So I buy the big packs of sun maid raisins from Sam's Club for my kids. I have read on here about how good the raisin wine is and I wanted to try it. I also have a couple old wine books... now keep in mind my wine has always come out awful.. but I think I know why and I think I got it fixed. (no degassing on my part before.. this time ill use my food-saver)
So I used the following:
1.875 lbs Raisins (that was exactly 1 bag)
1.5 lbs of sugar (+/- some to get to the right gravity)
1 tsp Citric Acid
1 tsp Pectic Enzyme
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 package Pasteur yeast from Red Star
So I read on here its easier to use hot water and a blender to chop them up without making the sludge turd. I did just that and it worked out great. The water I used was from my carbon filter through my outside tap. I heated it up threw it in there with half the bag of raisins and pulsed ~10 seconds twice.. then repeated with the other half of the bag of raisins.
I got both of those into the 1.5 gallon fermenter bucket and then topped off with cold water, added my enzyme and acid then put the air lock in and took it downstairs.
Next I just re-hydrated the yeast in a cup of water with the nutrient dissolved in it. I figure between the stirring i did of my yeast slurry and the excessive stirring i did in the bucket there should be enough oxygen.
I tested my gravity at 18.5 brix so if it ferments to dryness which I expect a 10.5% wine. If I have to back sweeten I will. The liquid level is close to the 1.3 gallon mark. I imagine as it ferments then more sugar will be extracted out of the raisin chunks so the 18.5 Brix might not be totally accurate
I put it down in the basement where it is a constant 68 degrees. (my fermentation fridge is full with a Schwartzbier and Dunkel in it)
Well see how this goes. If anyone has done this before and wants to pass along some advice im all ears. I figure ill let it go a week or two till there's not much activity then take it off the raisins and put it in a 1 gallon glass carboy. Then ill let it go a few more weeks and degas then put into another 1 gallon glass carboy and let it set for a while.
So I used the following:
1.875 lbs Raisins (that was exactly 1 bag)
1.5 lbs of sugar (+/- some to get to the right gravity)
1 tsp Citric Acid
1 tsp Pectic Enzyme
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 package Pasteur yeast from Red Star
So I read on here its easier to use hot water and a blender to chop them up without making the sludge turd. I did just that and it worked out great. The water I used was from my carbon filter through my outside tap. I heated it up threw it in there with half the bag of raisins and pulsed ~10 seconds twice.. then repeated with the other half of the bag of raisins.
I got both of those into the 1.5 gallon fermenter bucket and then topped off with cold water, added my enzyme and acid then put the air lock in and took it downstairs.
Next I just re-hydrated the yeast in a cup of water with the nutrient dissolved in it. I figure between the stirring i did of my yeast slurry and the excessive stirring i did in the bucket there should be enough oxygen.
I tested my gravity at 18.5 brix so if it ferments to dryness which I expect a 10.5% wine. If I have to back sweeten I will. The liquid level is close to the 1.3 gallon mark. I imagine as it ferments then more sugar will be extracted out of the raisin chunks so the 18.5 Brix might not be totally accurate
I put it down in the basement where it is a constant 68 degrees. (my fermentation fridge is full with a Schwartzbier and Dunkel in it)
Well see how this goes. If anyone has done this before and wants to pass along some advice im all ears. I figure ill let it go a week or two till there's not much activity then take it off the raisins and put it in a 1 gallon glass carboy. Then ill let it go a few more weeks and degas then put into another 1 gallon glass carboy and let it set for a while.