Whats the point of adding raisins to wine? I was told it makes them
smoother or fuller. Is this a reaction simular to pectin?

You can add raisins or grape concentrate to fruit wines to add "vinuosity",
body, depth, mouth feel, -- lots of things that it is very difficult to
define in words. Basically it is done to add something to a wine that may
be deficient in some character.

Ray

"Adam Dietrick" > wrote in message
...
> Whats the point of adding raisins to wine? I was told it makes them
> smoother or fuller. Is this a reaction simular to pectin?
>

I use about 12 pounds per 60 gallons of apple wine, about the same or
a little less in my pear wine. A pound per gallon sounds a bit much,
but if your recipe says so, do it. Never used that many but I'd be
careful as it sounds like you may end up with raisen wine. Good luck.

> You can add raisins or grape concentrate to fruit wines to add "vinuosity",
> body, depth, mouth feel, -- lots of things that it is very difficult to
> define in words. Basically it is done to add something to a wine that may
> be deficient in some character.

I spotted a field full of ripe dandelions and couldn't resist.
I'm working on a recipe off Jack's site where the main ingredients
are sugar, oranges and dandelions with D-47 yeast. I'm going to
finish dry. Other recipes call for raisins for the above reason.
Anyone care to throw out their thoughts on whether or not dandelion
wine could use either raisins or tannin?

Don

Hi,
I'm just now trying my dandelion wine from 2002 (dry). It has a very
dandeliony (odd) taste - which I have not decided if I like or not. I did
make another batch in 2003, and I tried to make it sweeter, but I'm waiting
for that batch to mature. I did not make it this year, because I want to
make something I'll like. I think it could use something else like raisons
or tannin, or a can of 100% Welch's white grape juice. The flowery taste
just really, well, comes across. Have you tried dandelion wine before?
Darlene

"Don S" > wrote in message
om...
> > You can add raisins or grape concentrate to fruit wines to add
"vinuosity",
> > body, depth, mouth feel, -- lots of things that it is very difficult to
> > define in words. Basically it is done to add something to a wine that
may
> > be deficient in some character.
>
> I spotted a field full of ripe dandelions and couldn't resist.
> I'm working on a recipe off Jack's site where the main ingredients
> are sugar, oranges and dandelions with D-47 yeast. I'm going to
> finish dry. Other recipes call for raisins for the above reason.
> Anyone care to throw out their thoughts on whether or not dandelion
> wine could use either raisins or tannin?
>
> Don

When I froze my dandelions, I froze just the petals (the green base and stem
was removed). It is a pain to remove the base. I haven't made dandelion
mead. Yes, I suppose you are getting some strange looks - sleep deprivation
starts to take its toll, you know, the first week is relatively easy, but
then it gets tougher. Just wait until 5-8 weeks if the little one doesn't
start sleeping through the night, you might get more than strange looks.
Darlene

"Don S" > wrote in message
om...
> > I'm just now trying my dandelion wine from 2002 (dry). It has a very
> > dandeliony (odd) taste - which I have not decided if I like or not. I
did
> > make another batch in 2003, and I tried to make it sweeter, but I'm
waiting
> > for that batch to mature. I did not make it this year, because I want
to
> > make something I'll like. I think it could use something else like
raisons
> > or tannin, or a can of 100% Welch's white grape juice. The flowery
taste
> > just really, well, comes across. Have you tried dandelion wine before?
>
> I haven't tried dandelion wine before but between this quote from Jack's
> site "Dandelion wine is one of my favorite white wines, bar none" and that
> field of dandelions I figured I'd give it a shot. I minced up 1/2 cup of
> raisins last night, covered them with boiling water and added them to the
> must. Tonight I strain and put in a gallon jug. I could smell the yeast
> starting up this morning.
>
> When you freeze your blossoms/petals do you remove the calyx before hand
> or just toss them in and remove later. I can pick another gallon of
blossoms
> this weekend but it's the removing of the calyx that is the killer. I was
> thinking I'd like to try a dandelion mead at sometime but we have a 3 week
> old in the house now and I'm getting some stranger looks from his
mother...
>
> Don

> When I froze my dandelions, I froze just the petals (the green base and stem
> was removed). It is a pain to remove the base. I haven't made dandelion
> mead. Yes, I suppose you are getting some strange looks - sleep deprivation
> starts to take its toll, you know, the first week is relatively easy, but
> then it gets tougher. Just wait until 5-8 weeks if the little one doesn't
> start sleeping through the night, you might get more than strange looks.

The strange looks are from my son's mother who wonders why I'm fooling
around with dandelions when we he's only 4 weeks old. We already went
through one that didn't/doesn't sleep and she's 3 1/2 now - heaven forbid
that we have another.

Anyway I racked into a gallon jug last night and everything looks fine.
I know what you mean about the taste and petals, I had a sniff and thought
that's not a fruity smell and wasn't quite sure how I felt about it.
Tasting will tell.

BTW, you just gotta love that Lalvin D-47 yeast. I filled that gallon
jug right up to and into the neck of the jug. Bubbles are streaming up
the sides but no foam-over. They shouldn't call that yeast low-foaming,
it should be no-foaming... and the taste of whites is far superior to
using the EC-1118 that wine kits come with.

