RASPBERRY WINE

[Guest]

Well. After all that talk I've been reading about Raspberry Port, Raspberry Niagra, Raspberry this and Raspberry that, I finally started my first batch ever of Raspberry Wine.
Using the directions from the Vintners Harvest Raspberry can, and this time following them carefully, adding only what I figured was right for a 6 gallon batch rather than a 5 gallon batch (5 cans of water rather than 6 as I used two cans of berry concentrate rather than one) as the recipe calls for, I managed to create what my notes say below.


As I type, she's sittin comfortably stable in the closet at 76 degrees, with the bucket set loosely on top, venting SO2.


Tomarrow, I'll add the yeast.
Looking forward to this first, unadultrated, untainted, ungraped

, version. After wards, perhaps I'll try the RaspberryNiagra or Raspberry Merlo with a white grape?


Hope all of you are staying warm and dry.


-----NOTES----<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
22 January 2008 at 07:30pm:
I started the must tonight. Added all the ingredients as the instructions called for exactly and poured the two cans of fruit into the straining sock. Added the balance of the itemsand stired. It was 2” from the top of the 6gallonbucket.

<UL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" =disc>
<LI =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">5.5 cans of warmwater,</LI>
<LI =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">6 tsp. acid blend,</LI>
<LI =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">13 lbs white, granulated, table sugar,</LI>
<LI =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">6 tsp. yeast nutrient,</LI>
<LI =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">3 tsp. pectic enzyme,</LI>
<LI =Msonormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in">6 Campden tablets crushed 6 Campden tablets crushed </LI>[/list]
10.6 a.b.v
s.g. reads 1.078 - Brix 19.5
Finished Alco. 11.21% The must has a pleasantly sweet, very discernable Raspberry taste. Delicious!

 

[jobe05]

Handyman, Congratulations on your first real raspberry wine.

That was my first also 3 years ago. It still downstairs aging because it sucks so bad........... it's still there because I just don't need the bottles yet.

I screwed up something in making it and didn't pay attention to the pectic haze that was pretty evenly distributed throughout the nice rose' colored wine. Since then, I have planted my own raspberry bushes and will start my batch soon.

I also planted some of the golden, or yellow raspberries thinking they would turn out to be a white wine with a nice raspberry Flavor........... we'll see, we have a couple of more years on them.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Good going...We have never made a straight Raspberry Wine...always add something to it....Red Grape Concentrate, Apple juice, Merlot Grape juice and this last time Niagara juice....etc. We love them all.


I have wondered about the black and yellow raspberries....will be interesting to follow up on that.

 

[jobe05]

I planted 1 plant, about 1 gallon in size this past summer, and in late fall I had yellow raspberries........... and they kept coming, and coming and coming............ Over a 6 week period, I probably picked enough for a gallon batch to try. If I had known I was going to get that many I would have froze a few at a time till they were done. I did that with my red raspberries and got 12 pounds of them.

 

[Waldo]

Should be a good batch handyman.

 

[joeswine]

HANDYMAN 454///looks good but how about a rassberry shazar or a blackberry pino noir,rassberry porto sounds just lousious ,right now I have 12 gallons of blackberry going and 12 of rassberry as well,my intentions are to make the stated about styles plus straight sharaza and pino noir,all from california,which you'll have soon when I make the blends I 'll forward them also,

but that won't be for a few weeks yet

remember the most important element in wine making is the tasteing//OK

PS the sisters are a hand full of fun

Edited by: joeswine

 

[Guest]

Joe:
Could you put the recipe for the Raspberry Sharaza on another "NEW TOPIC" and then send me the web address for it? Having no idea what it is, the name sounds really cool and I'd like to look at it.


Jobe:
If your Raspberry is not tainted (gone bad), whynot try blendingit with another wine? I did that with my White Zin that had gone flat due to thelength of wait to start iton my closet shelf.
My sweety likes liquers so I mixed it with a splash of Creme De Cossis and it turned out fine enough to drink again.


