Raisins? :-(

[SpoiledRotten]

What if you really don't like to eat raisins but the recipe calls for them? What do they add to the wine and are they really beneficial? I'd probably cry if I made a batch of wine and it finished up tasting like raisins. I've been looking over recipe s for banana and other fruit wines where quite a few call for the dreaded raisin.

 

[Arne]

everybody says raisens will give your wine more body. Now this is just my opinion, but in the few wines I have put them in, I swear I can taste them. They are ok, but I am not a big fan of them. For what it is worth, if a recipe has raisens in it, I usually change it and leave em out, and I havn't had many wine failures. Course I am not a conisour, but most of my wines ahve been fine. If you like the juice or fruit you are making it out of, you will probably like your wine. Arne.

 

[Dirtydog420]

Instead of raisins, grape concentrate will work.. Also for body, boil some bananas in water and add water to the must.. Youd have to look up exact amounts on these cause I am not at home but there are alternatives to raisins..

 

[SpoiledRotten]

Glad to know that and thanks for the responses so far.

 

[JasonH]

I frequently use bananas instead of raisins. A pound/gallon will add a lot of body without changing the flavor. Make sure you leave off the peels.

 

[BigBend]

I leave the peels ON the banannas., cut off both ends and through ends away Boil in water mush them up with a mashed potato masher and then strain thru a wire mesh cooking strainer. Than use the juice slurry.

 

[JasonH]

I leave the peels ON the banannas., cut off both ends and through ends away Boil in water mush them up with a mashed potato masher and then strain thru a wire mesh cooking strainer. Than use the juice slurry.

I was making the assumption that he just wanted to add body and not the banana flavor.

 

[Deezil]

I've used raisins a couple times now (only made 5 batches of wine thusfar) and i have yet to taste it. Now there was about a month's worth of time where my peach wine smelled and tasted of raisins, but it was no where near done aging & now i cant smell or taste the raisins, just peach. The other batches, the raisin never even came through at all. The body they added is very noticable though - i made some peach without raisins, some with & blended (was my 1st batch).

I guess all im trying to say is if you use raisins right, you'd never know they were there.

 

[ibglowin]

I have used them in quite a few Italian varietal kits (supplied) and I think they do give off a raisin "finish". Pretty sure I used them right.

That's why I would only recommend them to be used in Italian wines (Amarone, Valpolcella, etc). They work and blend well in those and that's about it.

I guess all im trying to say is if you use raisins right, you'd never know they were there.

 

[Deezil]

I was using golden raisins bought in bulk at a local store.. Might be the difference, wasnt a heavier wine grape turned raisin.. I havent done much in the way of kits myself, but i would guess the type of grape would have something to do with difference