OK, I am also new to this, I have made a few kits and a whole lot of beer.
I would like to make some raspberry wine. I would like to make a wine that
is smooth and flavorfull around 12% alcohol. I prefer a wine that is
flavorfull when it hits your mouth and mellows and finishes smooth.

This is what think I should do. How would you do it different and how will
it change the wine.

1 - mash fruit and add water to TA .65 - Should I check TA or PH, or does
it matter.
2 - Add sugar to get a SG of about 1.8.
3 - Add campden tabs and let sit for a day.
4 - Add yeast
5 - ferment - rack - bottle - etc

Hi,
There are a bunch of different approaches to Raspberry wine and most
have their advantages. I personally dont shoot for the "correct" TA
benchmark for Raspberries. Some purists have argued against adding any water
whatsoever, others have argued for and against pouring hot or boiling water
over the berries is to set the color. So to get to a point in case you didnt
think I had one.... One of the more important steps to me is the initial
handling of the berries. I put the berries into a fine meshed nylon bag that
is fine enough to keep in the seeds on the berries unless you are squeezing
them out. I mash up the berries which I have poured hot water over. (mostly
because mine are frozen most of the time) Make whatever adjustments you
think are necessary, add sulphite and pitch the yeast the next day. Stir and
gently "massage" the straining bag daily until you remove it in about a
week. When you remove the bag let it just hang over the must for a couple of
hours and dont squeeze it out and force seeds into your must. My basic
recipe calls for 3 1/2-4 lbs of Raspberries per gallon and it is quite
flavorful and there is no problem getting good long lasting color. I
generally finish my Raspberry semi-sweet which helps to balance the high
acid. Ending TA last batch if I recall was around .9 TA.
Just use the very best fruit you can get, and if you have never had a
true Raspberry wine- dont expect it to taste like a fresh picked Raspberry.
It is nice wine that gets better with age HTH
John Dixon


"BooBoo" > wrote in message
news:euKKb.102169$pY.51976@fed1read04...
> OK, I am also new to this, I have made a few kits and a whole lot of beer.
> I would like to make some raspberry wine. I would like to make a wine
that
> is smooth and flavorfull around 12% alcohol. I prefer a wine that is
> flavorfull when it hits your mouth and mellows and finishes smooth.
>
> This is what think I should do. How would you do it different and how
will
> it change the wine.
>
> 1 - mash fruit and add water to TA .65 - Should I check TA or PH, or
does
> it matter.
> 2 - Add sugar to get a SG of about 1.8.
> 3 - Add campden tabs and let sit for a day.
> 4 - Add yeast
> 5 - ferment - rack - bottle - etc
>
>
>

One more thing, I have been looking at country wine receipes and see that
they say to add things like Energizer, peptic enzyme, nutrient, tannin,
sugar and acid blend. They call for exact amounts of each. Don't most of
these depend on the fruit you are using. A rasberry from the grocery store
would be very different from a fresh picked one. I would think this would
mean you should use different amount of these ingredients for the different
fruits.

Is there a site that explains each of these ingreedients and tells when to
add them and how to test to see how much of them to add. All of the wine
making site I have found assume you understand this stuff.




"J Dixon" > wrote in message
t...
> Hi,
> There are a bunch of different approaches to Raspberry wine and most
> have their advantages. I personally dont shoot for the "correct" TA
> benchmark for Raspberries. Some purists have argued against adding any
water
> whatsoever, others have argued for and against pouring hot or boiling
water
> over the berries is to set the color. So to get to a point in case you
didnt
> think I had one.... One of the more important steps to me is the initial
> handling of the berries. I put the berries into a fine meshed nylon bag
that
> is fine enough to keep in the seeds on the berries unless you are
squeezing
> them out. I mash up the berries which I have poured hot water over.
(mostly
> because mine are frozen most of the time) Make whatever adjustments you
> think are necessary, add sulphite and pitch the yeast the next day. Stir
and
> gently "massage" the straining bag daily until you remove it in about a
> week. When you remove the bag let it just hang over the must for a couple
of
> hours and dont squeeze it out and force seeds into your must. My basic
> recipe calls for 3 1/2-4 lbs of Raspberries per gallon and it is quite
> flavorful and there is no problem getting good long lasting color. I
> generally finish my Raspberry semi-sweet which helps to balance the high
> acid. Ending TA last batch if I recall was around .9 TA.
> Just use the very best fruit you can get, and if you have never had a
> true Raspberry wine- dont expect it to taste like a fresh picked
Raspberry.
> It is nice wine that gets better with age HTH
> John Dixon
>
>
> "BooBoo" > wrote in message
> news:euKKb.102169$pY.51976@fed1read04...
> > OK, I am also new to this, I have made a few kits and a whole lot of
beer.
> > I would like to make some raspberry wine. I would like to make a wine
> that
> > is smooth and flavorfull around 12% alcohol. I prefer a wine that is
> > flavorfull when it hits your mouth and mellows and finishes smooth.
> >
> > This is what think I should do. How would you do it different and how
> will
> > it change the wine.
> >
> > 1 - mash fruit and add water to TA .65 - Should I check TA or PH, or
> does
> > it matter.
> > 2 - Add sugar to get a SG of about 1.8.
> > 3 - Add campden tabs and let sit for a day.
> > 4 - Add yeast
> > 5 - ferment - rack - bottle - etc
> >
> >
> >
>
>

