mew

Recipes 

What is the purose of raisins in so many wine recipes I have seen; is it for tannin? If it is for tannin, how many raisins would you recommend for a white wine?

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Primary: Pilsner
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Yooper

Recipes 

I don't think there is much (if any) tannin in raisins. In white wines, golden raisins are used for body building. Dandelion wine, in particular, is very light bodied, almost watery. It benefits greatly from a pound of raisins in it. For some of my white wines (apple included), I add powdered tannin at about 1/8 tsp per gallon.

Lorena

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Orfy

Recipes 

The only wine books I've read are old ones and the say raisins and sultanas add "vinosity" to the wine. They are made from dried grapes after all.
I've been using tea to add tannin.

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mew

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Thanks for the replies! I think I'll have to go to the LHBS to get some tannin powder. Won't teas make the wine taste like the kind of tea added? Is there a particular kind of tea you use? I'm just curious.

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Primary: Pilsner
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Keg 1: Dunkelweizen
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Orfy

Recipes 

Just plain old tea.
But the experimenter in me made me use vanilla an caramel teas.

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Caplan

Recipes 

Dried raisins/sultanas/currants, etc are used with 'fruit/country wines' to provide 'body' but there's not enough tannin compared to a full grape wine for balance/aging.
Use Tea if you must. Strong black English 'blended' cheap tea bags made into a cup per gallon is the way to go - no Tea flavours just Tannin.
Tannin powder (made from grapes) at your LBS is better!

mew

Recipes 

So you normally add one cup of tea per gallon of wine?

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Primary: Pilsner
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Keg 1: Dunkelweizen
Keg 2: Empty

microhomebrewery

Recipes 

Hi, I'm a newbie so please excuse me adding my £0.02.
We make a mead kit which includes a handful of raisins and people are always asking what they are for….
Can I suggest that raisins are added in some brews which are low in yeast nutrient.
Most wine yeast strains are evolved from grape based wine.
So grapeless brews such as cider, elderflower, almost all country wine and mead for example are of course lacking in the nutrients that the wine yeast like.
The raisins are simply added to supply the nutrients that the wine based yeast like. Basically to feed up the yeasties. Little yeasty packed lunches if you like.
You could of course use wine nutrient. But a handful of raisins per gallon does the trick.