Currants & Raisins

[Tnuscan]

I use Zante Currants and Raisins for body in the primary. This week I racked the wine and was about to discard the currants, and the sediment as usual. However I noticed the currants and separated them from the oak chips. Upon close inspection, I realized they were very discolored and Swollen. I placed several in my mouth and chewed, (expecting to have to spit them out for becoming nasty), but was surprised that they tasted good. The inside had not been touched by the yeast, only the outside had. Now I'm thinking, I'm going to slice them before putting them in. Since grapes are crushed, why do we not crush or break open the raisin or currant? Or was this just a strange occurrence ? I racked at 1.004 into carboy.

Please give me your thoughts and opinions or experience. Thanks.

 

[BernardSmith]

Hi Dave, Good question... but why wouldn't you allow the yeast to get at the heart of those dried currants and raisins by whirring them for a few seconds in a food processor or chopping them up with a sharp knife? I rarely add raisins to my fruit wines but when I do I break their skins first. I guess I assume that just like human skin the skins on fruit are a protective layer that prevents - or at least inhibits - access to the sugars by yeast and other bacteria... But insofar as the dried fruit was filled with must then the fruit allowed access to molecules of must and that swelling may cause enough damage to both the inners and the skins over time to allow access to the yeast. The real problem then may be not that you never chopped up the fruit but that if you don't chop the fruit you need to allow it to macerate for longer

 

[Boatboy24]

A lot of people will give the raisins/currants a rough chop before putting them in.

 

[Johnd]

I have a small stainless screw type press that I use to press my grape packs / raisins when I'm transferring from my fermenting bucket to glass to complete alcoholic fermentation. After hand squeezing them, they go into the press. I don't overdo the pressing, but it produces a lot of very nice juice that I had been losing by hand squeezing only, typically a couple of cups of juice.

 

[Tnuscan]

Hi Dave, Good question... but why wouldn't you allow the yeast to get at the heart of those dried currants and raisins by whirring them for a few seconds in a food processor or chopping them up with a sharp knife? I rarely add raisins to my fruit wines but when I do I break their skins first. I guess I assume that just like human skin the skins on fruit are a protective layer that prevents - or at least inhibits - access to the sugars by yeast and other bacteria... But insofar as the dried fruit was filled with must then the fruit allowed access to molecules of must and that swelling may cause enough damage to both the inners and the skins over time to allow access to the yeast. The real problem then may be not that you never chopped up the fruit but that if you don't chop the fruit you need to allow it to macerate for longer

I am amazed that I have been doing this for years, just tossing in a hand full, then tossing out at racking. I've read comments that others thought using them was a waste of time. I bet their doing the same thing. I opened the fresh pack of Zante Currants last week, (doing the Fontana kit that Joe tweeks withjoeswine), and noticed the beautiful aroma of chocolate, tobacco, hints of what I notice in in Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, etc. So I'll be doing a side by side, betting the difference will be huge. Thanks for the awesome reply.

 

[joeswine]

In the mix

benardsmith is correct ,maceration is what your looking for time in a bottle, the intent is letting these beauties melt in to the base and become part of the mix, not a contender to the base wine. Raisins should be bitter when fully devoid of its proprieties. Currents are different in the sense that they are smaller depending on who's your using, but should be relatively plump when finished. If you think currents have a wonderful aroma then you should try making a black current desert wine by cellar crafters MACERATION IS THE KEY. One needs to understand the difference in the outcome of the wine whether you want a partnership in flavor or a back ground in flavor. By using the fruit like you have it then becomes a partnership a blending of aromatics. To much of one or the other then there is a conflict of flavor and no one wins.

 

[Tnuscan]

joeswne, Thanks.
Macerate: to cause to become soft or separated, by being steeped or soaked in liquid (liquor or Equivalent).
Got it! Will be starting different macerations (in jars) today. Will check into your threads on this information. @joeswine. Having too much fun!!! Thanks again.
And many thanks to everyone for posting past and future!!!

 

[joeswine]

in the mix

What are you starting in the jar?

 

[Tnuscan]

Joeswine, I love all wines, I'd like to have an assortment of choices on hand. I'm making F-pacs blueberry, blackberry, raspberry etc. I grow a large garden and I'm thinking a jar with peppers , spices, all sorts of different things for flavors, using a good PGA, Ever Clear etc. I'm going to try lots of different things. The more the merrier, cull what don't taste good (per shot glass). I'll start with the items that you have on your threads and build from there. Thanks for all you do! I need all the help I can get!

 

[Tnuscan]

I have a small stainless screw type press that I use to press my grape packs / raisins when I'm transferring from my fermenting bucket to glass to complete alcoholic fermentation. After hand squeezing them, they go into the press. I don't overdo the pressing, but it produces a lot of very nice juice that I had been losing by hand squeezing only, typically a couple of cups of juice.

I will check into getting one of these to have on hand. Thanks!

