Branching out and all that..

Notlaw · May 5, 2016

I started some rhubarb wine last night...

Got loads of rhubarb in the back garden, so cut one of the 3 patches I've got and there was just under 1.5kg of it. Made it up to 1.5kg of fruit with some frozen raspberries I robbed from the freezer, checked them in a bucket and covered with sugar. Going to attempt to follow this recipe and see how it turns out.

Anyone got any tips?

GHW · May 5, 2016

Looks nice in those pictures dude.

Not tempted by wine myself yet, though my father in law makes his own (decent) red, using imported Italian grapes. Might get involved in this year's effort.

I'm more tempted by cider, but no idea where to source enough of the right apples. I don't see any point doing it from supermarket juice, the cost will be about the same as buying the cider. Not that that I do it for money saving, but a quid or so a bottle is still a bit much, and it would feel a bit like cheating.

No help soz but let us know how it turns out. I think my dad has a load of old winemaking kit so I could yet be lured.

Notlaw · May 5, 2016

IT had been in the back of my mind for a little while, but I always had this idea that "country wine" would be like drinking pond water, but I got a basket of farmhouse clobber as a present (read: bribe) from a supplier I had into work a bit back. It had about 3 or 4 bottles of country wine, some cheese, pate, you know the kind of thing, in a basket, gingham tea towel etc.

Anyway, I cracked open the bottles of wine on Sunday when we had some friends over and had exhausted most other alcohol in the house and they were bloody lovely. I didn't even read the labels to see what was in them, but the nicest one was pink, so my slack logic is hoping whatever I end up with will be a bit like it.!

I'm not doing it because I'm tight, I just quite fancy having a go.

It's also another arrow I'll add to my "when the apocalypse comes" quiver :lol:

engineer · May 6, 2016

When you crush the rhubarb with the sugar in a bucket add a campden tablet to kill off any natural yeast otherwise it may start to ferment on it own. That may not be a bad thing but in my experience it can spoil the taste of the end product. Also i leave it to soak for a week before straining and adding to the demijon to ferment out. Just starting to drink some i made last year, very nice it is to.

Notlaw · May 6, 2016

engineer said:
When you crush the rhubarb with the sugar in a bucket add a campden tablet to kill off any natural yeast otherwise it may start to ferment on it own. That may not be a bad thing but in my experience it can spoil the taste of the end product. Also i leave it to soak for a week before straining and adding to the demijon to ferment out. Just starting to drink some i made last year, very nice it is to.

Thanks. Is this after I've added the water, or leave it for a week before crushing and adding water?