# Raspberry Wine



## Wade E (Oct 29, 2009)

6 Gallons

36 lbs of previously frozen and thawed raspberries
Sugar to a sg of around 1.085 (about 8 or 9 lbs)
Pectic enzyme as per manufacturer’s dosage
Acid blend to TA of 0.65% (about 3 1/2 tsps)
6 tsps of yeast nutrient
1/4 tsp of k-meta or 6 Campden tablets
5 gallons of water
1 sachet of wine yeast

Put all fruit in a fermenting bag and put in primary bucket. Pour 3 gallons of very warm tap water or bottled spring water over the fruit and then squeeze really good. Pull out fruit and temporarily store in a bucket. Add K-meta, nutrient and acid blend and tannin if desired at this point and add remainder of water to 5 1/2 gallon mark. At this point add sugar to sg of 1.085-1.090 stirring well to make sure sugar is well dissolved. At this point wait 12 hours for K-meta to disperse. After those 12 hours add your Pectic Enzyme and wait another 12 hours while also adjusting your must temp to around 75 degrees. After those twelve hours, pitch your yeast either by sprinkling yeast, dehydrating yeast per instructions on back of yeast Sachet, or by making a yeast starter a few hours prior to the 12 hour mark. At this point either leave primary lid off with the cloth again, place lid on loose or snap the lid shut with airlock. Punch down cap twice daily to get all fruit under the liquid level. When SG reaches 1.015, rack to 6 gallon carboy and let finish fermenting with bung and airlock attached. When wine is done fermenting, (check a few days in a row to make sure SG does not change and SG should be around .998 or less) you can stabilize by adding another ¼ tsp of k-meta and 3 tsps of Potassium Sorbate and degas your wine thoroughly. You can now sweeten your wine if you like by using simple syrup which consists of 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of boiling water or by using a juice or frozen concentrate. I typically take 2 quarts of an alike juice and simmer on stove at medium heat with lid off until its 1/3 its original size and let it cool to room temp and then add slowly to taste. Be careful not to over sweeten. At this point you can use a fining agent or let it clear naturally. Once clear, rack into clean vessel and bulk age more adding another ¼ tsp of k-meta at 3 month intervals or add ¼ tsp k-meta and bottle age for at least 3 months and enjoy. Longer aging will give you a better wine so save a few bottles till at least 1 year mark so you can truly see what this wine can aspire to.


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## stevie (Oct 29, 2009)

"pull out fruit and temporarily store in bucket"
i don't see it being used again??


"At this point either leave primary lid off with the cloth again, place lid on loose or snap the lid shut with airlock"

i don't understand this sentence


less sugar seems to be key here

thanks much!


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## Tom (Oct 29, 2009)

After adding sugar and mixing is when to put back the "bag". Reason I'm sure is so you can dissolve the sugar.

Wade why so low # per gallon (3# per gallon)? Is the flavor that strong?


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## Wade E (Oct 29, 2009)

I just added that tonight after noticing it wasnt in here and when I made this I had copied most of it over from my melomel recipe which typicaly you l]keep the fruit lower. Thanks for noticing that as I wouldnt have wanted someone making a wine that was weak in flavor due to my recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Im so glad that recipe just got added tonight and wasnt used by anybody!


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## stevie (Oct 29, 2009)

ok so 36 lbs??

i've got extra so i can follow this

how long do you leave the bag in the primary for...i've read different opinions

thanks!


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## Wade E (Oct 29, 2009)

I go as far as 10 days and theres nothing left to rended at that time if youre using pectic enzyme and have frozen them previously!


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## Tom (Oct 29, 2009)

Wade,
If it ferments to 1.010 in 6-7 days would you remove then (@1.010) and rack.. OR go by time..in the bucket.. Gee.. sounds like a song "Time in a bucket"


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## Wade E (Oct 29, 2009)

If it ferments fast I let it go dry in the bucket. I only rack whites little early and usually stir it up to get all the yeats back in suspension before doing so if I really want it to go dry. If Im looking for some sweetness i rack off everything as Im not concerned with it stalling early.