You are getting into a very large area. It is one thing to blindly follow a
recipe and yes the quantities are based on the fruit used by the person who
developed the recipe. It is another to modify or design you own recipes.
If you want to modify recipes you can do it equally blind or you can pick up
several books that go more than superficially deep into the art of wine
making and learn things like titration and pH and other topics.

As winemaking is an art, not a science, recipes only go so far. I would
recommend you pick up some basic books on wine making such as those by
C.J.J. Berry, digest them. This will help you understand what is really
meant when things are discussed on a site like this. Then if you want to
move ahead you look at books like that of Duncan and Action.

As I look over the above it sounds rather pedagogical. I don't mean it that
way.

Ray


"BooBoo" > wrote in message
news:eg2Lb.103276$pY.32192@fed1read04...
> One more thing, I have been looking at country wine receipes and see that
> they say to add things like Energizer, peptic enzyme, nutrient, tannin,
> sugar and acid blend. They call for exact amounts of each. Don't most of
> these depend on the fruit you are using. A rasberry from the grocery
store
> would be very different from a fresh picked one. I would think this would
> mean you should use different amount of these ingredients for the
different
> fruits.
>
> Is there a site that explains each of these ingreedients and tells when to
> add them and how to test to see how much of them to add. All of the wine
> making site I have found assume you understand this stuff.
>
>
>
>
> "J Dixon" > wrote in message
> t...
> > Hi,
> > There are a bunch of different approaches to Raspberry wine and most
> > have their advantages. I personally dont shoot for the "correct" TA
> > benchmark for Raspberries. Some purists have argued against adding any
> water
> > whatsoever, others have argued for and against pouring hot or boiling
> water
> > over the berries is to set the color. So to get to a point in case you
> didnt
> > think I had one.... One of the more important steps to me is the initial
> > handling of the berries. I put the berries into a fine meshed nylon bag
> that
> > is fine enough to keep in the seeds on the berries unless you are
> squeezing
> > them out. I mash up the berries which I have poured hot water over.
> (mostly
> > because mine are frozen most of the time) Make whatever adjustments you
> > think are necessary, add sulphite and pitch the yeast the next day. Stir
> and
> > gently "massage" the straining bag daily until you remove it in about a
> > week. When you remove the bag let it just hang over the must for a
couple
> of
> > hours and dont squeeze it out and force seeds into your must. My basic
> > recipe calls for 3 1/2-4 lbs of Raspberries per gallon and it is quite
> > flavorful and there is no problem getting good long lasting color. I
> > generally finish my Raspberry semi-sweet which helps to balance the high
> > acid. Ending TA last batch if I recall was around .9 TA.
> > Just use the very best fruit you can get, and if you have never had
a
> > true Raspberry wine- dont expect it to taste like a fresh picked
> Raspberry.
> > It is nice wine that gets better with age HTH
> > John Dixon
> >
> >
> > "BooBoo" > wrote in message
> > news:euKKb.102169$pY.51976@fed1read04...
> > > OK, I am also new to this, I have made a few kits and a whole lot of
> beer.
> > > I would like to make some raspberry wine. I would like to make a wine
> > that
> > > is smooth and flavorfull around 12% alcohol. I prefer a wine that is
> > > flavorfull when it hits your mouth and mellows and finishes smooth.
> > >
> > > This is what think I should do. How would you do it different and how
> > will
> > > it change the wine.
> > >
> > > 1 - mash fruit and add water to TA .65 - Should I check TA or PH, or
> > does
> > > it matter.
> > > 2 - Add sugar to get a SG of about 1.8.
> > > 3 - Add campden tabs and let sit for a day.
> > > 4 - Add yeast
> > > 5 - ferment - rack - bottle - etc
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

"BooBoo" > wrote:
> One more thing, I have been looking at country wine receipes and see that
> they say to add things like Energizer, peptic enzyme, nutrient, tannin,
> sugar and acid blend. They call for exact amounts of each. Don't most of
> these depend on the fruit you are using.

