What Is Raspberry Wine?

Raspberry wine is a type of wine made with raspberries rather than grapes. Wine is made by slowly fermenting and then aging specific fruits to produce a flavorful alcoholic beverage. Normally a dry wine, raspberry wine has a slight tartness to its flavor. This wine is made by professional and amateur wine makers alike.

Fresh or frozen ripe raspberries, water, and sugar are used to make raspberry wine. Although water is necessary, a common mistake among amateur wine makers is to add too much water to the wine mixture, weakening the flavor of the finished wine. Sometimes small amounts of tannin, found in the skins of grapes or in some wood barks, will be added as well. Tannin provides additional flavor and structure to the wine. In addition to these basic ingredients, a pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient, wine yeast, and a Campden tablet, as well as an acid blend, are normally necessary to complete the fermenting process.

A primary fermenter, normally referred to simply as a primary, is also necessary to make raspberry wine. The simplest fermenters are large plastic buckets complete with airtight covers. A straining bag, usually nylon, is required as well.

To make raspberry wine, the stems and leaves are first removed from the berries. Then the fruit is washed and placed into a straining bag or a press and mashed. The juice is placed into the fermenter along with the sealed straining bag containing the pulp. Afterward, everything but the yeast is added to the liquid and the primary is covered. Often water is boiled before being poured over the other ingredients, and sometimes the sugar is dissolved in the water before it is poured into the mixture.

The yeast is added to the wine between 12 and 24 hours later. Afterward, the wine is stirred daily and otherwise remains covered for about two weeks. Then, the wine is racked. Racking removes the sediment from the wine mixture and places the liquid in a new container. Raspberry wine may be racked only once or several times during the fermenting processes, which usually requires approximately six months to complete.

Once fermenting is complete, the wine is bottled and aged. Raspberry wine is normally aged at least a year before drinking. It should be stored in a dark place, in dark glass bottles, to keep it from discoloring. When served, it should be first chilled. A dry wine, raspberry wine is not usually sweet, but rather tart with a subtle fruit flavor.