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## nilesb92 (Nov 4, 2009)

Wade, I am about to make some of the above wine. Most of the recipes call for 15 to 18 lbs of fruit. You are calling for 30lbs, why the extra? Also do you crush the fruit or just bag it and pour the water over it. I am new at this as far as making from scratch, although I have 5 gals. of blueberry going,most of my wines have been from purchased juice kits. They have all turned ot very good, but getting a little expensive.


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## Tom (Nov 4, 2009)

alot of the "net" recipies call for low#'s per gallon and alot of sugar (high test). There you will have way to much alcohol and little flavor and body.
WE (wade & me) suggest 5-7#'s per gallon of wine. That being said freeze the fruit for a few days. This will help break down the cellular walls. Add fruit in a straining bag. The Pectic Enzyme that you add will extract the juice from the fruit.
Expensive? Well try making fruit wines during the season of the fruit. Remember spending $60 - $90 for 6 gallons of GREAT wine comes to only $2-3 ea. A good kit can be +$5 per bottle. It's a far cry of spending $10+ per bottle.


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## Wade E (Nov 4, 2009)

Yep.If you like weak flavored wine then the other recipes are for you. Ive made them like that and was extremely disssapointed in the flavor.


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## stevie (Nov 6, 2009)

hey wade

i followed your recipe and have gotten to siphoning off the primary to the carboys

the thing is...i had to use 2 carboys, because this generated @8 gallons

now, at 5 1/2 gallons water - is it possible my 35# of fruit generated 2 1/2 gallons juice??

after siphoning off the sediment in these carboys over time, does one then get the end result - 5 gallons of wine??

thanks

stevie


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## Delaney (Aug 8, 2011)

nevermind....


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## Delaney (Aug 12, 2011)

I started out with this recipe:
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/redrasp.asp

As per Tom's advice, I decided to up the #/Gallon for my wine.

My recipe is as follows:

Berries Frozen/Thawed/24hr campden: 19lbs 12 oz.
Fresh Berries Steeped at 180F for 5 minutes w/campden: 3lbs 15 oz.

Total Berries used: 23lbs 11oz.
Boiled H2O: approximately 16-18 liters.
Granulated Sugar: 13.5 lbs
Acid Blend: 3 TSP (15ml)
Yeast Nutrient: 6TSP (30ml)
Grape Tannin: 6/8 TSP (11.25ml)
Pectic Enzyme: 3TSP (15ml)
Yeast: Lalvin EC-118
OG: 1.090

Due to the sugar volume, and juice from berries, I estimate that my must volume is between 26-31 liters. (I only calibrated to a level of 23 Liters).

Do I calculate my berries/Gallon based on must volume, or volume of H20 used? I'm trying to determine whether an f-pac is needed. I'm aiming for 5#/Gallon.

Based upon your experience, how much of the must volume will be lost due to sediment?

What are your thoughts regarding the use of grape tannin for such a recipe?


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## Tom (Aug 12, 2011)

Delaney said:


> I started out with this recipe:
> http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/redrasp.asp
> 
> As per Tom's advice, I decided to up the #/Gallon for my wine.
> ...



I knew it was a "Jack" recipe. All of those recipies call for low # per gal and makes a high alcohol.

NEVER add sugar because a recipe casll for it ( especially his). 
ALWAYS use a hydrometer to ck starting gravity.
Put the fruit in 2 straining bags and in 2 fermenting buckets. It will not all fit in a 23ltr bucket. Figure 15+% loss in rackings.
I would still consider a f-pac and backsweetening
I would add 1tsp of tannin to get a better balenced wine.
Sugar looks high.

U sure the gravity is 1.090?


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## Delaney (Aug 12, 2011)

Tom said:


> I knew it was a "Jack" recipe. All of those recipies call for low # per gal and makes a high alcohol.
> 
> NEVER add sugar because a recipe casll for it ( especially his).
> ALWAYS use a hydrometer to ck starting gravity.
> ...


I used this calculator which gave me a corrected reading of 1.090.
http://www.brewing-tips.com/abv-alcohol-calculator/

I am certain of my OG. I verified that my hydrometer reads 1.0 for water at 60F. I also am fermenting a second wine, which is black raspberry. I know how to use a hydrometer.

