Rhubarb has almost no sugar of its own, so nearly all the alcohol comes from what you add. Enter your stalks below to see how much that is.
Hydrometer targets
Use the stalks only. Rhubarb leaves are high in oxalic acid and are poisonous, so cut them off and throw them away.
White sugar to add for a dry wine, using a typical amount of fruit and average ripeness. Ripeness changes these figures, so use a hydrometer for an exact amount.
| Strength | 4.5 Lwith 1.80 kg fruit | 10 Lwith 4.00 kg fruit | 1 US galwith 3.3 lb fruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% ABV | 819 g | 1.82 kg | 1.52 lb |
| 12% ABV | 998 g | 2.22 kg | 1.85 lb |
| 14% ABV | 1.18 kg | 2.61 kg | 2.18 lb |
Above about 13%, add the sugar in stages. The calculator shows you how.
Wash and chop the stalks. A traditional method is to cover them with the sugar and leave them for a day, so the juice draws out without cooking. Freezing and thawing the chopped stalks also helps release juice.
Recipes commonly use about 1.4 to 2.3 kg per 4.5 L (3 to 5 lb per gallon). More rhubarb gives more flavour but also more sourness, so stay in this range for a first batch.
The sourness is mostly malic acid, with some oxalic acid that can taste harsh. Old recipes stir in precipitated chalk (calcium carbonate) to reduce it. Modern advice is to add small amounts, about half a teaspoon per gallon, then test and repeat as needed. Use a pH meter if you can, aiming for about pH 3.2 to 3.5, since acid test kits may not pick up oxalic acid.
Most fruit has far less sugar than wine grapes, so country wines need added sugar. How much depends on the fruit and how ripe it is. That is why the result shows a range. A hydrometer reading of your must removes the guesswork.
Target gravity = 0.996 + ABV ÷ 131.25. One gram of sugar per litre adds about 0.384 gravity points. Fruit sugar uses typical values per fruit. Acidity is a rough estimate from typical fruit acid, so measure it with a kit if you can.