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Immediately after bottling I like to store my wine upright for a few days just in case something causes a pressure build up and pushes a cord up (Or pops it out completely.) Less mess from an upright bottle than one laying down.
After a few days laying on their sides is best - as mentioned to keep the cork moist. Wine Racks aren't that expensive to purchase and they aren;'t hard to build either so whichever works for you.

If you can find a place that is a fairly consistent temp (cooler is better) I'd keep the wine there. A fridge isn't needed as long as you can keep it relatively consistent. Especially if you are going to consume within a couple of years...

Temps for storage below 65 degrees is best and I think the ideal temp is supposed to be something like 55 f. In reality you store it in the space available. Also I prefer to bottle at warmer temps than storage, that aids in reducing any temp induced pressure buildup. A properly seated cork isn't likely to pop just because of that but,.... I just prefer, if possible, to take a few precautions.
 
jgmillr1 said:
Cheers and Merry Christmas. My $0.02 is that your blackberry should be bottled sooner rather than later. Extra time risks oxidation which leads to fruit aroma degradation and potential spoilage. Hopefully you've kept up on the sulfites to protect the wine over the last year. You'll definitely need sorbate and the right amount of sulfites at bottling to protect the wine.

I've made blackberry for many years and try to bottle in as short of time as possible. I filter it though. Carboy "aging" in the context of home winemaking is a euphemism for letting time and gravity filter your wine. This comes with the risks mentioned above and ties up your container for next batch of wine waiting for those of us who are impatient.

The wonderful thing of fermenting the blackberries in their flesh is the extraction of tannin that stabilizes the color. Once you bottle, you'll be glad that the color isn't falling out as sediment. It will make a fantastic gift.
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Sorbate and sulfites? I have been adding this at every racking. Is there something else I need for bottling?
 

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Scooter68 said:
Great Sunshine! There is no hard fast rule on what constitutes, dry, semi-sweet vs Sweet. Normally would call any unsweetened wine a Dry wine as long as the SG ended up below .998 (Just a WAG on that) Any wine you consider sweet would be a sweet wine. A dessert wine typically would be high alcohol along with being sweet.

The SG numbers after back-sweetening are generally what one would use to determine what to call it. (And what I put on bottles when I do that) BUT in reality it's your call. If' you think it's sweet - it's sweet, if you feel it's only slightly sweet you can call it semi-sweet or semi-dry. (maybe based on which it end it favors. I had a tart cherry wine that ended up with an SG of 1.014 which would often be considered sweet BUT because it had a high ABV (15%) and was so tart, you didn't taste any sweetness until the finish. So again for starting out - Just go what what it seems like to you.

You label only needs to have on it what you want to remember about that wine. The ABV is basically the number you get when you calculate it using your starting and ending SG's unless you did a step feed of sugar or topped off with another wine. You kinda assume that if you didn't water it done or try to raise the ABV with a higer ABV wine or straight alcohol (Everclear/Vodka) then that calculated ABV is what I would put on the bottle. ( I just use this online calculator in my wine making: Alcohol By Volume ABV Calculator - Brewer's Friend
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Ok, do I calculate from the SG reading prior to fermentation or when I racked after fermentation was over? This calculation is once fermentation was over....
 

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Sunshine Wine said:
Sorbate and sulfites? I have been adding this at every racking. Is there something else I need for bottling?
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It was not clear to me whether or not, in the end, you decided to add sugar to backsweeten. If so, then yes, you need to add potassium sorbate in addition to the potassium metabisulfite, as @jgmillr1 indicated.

Sunshine Wine said:
Ok, do I calculate from the SG reading prior to fermentation or when I racked after fermentation was over? This calculation is once fermentation was over....
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What are you trying to calculate? If you are trying to calculate ABV, then use the SG reading prior to fermentation as your starting SG, and the final SG (before backsweetening) as your ending SG.

If you are trying to judge sweetness (off-dry, etc.), use the difference between your final SG (before backsweetening) and the SG after you added your sugar.
 
ABV is found by entering the original SG taken just before you started the Fermentation as your "Original SG" and the SG reading when fermentation was completely finished as the "Final SG" I looked back and found that at one point the SG (Before adding any Sugar) was at 1.026 - Did you add some sugar and take a new reading? That new reading taken hopefully very shortly before adding your yeast - That would be your "OG" Let's assume that you pushed it up to 1.066 before adding yeast - In that case if you ended up with a final SG of .998 then your ABV is 8.93. A tad low but still a viable wine. It will just need to be properly protected with your K-Meta which you indicate you have been doing at racking time.

To determine how sweet your wine is "by the numbers" you simply take a new SG reading of the wine once you have back-sweetened the batch. KEY POINT - Those numbers are just that - numbers - How sweet the wine is - that's what you determine with your taste buds and that's what matters most. If you are going to base the sweetness description by the measurements using the percentage of Sugar then Sour-grapes has given you that method.

