Help Experiment with Raspberry

[KatyDinkle]

Ok, I've got three gallons of raspberry (from puree) aging for only a few months. It has not been backsweetened and tastes decent although way too dry for my taste. After reading several inspirational posts here, I want to play around with the batch.

I have two available 1 gallon carboys and 1 one-gallon "pickle" jar (I can use that, right?).

I'll break down the 3 gallons into 1 gallons and then do something different with each of the three. Here is where I need recommendations.

I tend to like white wines more than red, sweeter rather than drier.

Some options that I have on hand (but am open to anyng!):

Pure almond extract
Chocolate mint growing in yard - add leaves?
White grape juice concentrate (could take 1 gallon of raspberry and create a 3-gallon with white grape?)
French oak cubes

Thanks for your advice. Looking forward to it.

 

[robie]

I assume the pickle jar is glass. If so and if you can completely, 100% get the pickle smell and taste out of the jar, you can use it. I don't know if you can get it all out or not, but you can try.

I'll let others answer the other questions, but I do like to experiment by breaking batches down into smaller ones. That's the way you learn and grow as a wine maker.

Good luck and let us know how it all turns out.

 

[KatyDinkle]

Thanks, Robie. Point well taken regarding the pickle jar.

 

[joeswine]

Pickle jar?

I HAVE A BIG PICKLING JAR THAT HOLDS 3GALLONS IN THAT WHAT YOU HAVE?

THINK OUT SIDE THE BASIC BOX,HOW ABOUT A RASPBERRY PINO NIOR, OR A RASPBERRY RIESLING ,OR A RASPBERRY PLUM...........ALL VERY GOOD COMBOS, AND BY THE WAY I've DONE THEM ALL...

 

[JohnT]

What you want (it seems) is more sugar.

If the wine is too dry, and you like it sweeter, then sugar is your best bet.

All of the other items (other than the grapes juice which contains sugar) only change the existing flavor (or add to it).

I would add sorbate first to prevent fermentation from kicking back off. Then add sugar to bring the % to about 5 to 9 %.

this should help greatly!

 

[cindy]

I think all those sound great! your taste in wine is very similar to mine I tend to also like semi sweet wines with lots of fruit flavors. my 1st wine is strawberry and I wanted the berry flavor to really come through so I added pure strawberry extract and it was just what it needed but then I also needed to back sweeten but really didn't want to just dump more sugar in so I started searching through the pantry to see what I could find then I came across a whole bottle of strawberry margarita mix never been opened, yep! I used about half the gallon in my strawberry wine last weekend I stole a sip and gave it to my husband and he went nuts! he said it tastes just like strawberry shortcake with a kick! lol its 16.5 ABV I think half the fun of making wine is being creative and adding things that make it uniquely yours..I also used a pickle jar that was washed well with vinegar and rinsed very very well but I didn't use the lid because thats were most of the pickle smell was with no ill effects..

 

[KatyDinkle]

I thought I posted a reply but don't see it...oh, well...let's try again.

Love the feedback. Thanks everyone!

Joeswine - your "When Good Wine Goes Bad" post is what inspired this experiement! Glad to see you chime in.

Cindy - you really did get creative. Wow! BTW, my pickle jar is only 1 gallon.

I also have vanilla beans here. Now leaning toward:

Gallon #1: Backsweeten only (will add sorbate several days prior)
Gallon #2: Almond extract
Gallon #3: Vanilla bean

Should I add any chemicals with the extract or vanilla bean(s)?

Still open to suggestions!

 

[Sammyk]

Strawberry Margarita does sound good for back flavoring my raspberry wine too. Will have to remember that!

 

[joeswine]

vanilla bean

Madagascar vanilla beans are the best to use if you want to give them a try on full pod goes a very long way ,. I use my extract of the now will be to make a cello with. I've also put it with my plum wine .. If you have a strawberry wine around imagine combination extremely tasty.

Fun to explore Y

 

[Sammyk]

Madagascar vanilla beans is what I have coming in. I plan to try it on the strawberry, the cherry and the red raspberry.

How many per gallon and for how long?

I make my own vanilla extract from them and a bottle of rum.

 

[saramc]

Raspberry Recommendations

Here is where I need recommendations.

I tend to like white wines more than red, sweeter rather than drier.

Some options that I have on hand (but am open to anyng!):
Pure almond extract
Chocolate mint growing in yard - add leaves?
White grape juice concentrate (could take 1 gallon of raspberry and create a 3-gallon with white grape?)
French oak cubes

Thanks for your advice. Looking forward to it.

I have never enjoyed dry raspberry wine. Let's assume raspberry wine is clear, no longer dropping sediment and you will stabilize with k-meta PLUS sorbate if you plan to add any component of a fermentable sugar.
I do NOT like adding mint to raspberry because some raspberry when fermented tends to pull a peppermint like phenolic..and I just don't like that when I find it in a raspberry wine, but that is just me.

