A question on this banana wine recipe...

[bein_bein]

I am starting a 3 gal banana wine to use for blending with my cantaloupe wine (and maybe others as well). I got this 'Full Bodied Banana Wine" recipe from the Jack Keller site, but I am a little confused on their process. I have highlighted the area in question...

Slice bananas into thin discs, leaving skins on fruit. Put into grain-bag, tie top, and place in 6 pints water. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove grain-bag to bowl to catch drippings while pouring liquor over sugar in primary fermentation vessel and stirring well to dissolve sugar. Add acid blend, pectic enzyme and tannin, stirring again. When grain-bag cools, squeeze to extract as much liquid as possible and add liquid and drippings to liquor, discarding pulp. When liquor cools to 70 degrees fahrenheit, add yeast and nutrient. Cover and set in warm place for seven days, stirring daily. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel, fit airlock, and move to cooler place, leaving undisturbed for two months. Siphon off sediment, add chopped raisins, and add water to bring to one gallon. Ferment another four months. Rack and allow to clear. Rack again and bottle. May taste after six months, but matures at two years

Isn't it common to add all the ingredients to the primary fermentation?? Now I'm no expert, but after 2 months I can't see where there is much if any active yeast activity, so why wait to add the raisins after the primary fermentation?? This proceedure would also mean that tertiary fermentation is going to have to occur in a fermenting bucket (unless there is some special way of getting 3lbs of raisins in a carboy :< ) Am I reading this wrong?? Not sure how comfortable I am letting a wine set in a bucket fermentor for 4 months...even with a lid that snaps on... What do the exerts out there say??

 

[Sacalait]

I'd add the raisins along with all the other ingredients from the start. This will allow you to get an accurate S.G. To me it makes no sense to add raisins to the secondary. Just my opinion.

 

[bein_bein]

Thanks Sacalait, that's what I was thinking too but wanted to get a second opinion. I think I'll do that.