Saskatoon Berry Port

[rstar26]

Saskatoon Berry Port Recipe (Advice and comments appreciated)

I am about to embark on my Saskatoon Berry port adventure tonight, just wanted to run the recipe i have put together by all of you for sime feedback and advice.

3 Gallon recipe:

Approx 15 pound of Saskatoon Berries thawed
(Going to crush berries but only have a small straining bag, is it really necessary to use a straining bag, is ther anything else i can use?)
Water to make up 3 gallons
Sugar to raise SG to 1.110
Acid blend to adjust ta necessary
campden tablets
Lalvin EC-1118 yest
Yeast nutrient
Grape tanin

1. Crush the berries
2. add water to make up 3 gallons
3. add crushed campden tablet
4. add pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrient
5. wait 12 hours (will most likely be 18 because i have to work tomorrow)
6. check sg and ta, adjust as necessary
7. wait another 12-18 hours add yeast
8. ferment down to 1.040 (approx 10% abv
9. add sugar/must mix to bring back up to 1.080
10. ferment to 1.020 or whever yeast can no longer surive(approx 7% abv for a total of 17%abv)
11. rack to secondary and add 750ml cherry brandy
12. backsweeten to taste

sometime in the first 6 steps ill add grape tannin too when do you all think is the best time? Also what is a good amount to start with (powdered tannin)

Also i want to add some oak chips but would rather do it after the primary stage because i want to save some of the yeast slurry for something else, is it ok to do this?

 

[Arne]

Howdy,
If you havn't started yet, I would go find a paint straining bag or two at your local paint store, big lumber yart or wherever. Put your berries in it or them and you can hand crush em or hit em with a tater masher ormaybe a 2X4 depending on how hard they are. You can also just put em loose in the must, but then strainin out the pieces can be a pain. I do not know how big your berries are, but if they are big, you mite need a few more. You will know after this time, so if you don't get enough flavor next time you can add some more berries. you also have the option of making a f-pac and adding later if you can still get more berries now. Before I would start your wine I would freeze the berries first. After a couple days freezing,thaw em out and put em in your primary. Crush em up, add your water and sugar up to S.g. of 1.080 or so, add your campden tabs and let it sit for 12 to 24 hrs or so. Add your pectic enzime, let it sit for 12 hrs or so and add the rest of your ingredients and pitch your yeast. Best way is to make a yeast starter out of a little must, a little sugar, and some warm water, 100 degrees or so. Put the yeast in, and feed it a little must every so often while you are waiting for everything else to work. i usually put it in a quart jar, cover with a paper towel and a rubber band. When it all gets going, pitch it into your must, cover your primary with a lid with a tea towel between the lid and the bucket, open it up and give it a stir twice a day or so and watch er go. If you have the berries in a bag, punch em down into the must when stirrin. If your bucket is pretty full, put it in a container that will catch some overages if it takes off too big. If you have a big tray of some kind the bucket can sit in, fine, I use a big garbage bag, set the bucket in the bottom of it and kinda pull it part way up the bucket. This little hint can save you a bunch of grief. lol. I will say this is experience talking, and it doesn't necessarilly happen the first time you try this. Can't remember the other questions you had, but this will get you started. Good luck with it, hope it is the greatest wine you ever tasted, Arne.

 

[docanddeb]

I don't use bags at all anymore. When I'm ready to pull the fruit out, I just use the steamer portion of my large soup pot set... scoop the berries out... shake out the liquid a bit and toss in a pot. If I really want more from it, I'll settle it out, but usually the fruit has given most everything up. This leftover stuff is what I put in the skeeter pee for flavoring, if I'm going to make it. When you are dealing with 30-50# of fruit, there is no GOOD way to squeeze it all out anyway. The compost pile seems happy after that.

Debbie