1. Consider just keeping one gallon, but backsweetening it. Just that simple act alone will bring so much of the berry forward. If you can find some blackraspberries, make an f-pack from those...it will add a little something-something. You can drink as is, or use it for blending (Reisling raspberry is fabulous (Razzling!!), cherry-rasberry is really delightful.)
2. A semi-sweet/sweet raspberry wine, with a 4-inch Madagascar vanilla bean that has been split in half---allow to bulk age for at least 30 days OR if you make your own vanilla extract add 2 DROPS per 750ml bottle.
3. Add one cup of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup (the sweet stuff in the brown bottle or round aluminum can) to 1 gallon of raspberry wine that is clear (and has been stabilized with k-meta plus sorbate.) The chocolate will drop to the bottom in about a month, rack the wine at that time. Taste and backsweeten with simple syrup at this time. You have already stabilized when you added the chocolate---but replace airlock and monitor with hydrometer for refermentation. When wine is clear to your satisfaction, rack, filter (if you desire) and bottle.
4. Add a 4 inch piece of peeled and chopped fresh ginger for 30 days, then rack and backsweeten.

I have found that I like my raspberry backsweetened to 1.010-1.015. A favorite raspberry melomel is usually bottled at 1.015

You can also serve a glass of semi-sweet/sweet red raspberry wine with a shot of premium vodka, Chambord, or Godiva Chocolate Liqueur.

 

[gordini]

I would say, don't waste your precious raspberry, it's a stunning blending wine. Perhaps break it down even further, into pints. Raspberry has a very low pH, so you don't need much preservative, especially if it is dry.

We make a hard cider that really does well with 10% raspberry.
Have a crack at a very light rhubarb wine and blend some raspberry into that. Same with a mead.
If you are going to go sweet, GO SWEET and fortify as well with neutral spirit.

 

[joeswine]

Vanilla

I WOULD RECOMMEND STARTING WITH ONE ONLY THEY ARE STRONG ON FLAVOR, YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD ANOTHER., BUT ONCE YOU HAVE STARTED AND YOU THINK ITS TO MUCH ITS TO LATE ,I've BEEN THERE,LESSONS LEARNT,DON'T USE RUM AS A EXTRACT EVERCLEER IS THE BEST IT WILL BLEND IN AFTERWARD BETTER..................good thinking outside the box

 

[Sammyk]

Joe, I use my vanilla extract for baking and cooking...

 

[KatyDinkle]

I would say, don't waste your precious raspberry, it's a stunning blending wine. Perhaps break it down even further, into pints. Raspberry has a very low pH, so you don't need much preservative, especially if it is dry.

We make a hard cider that really does well with 10% raspberry.
Have a crack at a very light rhubarb wine and blend some raspberry into that. Same with a mead.
If you are going to go sweet, GO SWEET and fortify as well with neutral spirit.

I like that idea...I'll keep one gallon (the one I backsweeten slightly) to use for future blending.

I didn't do anything yet! Today will be the day.

I also make my own vanilla extract (w/ vodka, not rum). Great to give as gifts. Maybe I'll use that in place of the bean?

The mint leaves idea is now off the table! (Although I did just pick chocolate mint and started an extract with vodka...could be interesting down the road.)

 

[KatyDinkle]

The extracts.

 

[KatyDinkle]

Update...

I added 1/2 tsp sorbate to each of the 1-gallon jugs. The SG is .990 which is just too dry for me no matter how I enhance it.

So, when can I add vanilla to one jug? Should I wait until I backsweeten or can it be added now?

Same with almond extract...?

Do you think French oak cubes would be good in one of the jugs? If so, which would you add them to?

Oh, and with sorbate added, how long should I wait to sweeten?

Thanks again for all of your help!

 

[KatyDinkle]

Next update...

All were stabilized with sorb ate and K-meta. Added:

Gallon #1 - 5 French oak cubes

Gallon #2 - 1/2 tsp of almond emulsion (used in baking, more flavorful than extract)

Gallon #3 - 1/2 vanilla bean (split but not scraped)

Fingers crossed!

 

[joeswine]

Experiment away.

Another way to use the vanilla bean, then you probably do this already is to take a beanstalk or stick or pod, and place it in a bowl sugar soup that was wonderful vanilla sugar ,. I usually always back-sweeten is going along making the extract blend .good experiment makes for better winemaker with the very least it keeps very interesting .

 

[dangerdave]

Next update...

All were stabilized with sorb ate and K-meta. Added:

Gallon #1 - 5 French oak cubes

Gallon #2 - 1/2 tsp of almond emulsion (used in baking, more flavorful than extract)

Gallon #3 - 1/2 vanilla bean (split but not scraped)

Fingers crossed!

I'm confused. How is any of this going to effect the dryness of the wine? Did you use anything sweet? Sugar maybe? That's what will really bring out the raspberry flavor.