For me I just make sure first, that I like the way it tastes - once that is where I want it - THEN I take an SG reading. The impact of the numerical sweetness is just a book number because the tartness, strength of flavor and the Alcohol content will all impact your perceived sweetness but again that perception is what matters most when you and friends are drinking your wine.

Have you been adding sorbate at every racking or just K-Meta? Sorbate only needs to be added once and it's most effective if added just before back-sweetening.
 
Scooter68 said:
Great Sunshine! There is no hard fast rule on what constitutes, dry, semi-sweet vs Sweet. Normally would call any unsweetened wine a Dry wine as long as the SG ended up below .998 (Just a WAG on that) Any wine you consider sweet would be a sweet wine. A dessert wine typically would be high alcohol along with being sweet.

The SG numbers after back-sweetening are generally what one would use to determine what to call it. (And what I put on bottles when I do that) BUT in reality it's your call. If' you think it's sweet - it's sweet, if you feel it's only slightly sweet you can call it semi-sweet or semi-dry. (maybe based on which it end it favors. I had a tart cherry wine that ended up with an SG of 1.014 which would often be considered sweet BUT because it had a high ABV (15%) and was so tart, you didn't taste any sweetness until the finish. So again for starting out - Just go what what it seems like to you.

You label only needs to have on it what you want to remember about that wine. The ABV is basically the number you get when you calculate it using your starting and ending SG's unless you did a step feed of sugar or topped off with another wine. You kinda assume that if you didn't water it done or try to raise the ABV with a higer ABV wine or straight alcohol (Everclear/Vodka) then that calculated ABV is what I would put on the bottle. ( I just use this online calculator in my wine making: Alcohol By Volume ABV Calculator - Brewer's Friend
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Ok, this is my calculations. I did add sugar initially and took the SG reading right after. It is possibly off, since I am new at this, but should give me a round about ABV. What do you think SScreenshot_20210104-170514.pngcooter68?
 
Hmmm something seems off there. I don't know of any wine yeast that will ferment to over 18% under the best conditions. Did you perhaps mis-read and it's actually 1.107 that would result in a wine with 14.31% ABV and much more likely. That starting SG just looks a bit too high.
 
Scooter68 said:
Hmmm something seems off there. I don't know of any wine yeast that will ferment to over 18% under the best conditions. Did you perhaps mis-read and it's actually 1.107 that would result in a wine with 14.31% ABV and much more likely. That starting SG just looks a bit too high.
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Haha... probably! I didn't know how to read that thing at first! That sounds more like it.
 
Most important is that as long as the ABV is at least 9-10% and you have a good pH along with the K-Meta additions, your wine should keep nicely. Don't worry about misr-reading the hydrometer. There are so many ways to make a mistake. Next time if you are unsure, just take a snapshot and post it here. Folks will be glad to help get a good reading for you.

If your wine is at or over about 14% you should be able to get a distinct Alcohol burn feel from it especially before you back-sweeten it.


Now I have to go back out side and keep pruning my blueberry bushes. They got a little out of control this year after the picking season.
 
Scooter68 said:
Most important is that as long as the ABV is at least 9-10% and you have a good pH along with the K-Meta additions, your wine should keep nicely. Don't worry about misr-reading the hydrometer. There are so many ways to make a mistake. Next time if you are unsure, just take a snapshot and post it here. Folks will be glad to help get a good reading for you.

If your wine is at or over about 14% you should be able to get a distinct Alcohol burn feel from it especially before you back-sweeten it.


Now I have to go back out side and keep pruning my blueberry bushes. They got a little out of control this year after the picking season.
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Yes, it was quite strong before I added any sweetener when we tasted it yesterday. I added the k-meta and racked it back to my carboy and gallon jugs while I wait for the corks and sorbate to arrive. Will add the sorbate and back sweeten and then bottle. The corks info said I should NOT soak them as I have seen recommended. I know I need to sanitize them...so what should I do?
 
Scooter68 said:
Most important is that as long as the ABV is at least 9-10% and you have a good pH along with the K-Meta additions, your wine should keep nicely. Don't worry about misr-reading the hydrometer. There are so many ways to make a mistake. Next time if you are unsure, just take a snapshot and post it here. Folks will be glad to help get a good reading for you.

If your wine is at or over about 14% you should be able to get a distinct Alcohol burn feel from it especially before you back-sweeten it.


Now I have to go back out side and keep pruning my blueberry bushes. They got a little out of control this year after the picking season.
Click to expand...
Also, the PH is just under 3.6
 
@Sunshine Wine ,, on all my fruit and berry wines i run up to 17% to 18%,ABV,,, but i use double to triple the weight on my fruits and berries, i finish all my wines at FG of 1.040, zero alcohol taste, excerpt skeeter pee port, it i run up same as the others but just before i bottle i add 750 ml pure grain alcohol 190 proof,, to 6 gallons of skeeter pee, and again my FG is 1.040, smooth as silk,
Dawg
 

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