Raspberry Melomel Cyser 2020
All homegrown apples, a mixture of Russets, Kings and Cox, were ground and pressed at SG 1.040 and chaptalized with un-pasteurized blueberry blossom honey to SG 1.093 plus pectic enzyme, fermented with EC-1118 yeast and treated mid-ferment with bentonite to remove protein to prevent bottle haze.
Frozen homegrown organic raspberries were thawed with can sugar at 3 lbs sugar per 6 lb raspberries per Imperial gallon of water with pectic enzyme and fermented with EC 1118 yeast at SG 1.086 to SG 0.992. The dry SG 0.992 was chaptalized with the blueberry blossom honey to SG 1.012 with potassium sorbate.
60 parts raspberry melomel at SG 1.012 was blended with 40 parts cyser at SG 1.003 to make this wine blend.
Here are my tasting notes:
Appearance - deep rose with a bit of sediment on the side of the bottles which is easy yo settle (ellagic acid from the raspberries?)
Smell - raspberry and honey smells are present but russet apple smell is dominant are dominant, Smell is decent.
Tannin - high from the russets but ok
Acid - high but suits me as a table wine. I don't like syrupy table wines.
Flavour - intense, interesting, russet dominant, complex melomel cyser. The blueberry blossom honey improves it but the raspberry flavour is dominated by the russets and the honey.
Bottom line - The next time I make it I'll try 80 parts raspberry melomel and 20 parts cyser to get more raspberry flavour and tone down the russets. Having said that, I like it, kind of oddball but intense and interesting as a fruit table wine. Sorry I don't have a photo off my phone yet but when I get it I'll post it.