Yes, and this is the problem with the recipe approach, rather than a
stylistic approach (see
http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/Styles/Why.htm for more). If you're
just interested in making a bit of wine or you have a lot of
experience with a particular fruit then recipes are fine, but a
stylistic approach would ensure better consistency and reliability
otherwise. It's important to remember that recipes should be seen as
guidelines only. Once you go beyond "roughing it" you start to get
into more tasting (verifying results through taste and past
experience) and technical analysis (acid titration, pH, potential
alcohol, residual sweetness, etc). (This is where the science comes
into wine - contrary to Ray I think winemaking is *both* a science and
an art and I think it's pretty clear that the entire winemaking
establishment verifies this, particularly the last 20-50 years of
scientific work that has furthered wine quality and knowledge
considerably.)

> Is there a site that explains each of these ingreedients and tells when to
> add them and how to test to see how much of them to add. All of the wine
> making site I have found assume you understand this stuff.

Yeast nutrient and pectin destroying enzymes are generally used at
particular levels unless conditions indicate otherwise (e.g. poor
fruit quality, high pectin fruit). Most times you can just add the
rough amounts recipes ask for and get away with it.

Sugar addition is dependant on the current sugar level within the
fruit, the desired alcohol level in the wine, and the desired residual
sweetness of the wine. Most winemaking websites and many books
(including those Ray helpfully suggested) have info on this. See
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/hydrom.asp for example.

Acid measurements can be made by acid titration (search for "acid
titration" threads on this ng and you should find plenty of info).
Additions are made based on the level desired.

Since it's not easy for home winemakers to measure tannins, additions
are usually made based on taste (including previous taste
experiences).

Desired levels are based on experience and an understanding of the way
in which acid (and other components) influences wine character. In all
cases it's a good idea to taste the fruit and the must and adjust to
taste. With experience, this kind of adjustment can become reasonably
accurate.

For an example of a stylistic approach (including info on such things
as acid levels) try http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/Styles/StyleDes.htm
(Scroll down to the Blackberry for e.g.).

HTH!
Ben

Ben,

Thanks, lots of good info here. I think this is exactly what I was looking
for. I prited all of this out and will read it tonight.

Mike


http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/Styles/Why.htm for more). If you're
> just interested in making a bit of wine or you have a lot of
> experience with a particular fruit then recipes are fine, but a
> stylistic approach would ensure better consistency and reliability
> otherwise. It's important to remember that recipes should be seen as
> guidelines only. Once you go beyond "roughing it" you start to get
> into more tasting (verifying results through taste and past
> experience) and technical analysis (acid titration, pH, potential
> alcohol, residual sweetness, etc). (This is where the science comes
> into wine - contrary to Ray I think winemaking is *both* a science and
> an art and I think it's pretty clear that the entire winemaking
> establishment verifies this, particularly the last 20-50 years of
> scientific work that has furthered wine quality and knowledge
> considerably.)
>
> > Is there a site that explains each of these ingreedients and tells when
to
> > add them and how to test to see how much of them to add. All of the
wine
> > making site I have found assume you understand this stuff.
>
> Yeast nutrient and pectin destroying enzymes are generally used at
> particular levels unless conditions indicate otherwise (e.g. poor
> fruit quality, high pectin fruit). Most times you can just add the
> rough amounts recipes ask for and get away with it.
>
> Sugar addition is dependant on the current sugar level within the
> fruit, the desired alcohol level in the wine, and the desired residual
> sweetness of the wine. Most winemaking websites and many books
> (including those Ray helpfully suggested) have info on this. See
> http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/hydrom.asp for example.
>
> Acid measurements can be made by acid titration (search for "acid
> titration" threads on this ng and you should find plenty of info).
> Additions are made based on the level desired.
>
> Since it's not easy for home winemakers to measure tannins, additions
> are usually made based on taste (including previous taste
> experiences).
>
> Desired levels are based on experience and an understanding of the way
> in which acid (and other components) influences wine character. In all
> cases it's a good idea to taste the fruit and the must and adjust to
> taste. With experience, this kind of adjustment can become reasonably
> accurate.
>
> For an example of a stylistic approach (including info on such things
> as acid levels) try http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/Styles/StyleDes.htm
> (Scroll down to the Blackberry for e.g.).
>
> HTH!
> Ben