by Francis Jock

Created on: July 30, 2010   Last Updated: May 02, 2012

My first encounter with rhubarb wine occurred several years ago during an autumn deer hunting excursion. This concoction was sprung upon me by my elder brother, who has since passed, but enjoyed playing pranks on his clueless siblings and hapless hunting pals almost as much as he loved the Great North Woods.

I'm positive that the recipe he followed for making his infamous rhubarb wine was from an old natural medicine book called the Herbalist, which once belonged to another older member of the family. In that old book, now tattered and barely holding together, is a recipe for "Old Forestry May Wine", which I have interpreted as the recipe for my brother's knock-your-socks off old-timer's rhubarb wine. I hope you enjoy it.

Harvest enough stalks of rhubarb, nicely cut into small pieces, to fill a one-gallon jug or crock.

Add one pound of white sugar and one pound of brown sugar. Fill the crock with water until the mixture is well-covered.

Since this is a Spring wine, add a few dandelion flowers.

Cover the crock with a board and leave the concoction to ferment for no more that four days. After four days have passed, drain the crock and squeeze all the juices out of the rhubarb.

Return the liquid to the crock and discard the rhubarb. Now, tie up the mouth of the crock with a rag and cover the opening with a flat stone. It's important to let the concoction breathe during the fermentation process, which is going to take three weeks.

Check the contents occasionally during the following three weeks. Add dissolved sugar-syrup as necessary to keep the crock filled to the brim. You make sugar-syrup by boiling one pound of sugar with one pint of water until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let it cool before you add it in, or you'll spoil the entire process.

After the third week, strain the liquid through a cloth into a clean jug or crock. Place the jug in the cool cellar and let it rest for eight months. The jug must be covered so no air can get in.

As you can see, it takes a bit of time for rhubarb wine to finish. In fact, February's mid-winter freezes are a good time to sample your brew. Just let the Missus know in advance so she can fix-up a warm bed for you and your unsuspecting guests in the garage. I hope you enjoy this recipe, which always reminds me of the great times shared between avid white-tail hunters in the magnificent Adirondacks.

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