Mosti Mondiale Not all raisins are created equally

[H2O]

Recently, I did two RJ Spagnols En Primeur Amarone kits at the same time in which I had added the included raisins. Once the fermentation was complete and I was dumping out the gross lees I found that the raisins were, in fact, still raisins.

However, to my surprise, I just started a MM Barolo Meglioli and within two days the included raisins seem to have rehydrated and are now floating round grapes on the top of my fermenting wine. I suppose I will need to pop them all and ring them out in a cheese cloth to get all the solids/juice when moving to secondary.

Has anyone else experienced the same thing, hopefully this is normal?

P.S. - The smell from the Barolo is amazing.

 

[joeswine]

rasins in the wine

I would recommend not to squeeze the raisins at all let the wine do the extraction .REASONING,the raisins went in dry ,RIGHT, now their plum and fat ,CORRECT, what they are full of at this point is a very bitter compound, you do not want that in the wine, remove the raisins how ever you can and through them out, they have done their job, GOT IT?

YOU could be very correct not all raisins are created equal, if they didn't rehydrate then there's something not correct with them, I would remove them from the mix as well.
question ,how old are these kits in process?
question, they did come with a raisins pack?
what does the amarone smell like ?have you tasted it? how about the Barolo RJS makes a decent kit any other process variances?

 

[grapeman]

Joe what are you saying is in them that they are all full of a bitter compound?
I agree to let them extract naturally and I would wait to remove them until fermentation is about over. Just leave them behind when you rack over to secondary. By that time they will likely just be mostly skins left.

 

[H2O]

Interesting, because according to the instructions on this Mosti Mondiale Barolo, I am to ring them out (raisins) during transfer to secondary. I don't have the instructions with me now but it says something about squeezing the raisins adding depth to the wine due to the added solids. What you say about the bitter compounds makes sense though and I did NOT squeeze the raisins that were in the Amarones.

The Amarone smelled great at time of fermentation and the raisins looked normal, but at the time I did not taste. By looked normal I mean they were not moldy looking and were slightly soft. The two Amarone have been done since December and are bulk aging in 2 carboys. The Amarones seemed to have fermented correctly since my hydrometer readings before/after put the ABV just above 15%. I did not look at the manufacture date on the Amarones but purchased and started the kits within a week from a high volume dealer. The Barolo was purchased from the same store this month when the limit edition Barolo Meglioli came out. All 3 kits (2 Amarone, 1 Barolo) all came with the raisin packs.

Thanks Joe.

I would recommend not to squeeze the raisins at all let the wine do the extraction .REASONING,the raisins went in dry ,RIGHT, now their plum and fat ,CORRECT, what they are full of at this point is a very bitter compound, you do not want that in the wine, remove the raisins how ever you can and through them out, they have done their job, GOT IT?

YOU could be very correct not all raisins are created equal, if they didn't rehydrate then there's something not correct with them, I would remove them from the mix as well.
question ,how old are these kits in process?
question, they did come with a raisins pack?
what does the amarone smell like ?have you tasted it? how about the Barolo RJS makes a decent kit any other process variances?

 

[joeswine]

Adding raisins

once again what is happening is the transference of the raisins sugar and flavor to the wine in turn the fruit itself gets funky inside and not very good as a additive at that stage, THE INFUSION HAS BEEN DONE stay the course ,give it a taste it's important to know where your wine is heading and if correction are requires,don't be afraid of adjustments,if any.........stay in touch would like to see how it works out for you...jp

GRAPEMAN HAVE YOU EVER TASTED A RAISINS AFTER ITS BEEN IN THE WINE (COMPOUNDS WAS JUST A TERM USED)

 

[grapeman]

No Joe I haven't tasted them after using them up in the wine. That's why I ask- what is in it that makes it bitter? I know directions normally state to squeeze them out to get the extra solids out of them. I will have to try and taste some sometime.

 

[H2O]

Thanks again guys, I will wait it out and just dump the raisins without squeezing.

I did actually taste a raisin after fermentation from one of the Amarones, I believe the taste is reminiscent of unripe fruit, bitter due to the lack of sugars.

 

[joeswine]

Bitter raisins

MY THOUGHTS ARE AS STATED ABOVE /THERE ARE NO MORE SUGARS LEFT IN THE RAISES OR ESSENES AND WHAT WAS LEFT, WAS A PULP LEFT ON IT'S OWN, WITH THE ABORTION OF THE WINE ACHOLO COMPOUNDS ,IN FUSED IN THEM ,SORT OF A GIVE AND TAKE,NOT VERY SCIENTIFIC IS IT,BUT THAT'S ME...................

 

[Geronimo]

Just FYI, the RJS "raisins" aren't raisins at all. They come out of the primary still hard like beads, and they do a wonderful job of adding grape skin tannins and colors.

I squeeze the bejeebers out of the MM raisins just like the instructions say. I've tasted the wine before and after, and the only difference I can detect is grape flavor.

 

[joeswine]

Raisins in the mix

IF THE RAISINS DIDN'T PLUMP UP THEN TRUE EXTRACTION DIDN'T OCCUR,THAT IS WHAT MAKE'S THE DIFFERENCE IN TEXTURE AND STRUCTURE... BUT LIKE YOU STATED YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY SENT YOU.....

 

[Geronimo]

I don't know what? The MM kits have raisins. The RJS kits have dried skins. In my experience, the raisins plump up and the skins don't change much at all.

The best way I've found to use the raisins is that I put the raisins in really hot water and soften them, then give them a course chop with a knife before putting them into a muslin or cheese cloth bag. Works awesome.