My favorite recipe scaled down to 1 gallon:
3-4 pounds berries
1 tsp. yeast nutrient
1/4 tsp. yeast energizer
3/4 tsp. pectic enzyme powder, (if you have liquid, follow package directions)
1 gallon spring water
sugar to SG 1.085-1.090
2campden tablets, crushed finely
5 grams Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast
1/4 tsp K-Sorbate
mash berries very well and put into a straining bag, melt 2 pounds sugar in water and pour over berries, if you need to adjust SG up, melt the sugar in some of the must instead of using more water, use a cup of the must in a blender to dissolve the nutrient, energizer, and1 campden tableton the highest speed, add, stir the must very well and then stir very well again, cover for at least 12 hours, stir again, add pectic enzyme, stir very well, cover for at least 12 more hours, make yeast starter, or pitch yeast on top of must, getting a little on the pulp bag, after vigorous fermentation starts, stir the must twice daily, or at least turn the pulp bag over twice a dayuntil SG falls to 1.060, then take out the pulp bag and squeeze it lightly to get most of the liquid out, stir, no need to stir again before racking to glass anytime after SG falls to about 1.040 or so, you may need to rack some to a gallon jug and some to a 1.5 liter wine bottle, both airlocked, after fermentation and gassing off slows down, you can top off the gallon jug a little at a time until an inch below the bottom of the airlock stem, after this point, leave for 4 full weeks, rack off lees, stabilize with 1 crushed campden tablet and 1/4 tsp K-Sorbate, top up well and airlock, you may need to put the extra wine is increasingly smaller bottles as you top up out of it so it doesn't oxidize,allow to clear somewhere cool and dark for at least a month, don't forget to check the airlock every week, when racking again off the fine lees, add 1/8 cup sugar dissolved in a little wine, top up and airlock for another month, taste when racking again, adjust if necessary, continue this schedule until the wine is clear, bottle, enjoy
I always filter my wines, but it is not necessary. If anyone thinks I left anything out, please tell me. This recipe is from my notes on a 5 gallon batch of '03 berries. It was racked6 times after racking to glass, including 2 filterings.It was bottled 2-7-05 and tastes very good young, but will improve greatly over the next 2-3 years.
Any questions? Here is a pic of my blackberry bushesin almost full bloom...
Edited by: Country Wine
3-4 pounds berries
1 tsp. yeast nutrient
1/4 tsp. yeast energizer
3/4 tsp. pectic enzyme powder, (if you have liquid, follow package directions)
1 gallon spring water
sugar to SG 1.085-1.090
2campden tablets, crushed finely
5 grams Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast
1/4 tsp K-Sorbate
mash berries very well and put into a straining bag, melt 2 pounds sugar in water and pour over berries, if you need to adjust SG up, melt the sugar in some of the must instead of using more water, use a cup of the must in a blender to dissolve the nutrient, energizer, and1 campden tableton the highest speed, add, stir the must very well and then stir very well again, cover for at least 12 hours, stir again, add pectic enzyme, stir very well, cover for at least 12 more hours, make yeast starter, or pitch yeast on top of must, getting a little on the pulp bag, after vigorous fermentation starts, stir the must twice daily, or at least turn the pulp bag over twice a dayuntil SG falls to 1.060, then take out the pulp bag and squeeze it lightly to get most of the liquid out, stir, no need to stir again before racking to glass anytime after SG falls to about 1.040 or so, you may need to rack some to a gallon jug and some to a 1.5 liter wine bottle, both airlocked, after fermentation and gassing off slows down, you can top off the gallon jug a little at a time until an inch below the bottom of the airlock stem, after this point, leave for 4 full weeks, rack off lees, stabilize with 1 crushed campden tablet and 1/4 tsp K-Sorbate, top up well and airlock, you may need to put the extra wine is increasingly smaller bottles as you top up out of it so it doesn't oxidize,allow to clear somewhere cool and dark for at least a month, don't forget to check the airlock every week, when racking again off the fine lees, add 1/8 cup sugar dissolved in a little wine, top up and airlock for another month, taste when racking again, adjust if necessary, continue this schedule until the wine is clear, bottle, enjoy
I always filter my wines, but it is not necessary. If anyone thinks I left anything out, please tell me. This recipe is from my notes on a 5 gallon batch of '03 berries. It was racked6 times after racking to glass, including 2 filterings.It was bottled 2-7-05 and tastes very good young, but will improve greatly over the next 2-3 years.
Any questions? Here is a pic of my blackberry bushesin almost full bloom...
Edited by: Country Wine
