Rhubarb wine recommendations

[StoneArcher]

I have 10# of rhubarb in primary right now, with 2qts of raspberries and 3 gallons of water.

I thawed rhubarb on Sunday.

On Monday, added 3 Campden, 4 tsp pectic enzyme, 3 tsp yeast nutrient, 2 tsp yeast energizer, and 1 tsp tannin. After adding the tannin, it turned a gross looking color. It was like a dirty dishwater color. Not exactly palatable. So that's my reason for adding the raspberries, primarily anyway. The added flavor is always welcome. At night, I pitched EC-1118 starter.

She is ripping away right now. I am curious to know when you guys typically take the rhubarb out. I have read that some do it after 48 hrs, some let it steep in water and pull right before pitching. I am sure there are other varying ideas too. Thoughts?

 

[Yooper]

I just mixed up some rhubarb wine today! Mine turns out to be a white wine, so don't worry about the color right now- it will totally change.

My recipe is posted, right under my avatar on the left under "recipes" if you want to see how I do it.

 

[StoneArcher]

Ha! I've read your recipe before, that's where I got the tannin idea.

The color is now a nice pink. I'm going to go get a gravity reading. What's the approximate time yours goes down to 1.040? I am leaving for the weekend on Thursday or Friday morning and won't be back until Monday.

Do you think I should add anything else for body? I have about 2 qts of blueberries sitting in the freezer.

 

[StoneArcher]

I'm at 1.070, I'll check it again tomorrow. Thanks for the help, yooper!

 

[Yooper]

I was at a friend's house on Monday. She had a "rhuberry" wine. It was a rhubarb/blueberry/blackberry blend. It was mostly rhubarb, but I don't know the percentages. She sweetened hers, as she likes sweet wines, but it was still really nice. It was a really pretty bluish pink color.

My wines usually go to 1.010-1.020 in about 5 days or so.

 

[StoneArcher]

Interesting. I think I might sweeten this wine. Or half of it. I don't like sweet wines, heck I hardly care for whites. But a lot of folks I know like sweet whites. I'd be doing it for them. Maybe Christmas 2014 gifts.

What do ya think on adding the blueberries? Or do you think it will go better with one of these fruits; Pear, peach, bing cherry, rainier cherry, chokecherry.

I am actually thinking of adding the bing and chokecherry. I'll call it my michigan cherry blend. Bings from Traverse City, CC from Wilson. The BB are from somewhere downstate. Or! I could add the bings and BB and call it "troll che-berry." I am sure my family in TC would get a kick out of that!

I know, I'm all over the place on this one... Sorry... and thanks!

 

[StoneArcher]

Thanks on the timeframe. I pitched 1118 with yeast energizer, so it may hit fast. My starting gravity was regretfully at 1.116.... I overshot.

 

[Yooper]

Interesting. I think I might sweeten this wine. Or half of it. I don't like sweet wines, heck I hardly care for whites. But a lot of folks I know like sweet whites. I'd be doing it for them. Maybe Christmas 2014 gifts.

What do ya think on adding the blueberries? Or do you think it will go better with one of these fruits; Pear, peach, bing cherry, rainier cherry, chokecherry.

I am actually thinking of adding the bing and chokecherry. I'll call it my michigan cherry blend. Bings from Traverse City, CC from Wilson. The BB are from somewhere downstate. Or! I could add the bings and BB and call it "troll che-berry." I am sure my family in TC would get a kick out of that!

I know, I'm all over the place on this one... Sorry... and thanks!

I don't know! I rarely make blends, but when I do I blend them at bottling time. I've never purposely made a blend from the start, only when something needed to be enhanced, so I'm no help there I"m afraid.

The only caution I have about cherries is that they taste like cough syrup for quite a long time once they ferment out. I make a ton of chokecherry wine each year, but my sour cherry wine took about two years to be decent. Once it became decent, it became excellent and seemingly disappeared overnight.

 

[StoneArcher]

I just bottled some Rainier Cherry, it was, surprisingly enough right at bottling. It aged only 4 months in the 3 gallon carboy.

Are you saying that the chokes wine tastes like cough syrup? Or a different cherry? Rainier and Bing are considered a sweet cherry. I anticipate the bing being a nice full red. Capable of being a big red maybe.

 

[Yooper]

I just bottled some Rainier Cherry, it was, surprisingly enough right at bottling. It aged only 4 months in the 3 gallon carboy.

Are you saying that the chokes wine tastes like cough syrup? Or a different cherry? Rainier and Bing are considered a sweet cherry. I anticipate the bing being a nice full red. Capable of being a big red maybe.

I think morello and bing cherry wines had a definite "cough syrup" taste. I've never used rainier cherries.

chokecherries don't seem to get that "fake cherry" flavor to them when they ferment out.

 

[StoneArcher]

Well, I was going to blend them since I only have 7# of chokes. I wanted to do a three gallon batch. But, you have convinced me in keeping them separate. I should learn how they are all by themselves before doing a fermented blend anyway. I think I have 15# or 20# (don't know if there are three or four bags in freezer) of bings, so that should be enough for three gallons.

Thanks for your help on this!

If you like dry whites, I suggest giving rainier a whirl. Tasty and relatively quick aging it seems.

 

[brazedowl]

I was at a friend's house on Monday. She had a "rhuberry" wine. It was a rhubarb/blueberry/blackberry blend. It was mostly rhubarb, but I don't know the percentages. She sweetened hers, as she likes sweet wines, but it was still really nice. It was a really pretty bluish pink color.

My wines usually go to 1.010-1.020 in about 5 days or so.

Don't suppose you could get your friend to part with this "rhuberry" recipe I'm going to plant some rhubarb next year and would love to blend it with my blueberry and blackberry wines.

 

[Yooper]

Don't suppose you could get your friend to part with this "rhuberry" recipe I'm going to plant some rhubarb next year and would love to blend it with my blueberry and blackberry wines.

I'll ask her! She's sort of "funny" about stuff like that, and doesn't usually tell her secrets.

 

[brazedowl]

Well thanks for using your powers of persuasion!