I want to make a cran/raspberry wine,for my wife. My question is, using Vintner's Harvest fruit base, do I need to make a cranberry and a raspberry wine and blend them or can I just put one can of cranberry and one can of raspberry in the primary at the same time.. What is a good ratio.
You can do either, but you may not like the taste if you combine the fruit bases before you ferment. That said most people find it better to blend the wines after fermentation (and aging). The taste profiles of the fruit bases will change during fermentation so you will not get the taste you are expecting (partly due to the lack of sugars, partly do to the flavour the yeast imparts). You also can make smaller batches to experiment with (1 or 3 gallons) and take notes so that you remember what you did for next time. When blending do small test blends and ask your wife which one she likes and what would make it better. Ken
Just a suggestion if you are after a cranberry type wine. Check the Highbush Cranberry recipe on Jack Keller's cite. I have made it and several others I know of have made it. It is made from fresh cranberries and it comes out excellent. Very strong cranberry taste. My wife and many women I know like it exactly like it is made but I prefer it blended at drinking time with a white wine like Niagara or Chardonnay. I have thought of making it by cutting the cranberries in half and using a can of Welch's Niagara, but then my wife likes it the way it is and I can blend it afterwards, so why?
Ray
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