Started 4th August 2013
Our first ever home brew wine was raspberry wine and it was the best tasting of all the wines we've made so far. Our second raspberry wine was pretty good too, although a bit too sweet, but we've learnt a lot in the last year or so of winemaking.
We're now using bigger buckets to make bigger batches of wine - it's a lot easier in the long run. As some of the wines contain a lot of fruit and pulp and others froth up a lot, we're brewing 2 gallon batches in 3 gallon buckets and 4 gallon batches in 5 gallon batches. This allows us a full amount of liquid without spillage.
This year we've been picking our home grown raspberries every couple of days and saving them in the freezer for another batch of raspberry wine. As the freezer was filling up rapidly, we chose to make a 2 gallon batch now and follow it with another 2 gallon batch in a few week's time. For this one, we've chosen to use one 220ml bottle of concentrate and one 500g bag of currants.
Note that this recipe and quantities are for a 2 gallon batch of raspberry wine.
Raspberry Wine Recipe 3
Step 1:
Add 6lbs raspberries into a 3 gallon bucket
Add 5lbs sugar
Add 2 teaspoons pectolase to break down the fruit and extract flavour
Mash well, cover and leave for 24 hours
Step 2:
Simmer 500g currants in a large pan of water for 30 minutes, allow to cool, add to bucket
Add 220ml bottle of red grape juice concentrate to bucket
Mash well again, cover and leave for 24 hours
Step 3:
Top up bucket to about 2.25 gallons (just over 10 litres) with cold water
Test SG and add sugar to bring up to 1090
Add 2 teaspoons yeast nutrient
Add 1 teaspoon yeast
Stir well, cover and leave in a warm place for 10-14 days to ferment
Step 4:
Strain off the liquid into 2 clean, sterilised demijohns
If necessary, top up with cold water to the shoulder of the demijohns
Fit bungs and airlocks and leave to ferment for a few weeks (maybe 6)
Step 5:
Test the SG and if fermented out to about 0.995, then:
Rack off into clean, sterilised demijohns
Add 1 crushed campden tablet to each demijohn and shake well
Add 1tsp potassium sorbate to each demijohn to stop the ferment and shake well
Fit bungs and airlocks and leave for 2 or 3 weeks to degas, giving it a gentle shake every couple of days.
Step 6:
Bottle!
Showing posts with label raspberry wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label raspberry wine. Show all posts
Monday, 5 August 2013
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Raspberry, Loganberry & Redcurrant Wine 1
Started 30th April 2012
This wine was mainly about using up some remaining fruit from the freezer. We had about 1lb of raspberries and I found about 8oz of loganberries in there too, so decided to use those with 1lb or so of redcurrants to make another wine.
This one is a bit random and we didn't bother much about the exact quantities - it might be great, it might be awful - only one way to find out!
We also re-used some of the pulp from previous raspberry and redcurrant wine - the pulp still contains yeast, so no need to add any more.
Raspberry, Loganberry & Redcurrant Wine
Step 1:
Put 1lb raspberries, 0,5lb loganberries, 1.5lb redcurrants into bucket
Crush fruit
Dissolve 2.5lb sugar in 3 pints of water and add to bucket
Add 1 teaspoon pectolase to help break down the fruit and extract flavour
Simmer 0.5lb (500g) currants in 3 pints of water for 30 mins and add to bucket
Add a lump of pulp from a previous batch of wine
Add 1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
Cover and leave for 1 week
Note - this wine uses the yeast that already exists in the lump of pulp from the previous batch
This wine contains a lot of pulp so has less than 1 gallon of liquid. When this is strained into the demijohn, it will need topping up with water.
Step 2:
Strain through a sieve into a demijohn
Top up to 1 gallon
Fit bung and airlock and leave to ferment.
Results So Far:
It's a lovely colour, lovely smell. Nowhere near a gallon in the demijohn, probably only 6 pints at best. Not sure if we should top up or not, but we've decided not to. Just need to wait and see what happens ....
This wine was mainly about using up some remaining fruit from the freezer. We had about 1lb of raspberries and I found about 8oz of loganberries in there too, so decided to use those with 1lb or so of redcurrants to make another wine.
