Why? Raisins / Sultanas in wine?

[Ireland-or-bust]

I have tied to find an answer to not much avail.

Why are these in so many recipies? is it just for the sugar?

If so, can i just use more sugar as its cheaper than raisins.

Thanks,m

[thefriarandme]

I think it's to give the vinosity; to add the 'wine' element and stop it tasting like alcoholic fruit juice. Some people use grape concentrate.

[Ireland-or-bust]

Hi,

Thats useful to know.
I don't actually like wine so alchoholic fruit juice sounds much more appealing.

Is it needed for sugar at all? should i replace raisins/sultanas for an equal amount of sugar?

Thanks
Mark

[glenniedragon]

I think they 'round out' the taste of the wine and nourish the yeast so I wouldn't do a straight swap for sugar not sure that would work.

kind thoughts
Deb

[Magpie]

Raisins and sultanas have a natural yeast on them - if you don't add them, you won't have any, unless you add it separately.

[QuakerBear]

Mr. QB makes a wheat and raisin wine and I think they're essential for their flavour in that recipie.

[red]

i think some recipes call for raisins etc cos what they are officially making - say nettle wine, would not make a wine at all, so really its raisin wine.. with nettles in. ie cheating.
I don't use raisins and sultanas in my wine.. mine is fruit and sugar. apart from the mead.. which was honey water a bit of tea and lemon.

[Alexandra]

Thanks for the question - have to admit to wondering the same thing myself. I just missed out the raisins but added yeast separately. To start with we did add more sugar but this obviously produced really sweet wine. So far we've tried making rhubarb, elderflower, and plum wine - all lovely. The pea-pod and celery weren't quite so palatable!
Best wishes,
Alexandra.

[Jandra]

Grapes (and hence raisins) have tannin in their skins. Tannins have an adstringent quality (thus balancing the flavour profile of your wine) and act as a natural preservative because they are anti-oxydants. Help preserve the color of the fruit in a wine from bleaching out, too. In meads (which I brew) they also provide nutrients for the yeasties. In a fruit wine that would not be as necessary, but I can imagine that an elderflower wine would benefit from some extra yeast-feed too. Yeast needs more than just fermentable sugars to thrive.

Some people add tea to their wine, also for the tannins.

Just a bit of background info.

Jandra
(If you're interested in brewing mead, have a look at http://www.gotmead.com. Loads of info)

[Cheezy]

In my Gran's old book (written in the 60's) they give you the option of using raisins or pectinase, So I've always assumed that you are adding them into wines made from fruits and especially cerials that have a low pectinase content, and therefore could form a pectin haze.
However I'm probably the only person who thought this!

Intersting range of answers though, keeping the wine making black art going!.

[Jandra]

Hi, I've actually read in several places that tannins also help clear a wine. Wouldn't count on tannins as a substitution for pectinase myself, though.

Regards, Jandra

[porkchop]

hi as i was reading i was thinking its to do with tannin. then it was confirmed by jandra. good luck with it.

[MKG]

It really is this vinosity thing. A must made from grapes is paradise for yeast because it's a perfect balance of everything needed to make wine (well, it would be, wouldn't it?). Sultanas, raisins and currants theoretically push a non-grape must towards this perfection by adding traces of such things as succinic acid and by aiding in the formation of glycerines. All of that, though, presupposes that the wine has had a decent amount of time to mature. If you're anything like me, that never happens.

They do add flavour, though, and as they're something like 75% sugar, they cut down the requirements for adding that. Raisin wine can be very nice (oh yes indeedy).