Chocolate Raisin Wine?

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yaeyama

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Hi,

After making 2 large batches of Wine which turned out "okay", and 1 large batch of Mead back in 2007 thru 2009, I got rid of my glass carboys (too dangerous with 2 young kids around).

I'd like to get back into it, as all of my bottles are long gone. This time around, I'm going to buy a couple of 3 Gallon "PET" Plastic carboys to keep the risk factor lower.

I am thinking of making a Chocolate Raisin Wine. There are lots of recipes around for Raisin Wine, but don't seem to mention any with Chocolate in it. I think the combination would be glorious. :)

Have some questions before I get started.

- Is it better to use natural, unsweetened Chocolate "Nibs"? Or would I be better off with unsweetened cocoa powder?
- What type of yeast is the best for this type of recipe?
- I have a lot of leftover nutrients, campden tables, etc. from that era, which *look* okay, visibly, but would 9-year old ingredients cause me any issues? (I would most certainly buy new yeast.)

Can't wait to get started!

Thanks all.
 
From a beer perspective, I use cocoa in the boil and nibs in the carboy with the beer to age. The chocolate won't contribute to fermentation just to flavoring. Also be aware the oil content of the chocolate may cause some issues with the finished wine.

If it were me I would do a base raisin wine then add chocolate flavoring before bottling or even fortify it with a chocolate liquor to try to replicate a chocolate covered raisin.
 
Could always spring from some chocolate extracts and maybe some chocolate essence. Just a thought.
 
go to Jack Keller's web site, winemaking.jackkeller.net. go to requested recipes. you will find a strawberry chocolate wine recipe. I would suggest following instructions for this wine , raisin substituting for the strawberry. jack Keller used a Dutch chocolate alkaline processed coca powder. I found this powder at Penzy's spice store. maybe available at others. I have made a number of chocolate wines with his recipe , he has one for orange as well, with great results.
 
Thanks all! Very helpful advice. I am leaning towards dark raisins with chocolate but am wondering which yeast to go for. Would Cote de Blanc not be suitable? I guess dark raisins would be equivalent to a red or sherry style wine?
 
Btw it may be worth asking, is 5kg of raisins for 5 to 6 gallons acceptable? What would be a good SG as I want to have about 12% to 14% ABV and slightly sweet product?
 
the dark raisin will add some color but there primary purpose is to add tannin and give the wine body. the wine will be the color of chocolate. they will also contribute to the sugar level. I would suggest only 500grams per gallon. I would also use EC1118 and all purpose yeast, it can yield up to 16-18 abv. if you want a sweet wine ferment dry and then do bench trials with sugar syrup to level of sweetness desired.
 

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