Put the chopped rhubarb into your (sterilized) fermentation bucket, and add the sugar and mix it together. Chop the rhubarb stalk into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick. We were excited for rhubarb season to come, since we had polished off the last of it a couple of months ago.Ī lot of the recipes Jeff followed as he experimented with country wines ended up with really strong, really sweet wines that were more in the dessert wine category– but not this one! We felt that it really competed with the bottles of rosé we were lugging back from France whenever we got the chance to drive across the channel. It yielded a beautiful rosé that we and our summer guests thoroughly enjoyed. Our most successful country wine of 2013 was definitely a batch of Rhubarb Wine that Jeff made, following these instructions.
Yes, we have had a few flops (I ended up dumping a few bottles of dandelion wine down the drain) but many of them have been pretty darn good (especially elderberry wine!). In the last couple of years, we have made a lot of wine at home. If we capped the bottle, the pressure inside the bottle would build until either the bottle exploded or the carbon dioxide killed the yeast.I may receive a commission if you purchase something mentioned in this post. We want the alcohol, but not carbon dioxide. When the little yeasty beasties are inside, they eat the sugar and poop out carbon dioxide and alcohol. I also take the extra step of using fishing line to tie the balloon to the bottle just in case, but it's not necessary.
CHARDONNAY WINE HOMEBREW RECIPES PROFESSIONAL
If you want to get fancy, you can purchase a real, professional airlock online for cheap, but it's also possible to brew wine without one. Then poke 1–2 pin-sized holes in the bottom third of the balloon (area closest to the top of the bottle). The bottle should be uncapped and it should look like the picture below.
Place the balloon over the top of the bottle.After that do another vigorous shake for 10 or 15 seconds and be excited that you're almost done with the hard part. There's no need to be stingy with yeast-it's the cheapest part of this whole project so don't try to make it last. You don't need to use the funnel for this but you can if you want. Do this for about a minute, or until you think the sugar is pretty well dissolved. Then screw the cap back on tight and shake that bottle like you're doing some crazy dance from the '80s and you really want to impress your date. If you want the wine to be less alcoholic, add 1 cup and if you want the wine to be more alcoholic, add 2 cups. Add 1.5 cups of sugar into the grape juice.I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but trust me it must be done to make room for the ingredients you'll be adding. Pour out between 3/4 and 1 cup of the grape juice.If your brew gets contaminated, you can't drink it. This is basically the only thing you can do wrong. Wash everything thoroughly in hot water.A suitable alternative would be a winemaking airlock. Balloon (If you can't find any balloons at the grocery store, a condom works in a pinch: just make sure it's unlubricated!)Įditor Note: The rubber and latex can leach into the grape juice.Important note: Make sure the juice is pasteurized and has no preservatives, which will kill the yeast.) And if you want to make something interesting try any other kind of fruit juice that catches your fancy. If you want to make a red wine, buy purple grape juice. 1/2 gallon grape juice (This is where your own preferences come in.You can find these packets in the baking aisle.) 1 packet yeast (No need for anything fancy: Fleischmann's ActiveDry works just fine.