This will be my fifth version of a Raspberry Wine (read about 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th). This project has been great way to use up my embarrassment of riches produced by my large Raspberry patch each year. I have been experimenting with different amounts of fruit and sugar (to achieve different ABV) as well as flavoring with spirit soaked oak to get a variety of flavors. This year, I've decided to try some spices.
I've opted for a Coca Cola like set of spices here with vanilla, citrus, and a combination of coriander and nutmeg. I aimed for a fairly subtle spicing level here (based on using the same spices in a Flanders Red before). I'm hoping this melds well with the tart raspberry.
I'm using the most raspberries so far in this batch - 65 lbs. I'm adding 12 lbs of sugar which should get me something on the order of 12% ABV. I'm avoiding adding any water to this one to try to get as intense a raspberry flavor as possible.
I will let this ferment for a few weeks and then age in a glass carboy for about a year to mellow. I'll backsweeten this (and sterilize with campden tablets) to end up with a sweet and still product in the bottle.
Recipe Details:
- 65 lbs Raspberries
- 12 lbs table sugar
- 6 tsp Pectic Enzyme
- 12 Campden Tablets
- 1 pack of Red Star Premier Cuvee
- 1 pack of Safeale S04 (British Ale Yeast)
- Extras:
- Zest of 2 oranges
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 0.5 bourbon vanilla bean
- 1 cup of Everclear
- OG:
- 1.092
- Post Fermentation FG:
- TBD
- Back sweetened FG:
- TBD
- ABV:
- TBD
- 6/10/23
- Filled two buckets with frozen raspberry which weighed out to be 65 lbs
- Added crushed campden tablets, pectic enzyme, and sugar to the raspberries. The sugar will act to protect the fruit over night
- 6/11/23 - Rehydrated and pitched the yeast. The raspberries had liquified and sugar had dissolved but it was still a bit cold
- 6/12/23 - Fermentation was underway by today
- 6/22/23 - Fermentation is still underway and the fruit solids have formed a surface for the wine. I haven't done anything to mess with the fermentation this time
- 7/2/23 - It looks like active fermentation is complete. Removed the solids and transferred the wine into a glass carboy. Added 3 campden tablets during the transfer.
- 7/9/23 - Collected my spices in a mason jar and added Everclear to create a tincture. Let this sit for a few weeks shaking the mix every few days
- 7/23/23 - Pitched the tincture into the secondary fermenter
