Recipe - Rhubarb champagne
2lb rhubarb
1 sliced lemon
8 pints of cold water
1 lb sugar
1 dessert spoon of vinegar
bottles
nylon curtain to strain it.
Wash rhubarb and cut up roughly, add sugar, finely sliced lemon, vinegar & water...Let stand for 24 hours, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
Strain through nylon curtain. Bottle and seal tightly. Screw-top coke bottles are good because they allow for expansion from gas...
The champagne is ready to drink in a few days, but becomes alcoholic after 2 weeks....The drink is very sweet the first few days, this is when my kids drink it as it is not alcoholic yet.
I prefer it sweet, and we generally drink it chilled. After bottling, I taste it every day until I get the flavour I like, then pop it in the fridge to stop fermentation. All of it must go in the fridge if you like a sweet wine.....
Over time the sugar is converted to alcohol with fermentation. The longer the fermentation the dryer the 'wine' due to less sugar.......
For a sweet wine, once it reaches the desired flavour, store all of it in the fridge to stop fermentation.
For a dry wine, store at room temperature in a cool place to allow a longer fermentation . Once again, when it reaches the desired flavour place it in the fridge. Bottles will expand greatly with this method, hence the plastic coke bottles.....
Remember if wanting a dry wine, the bottles can warp and explode....The gas needs to be released once in a while....
you will be amazed at the lovely pink coloured drink you get....
very yummy.
Hi NellyMary,
ReplyDeleteNice post. I am curious though. How does this ferment without yeast? Is there wild yeast on the rhubarb?
I would love to try and make some, as I have an abundance of rhubarb!
Gav
Hi Gaven, thanks for the compliment, yes you're right, it draws the wild yeast from the air. It is so yummy, we drink it after its about 2 to 3 days old. Are you thinking of making it a dry or a sweet wine? we love it sweet, but if you leave it, it can get pretty dry. If you have heaps of rhubarb, I have a Rhubarb chutney I could post if you like.
ReplyDeletenellymary
A couple of years ago I made a rhubarb champagne (or country wine) in a beer fermenter. It was fizzy and quite alcoholic, but a bit lacking in flavour. I don't think I used enough rhubarb. But it was a pretty pale pink colour!
ReplyDeleteHi Darren, this champagne has a lovely flavour....once it is finished, I could bring you some if you would like to try it...and I could drop off some of those Jam Melon seeds too. Maybe on the weekend if your not too busy.
ReplyDeleteWas your wine dry? It must have been if it was quite alcoholic...I like it best when it is very young, sweet and in no way dry.
Yep, mine was very dry (and quite alcoholic!). Mine was a lot paler than your pictures, so I'm sure I was too light on the rhubarb. I'll try it again one day!
ReplyDeleteWill email you when I get home about catching up!
Hi Nellymary,
ReplyDeleteWe made some lovely rhubarb champagne and it featured in my blog today. http://www.lifeatperiwinkle.blogspot.com/
Thank you so much for the recipe.
Hi Fran...I'm so glad that you are enjoying this recipe...We have had it in our family for years..I remember as a child Mum making this in a huge garbage bin...but we had a mini cellar to store it in back then....I love the colour. Well Done!!
ReplyDeleteI carried out the first process, chopped rhubarb added the other ingredients and left to stand for over 24 hours, stirring occasionally and the water is still clear and sugar not dissolved. Should I heat the mixture on the hob to release the pink colour and dissolve sugar?? thanks
ReplyDeleteHello Nelly Mary , I have made a batch of the Rhubarb Champers Its been fermenting since 10 th July the taste is nice but its not pink & its a bit cloudy , & thats whats worrying me , is it ok to be cloudy ?, thank you for sharing the recipe & I hope you find time to answer my question Kind Regards Fiona
ReplyDeletehiya, i have made some of this champagne, i have tasted it its lovely, the color is great, its bubbling away nicely, i was wondering if i could swap the rhubarb with gooseberrys and make gooseberry champagne?? help???
ReplyDeletethanks
After 3 weeks bottled how much alcohol are we talking about here?
ReplyDelete