Crafting a Blueberry Wine

[Bacci]

Just transferred my (18#'s to 3.75 gl water) Blueberry w/Syrah grapepackwine to a 5 gal carboy at 1.015 sg.I didn't get the yield I was hoping for bycoming up short about 750ml, I was hoping to getextra for later topping. Wine has great body and color, better than any kitI've madeand has a definite syrah taste. When I get ready to rack off lees in a week or two,I'm estimating more than 1.5lt of something to top up with and add my french chips for aging. Point is, that's just too much commercial wine. Any ideas? Ihave 5 gal carboys and several gallon jugs to work with. Also, do I need to add P. sorbatebefore topping with another wine?

 

[gaudet]

You could get some frozen blueberries and juice them yourself or find enough 100% blueberry juice and top off with that before you rack it and definitely before you sorbate it.

 

[joeswine]

which taste do you want to be the predominant factor,(boss under boss) .....tell me and then you can proceed from their...

 

[Bacci]

I want it to taste just like it does now! Mostly blueberry, full bodiedbut with a drier finish andsome oak.Already looks likea lot of lees at racking, sure don't wantto adda 1.5 - 2LtSyrah to top up a 5 gal carboy. Right now,it's day one on the secondary and bubbling nicely, ineeded the extra room for foaminganyway.Adding extra blueberries/juice at this point sounds interesting but risky.I'd rather deal with volume after fermentation ends. I could go buy a 3 gal plastic water bottle and rack to that, plus a one gal jug?

 

[Tom]

if you like it the way it is get smaller carboys or combinations like a 3 and 1gal carboy.
you should sulfite it once the wine is dry. If you add more berries or backsweeten Sorbate it.


Remember it will take up to 6 months to bottle. Also, dont be in a hurry to rack. Add superkleer and wait 3-4 weeks till you have a firm sediment on the bottom b-4 racking.

 

[Bacci]

should i sorbate, if just adding extra wine after secondary?

 

[Tom]

should i sorbate, if just adding extra wine after secondary?

no need to as the wineis sorbated already

 

[joeswine]

tepes correct at this point,downsizing is a good position ,how ever remember if you do this what ever you do to the one container you need to do to the other ,a good way to do that is to have a food grade bucket and pour them in at the same time add what you need to and place them back again into their respective containers.....taste before reinstalling....

 

[lieu]

Just a quick question. Do you have to be careful pouring into a bucket because of adding too much o2 to the wine?

 

[Tom]

Just a quick question. Do you have to be careful pouring into a bucket because of adding too much o2 to the wine?

You don't pour into a bucket. You rack into a carboy

 

[joeswine]

take into account first what you want to achieve the have all the components at the ready and start,don't worry the small stuff do want you have to do and recap the product in its container.(you do have a little time ,not much) chemicals will help you along...plan your racking and work your plan .........

 

[Bacci]

Sure would be easier working with one containerfor future oaking, kmet andbenteniteadditions.Racking overto bucket shouldmake thateasier. I came up short on this batch when I decided to add/crush fruit without a mesh bag. It'sharder to measure the proper level of yourmust before fermentation, but it was fun punching down the cap and I believe it helped the color and body not using a bag.I pressedfruit through a colander andthen used a funnel on secondary tranfer to carboy.

 

[joeswine]

read (when good wines gone bad)




I have had the same fun myself.....its the finding out the unexpected that makes this a real delite sometimes..