 

[joeswine]

in the mix

Have you read m6 zesting thread or making a fpac? Good way to start an idea on what to try,also if you want to make a ki5s not always the most expensive gives you the best resulted, I no that statement will draw fire from the establishment, look for Blend's I find that they give you the best results and a little something more flavors. Rjs had very good Blend's, WE there limited edition wines, and by all means always think outside the box.

 

[Tnuscan]

What I was thinking of doing was taking different items/fruits, cherries, plums, blackberries, etc. Take as much of the juice from pressing, fill the jar half way with the juice, add some of the solids/fruit , then add Everclear to fill the jar and preserve. What I enjoy with wine is how the smells and flavors seem to change yet blend together in harmony . What I'm wanting to do is get as much of the flavor as I can, blend the flavors without bumping up the abv too high. Tweaking the lower end kit into a wine that can hang with the best, or close to it. Like blending wines but with less volume, cost and time.

Am I looking at this wrong?

 

[joeswine]

Well you won't have much success with that application of extraction. Mostly citrus,that process might work to a degree. Fruit solids once the main oils are extracted there done. You need to read the thread making a fpac that's the direction you're talking about trying. Or at the other end is natural flavorings, check 0ut olive nation.

 

[Tnuscan]

Well you won't have much success with that application of extraction. Mostly citrus,that process might work to a degree. Fruit solids once the main oils are extracted there done. You need to read the thread making a fpac that's the direction you're talking about trying. Or at the other end is natural flavorings, check 0ut olive nation.

I was afraid of that. The "Mad Scientist" in me was about to go nuts on that one. I will experiment with zesting and continue using the fpacs that I've learned to make from your threads. I'm in the process of the Malbec and Merlot at the moment. The tweeking has brought a lot of excitement back into my wine making. Thinking outside the box=

 

[gratus_fermentatio]

You folks do realize that Zante "Currants" are NOT really currants at all, but are in fact simply raisins made from Corinth grapes?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zante_currant

True currants IE: black currants are actually Ribes (nigrum for black, rubrun for red).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackcurrant

They are completely different fruits with completely different flavors, acid levels, etc...
Just thought I'd point that out. Carry on.
Regards, GF.

 

[pirullee74]

I use Zante Currants and Raisins for body in the primary. This week I racked the wine and was about to discard the currants, and the sediment as usual. However I noticed the currants and separated them from the oak chips. Upon close inspection, I realized they were very discolored and Swollen. I placed several in my mouth and chewed, (expecting to have to spit them out for becoming nasty), but was surprised that they tasted good. The inside had not been touched by the yeast, only the outside had. Now I'm thinking, I'm going to slice them before putting them in. Since grapes are crushed, why do we not crush or break open the raisin or currant? Or was this just a strange occurrence ? I racked at 1.004 into carboy.

Please give me your thoughts and opinions or experience. Thanks.

Hi, I'm a bit new to the wine hobby, have brewed beer & other things before so I'm familiar with the fermenting process. I noticed that as well, in my case, I noticed after soaking rinsing the raisins with warm water to remove the vegetable oil coating they come with & soaking them overnight in a water solution with a small amount of campden tablet to kill any nasties (I'm not risking any chances lol). The next day they were all hydrated. So I rough chopped them before adding them to my wine (Cabernet Sav). I will be racking the wine tomorrow from the primary. I took a sample & it taste amazing already. Note: I used a muslin bag to put in the raisins & french oak wood chips, makes it a LOT more easier to rack the wine. While there may be less contact with the entire wine, I prefer not to fight with a clogged syphon lol

 

[pirullee74]

You folks do realize that Zante "Currants" are NOT really currants at all, but are in fact simply raisins made from Corinth grapes?
Zante currant - Wikipedia

True currants IE: black currants are actually Ribes (nigrum for black, rubrun for red).
Blackcurrant - Wikipedia

They are completely different fruits with completely different flavors, acid levels, etc...
Just thought I'd point that out. Carry on.
Regards, GF.

Agreed, I had a bit of a hard time finding black currant raisins when I started my last batch of cab sav, so I wound up using Zante currant raisins. I just racked it today & it actually came out pretty awesome, I was a bit worried but it actually came out better than I thought. I used 2 cups for a 6-gal batch, rinsed them in hot water & then made a light water/campden solution to soak them overnight to kill off any nasties. I then chopped them up good the next day & tossed them into a muslin bag along with 4oz of medium toasted French oak chips. I tasted one of the raisins after fermentation & yes, they had no sweetness left to them, and Zante raisins are quite sweet lol. I cant wait to try the finished product, this will be my 1st full bodied cabernet sav that i have made & it's great so far!
Here's a link for those looking for a good quality black currant raisin that is NOT covered in oil to preserve:

https://www.amazon.com/powbab-Dried...42771&sprefix=black+currant+ra,aps,177&sr=8-4
Wish i had found this before lol, next batch, plus my local brew shop now has black currant concentrate!

Happy Brewing!