Style Design History

Raspbery 2004

Bin 80

Aims

The aim was to make a sweet style wine with definitive raspberry identity and an intense nose of minimal phenolic character.


The Fruit

2004 was a wet and dull year in south east Scotland. The summer months (June-August) experienced about 160% of the average summer rainfall (compared to 1961-1990 averages) and only 91% of the average summer sunshine hours. Temperatures showed a 0.9 degree increase compared to this average.
Whilst the season was dull and wet overall, there were some hot and sunny days (for e.g., picking was on a day of full sun at around 28°C / 82°F in the sun).

With the warm and wet weather there was a real risk of mould. Indeed, some grey rot was found on a proportion of the fruit. Such fruit was avoided at picking under a strict fruit selection programme.

Harvest: 8th August 2004, which accurately represented the end of the season
Price: £2.64/kg, ~2.30 $US/lb
Quality: Estery fruit of medium-full ripeness level
Transport: Small shallow bins
Storage: Frozen within hours of harvest
Technical data: Pure leached juice from the frozen fruit had a SG of 1.032, pH 3.05, TA 20.6 g/l


Figure: Average meteorological data for the 2004 season

Must

The fruit was defrosted for 12 hours. (Pure juice which leached out of the fruit during defrosting yielded 207 ml/kg juice. 110 mg/l SO2 was added to this juice.)
The aim was to achieve maximum extraction but to minimise phenolics. The fruit was crushed by hand and a short maceration at room temperature was conducted with a high concentration of pectin enzymes. 95 mg/l SO2 was added to the crushed fruit and left to macerate for 24 hours. The crushed fruit was then strained, giving a total juice yield of 655 ml/kg. The strained juice possessed pH 2.96, TA 19.9 g/l, and a SG of 1.030 (with limited pulp present). Wet fruit marc yield was 266 g/kg original fruit. The juice was diluted such that 60% of the original juice was present in the final juice-water blend. The SG was taken to 1.090 with sugar. The pH was 3.16, TA 14.4 g/l.


Fermentation

The must was inoculated with S. cerevisiae strain 71B-1122, a Narbonne isolate designed for fruity wines. This yeast has the ability to metabolise 20-40% of the malic acid present in the must.
Fermentation began at room temperature. When a vigorous ferment had begun, the must was cooled to 12°C (54°F) and remained at this temperature for the duration of fermentation. Fermentation was complete within 5 weeks.


Post-Fermentation

Fermentation was slowed at SG 998. The pH was 2.92, TA 15.4 g/l. The wine was racked and 23 mg/l SO2 was added (for 150% of 1 mg/l molecular). 250 mg/l potassium sorbate was added. The wine was then held at around 5°C (41°F) for 4 months. The wine would preferably have been racked during this period. However, due to winemaker circumstance this was not possible. After this period it was deemed wise to bottle the wine to retain freshness, even if at the expense of slightly better clarity. Sweetening trials were performed and the wine bottled with a range of sweetness levels. Preferred levels were ~12 g/l residual sugar for superior fruitiness, acidic freshness and some "bite"; and ~62 g/l residual sugar for a "better" poised palate between sweetness and acidity.


Bottling

Bottling was conducted under CO2 and the wine had an additional 27 mg/l SO added for extra protection.


Tasting

Multiple occasions at 2 months in bottle (including panels of tasters of up to 7 experienced people):

Colour: Clear, fluorescent pink.
Nose: A very clean estery/floral raspberry nose with amazing purity of fruit and great concentration. Some claim a touch of roses and cinnamon is apparent, others notice a creamy/raspberry-yoghurt character.
Palate: Medium bodied, fresh, and with flavours as the nose.



Final analysis

Alc/Vol: ~11%
pH: 3.02
TA: 12.4 g/l (as tartaric)
Residual sugar: 12 / 62 g/l

Conclusions

The wine successfully presents itself in an incredibly clean, fresh, sweet, and overtly fruity style with precise fruit definition. It provides easy drinking and is perfect for warm summer afternoons in the garden, as an aperitif or as an after dinner drink.

Whilst the abv might traditionally be higher in such a dessert style, the lower alcohol complements the style in much the same way that low alcohol complements Auslese Rieslings.

Minimised phenolic (seed) character was successfully managed with gentle crushing together with a program of short maceration at warm temperatures using a high concentration of pectin enzymes.


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