In addition to making raspberry mead, I tried my hand at a raspberry wine following Jack Keller's recipe (he's an excellent resource). Here's his recipe:
BLACK RASPBERRY WINE
3-4 lbs fresh black raspberries (6 total when doubled)
2-1/4 lbs finely granulated sugar
1/2 tsp acid blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/8 tsp grape tannin
7 pints water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 crushed Campden tablet
Lalvin RC-212 wine yeast
Pick only dark, ripe berries. Combine water and sugar and put on to boil, stirring occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved. Wash and destem berries. Put in nylon straining bag, tie, put in botton of primary, and crush berries in bag. Pour boiling sugar-water over berries to set the color and extract the flavorful juice. Add acid blend, tannin and yeast nutrient. Allow to cool to 70 degrees F. and add one crushed Campden tablet. Cover primary with plastic wrap secured with a large rubber band. Twelve hours later add pectic enzyme and after an additional 12 hours add activated wine yeast. Recover the primary. Stir daily for a week, replacing plastic wrap if it looks like it needs it. Remove nylon bag and allow to drip drain about an hour, keeping primary covered as before. Do not squeeze bag. Return drippings to primary and discard pulp (or use to make a "second" wine). Transfer to secondary and fit airlock. Use a dark secondary or wrap with brown paper (from paper bag) to preserve color. Rack into clean secondary after two months. Refit airlock and rack again after additional 2 months. Wait another month, stabilize, wait additional month, Rack and sweeten if desired. Wait two weeks to ensure refermentation does not begin and bottle into dark glass. Drink after six months. This is an excellent wine, but don't rush it! You must ferment the full 6 months and age another six.
I doubled his recipe because I had enough raspberries. I also froze the berries before use. I have heard that the berries burst when frozen and this helps get the color and sugar out of the berries. Seemed to help.
BLACK RASPBERRY WINE
3-4 lbs fresh black raspberries (6 total when doubled)
2-1/4 lbs finely granulated sugar
1/2 tsp acid blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/8 tsp grape tannin
7 pints water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 crushed Campden tablet
Lalvin RC-212 wine yeast
Pick only dark, ripe berries. Combine water and sugar and put on to boil, stirring occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved. Wash and destem berries. Put in nylon straining bag, tie, put in botton of primary, and crush berries in bag. Pour boiling sugar-water over berries to set the color and extract the flavorful juice. Add acid blend, tannin and yeast nutrient. Allow to cool to 70 degrees F. and add one crushed Campden tablet. Cover primary with plastic wrap secured with a large rubber band. Twelve hours later add pectic enzyme and after an additional 12 hours add activated wine yeast. Recover the primary. Stir daily for a week, replacing plastic wrap if it looks like it needs it. Remove nylon bag and allow to drip drain about an hour, keeping primary covered as before. Do not squeeze bag. Return drippings to primary and discard pulp (or use to make a "second" wine). Transfer to secondary and fit airlock. Use a dark secondary or wrap with brown paper (from paper bag) to preserve color. Rack into clean secondary after two months. Refit airlock and rack again after additional 2 months. Wait another month, stabilize, wait additional month, Rack and sweeten if desired. Wait two weeks to ensure refermentation does not begin and bottle into dark glass. Drink after six months. This is an excellent wine, but don't rush it! You must ferment the full 6 months and age another six.
I doubled his recipe because I had enough raspberries. I also froze the berries before use. I have heard that the berries burst when frozen and this helps get the color and sugar out of the berries. Seemed to help.
Update (July 13th, 2012)
Stirred almost daily.
Set muslin bags over to drip out for the next hour.
Racked to 2 four-liter glass jugs.
I forgot to get a hydrometer reading throughout this process.
I forgot to get a hydrometer reading throughout this process.
(September, 2012)
Racked. There were a lot of lees and there is a bit of a rubber smell. There is full body and the flavor is pleasant, but I don't think I could identify it as raspberry.
(October, 2012).
I oaked with 1oz of oak chips. There seems to be more raspberry flavor.
Ph: 4.0. Need
to add acid before bottling
Added 1 campden and ½ teaspoon of potassium sorbate in each to stabilize and protect.
I also tried an experiment by adding chocolate shavings to one gallon.
(October 14th, 2012)
Bottling day
Oaked Chocolate
Ph. 3.6 or higher (hard to read)
SO2=35 (I got a tester to check)
Add 7 tablespoons of sugar (still low sugar)
Oaked Raspberry without Chocolate
18 tablespoons sugar for 2 gallons
SO2= 38
Update (April 2013)
I haven't touched this wine since November, 2012. I tried a bottle without chocolate then and it was ok.
That said, opening a bottle now...wow. This is proof that wine changes and can improve over time. It's stunningly good, if I do say so myself and I just did. Also, the raspberry flavor is so much more powerful and present. I don't think you could mistake this for anything else now. Jack (I've used so many of his recipes I feel like I know him) ends his recipe by saying, "This is an excellent wine, but don't rush it! You must ferment the full 6 months and age another six." He is absolutely right. It is a very different and very much better wine for the waiting. The only place I disagree with Jack, respectfully, is that this should be served chilled. I serve it like I serve reds, cellar temperature (55 degrees).