Northern:
Thanks as well. I'm really excited about this batch too. All the Raspberry winesthat I've ever tasted were morbidly sweet. I personallyhate sweet wines. I prefer them semi dry andslightly sweet.
I'm still considering mixing a small batch of this brew with a Peach Shine for a Raspberry Peach Port.


Waldo:
Thanks.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Our wine are all dry...we like them that way.......No sweet wines here.

 

[joeswine]

NW my fruit wines are made fruit forward very intense flavor and semi/dry I like to taste some sweetness with the fruit ,its the italian in me

 

[NorthernWinos]

The Super Kleer K-C sure did a nice job on this wine...

Love the flavor of this combination.

 

[Guest]

Well. This Pure, Fruit Forward Raspberryhas been one of the most vigorous fermentations I've experienced yet.
I expected it to be done today but as you can see from the CO2 bubbles on the top of the must and perhaps you can see the bubbles rising from the bottom of the carboy, it keepsgoing and going and going.


It smells wonderful and as of this morning, was still sweet at 1.028 and as you can see, has a wonderous ruby red color to her.
I'd read some place, that Raspberries have a tendency to go light and thin in the making but this one came out rich and full.
I'm pleased!


Temps are still running 76 and the fermentation's slowed considerably since yesterday but It's still at 1.010 +/- now and all I can do is wait it out.


I removed the fruit sock and racked the must from the primary bucket to the carboy you see here this morning.

I got nearly 6 full gallons from the bucket andtopped it off without thinking, with purified water to withing 1" of the bung.


I returnrd to the carboy 15 minutes later to discover the bubbles had slowlyrisen up to the bung, thenup the bung, filled the air lock and were starting to boil out the top of it, over the edge and down the bottle.
Clever trick.
Thinking quickly, I raised the carboy and inserted the primary bucket lid beneath to catch what I figured would be a short term of boil over.


Worked great. Must settled down and I think I might have lost all of 2 cups.


After she settles down completly, I'll rack her again and add the flavor enhancement pac and campden. Then back sweeten her to about a 1.5 Brix and let her sit a couple months.

Right now she's sittin on about 1" of loosly compacted lees but I expect thatto compact down to 1/2" by Feb 9th when I'll rack her again.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Looks good to me.....as I sit sipping some Raspberry/Red GrapeWine....

 

[joeswine]

WELL handyman454 it looks fruit forward to me also

keep on cooken

 

[Wade E]

Thats lookin really good there handyman.

 

[Guest]

03 February 2008 at 3:27pm: Day 13<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
Still some CO2 work going on. Stirred with ss paddle on low drill speed for several minutes. Went a bit too deep and stired up some of the settleing lees(that produced nearly overflow bubbles).Setting the paddle at mid way down produced some bubbles but not significantly more than the must is currently producing on it’s own.
Must has the appearance of pink grape fruit juice nowand is dry and slightly tart. Mild raspberry aroma though.
s.g. reads 0.992
Brix 0.0

 

[Guest]

<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
05 February 2008 at 9:27pm: Day 15
Fermentation stopped today. No more CO2 bubbles at all. Expect to rack in a couple days and back sweeten, then stabilize and store in the carboy for a couple months to clearbefore bottling.

The neck is still full of the residue CO2 gas so I'm not terribly worried about topping right now. Being though, that the bubbles have subsided completely now I'll have to top off next time I open the air lock.

And there's a 1/2" layer of nicely compacted sediment on the bottom waiting to be siphond from the wine. I think perhaps this time I'll back sweeten to 1.010 (2.5 Brix)

 

[Wade E]

I hope you plan on stabilizing then back sweetening instead of the order you described.

 

[Guest]

[chuckles]
Uhh. Yup.
I'm sittin here writing and sippin on one of my first batch of Blackberry and I think it's my third water glass now because I can't see my fingers anymore.


Hmmm.

 

[Waldo]

Looking mighty fine handyman

 

[Guest]

08 February 2008 at 10:44pm: Day 18<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
Racked and topped off tonight.
It's amazing how much sediment materializes in just a week or two.
Now we get to stabilize then add the additional raspberries I've had frozen for this very occasion and back sweeten to about 1.015 I think.