Rhubarb Wine

Sylvia Kent shares one of her favourite county wines:

INGREDIENTS

• 2kg pink rhubarb stalks                                                 
• 250g sultanas, chopped
• 250g bananas, peeled
• 1kg granulated sugar
• 3.5 litres cooled boiled water
• 5g pectic enzyme
• Campden tablets
• 5g all-purpose wine yeast
• 5g yeast nutrient

METHOD

1           Make up a starter bottle to activate the yeast.

PRE-ACTIVATING THE YEAST

Activate the yeast starter by adding a 5g sachet of yeast and two teaspoons of sugar to a small bottle of warm water. Shake the bottle well to get it going. 

2           Wash the rhubarb, then top and tail it. Chop the stalks finely and place them in a sterilised 2-gallon fermenting bucket.

3           Add the sultanas and bananas, then pour over the cooled boiled water and stir in the pectic enzyme.

4           Add 1 crushed Campden tablet, then cover and leave in a warm place for 24 hours.

5           Add the activated wine yeast and the yeast nutrient, then leave to ferment for 3 days, keeping the fruit submerged using a weighted plate (or gently press it down twice each day as you are passing).

6           Strain the contents of the bucket through either a sieve or muslin, squeezing lightly, then discard the pulp in a compost bin.

7           Add the sugar, stirring well until it has dissolved completely.

8           Pour the strained must through a funnel into a clean and sterilised demijohn, then fit an airlock, and put it in a warm place to ferment out.

9           Once sediment has settled, rack the must into a second sterilised demijohn, add 1 further Campden tablet, then refit the airlock and repeat the process until such time as the wine begins to clear.

10         Once the wine has cleared, fit a solid cork bung and transfer to a cool place to stand for at least 9 months.

11         Bottle the wine when clear, and sweeten to taste using saccharin (if necessary).