squeezing the liquid from the pulp. Throw away the pulp and return the liquor to the first container.
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Step 3
Remove the oxalic acid from the rhubarb by adding the precipitated chalk. This is an essential step. Wait for three hours and check the taste again. Another 1/2 oz of precipitated chalk can be added if needed. Add the remaining ingredients and stir the must until the sugar dissolves completely.
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Step 4
Cover the container and let it sit overnight. Transfer the must to a secondary fermentation vessel and fit the airlock. Hold back a pint to allow for foaming. Wait for the fermentation to decrease in five to seven days, top off with the reserved liquor and place the airlock.
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Step 5
Place in a cool area until the wine clears. Rack the wine, replace the airlock and top off. Repeat this step two more times at 30-day intervals before racking it into bottles. Rhubarb wine does not need to age.