Don

"Don S" > wrote
> BTW, you just gotta love that Lalvin D-47 yeast. I filled that gallon
> jug right up to and into the neck of the jug. Bubbles are streaming up
> the sides but no foam-over. They shouldn't call that yeast low-foaming,
> it should be no-foaming... and the taste of whites is far superior to
> using the EC-1118 that wine kits come with.

That D47 is what my local shop has begun carrying and I have noticed
exactly the same thing! Even running over 100 bubbles per minute out of the
airlock, with virtually no empty headspace!!! (That's how I keep track, bpm,
LOL!!!)

> That D47 is what my local shop has begun carrying and I have noticed
> exactly the same thing! Even running over 100 bubbles per minute out of the
> airlock, with virtually no empty headspace!!! (That's how I keep track, bpm,
> LOL!!!)

I ended up adding a bit more sugar than I wanted to that dandelion
wine (SG 1.092) and the bubbles are coming out in a steady stream,
probably 3 or 4 per second. As I mentioned the gallon jug is filled
right into the neck where it is 1" across and the only foam is a
small ring around the edge less than a 1/10" wide.

And it's not just the low/no foam, some of the best whites I've made
were done with D-47. I end up keeping my EC-1118 packets from kits
for stuck fermentations and some fruit wines but reach for the D-47
for everything white. Although I have now split a kit between two
11.5 liter carboys and am doing it with D-47 and I thiknk 71B.

Don

I have seen in the past on fruit wines to add raisins. Why, what purpose is
it (body). I just made a peach wine with 35 Lbs of peaches. Will adding
raisins change the flavor much and, how much should I add?
Tom

--

Home of the
MOON RIVER BREWERY
&
DELANCO VINEYARDS

I have seen in the past on fruit wines to add raisins. Why, what purpose is
it (body). I just made a peach wine with 35 Lbs of peaches. Will adding
raisins change the flavor much and, how much should I add?
Tom

--

Home of the
MOON RIVER BREWERY
&
DELANCO VINEYARDS

Oily raisins ??

All the raisins I can find here in Brisbane, Australia are
a) not golden
b) in bags containing raisins in vegetable oil.

Is the oil a problem, or is it normal for raisins to be packed with oil?

Should I try and look harder to find raisins that do not have the vegetable oil?

Thanks for your opinions,

Karel

Oily raisins ??

All the raisins I can find here in Brisbane, Australia are
a) not golden
b) in bags containing raisins in vegetable oil.

Is the oil a problem, or is it normal for raisins to be packed with oil?

Should I try and look harder to find raisins that do not have the vegetable oil?

Thanks for your opinions,

Karel

Karel, I have never encountered raisins packed in oil. The only ones
I've seen are dried and sold in bulk or packaged in boxes or plastic
bags.

I would not try fermenting anything packed in oil. It just sounds to
difficult to remove prior to fermenting and fermenting with the oil on
is a risk -- oils can go rancid and spoil the wine.

If you cannot find dried raisins or sultanans, use grapes or grape
concentrate.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

Karel, I have never encountered raisins packed in oil. The only ones
I've seen are dried and sold in bulk or packaged in boxes or plastic
bags.

I would not try fermenting anything packed in oil. It just sounds to
difficult to remove prior to fermenting and fermenting with the oil on
is a risk -- oils can go rancid and spoil the wine.

If you cannot find dried raisins or sultanans, use grapes or grape
concentrate.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

Karel, this might be a simple differences in terminology. Australia?
Look for Sultanas (what we call raisins). find them in the
supermarket in bulk bags, or at a Binn Inn (I think they're in
Australia as well as NZ).



(Jack Keller) wrote in message . com>...
> Karel, I have never encountered raisins packed in oil. The only ones
> I've seen are dried and sold in bulk or packaged in boxes or plastic
> bags.
>
> I would not try fermenting anything packed in oil. It just sounds to
> difficult to remove prior to fermenting and fermenting with the oil on
> is a risk -- oils can go rancid and spoil the wine.
>
> If you cannot find dried raisins or sultanans, use grapes or grape
> concentrate.
>
> Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
> http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

A simple substitute for raisins would be frozen white grape concentrate. Be
sure it does not have preservatives but it will work great.

Ray

"Tepe" > wrote in message
...
> I have seen in the past on fruit wines to add raisins. Why, what purpose
is
> it (body). I just made a peach wine with 35 Lbs of peaches. Will adding
> raisins change the flavor much and, how much should I add?
> Tom
>
> --
>
> Home of the
> MOON RIVER BREWERY
> &
> DELANCO VINEYARDS
>
>
>
>

A simple substitute for raisins would be frozen white grape concentrate. Be
sure it does not have preservatives but it will work great.

Ray

"Tepe" > wrote in message
...
> I have seen in the past on fruit wines to add raisins. Why, what purpose
is
> it (body). I just made a peach wine with 35 Lbs of peaches. Will adding
> raisins change the flavor much and, how much should I add?
> Tom
>
> --
>
> Home of the
> MOON RIVER BREWERY
> &
> DELANCO VINEYARDS
>
>
>
>