question about making wine with chemically treated raisins

[reynardthefox]

greetings

i was planning to make a few gallons of raisin wine since my grandfather has a raisin vineyard. the problem is that the raisins are treated with a solution of potassium carbonate and ethyl ester before drying in the sun to make them dry faster and prevent spoilage. now, I don't know if this will inhibit yeast activity or create harmful chemicals in the process.
i would appreciate any input you might have on this.
thanks

 

[reynardthefox]

Update: since no one seems to know the answer and there are no replies so far, I went ahead and did the following. first, I de-stemmed the raisins as much as possible and shook off any dirt it had. then, I washed them thoroughly and rinsed them several times with water and let them air dry.
after about 12 hours, I boiled a big pot of water, took off heat and soaked 5 kg of raisins for another 12 hours. then I put the must through a blender and got a fine mash out of it (the raisins are seedless). boiled the rest of my water and caramelized 2 kg of sugar and topped off to 20 liters and added the yeast and aerated well. it started bubbling nicely after 2 hours and the house smells really good.

I hope the chemicals are washed off and don't add any off flavors or mess with my yeast.
I'll keep u posted.
cheers

 

[jgmillr1]

Since may home-brew wine recipes call for the use of raisins, I would guess that you would not have any trouble if the raisins are manufactured / treated the typical way.

The potassium carbonate is a simple de-acidifying agent that can be used in wine making without any trouble. The ethyl ester treatment you mention is not specific enough chemically to make a judgment. It must be an ester of ethanol and something. What is that "something"? Generally esters are volatile and aromatic, so it may impart a flavor/aroma to the wine depending on what is on the other end of that Eth-(C=O)-? molecule.

 

[reynardthefox]

Since may home-brew wine recipes call for the use of raisins, I would guess that you would not have any trouble if the raisins are manufactured / treated the typical way.

The potassium carbonate is a simple de-acidifying agent that can be used in wine making without any trouble. The ethyl ester treatment you mention is not specific enough chemically to make a judgment. It must be an ester of ethanol and something. What is that "something"? Generally esters are volatile and aromatic, so it may impart a flavor/aroma to the wine depending on what is on the other end of that Eth-(C=O)-? molecule.

thanks for clearing that up. aside from the potassium carbonate, it says on the package: 1.5% ethyl esters of fatty acids.

today, I measured the SG when it cleared a bit and it stood at 1.118. don't know if its accurate or not since the raisin sugars may not be fully dissolved or extracted, but so far, it has been the most volatile fermentation i have ever seen.

Santé