My Red Raspberry wine
OG of 1.090
2.7# sugar/gallon of H20
...2.7/90=0.03

My Black Raspberry wine
OG of 1.072
2.1875 #sugar/gallon of H2O
...2.1875/72=0.03

Therefore I think it's safe to assume my OG of 1.090 is correct.

I found a large primary which is sufficient in size to ferment in a single bucket. Due to dwindling supply of fresh berries, my aim is 5#/gallon. I intend to backsweeten the majority, and leave a portion dry for comparison. with 15% loss I should have ~23 liters (6 gallons) of wine.

Perhaps my raspberries had a high water content, which could account for this?


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## Delaney (Aug 12, 2011)

I'm still confused as to whether I'm dividing /gallon of H2O, /gallon of Must (before sediment loss), or /gallon (after sediment loss) when I calculate my #/Gallon ratio. I'd like to know how this calculation is done so as to be able to properly adhere to recipes.

I know that you do not think highly of that Jack fellow. He has several recipes, some of which do call for 6#/Gallon...He indicates that these are full bodied wines, whereas the 4#/gallon will produce a medium bodied wine.


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## Tom (Aug 12, 2011)

We are only talking from experience. Do what you want. But, we have been there and done that. This is why we are telling you what the outcome is. We are trying to make you make better wine. If not you will soon drop this great hobby as your wines will not be good by your "friends".

As far as the fruit per # its what goes in the primary not the finished product. Reason for the loss is in fresh fruit wines there is alot of sediment.

Raspberry Blackberry and Strawberry are high in water content. Strawberry we suggest 6-8# per gal. Remember delicate fruit flavor will be lost during fermentation. this is why we suggest more # per gal.

Again if your taste buds like what you make then your the one you need to please. On the other hand when your taste buds change (and they will as you get more into this hobby) you will be changing it.
Many years ago my wife only liked semi-sweet wines.. now its big bold DRY reds. She can also tell you if it's weak or to tannic.


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## Delaney (Aug 12, 2011)

Tom said:


> We are only talking from experience. Do what you want. But, we have been there and done that. This is why we are telling you what the outcome is. We are trying to make you make better wine. If not you will soon drop this great hobby as your wines will not be good by your "frirnds".
> 
> As far as the fruit per # its what goes in the primary not the finished product. Reason for the loss is in fresh fruit wines there is alot of sediment.
> 
> ...


I appreciate the help and I am trying to follow your advice as best as my circumstances allow. I do trust your knowledge over my own. Taste is subjective so I'm taking this into account as well. I'd go to 6#/gallon without hesitation if I had enough berries. The yields are becoming much lower. Unfortunately I started out with a recipe that might be less than desirable, and only stumbled upon your advice after the must had been created.

I am going to make an f-pac and hopefully it's not too weak. I read the tutorial on how to make an f-pac. It is suggested to use 20-30% of the berries initially used. Can I increase this percentage to 40%?

A lot of typos there...seems like you are enjoying the product of this great hobby at the moment 

Thank you again for the help.


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## Tom (Aug 12, 2011)

yep could be da Homebrew  or the wine   . hic hic...


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## Delaney (Aug 23, 2011)

Any thoughts on adding oak chips to a raspberry wine?


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## Tom (Aug 23, 2011)

I never have as its a delicate flavor.


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## weonlycut (Jul 22, 2012)

I would go for it but i would add some more things according to my taste.


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## Norske (Aug 18, 2013)

What yeast is recommended for Raspberry?


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## Anaki (Aug 29, 2013)

Instead of freezing my berries whole I rinse, drain & then put the fruit through my food mill a few times until the residue is pretty dry, THEN I freeze in quart containers. 3.5 lbs of fruit gives me 2.75 lb seedless pulp. Your 36 lbs would require 14 quarts or so of pulp, not leaving much space for the water in a 6 gal primary. I only have 10 quarts put aside anyway and plan to put it in a mesh bag and follow your recipe along, see what happens. How would you do things differently without the whole fruit?


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