This one is a bit random and we didn't bother much about the exact quantities - it might be great, it might be awful - only one way to find out!
We also re-used some of the pulp from previous raspberry and redcurrant wine - the pulp still contains yeast, so no need to add any more.
Raspberry, Loganberry & Redcurrant Wine
Step 1:
Put 1lb raspberries, 0,5lb loganberries, 1.5lb redcurrants into bucket
Crush fruit
Dissolve 2.5lb sugar in 3 pints of water and add to bucket
Add 1 teaspoon pectolase to help break down the fruit and extract flavour
Simmer 0.5lb (500g) currants in 3 pints of water for 30 mins and add to bucket
Add a lump of pulp from a previous batch of wine
Add 1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
Cover and leave for 1 week
Note - this wine uses the yeast that already exists in the lump of pulp from the previous batch
This wine contains a lot of pulp so has less than 1 gallon of liquid. When this is strained into the demijohn, it will need topping up with water.
Step 2:
Strain through a sieve into a demijohn
Top up to 1 gallon
Fit bung and airlock and leave to ferment.
Results So Far:
It's a lovely colour, lovely smell. Nowhere near a gallon in the demijohn, probably only 6 pints at best. Not sure if we should top up or not, but we've decided not to. Just need to wait and see what happens ....
Raspberry & Redcurrant Wine 1
Started 23rd April 2012
We had 3lbs of redcurrants and another 2 or 3lbs of raspberries in the freezer. We didn't really fancy a pure redcurrant wine so thought we'd go for a mix of raspberries and redcurrants. We decided to re-use a little bit of the pulp from the previous raspberry wine as that already has yeast in.
Raspberry & Redcurrant Wine Recipe 1
Step 1:
Crush 2lbs raspberries and 1lb redcurrants in a 5 litre bucket
Add 1 teaspoon of pectolase to break down the fruit and extract flavour and colour
Dissolve 2.5lb sugar in 5 pints of water and add to bucket
Add 1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
Top up bucket to 4.5 litres (1 gallon) with cold water
Test SG and add sugar to bring up to 1090*
Put in airing cupboard to ferment for 7 days
* The hydrometer floated quite high, SG reading about 1135, so (from what I'd read) it didn't need any more sugar
Step 2:
Strain the liquid into a cleaned, sterilised demijohn
Fit bung and airlock to demijohn
Leave to ferment for a few weeks (maybe 6)
Result so far ....
This is another that looks good, looks like it'll clear well. The airlock is blipping away nice and steadily.
We had 3lbs of redcurrants and another 2 or 3lbs of raspberries in the freezer. We didn't really fancy a pure redcurrant wine so thought we'd go for a mix of raspberries and redcurrants. We decided to re-use a little bit of the pulp from the previous raspberry wine as that already has yeast in.
Raspberry & Redcurrant Wine Recipe 1
Crush 2lbs raspberries and 1lb redcurrants in a 5 litre bucket
Add 1 teaspoon of pectolase to break down the fruit and extract flavour and colour
Dissolve 2.5lb sugar in 5 pints of water and add to bucket
Add 1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
Top up bucket to 4.5 litres (1 gallon) with cold water
Test SG and add sugar to bring up to 1090*
Put in airing cupboard to ferment for 7 days
* The hydrometer floated quite high, SG reading about 1135, so (from what I'd read) it didn't need any more sugar
Step 2:
Strain the liquid into a cleaned, sterilised demijohn
Fit bung and airlock to demijohn
Leave to ferment for a few weeks (maybe 6)
This is another that looks good, looks like it'll clear well. The airlock is blipping away nice and steadily.
Raspberry Wine 2
Started 14th April 2012
This is our second batch of wine, started 2 weeks ago, so a bit of catching up to do with the record keeping.
