[Sca-cooks] sugar substitute for wine making?

[Mark S. Harris]

Maire replied to me with:

> I've got a weird English book on making homemade wines, and they
> frequently add raisins or sultanas to their mixes--for "body", I think
> they say.  Never tried it, myself, but then I'm not that found of dried
> grapes!


But are they adding them pulverized or whole? Either way I'm not sure
that they are adding enough to really affect the body much.

As to disliking dried grapes (ie: raisins), after they've been in the
wine for awhile they will rehydrate and resemble grapes a lot more than
raisins.

Hmmm. I've still got an unopened bag of dried cranberries from Pennsic.
I wonder how they would taste rehydrated in wine...


> "Mark S. Harris" wrote:
>> If I remember correctly, Digby is talking about only a small amount
>> of raisins. Not really enough to greatly effect the sugar level. I
>> think the purpose of the raisins is simply to supply natural yeasts,
>> which often live on the outer skin of the grapes.

--
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris            Austin, Texas          stefan at texas.net
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