Cranberry-Raspberry Juice Wine
- 1 12-oz can frozen “cranraspberry” concentrate
- 1 lb granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
- 1/8 tsp tannin
- 1 crushed Campden tablet
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- water to one gallon
- Champagne or Montrachet wine yeast
Thaw the cranraspberry concentrate and pour in gallon jug. Add sugar, crushed Campden, tannin, and yeast nutrient. Add water, leaving 3-4 inches of air above liquid. Stir thoroughly with wooden dowel until all sugar is dissolved (or just screw cap on jug, pick it up and shake it until sugar dissolves, being sure you remove the cap afterwards). Cover mouth of jug with paper towel held by rubber band and set aside 12 hours. Add pectic enzyme, stir, recover, and set aside another 12 hours. Add activated wine yeast, recover, and set in warm place. Stir daily until specific gravity drops to 1.020 (about 2 weeks), then top up, fit airlock and set in warm place again. Rack when s.g. reaches 1.000 (30-45 days), top up, refit airlock, and set in cooler place. Rack again in 60 days and again 60 days after that, topping up and refitting airlock each time. Wine should now be dry, clear and ready to bottle. This wine tends to be tart so taste first. If too dry, dissolve one crushed Campden tablet and 1/2 tsp potassium sorbate in one cup of the wine and add to main body of wine. Sweeten to taste, refit airlock and set aside 10 days. Rack into bottles and age 6 months before tasting. [Adapted from Terry Garey’s The Joy of Home Winemaking ]