Hi all,

rhubarb-wine is a traditional in Holland; needing normally about 5 - 7 years
of maturation, in which time the oxalic acid is broken down (oxalic acid,
being the weakest of the present acids, is the first that breeaks down).
Oxalic acid makes the wine, just as peach-wine, unsuited for diabetics.
There are a few methods to speed things up. First is to remove most of the
oxalic acid; using chalk and correcting the acids to the preferred level;
second, and new is adding a handful of elderflowers after first racking. You
will be surprised by the effect of the latter! The wine will be well
drinkable after a year and will greatly benefit by moderate aging. The
oxalic acid normally gives the wine its rhubarb smell, and that is removed
by the elderflowers.
This method does not solve the problem that the wine is not suited for
diabetics.

Ed from Holland.

"Stephen SG" > schreef in bericht
...
> Not having made this wine and viewing Jackkellers recipe I see your
plight,
> any how.
> I hope this explains what you want to know.
> The problems arise from two causes.
> Firstly, rhubarb contains a poisonous acid called "oxalic" and secondly,
for
> reasons partly unknown, it sometimes causes destruction of the yeast which
> floats around in clumps in the wine in a most disgusting fashion.
> The two problems are resolved by first treating the rhubarb in a different
> fashion from that advocated in old country wine-making books, and,
secondly,
> by ensuring the conditions are ideal for the yeast.
> Now, the main acid in rhubarb is malic acid, a good fermenting acid and
> valuable in maturing. It is present in almost every cell of the plant. The
> poisonous acid
> "oxalic acid" is in little lumps called nodules which are scattered here
and
> there in the plant. If the juice is extracted with boiling water as was
the
> normal way, then the oxalic acid is dissolved into the liquor along with
the
> flavour and the helpful malic acid. At this point chalk was added to get
rid
> of the acids and then citric acid was added to allow fermentation to
> proceed.This was a very hit-and-miss method which frequently allowed
> fermentations to proceed without sufficient acid.
> The result was an evil smelling concoction.
> On the other hand people quite often eat large amounts of stewed rhubarb
> without ill results.
> Stephen SG
>
>
>
>
>
>
> "Andy j." > wrote in message
> om...
> | Hi.....I've started rhubarb wine for the first time in 20
> | years......using this for a recipe.....
> | http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques34.asp ...it advises taking
> | out all the oxalic acid ....which is fine....then putting in juice of
> | 2 lemons as the acid.....what is the benefit of citric acid in the
> | form of lemon juice over adding "acid blend" usually used in other
> | country wines?....also i'd like to tweak a little by adding some
> | golden raisins.....would 1/2lb(250grams) be an ok thing?....andy j.
>
>