I've been reading the posts on Rhubarb wine... my question is a simple
one - how does it taste? Do you feel it's worth making?

Thanks,
Julie

Yes Julie, I feel it is worth making. I make 25l ~6.6 gallons and use a 1/2
litre (Brew King) or can (Alexanders) of white grape concentrate with the
wine. It definitely adds body and character to the wine. Most people who
drink it say it doesn't taste like rhubarb. I dont know if that is good or
bad. I think it is very nice wine. I have made it dry but now add sugar
after stopping anywhere from 1/2 to 4 percent. The better the fruit quality
the less sugar that is required to make it a palatable wine. At least from
my experience. I thought it was good enough to start growing rhubarb
myself.

Dar who post here makes country wines, maybe she will weigh in.

Lee



"Julie" > wrote in message
om...
> I've been reading the posts on Rhubarb wine... my question is a simple
> one - how does it taste? Do you feel it's worth making?
>
> Thanks,
> Julie

Julie,
I guess I'll weigh in. I've made pure Rhubarb wine twice using Jack's
recipe, and I'll make it again this summer. I've been using rhubarb this
past year or so, as a body builder for some of my wines, because it yields
to the taste of the other fruit. Lee is right, in that it does not taste
like rhubarb. It's hard to describe what it tastes like...different, but
nice. I agree also, that rhubarb is a better wine when sweetened a bit. If
you want to try it, I would start with a 1 gallon recipe, and find someone
who has too much rhubarb and would be willing to give you some before you
plant some (like me who has too much). Planting some won't give you rhubarb
the first year, you need to wait a whole year, better if you can wait 2
years, before picking.
Find a recipe on Jack Keller's wine site, and pick one that matches your
taste. I would suggest you freeze the rhubarb for a month and thaw before
making the wine. Freezing breaks down the rhubarb much better than trying
it fresh. If you like the taste of lemons for the acid requirement, use
them; but if you don't, try oranges (I thought oranges were better). Please
don't forget to use the precipitated chalk to remove the oxalic acid from
the rhubarb. And if you want to, add a container of Welch's 100% white
grape juice for additional body.
Like any wine you make from fruit, flowers, or vegetables, only you will
know whether it is worth it or not to continue making it. Also, it might
take you a couple of batches to get the wine to match your taste.
Good-luck.
Darlene
"LEE WEISS" > wrote in message
...
>
> Yes Julie, I feel it is worth making. I make 25l ~6.6 gallons and use a
1/2
> litre (Brew King) or can (Alexanders) of white grape concentrate with the
> wine. It definitely adds body and character to the wine. Most people who
> drink it say it doesn't taste like rhubarb. I dont know if that is good
or
> bad. I think it is very nice wine. I have made it dry but now add sugar
> after stopping anywhere from 1/2 to 4 percent. The better the fruit
quality
> the less sugar that is required to make it a palatable wine. At least
from
> my experience. I thought it was good enough to start growing rhubarb
> myself.
>
> Dar who post here makes country wines, maybe she will weigh in.
>
> Lee
>
>
>
> "Julie" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I've been reading the posts on Rhubarb wine... my question is a simple
> > one - how does it taste? Do you feel it's worth making?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Julie
>
>

Julie wrote:
> I've been reading the posts on Rhubarb wine... my question is a simple
> one - how does it taste? Do you feel it's worth making?

I do feel it's worth making. Though if you don't like rhubarb, it's
doubtful as to whether you will like pure (unblended) rhubarb wine.

How I usually make mine is detailed he
http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/Styles/Staples.htm

Though I've more recently been experimenting with lees stirring:
http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/Styles/Rhubarb2.htm

General info on Rhubarb wine can be found at:
http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/S...es.htm#Rhubarb

HTH,
Ben

I visited Walkers Fruit Basket last year and got to try wine made from most
of their juices. The dry Rhubarb was OK in my opinion but my wife really
liked it. Hence I have 6 gal going now. It does make a very acidic wine.
Good luck. Is type of wine worth making? That depends on your own personal
taste.

Ray

"Julie" > wrote in message
om...
> I've been reading the posts on Rhubarb wine... my question is a simple
> one - how does it taste? Do you feel it's worth making?
>
> Thanks,
> Julie

> It does make a very acidic wine.

