Blueberry wine question

[whino-wino]

I’ve made some super awesome blueberry wine in the past but I did not get that many berries last year, so this year’s batch will have to be “supplemented” somehow.

I’ve got roughly 11 lbs of wild blueberries in the freezer from last year and I want to make a 5 gallon batch. I know this is not enough to make 5 gallons so I’m thinking of using one can of Oregon fruit puree from George to beef it up a bit.

Have any of you used the Oregon blueberry puree before and how much wine could someone expect to make from one can if they were looking to get a medium to med-heavy wine from it? I usually use 4 to 4.5 lbs of blueberries per gallon when making it from fruit so it tends to be a fairly heavy wine but not as heavy as what some would classify as a “country wine”. What I’m basically wondering is if 1 can will make a “light” 5 gallon batch or maybe a “heavy” 3 gallon batch, something along those lines.

If I figure 1 can of puree for 3 gallons and then 8 to 9 lbs of fruit for the remaining 2 gallons what could I expect from this wine in terms of body??

Here's what I plan on using:

Oregon blueberry puree

 

[Kemo]

I dont thinks there's a point in making a light flavored wine but that's just my taste preference, i like bolder full body wines. It would be cheaper to just go to the store and use frozen blueberries. However jack keller recommends using around 2 pounds per gallon http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request227.asp I personally used 5 lbs/Gallon with great results. Blueberries are very high in acid so if you dont have a ph meter or a T.A. kit i wouldnt recommend it.

he also used raisins to up the body. bannanas can also be used for the same thing.

 

[whino-wino]

Hmmm. I think you must have misunderstood my post. I do want a heavier bodied wine. As I said, I usually use 4 - 4.5 lbs per gallon. Thing is, I want to make 5 gallons and do not have enough fruit to do so. Yes, I could go to the local Wal-Mart and pick up some frozen blueberries, but I was thinking of trying the Oregon puree from George. What I am wondering is if I were to use 1 can, how small a batch would I need for a med-heavy bodied wine? I would supplement the remainder of the batch using the 4.5 lbs of blueberries per gallon.

For instance, if 1 can makes 3 gallons of heavy-bodied wine, then I'd probably use 9 lbs of berries to make up for the remaining 2 gallons.

I'm not sure if it would be cheaper to buy frozen berries either. Perhaps in other parts of the country but not necessarily in the people's republic of Minnesota with some of the highest sales tax rates in the country. A 3 lb bag of blueberries at Wal-Mart will run me almost $13 with tax. For 3 gallons I'd need at least 4 of those and I'd be spending a little over $50. I think the puree would be cheaper in my case, especially being an internet sale from another state so no sales tax, although there is the shipping but I'll make it worthwhile by throwing in a bunch of odds and ends on my order. Heck, I could get 2 cans of puree for less than what the frozen berries cost at the Wal-mart in Bemidji.

I've never used the purees before so I'm just wondering what to expect from those.

 

[Waldo]

whino, I would go with this one:
http://www.finevinewines.com/p-1010-3306.aspx
Use your berries with it, make it a 5.5 gallon batch and have that extra 1/2 gallon for topping off later. Would also recommend about 6 lbs nanners to add some additional body

 

[Goodfella]

Some raisins would also be a worth while addition. IMO

 

[Kemo]

WOW!!! seriously 13 bucks!! ya order from george. sorry about the confusion. must be hard to make wine up there outside of kits unless you can find a farm

 

[Tom]

whino, I would go with this one:
http://www.finevinewines.com/p-1010-3306.aspx
Use your berries with it, make it a 5.5 gallon batch and have that extra 1/2 gallon for topping off later. Would also recommend about 6 lbs nanners to add some additional body

I second this recommendation!
Bring the gravity up to 1.085

 

[Boyd]

whino, I would go with this one:
http://www.finevinewines.com/p-1010-3306.aspx
Use your berries with it, make it a 5.5 gallon batch and have that extra 1/2 gallon for topping off later. Would also recommend about 6 lbs nanners to add some additional body  

Used that stuff (Vinters Harvest)once. Around 34.00 from Midwest Supply.

Was mostly a weak liquid with about a cup of blue berries. Vinters harvest has no place on their web site for complaints from customers, so a complaint wan't possible.

I figure screw me once shame on you screw me twice shame on me.

I made 5 gallons from 1 1/2 ice cream pails blue berries picked around Cook Mn. Very good flavor I am told.

Seems those wild berries have a whole lot more flavor.

I live in southern Mn and it gets pretty expensive to travel that far (300 miles) and pay for hotels. Haven't been able to locate a source to buy them.

 

[andy123]

I used the oregon fruit blackberry twice and I'm not all that happy with it. I could taste a definite canned taste in the must. I had an occasion to have not enough strawberrys for a 5 gal batch so i supplemented with wild grapes and got a nice wildberry wine for my efforts.

 

[whino-wino]

After some consideration, I am reluctantly going to downsize this to a 3 gallon batch and just use the berries. The ones I have were picked last summer up by International Falls. I'll probably pick up one bag of frozen berries at the grocery store to supplement or use for an F-pack. I do have two empty 3 gallon carboys so it's not that big a deal.

Thanks for all of the input!