The novel Raw Wine depicts Tehran in 1956; it tells the story of a man who, upon returning from the United States, encounters a wealthy yet tension-filled life, intertwined with criminal enigmas and complex human relationships. This study asks how, based on Roland Barthes’s five codes, one can accurately and rigorously uncover the multiple semantic layers of Raw Wine. The research method is descriptive-analytical, grounded in Barthes’s five codes (Hermeneutic, Proairetic, Symbolic, Semic, and Referential). In the Hermeneutic analysis section, the unresolved mysteries surrounding Mahin’s and Naser’s deaths—infused with suspense and ambiguity—are examined so that the reader moves beyond the narrative’s surface level. The Proairetic code categorizes and names the chain of criminal events and key actions, such as murder, interrogations, and meetings. The Semic code addresses the implicit connotations of characters (Jalal, Naser, Esmail, and Yousef) and symbols like “wine” and “mirage.” The Symbolic code reveals binary oppositions—staying/leaving, tradition/modernity, death/life, city/village—as the text’s structural axes. Finally, the Referential code uncovers Iran’s cultural and social background in the 1950s and exposes the novel’s critique of isolated intellectuals and naturalism. The findings demonstrate that Raw Wine, by employing a criminal framework alongside symbolic and semic layers, provides a fertile ground for producing plural meanings, transforming the reader from a passive consumer into an active producer of meaning. Finally, the Referential code uncovers Iran’s cultural and social background in the 1950s and exposes the novel’s critique of isolated intellectuals and naturalism. The findings demonstrate that Raw Wine, by employing a criminal framework alongside symbolic and semic layers, provides a fertile ground for producing plural meanings, transforming the reader from a passive consumer into an active producer of meaning.layers, provides a fertile ground for producing plural meanings, transforming the reader from a passive consumer into an active producer of meaning.layers, provides a fertile ground for producing plural meanings, transforming the reader from a passive consumer into an active producer of meaning.