Raspberry Country Wine
Raspberry country wine is bright, fragrant, and one of the easier soft-fruit projects. Don't over-press the fruit — raspberry seeds will throw bitter notes if crushed too hard. The wine tastes more like a light off-dry red than a fruit liqueur, and back-sweetening to roughly 1% residual sugar improves balance.
ABV10-12%
Ferment28d
Age75d
Total103d
Ingredients
| 5 lb | Fresh or frozen raspberries |
| 2.25 lb | Cane sugar |
| 1 gal | Water |
| 0.5 tsp | Acid blend (low — raspberries are tart) |
| 0.5 tsp | Pectic enzyme |
| 1 tsp | Yeast nutrient |
| 5 g | Wine yeast (71B or D47) |
| 1 tab | Campden tablet |
Equipment
- 2-gallon primary bucket
- 1-gallon glass carboy
- Airlock
- Hydrometer
- Straining bag
Steps
- Day 0
Crush + steep
Crush raspberries in bag, add hot sugar-water, cool to 70°F.
- Day 0
Campden
Crush 1 Campden, stir. Wait 24h.
- Day 1
Pitch yeast
Add pectic enzyme, nutrient, then yeast.
- Day 1-8
Primary
Punch down twice daily 5-7 days.
- Day 8
Press + rack
Squeeze gently to avoid extracting seed bitterness.
- Day 8-28
Secondary
Ferment to dryness.
- Day 28-75
Stabilize + age
Rack, k-meta + sorbate, optional back-sweetening.
- Day 75
Bottle
Bottle and drink within 18 months — raspberry aroma fades.