This is similar to batch 1, except using currants instead of grape concentrate. Currants are made from Corinth grapes and are a lot cheaper than the grape concentrate
Raspberry Wine Recipe 2
Step 1:
Crush 3lb raspberries in a 5 litre (1 gallon) bucket
Add 1 teaspoon of pectolase to break down the fruit and extract flavour and colour
Add 2.5lb sugar
Cover tightly, leave for 24 hours
Step 2:
Simmer 500g pack of Sainsburys Basics Greek Currants in 3 pints of water for 30 mins
Allow to cool and add to bucket
Then add:
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
1 teaspoon wine yeast
Top up bucket to 4.5 litres (1 gallon) with cold water
Test SG and add sugar to bring up to 1090*
Put in airing cupboard to ferment for 7 days**
* The hydrometer floated quite high, SG reading about 1130, so (from what I'd read) it didn't need any more sugar
** 5 days should have been enough, but it's a weekend thing for us, so we just left it for 7 days
Step 3:
Strain the liquid into a cleaned, sterilised demijohn
Top up with cold water to the "shoulder" of the demijohn
Fit bung and airlock to demijohn
Leave to ferment for a few weeks (maybe 6)
Result so far ....
It looks good, nice red colour, but I'd describe it as cloudy. The airlock is blipping nicely, but at half the rate of the first raspberry wine.
Step 4:
Rack off into clean, sterilised demijohn
Add 1 crushed campden tablet
Add 1tsp potassium sorbate to stop the ferment
Shake well
Fit airlock and leave for 2 or 3 weeks to degas, giving it a gentle shake every couple of days.
Results now ... A very strong raspberry flavour, and very sweet. Should have tested SG before stopping the ferment. SG after stopping the ferment was 1015, so it's quite sweet - it could have continued fermenting a bit longer, which would have made a stronger, dryer wine.
Step 5:
Bottle - Bottled 19th July 2012
Verdict:
This is a really nice, sweet wine - a dessert wine. The strong raspberry flavour has mellowed. Definitely one to make again.
The reason this is sweeter than Raspberry Wine 1 is that we used currants instead of grape juice. The currants have twice as much sugar as the grape juice. We could have either used a little bit less sugar, or left the wine to continue fermenting a bit longer.
This is our second batch of wine, started 2 weeks ago, so a bit of catching up to do with the record keeping.
This is similar to batch 1, except using currants instead of grape concentrate. Currants are made from Corinth grapes and are a lot cheaper than the grape concentrate
Raspberry Wine Recipe 2
 |
| Raspberry wine 2 |
Crush 3lb raspberries in a 5 litre (1 gallon) bucket
Add 1 teaspoon of pectolase to break down the fruit and extract flavour and colour
Add 2.5lb sugar
Cover tightly, leave for 24 hours
Step 2:
Simmer 500g pack of Sainsburys Basics Greek Currants in 3 pints of water for 30 mins
Allow to cool and add to bucket
Then add:
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
1 teaspoon wine yeast
Top up bucket to 4.5 litres (1 gallon) with cold water
Test SG and add sugar to bring up to 1090*
Put in airing cupboard to ferment for 7 days**
* The hydrometer floated quite high, SG reading about 1130, so (from what I'd read) it didn't need any more sugar
** 5 days should have been enough, but it's a weekend thing for us, so we just left it for 7 days
 |
| Raspberry wines 1 & 2 - this one is on the right |
Strain the liquid into a cleaned, sterilised demijohn
Top up with cold water to the "shoulder" of the demijohn
Fit bung and airlock to demijohn
Leave to ferment for a few weeks (maybe 6)
Result so far ....
It looks good, nice red colour, but I'd describe it as cloudy. The airlock is blipping nicely, but at half the rate of the first raspberry wine.
Step 4:
Rack off into clean, sterilised demijohn
Add 1 crushed campden tablet
Add 1tsp potassium sorbate to stop the ferment
Shake well
Fit airlock and leave for 2 or 3 weeks to degas, giving it a gentle shake every couple of days.
Results now ... A very strong raspberry flavour, and very sweet. Should have tested SG before stopping the ferment. SG after stopping the ferment was 1015, so it's quite sweet - it could have continued fermenting a bit longer, which would have made a stronger, dryer wine.
Step 5:
Bottle - Bottled 19th July 2012
Verdict:
This is a really nice, sweet wine - a dessert wine. The strong raspberry flavour has mellowed. Definitely one to make again.
