Blackberry wine recipe?

Anyone have a good tried-and-true blackberry recipe? Just getting back into making wine we bought some supplies. I've got pectic enzyme yeast nutrient and meta and that's it about it for chemicals. K1-V116 Lalvin

I've got a ton of blackberries frozen. Can I just use straight mashed BlackBerrys into juice and then what thin it with water? Add sugar to the right specific gravity ?

I have a 3 gal carboy.

Anxious to get it going. Any recipes or should I just mash them and adjust with water sugar accordingly?

You can follow DangerDaves Dragon Blood recipe and just use blackberries. People have found tremendous success following his recipe and experimenting with the exact fruit in it

Don't make Dragon Blood. If you have a lot of blackberries, make straight juice-no water blackberry wine, you won't regret it.

Study this thread from Vernsgal. Ignore the recipe at the beginning...the thread is long and occasionally goes off track, but it covers everything you want to know. You will want calcium carbonate before you start.

go to winemaking.jackkellar.net this web site has a host of blackberry recipes.

I agree with stress baby. I followed that thread and recipe exactly and have 3 gallons of pretty awesome wine about ready to bottle. It also details chemical and yeast choices to deal with the acidity of blackberries. Good luck, mike

Excellent thanks guys. I looked at the dragons blood. Looks good and saw a bunch more recipes i'm anxious to try, but I want STRAIGHT blackberry wine. No offense but a little better than a berry blend mix from the frozen food sections. I'm sure that's good but I busted my hump picking like 15-20 pounds of berries. i'll study that threat get some calcium and then start.

one of the reason water is added to blackberries is the acid content. I would avoid the calcium carbonate prefermentation and use yeast 71B. this yeast will reduce the malic acid in blackberries by about 40%. this is the largest contributor of acid in black berry. if acid is still a problem post fermentation use potassium carbonate to reduce acid or blend with sugar syrup to level desired.

salcoco said:

one of the reason water is added to blackberries is the acid content. I would avoid the calcium carbonate prefermentation and use yeast 71B. this yeast will reduce the malic acid in blackberries by about 40%. this is the largest contributor of acid in black berry. if acid is still a problem post fermentation use potassium carbonate to reduce acid or blend with sugar syrup to level desired.

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Can anyone else comment on this? Went through the that post linked and it seemed like everyone said use calcium to fix it pre fermentation as potassium wouldn't later.

you can use the calcium pre-fermentation it is your option. overdose can cause a chalky taste that is why I prefer post fermentation. I also always balance my acid with taste bench trials using sugar syrup. it just goes to prove that with three winemakers in the room there will be four opinions on how to make the wine.

salcoco said:

you can use the calcium pre-fermentation it is your option. overdose can cause a chalky taste that is why I prefer post fermentation. I also always balance my acid with taste bench trials using sugar syrup. it just goes to prove that with three winemakers in the room there will be four opinions on how to make the wine.

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Went and bought calcium B17. Can I do something in the middle like half the calcium because I'm using the other yeast?

What is calcium B17?

Salcoco is a very experienced winemaker, but I've read lots of other experienced winemakers who use the calcium carbonate approach without any problems. That is the technique I've used, along WITH 71B, because of course all 71B does is convert part of the malic to other acids which aren't as harsh.

And also there is a limit to how much you can move pH with potassium carbonate. My last batch of blackberry started at a pH of 2.79.

I would follow he instructions for use of the calcium. using a half measure and then measuring is a good option so that you do not overshoot your goal. good luck

Lol Whoops. Meant 71b yeast. So I'm going to use that and the calcium at a half dose. If it comes out a bit acidic oh well. First go can't expect it to be perfect. Thanks for all the replies.


Wow just realize I have nowhere near as much of them as I thought. I see like 12 pounds per gallon. Only have 15 frozen....man...barely a third of my 3 gal carboy. Thought i'd get way more out. Might have to dilute with water anyway...damn,,,


I am so lost now though. Just thought I got it.....


So i'm juicing it all. I add pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient, calcium carbonate, and sugar to a SG of 1.080.... leave for 24 hours, then pitch yeast?

Where does the kmeta come in? Doesn't that go in the primary to kill all the wild yeasts?? How much/when? Studied that thread and learned a lot but still not clear on directions.

the calcium carbonate is used to raise the ph. its addition should be done before adding anything else to the berries. additions should follow with measurements of ph. I believe it would drop out but I am not sure since I don't use it..

K-Meta is used before adding anything to kill bad bugs. the yeast is added 24 hours later.

salcoco said:

the calcium carbonate is used to raise the ph. its addition should be done before adding anything else to the berries. additions should follow with measurements of ph. I believe it would drop out but I am not sure since I don't use it..

K-Meta is used before adding anything to kill bad bugs. the yeast is added 24 hours later.

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So juice them, add calcium stir. Then adjust SG, add kmeta, wait 24 hours, add yeast pectic enzyme and yeast nutrient?

You could add the pectic enzyme on the front end of the 24 hours. The important thing is 24 hours (or at least 12 hours) between the k-meta and the yeast.

after adding the calcium ,measure the ph to determine if in the range you wish. may need to add more calcium to get ph at the proper level. try for a range of 3.1 to 3.3

Thank you guys. Last night I put it together. Mashed berries with a potato masher best I could. Didn't even get 2 gallons so I had to top off to 3 gallons with water sadly... Added roughly 1/2 tsp Calicum per gal, stirred. Adjusted sugar (took way more than I thought, maybe 6 or 7 pounds) to 1.088 SG. Added PE gradually over two hours stirring. Added Kmeta, stirred. Have had the lid slightly open since last night, will be pitching years tonight once 24 hours has passed.

Don't have a great feeling about this... I finally found some blackberry wine in the store last night. Really cheap...$3.50/bottle. I loved it. So if it comes out the quality of a 3 buck bottle I guess i'll be happy haha....

Based on what ive read around this forum. Pectic enzyme and yeast dont work well together. So the enzyme should be added with the k-meta and the yeasts should be added after the 24 hour wait...

Yay. Arrived home to find primary bubbling away. Nice thick cap on it. If I'm correct I don't want to touch it because introducing oxygen could confuse the yeast and stall it?

So I should wait a few days till its slowed down, use a strainer to scoop off cap, then rack it to carboy through mesh?