Growing grapes and making wine in Bellevue
Posted in ingredients, rhubarb wine on May 18th, 2009
Rhubarb is a high quality ingredient that can make a great, age-worthy wine. It’s also a versatile ingredient that takes to many different styles. To take advantage of its versatility, you need to know what it brings to your wine and what you need to add.
Posted in gardening, rhubarb wine on May 29th, 2008
This time last year, I was trying to make up for lost time, “better late than never!” I thought as I belatedly weeded, watered, and fertilized. I didn’t want spindly plants this year, so I tended my rhubarb in March. The payoff came in May when I harvested 1 lb 14.5 oz (865 g), putting [...]
Posted in rhubarb wine on Feb 13th, 2008
I make rhubarb wine every year. I get about 6 fl oz/lb (400 ml/kg) of juice when I thaw frozen rhubarb, and since I use about 3 lb/gal (360 g/L) of rhubarb I need to add a lot of water. But 6 fl oz/lb scales up to over 4.5 gallons from 100 lb of “fruit.” [...]
Posted in rhubarb wine, winemaking on Feb 4th, 2008
By 1/30/08, the specific gravity (SG) of my rhubarb wine had dropped to 1.000, and that means fermentation is finished or nearly finished. So, ten days after I pitched the yeast, I racked into a 1-gallon jug, two wine bottles, and an 8-oz (about 240 ml) coke bottle. When you’re working with small volumes like [...]
Posted in Recipes, rhubarb wine on Jan 23rd, 2008
I grow the rhubarb in my garden, harvest several times (freezing each harvest), and make a gallon or two of wine every year. Here’s how I do it.
Posted in apple wine, herb wine, rhubarb wine, tasting, winemaking on Nov 13th, 2007
Maybe getting caught short, when I racked my mead the other day, was a blessing in disguise. Having half a gallon of mead in a 1-gallon jug, with all that head space threatening to oxidize it, motivated me to rack four other 1-gallon batches. Some of these had been sitting on lees longer than I [...]
Posted in gardening, rhubarb wine, tomato wine on Oct 8th, 2007
Harvest your rhubarb early in the fall I pulled in the last of the rhubarb on 10/5/07. The 11 oz (312 g) brought my total for the year to 62 oz (1737 g), which is about what I harvested last year. October is a bit late, and I had to discard many stalks. Next year, [...]
Posted in rhubarb wine on Jul 24th, 2007
The 20 oz (550 grams) that I pulled in today was my biggest haul ever, and puts my total for this year at 3 lb 3 oz (about 1425 grams). I’ve always had my last harvest in August, and if I can manage 2 oz more than last year’s 15 oz (about 425 grams), then [...]
Posted in gardening, rhubarb wine on Jul 6th, 2007
I’m still behind last year, but the rhubarb patch is looking much better now. The large leaves on large stalks show how far the rhubarb patch has come from early spring.
Posted in gardening, rhubarb wine on Jun 18th, 2007
A Small Harvest I pulled in just under 9 oz (250 g) of rhubarb today, which is about the same as this time last year (9 oz on 6/2206). My running total of just under 19 oz (525 g) is significantly behind last year’s 30 oz (850 g). Since I was hoping/expecting a bigger harvest [...]