The reason this is sweeter than Raspberry Wine 1 is that we used currants instead of grape juice. The currants have twice as much sugar as the grape juice. We could have either used a little bit less sugar, or left the wine to continue fermenting a bit longer.
Raspberry Wine 1
Started 14th April 2012
This is our first batch of wine, started 2 weeks ago, so a bit of catching up to do with the record keeping.
Raspberry Wine Recipe 1
Step 1:
Crush 3lb raspberries in a 5 litre bucket
Add 1 teaspoon of pectolase to break down the fruit and extract flavour and colour
Add 2.5lb sugar
Cover tightly, leave for 24 hours
Step 2:
245ml tin of red grape concentrate
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
1 teaspoon wine yeast
Top up bucket to 4.5 litres (1 gallon) with cold water
Test SG and add sugar to bring up to 1090*
Put in airing cupboard to ferment for 7 days**
* The hydrometer floated quite high, SG reading about 1135, so (from what I'd read) it didn't need any more sugar
** 5 days should have been enough, but it's a weekend thing for us, so we just left it for 7 days
Step 3:
Strain the liquid into a cleaned, sterilised demijohn
Top up with cold water to the "shoulder" of the demijohn
Fit bung and airlock to demijohn
Leave to ferment for a few weeks (maybe 6)
Result so far ....
It looks good, looks like it'll become a really clear wine, deep red colour. The airlock is blipping nicely.
Step 4:
Rack off into clean demijohn
Add 1 crushed campden tablet
Add 1tsp potassium sorbate to stop the ferment
Shake well to mix and degas
Fit airlock and leave alone for 2 or 3 weeks to degas - give the demijohn a gentle shake every couple of day.
Results now .... Tastes good, strong raspberry flavour, a bit like pure raspberry juice, but alcoholic. Tested SG at this point - reading of 0.990, so it's a fairly dry wine. Should have tested SG sooner - must get into the habit of testing SG before racking off and stopping the ferment.
Step 5:
Bottle - Bottled 19th July 2012
Verdict:
The flavour has mellowed, it's not such a strong raspberry flavour, really nice wine now. This is definitely one we'll make more of.
This is our first batch of wine, started 2 weeks ago, so a bit of catching up to do with the record keeping.
Raspberry Wine Recipe 1
 |
| Raspberry wine with grape concentrate |
Crush 3lb raspberries in a 5 litre bucket
Add 1 teaspoon of pectolase to break down the fruit and extract flavour and colour
Add 2.5lb sugar
Cover tightly, leave for 24 hours
Step 2:
245ml tin of red grape concentrate
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
1 teaspoon wine yeast
Top up bucket to 4.5 litres (1 gallon) with cold water
Test SG and add sugar to bring up to 1090*
Put in airing cupboard to ferment for 7 days**
* The hydrometer floated quite high, SG reading about 1135, so (from what I'd read) it didn't need any more sugar
** 5 days should have been enough, but it's a weekend thing for us, so we just left it for 7 days
Step 3:
Strain the liquid into a cleaned, sterilised demijohn
Top up with cold water to the "shoulder" of the demijohn
Fit bung and airlock to demijohn
Leave to ferment for a few weeks (maybe 6)
Result so far ....
It looks good, looks like it'll become a really clear wine, deep red colour. The airlock is blipping nicely.
Step 4:
Rack off into clean demijohn
Add 1 crushed campden tablet
 |
| Raspberry wines 1 & 2 - this one is on the left |
Shake well to mix and degas
Fit airlock and leave alone for 2 or 3 weeks to degas - give the demijohn a gentle shake every couple of day.
Results now .... Tastes good, strong raspberry flavour, a bit like pure raspberry juice, but alcoholic. Tested SG at this point - reading of 0.990, so it's a fairly dry wine. Should have tested SG sooner - must get into the habit of testing SG before racking off and stopping the ferment.
Step 5:
Bottle - Bottled 19th July 2012
Verdict:
The flavour has mellowed, it's not such a strong raspberry flavour, really nice wine now. This is definitely one we'll make more of.
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