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Raisin Wine

A fermented wine made from Smyrna raisins, water, isinglass, sugar candy, and brandy.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Raisin Wine

Why it works: Raisin and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,768 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Raisin Wine

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the mash

  1. Combine 100 pounds of Smyrna raisins with 20 gallons of cold water in a large tub.

  2. Stir the mixture 2-3 times daily for 4-5 weeks.

  3. Mash the raisins by hand.

  4. Strain the mash through a sieve.

Age in the barrel

  1. Transfer the liquid to a barrel.

  2. Add 2 ounces of dissolved isinglass, 3 pounds of sugar candy, and 1 bottle of brandy to the barrel.

  3. Seal the barrel tightly and let it sit for 12 months before bottling.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Raisin + brandytop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,768 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  2. Raisin + sugartop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,481 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  3. Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together11,939 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Sugar and brandy barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,939 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Smyrna raisins
Provide the sugars and fruit flavour that ferment into the wine's body.
Sugar candy
Adds extra sweetness and fuel for fermentation, sweetening the finished wine.
Brandy
Raises the alcohol content, adding strength and helping preserve the wine.
Isinglass
Acts as a fining agent that clears the wine by settling out suspended particles.

The step that matters

Sealing the barrel tightly for 12 months. Sealing limits contact with air, which would let acetic acid bacteria turn the alcohol into vinegar. A tight seal also keeps the wine clearing and aging undisturbed while it matures.

Swap the raisin

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, brandy):

  1. Vanillafits better
  2. Apricotfits about as well
  3. Raisinthe original
  4. Figfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, brandy. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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