Raisin Wines, Sherries, and/or Meads

Apple, Parsnip and Raisin Dry Sherry

June 6, 2022
  • 2 lb. apples
  • 1 lb. parsnips
  • 1 lb. golden raisins
  • 2 lb. granulated sugar
  • 1 oz. gypsum
  • 1/2 oz. cream of tartar
  • 1/2 oz. pectic enzyme
  • 1/2 oz. tartaric acid
  • 1 gallon water
  • Sherry wine yeast and nutrient

Before beginning, core and slice apples, scrub and chop parsnips, chop raisins. Dissolve sugar in 2 cups boiling water. Allow sugar syrup to cool and store in jar for future use. Boil parsnips in 5 pt. water for 10 minutes. Strain over sliced apples and chopped raisins in primary fermentation vessel. Add all ingredients except yeast, pectic enzyme and half the sugar syrup. Cover and allow to cool, then add pectic enzyme and activated yeast, cover, and ferment on the pulp four days, stirring twice daily. Strain through fine nylon sieve and add 1/2 cup sugar syrup. Cover and add remaining sugar syrup in 1/2 cup increments whenever S.G. drops to 1.005 or less (approximately every three days). When all sugar syrup is added, add sufficient water to bring to one gallon. When fermentation is complete (additional 10-14 days), rack into large enough secondary fermentation vessel (1-1/2 to 2 gallon) to allow fair amount of air above wine. Plug opening with cotton. Normally, that is the only racking in sherry production, but if pulp particles appear in sediment, rack again after two weeks and plug again with cotton. Store secondary fermentation vessel in cool (55-60 degrees F.) place and leave undisturbed. Flor may form in 3-4 weeks or as late as 4 months. If flor forms, leave undisturbed until all flor has sunk to bottom. Carefully siphon off lees through double layer of fine muslin into bottles. If flor does not form, allow to sit six months, carefully siphon into clean gallon bottle, sweeten with sufficient white grape concentrate or sugar water (1/3 lb. sugar dissolved in one cup water) to top up to one gallon, and then bottle. Allow two or more years to mature. [Adapted from Bryan Acton and Peter Duncan’s Making Wines Like Those You Buy]

Date And Raisin Wine

April 5, 2001
  • 4 lbs dates
  • 1/4 lb chopped or minced golden raisins or sultanas
  • 1 lb 2 oz demerara or light brown sugar
  • 2 medium oranges
  • 2 small lemons
  • 1/4 tsp pectic enzyme
  • 1 crushed Campden tablet
  • pinch (1/8 tsp) of tannin
  • 71/4 pts water
  • 1 tsp yeast nutrient
  • 1 packet wine yeast

Bring 2 quarts of water to a rapid boil. Meanwhile, slice the dates lengthwise to remove strips of date pulp from the seeds. Put pulp and seeds in primary. Chop or mince raisins and add to primary. Add the zest from all four citrus fruit to the primary and pour boiling water over contents of primary. Cover primary and set aside for 12 hours. Combine remaining water and sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Add to primary with juice from citrus, crushed Campden, tannin, and yeast nutrient. Recover and set aside another 12 hours. Stir in pectic enzyme and cover once again. After additional 12 hours, add activated yeast and recover. Stir twice daily for one week. Strain through nylon straining bag, squeezing pulp well to extract flavors. Transfer liquid to secondary and fit airlock. Rack after one month, top up and refit airlock. Wait two months and rack, top up and refit airlock. Set aside until wine clears and is no longer depositing new lees (2-4 months). Rack, stabilize, sweeten to taste, top up, and refit airlock. After additional 2 weeks, bottle the wine. Age 2 years before sampling–longer if required. [Author’s own recipe]

Date, Raisin And Fruit Wine

April 5, 2001
  • 4 lbs pitted dates
  • 1/2 lb chopped or minced golden raisins or sultanas
  • 1-1/2 cups dried black currants, cranberries or cherries
  • 1 lb demerara or light brown sugar
  • 2 medium oranges
  • 2 small lemons
  • 1/4 tsp pectic enzyme
  • 1 crushed Campden tablet
  • pinch (1/8 tsp) of tannin
  • 71/4 pts water
  • 1 tsp yeast nutrient
  • 1 packet wine yeast

Bring 2 quarts of water to a rapid boil. Meanwhile, chop or mince dates, raisins and selected dried fruit and add to primary. Pour boiling water over contents of primary. Cover primary and set aside for 12 hours. Combine remaining water and sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Stir into primary with juice from lemons and oranges, crushed Campden, tannin, and yeast nutrient. Recover and set aside another 12 hours. Stir in pectic enzyme and cover once again. After additional 12 hours, add activated yeast and recover. Stir twice daily for one week. Strain through nylon straining bag, squeezing pulp well to extract flavors. Transfer liquid to secondary and fit airlock. Rack only after all signs of fermentation are past, top up and refit airlock. Set aside until wine clears and then rack. Stabilize, sweeten to taste, top up, and refit airlock. After 10-14 days, bottle. Age 2 years. Continues to improve with additional ageing. [Author’s own recipe]

Peach And Raisin Wine

April 5, 2001
  • 3 lbs ripe peaches
  • 1/2 cup chopped raisins
  • 1-3/4 lbs granulated sugar
  • 1 large lemon
  • 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
  • 1 qt boiling water
  • 1 crushed Campden tablet
  • 1 tsp yeast nutrient
  • Sauterne wine yeast

Wash peaches in cool water. Do not peel. Slice thinly into primary, discarding stones. Mash the peaches and add chopped raisins and half the sugar. Pour in the boiling water and stir to dissolve sugar. Cover primary with sterile cloth and set aside until reaching room temperature, then add cool water to equal one gallon. Add juice of large lemon and crushed Campden tablet. Recover and set aside 12 hours. Add pectic enzyme and set aside another 12 hours. Stir in yeast nutrient and sprinkle yeast on top of must. Allow to ferment 5 days, stirring twice daily. Strain through nylon straining bag, squeezing firmly to extract juice. Add remainder of sugar, stir well to dissolve, then pour into secondary without topping up and fit airlock. Top up when fermentation dies down. Rack every three weeks until wine clears and fermented to bone dryness. Allow another two weeks, rack final time and bottle. Can right away, but will mellow considerably in six months. [Adapted from Dorothy Alatorre’s Home Wines of North America ]

Raisin Wine

April 5, 2001
  • 4 lbs raisins
  • 1 lb sugar
  • 1 gallon water
  • 1 crushed Campden tablet
  • 1 tsp pectic enzyme
  • 1 tsp yeast nutrient
  • 1 pkt wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, chop the raisins or run them through a mincer. Put raisins, sugar and yeast nutrient into primary. When water boils, pour over raisins and stir until sugar dissolves. Cover with a sanitized cloth and set aside to cool. When at room temperature, add crushed Campden tablet and stir. Recover primary and set aside for 12 hours. Add pectic enzyme, stir, recover primary, and set aside another 12 hours. Add activated yeast. Stir daily for 7 days. Strain and press juice out of raisin pulp. Transfer liquid to secondary and fit airlock. Rack, top up and refit airlock every 30 days until wine clears and no new sediments form during a 30-day period. Stabilize, sweeten to taste, wait 10 days, and rack into bottles. Like most wines, it will improve with age. [Author’s own recipe]