Rhubarb Medium-dry Rose Wine

Wash and trim approximately 2 kg of fresh rhubarb stalks, discarding all leaves as they are toxic. Chop the stalks into small 2–3 cm pieces and place them into a large sanitized fermentation vessel.

Bring 4 litres of water to a boil, dissolve 1.2 kg of granulated sugar into it, and pour the hot syrup over the rhubarb pieces. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, which helps extract juice and flavor from the fruit.

Once cooled to below 25°C, add the juice of two lemons, one crushed Campden tablet to neutralize wild yeasts, and stir thoroughly. Cover the vessel loosely with a clean cloth and allow it to sit for 24 hours.

Add a sachet of wine yeast along with a teaspoon of yeast nutrient, stir vigorously to aerate the must, and seal the vessel with an airlock filled with sanitizing solution.

Allow primary fermentation to proceed at a stable room temperature of 18–22°C, stirring daily for the first five days. Bubbling activity through the airlock indicates active fermentation.

Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or muslin cloth into a sanitized glass demijohn, discarding the spent rhubarb pulp. Fit the demijohn with a clean airlock and allow secondary fermentation to continue for four to six weeks.

Once fermentation has ceased and the wine has begun to clear, rack the wine into a clean vessel using a siphon, leaving sediment behind. If desired, add a small amount of sugar syrup at this stage to achieve the characteristic medium-dry profile.

Bottle the finished wine in sterilized bottles, cork or cap them securely, and store in a cool dark place for a minimum of three months to allow flavors to mature before serving chilled.