Not in my experience. Obviously it depends on how much rhubarb you use
(and the maturity/quality), but I've made Rhubarb wine with almost 4
lb/US gal. (437 g/l) - i.e. quite a bit of rhubarb - and still only
ended up with a TA of 8.1 g/l. It's not uncommon to see recipes which
involve acidification (even without deacidification of oxalic) - see
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques34.asp for example, which also
uses an unusually high amount of rhubarb.

> Is type of wine worth making? That depends on your own personal taste.

Very true and well said. Beyond taste I'd say that it is worth making
based on the fact that it works well as a blender, is malleable in
style, is highly individual, and is quite ageable.

Ben

On 2/11/04 7:13 PM, in article
, "Ben Rotter"
> wrote:

>> It does make a very acidic wine.
>
> Not in my experience. Obviously it depends on how much rhubarb you use
> (and the maturity/quality), but I've made Rhubarb wine with almost 4
> lb/US gal. (437 g/l) - i.e. quite a bit of rhubarb - and still only
> ended up with a TA of 8.1 g/l. It's not uncommon to see recipes which
> involve acidification (even without deacidification of oxalic) - see
> http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques34.asp for example, which also
> uses an unusually high amount of rhubarb.
>
>> Is type of wine worth making? That depends on your own personal taste.
>
> Very true and well said. Beyond taste I'd say that it is worth making
> based on the fact that it works well as a blender, is malleable in
> style, is highly individual, and is quite ageable.
>
> Ben

I agree - I only deacidified my first ever rhubarb batch according to Jack's
directions. I found it lacking in acid and added some later. Now I don¹t
bother trying to remove oxalic acid as I just don't find it a problem.

--
Greg Cook
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine

(remove spamblocker from my email)

I made a 5 gal batch last year with about 4 lbs. per gal. I bottled it when
it was finished, and later when I opened a bottle, I found it wasn't quite
finished. I now have a very delightful tasting sparkling wine with a nice,
slightly sour after taste that is the rhubarb style. I am very happy with
it though I'll probably never get it to sparkle up again in the upcoming
years like this batch

--
Roger and Lynda
"Julie" > wrote in message
om...
> I've been reading the posts on Rhubarb wine... my question is a simple
> one - how does it taste? Do you feel it's worth making?
>
> Thanks,
> Julie

Thank you all so much for your input - I will definitely make a
rhubarb wine this year!!!

Let us know what you think about it and how it turns out.
Darlene

"Julie" > wrote in message
om...
> Thank you all so much for your input - I will definitely make a
> rhubarb wine this year!!!

I feel it is unfortunate that the ingredient doesn't have a more elegant
name. Our favorite method is to use equal pounds sugar and chopped up
rhubarb. Let the sugar extract the juices, strain. Using Wincalc adjust to
your favorite starting S.G.. After a bit we've had a delightful wine that
is nowhere near the sound of its name.

Dick

And just what is wrong with the name Rhubarb? I live in the deep south
where rhubarb is not grown and have always considered it a delightfully
exotic name. I have 5 gal going now made from rhubarb juice from Walkers
Fruit Basket.

Ray

"Richard Kruse" > wrote in message
news
> I feel it is unfortunate that the ingredient doesn't have a more elegant
> name. Our favorite method is to use equal pounds sugar and chopped up
> rhubarb. Let the sugar extract the juices, strain. Using Wincalc adjust
to
> your favorite starting S.G.. After a bit we've had a delightful wine that
> is nowhere near the sound of its name.
>
> Dick
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

On 2/19/04 9:57 AM, in article ,
"Ray" > wrote:

> And just what is wrong with the name Rhubarb? I live in the deep south
> where rhubarb is not grown and have always considered it a delightfully
> exotic name. I have 5 gal going now made from rhubarb juice from Walkers
> Fruit Basket.
>
> Ray
>
> "Richard Kruse" > wrote in message
> news
>> I feel it is unfortunate that the ingredient doesn't have a more elegant
>> name. Our favorite method is to use equal pounds sugar and chopped up
>> rhubarb. Let the sugar extract the juices, strain. Using Wincalc adjust
> to
>> your favorite starting S.G.. After a bit we've had a delightful wine that
>> is nowhere near the sound of its name.
>>
>> Dick

I think the Amana colonies in Iowa use a German slang word for their rhubarb
wine. They call it "Piestengel". I'm tempted to use that on my next label.

--
Greg Cook
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine

(remove spamblocker from my email)