Raisins - dried grapes.

Raisins in MeadGolden Raisins is the term used in the US to describe what Australians and many others refer to as Sultanas. The difference between Raisins and Sultanas is the manner in which they are dried. A raisin is dried naturally, a sultana is dipped in oil and acid and then dried.

For a long time in the Mead making arena it was held to belief that raisins provided yeast with the nutrients that honey was deficient in. This is no longer the commonly held view, though there are still countless recipes of old floating around that use raisins for this mythical value.

Raisins are not high enough in nitrogen to provide sufficient nutrients in the small quantities called for by most recipes.

Raisins are probably the biggest red flag issue in internet forums when recipes that use them get posted. However true the multitude of responses that "Raisins are not nutrients" may be, what has happened is that raisins are now seen by many as an almost taboo ingredient: one that only those who don't know any better use. Any recipe posted on a Mead forum with raisins in it quickly gets a response of "Why are you using Raisins?"

Raisins are not to be discounted as an ingredient. Raisins are used throughout the world of winemaking to produce some of the worlds finest desert wines. They have a valued role in that area. Green Ginger Wine, that traditional warming winter drink is three parts raisins for every one part ginger, it is a ginger flavoured raisin wine and is a prime example of a good use for these little dried berries.

Even classifying a mead with raisins in it becomes contentious. A Mead made with grapes is a Pyment, yet people in the know tell me that a Mead with raisins is not, it is a melomel because it uses raisins not grapes.

Um, perhaps I am a bit slow here but I thought raisins were grapes. I think that whoever wrote the guidelines, simply didn't know this and thought they were some other dried fruit. 

It is a grape mead and I see no need to distinguish between dried and fresh grapes. I sell my meads rather than sort them into competition categories so such categories are really of no concern to me: consumer response is my measure. If you are hitting the competition circuit with your raisin mead, be sure you know where it is considered to belong.

I am happy to call it a Pyment , regardless of the views of the classifiers.

Some claim raisins provide mouthfeel, this may be true, but there are other ingredients that do a better job than raisins for this and as I have said already, you need a lot of raisins to have an impact.

If you make a raisin mead, it will have good mouthfeel, that is certainly true but adding a few raisins to a mead for mouthfeel is not going to give the quality of result that other alternatives might provide.

Some claim that raisins provide tannins, again, there are much better suited ingredients than this. There are some tannins in raisins, but they sit at the "why bother" level unless you are using bulk.

If you make a raisin mead, it will have good tannins, that is certainly true but adding a few raisins to a mead for tannin is not going to give the quality of result that other alternatives might provide.

This leaves flavour, Raisins can provide rich and luxurious flavours, but many of them need to be invited to the party for them to be heard, they are only bold when they are in a gang, and it needs be a substantial one at that.

So, where do these little berries full of sunshine and sugar belong in the Mead making world? 

They belong in a raisin mead. As a heavy Polish style desert Mead, as a spiced raisin mead, as a fruit cake mead, as a raisin and chocolate bochet, aged in a rum barrel - the list goes on, but the raisins need to be the star next to the honey, otherwise they are better off in the kitchen than the Meadery.

And yes, you should add nutrients.

Buying Raisins

A lot of raisins are sold with a coating of sunflower oil on them, this keeps them glossy and makes them look more appealing. Avoiding these and locating un oiled raisins can be a challenge, it is my preference. However, if you can't do this, removing the oil before you use them is your next option.

Using Raisins

Raisins contain up to 70% sugar. They will not give it all up for your initial gravity readings. Keep this in mind and adjust for it.

If you do not use a bag, raisins will form a significant cap that needs managing