Help with Blueberry wine recipe

[WindyCoastWine]

I made blueberry wine last year with 19 lbs of fruit for a 3 gallon batch. The wine did not have good body and was a lot thinner than I was looking for. The amount of fruit is not an option this year, but I do not want to add so much fruit that it will stall fermentation. I know that local wineries use 10+ lbs per gallon and their wine comes out big and full bodied. The oaked blueberry reminds me of a Cabernet. Some options that I have heard of were adding raisins, x-light malt extract, or large amounts of fruit per gallon. Any thoughts? I also wanted to try a port style blueberry, but I need to get the body increased enough that when I dilute the wine with brandy it does not go thin. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[jswordy]

I used raisins last time and just 3 pounds fruit per gallon, in a bag in the must, and the wine turned out fabulous. Such a pretty fluid, too. I am definitely entering this batch in the county fair this year.

Next time up, I am going to try using bananas at 2 pounds/gallon, cut into 1-inch segments with skins on, I have been pleased with them in other recipes I have been messing around with. I like that, unlike raisins, they add no discernable flavors, and the yeast really go for them. The latest I used bananas in was a strawberry, so I thought I'd try blueberry with them after the crop comes in.

I don't oak my blueberry. I love that taste as it is.

 

[Sammyk]

WE will have a bumper crop from our blueberry bushes this year and I plan to make 5 gallons

 

[Deezil]

You *could* up the pounds per gallon, but only so far wit blueberry because it naturally contains benzoate which is a preservative - stops the yeast, or tries.

Raisins work well in most wines, when dosed out correctly. I havent done a blueberry wine yet - the birds got all my blueberries last year - but wouldnt be scared of raisins myself.

Bananas have also been said to work in wines, almost interchangable with raisins. Jswordy pointed out how to go about those - chop them up, skins on & simmer into a soup on the stove, or just add them.

When i started looking for more body, i switched over from white sugar to honey.. Honey has some unfermentable sugars and does leave an impact on flavor, so you have to prepare for that, but it also lends a lot of body... Just takes a bit to get comfortable using it - its sticky obviously, it needs dissolved on the stove carefully so you dont burn it, it leaves residual sweetness you have to prepare for... But if you plan for it, it'll help you make a killer wine