Balckberry Port - from recipe - 1 gallon

[RCGoodin]

I'm going to try a one gallon batch from a recipe. It's a blackberry port. I have questions after you scroll through the recipe.

Blackberry Port

Blackberry port is seldom made, but well worth the effort. Use fully ripeberries, fresh or frozen. Makes one gallon (3.8 L).

Ingredients
6.0 lb. (2.7 kg) ripe blackberries
1 cup red grape concentrate
1/2 cup light dried malt extract
1 3/4 lb. (0.79 kg) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme
1 1/4 tsp. acid blend
4 pints (1.9 L) water
1 crushed Campden tablet
1/2 tsp. yeast energizer
1 tsp. yeast nutrient
1 pkg Lalvin K1-V1116 (Montpellier) or a portwine yeast

Wash and crush blackberries in nylon straining bag and strain juice intofermenter.
Tie top of nylon bag and place in primary. Stir in all otheringredients except pectic enzyme, yeast and red grape concentrate.

Stir well to dissolve sugar, cover well, and set aside for 8-12hours.
Add pectic enzyme, re-cover, and set aside additional 8-12 hours.

Add yeast, cover, stir ingredients daily, and press pulp in nylonbag to extract flavor.
When specific gravity is 1.030 (about 5 days), strain juice frombag and siphon liquid off sediment into secondary fermentation vessel.

Fit airlock and set aside.

Rack in three weeks and again in two months.
When wine is clear and well past last evidence of fermentation,stabilize, add red grape concentrate, and set aside for 3 weeks.

If no evidence of re-fermentation, rack again and bottle.
Allow at least a year to mature, but will improve for severalyears.

Questions:

1. In all my kit wines we add bentonite to the juice in the fermenter as the first step. Why not here?
2. I have a Vitamix blender that could grind all the blacberries into a pulp. Could I use that mix in the nylon bag and get more juice from the pulp?
3. Should I stir the sugar in the four pints of hot water before I add the sugar to the fermenter?
4. There isn't a mention to de-gassing. How come?
5. There's reference to re-fermentation. Is there a clearing/stabalizing agent I can use to stop any further fermentation?
6. Is there a way to take this recipe and convert it into 3 gallons or 6 gallons?

Thanks in advance. I hope I asked intelligent questions. I feel like I'm getting a better hang of this.

 

[cpfan]

4. There isn't a mention to de-gassing. How come?
5. There's reference to re-fermentation. Is there a clearing/stabalizing agent I can use to stop any further fermentation?
6. Is there a way to take this recipe and convert it into 3 gallons or 6 gallons?

4. Some recipe writers may feel that degassing is a given, so they needn't mention it. Others may not believe that degassing is necessary.

5. Potassium sorbate.

6. Multiply everything (except the yeast) by 3 or 6.

Steve

 

[corntassel]

do not grind up the berries because the seeds will give you too much tannin and cause a bitter taste. Freeze them for about 2 weeks and it will cause them to give you more juice.

 

[ckassotis]

I would agree on not grinding up the berries. Mashing them up in a pressing bag is fine, and then fermentation will take care of the rest. By the time primary ends, all you will have is a mass of the seeds - the yeast pretty much take care of the rest.

If adding water, I'd go ahead and add the sugar to that as opposed to stirring it into the juice and water mixture to begin with.

As for potassium sorbate, be sure to not add until the fermentation has come to a complete stop. It does not stop fermentation, it just prevents it from starting again.

Last thing I'd say, with these recipes, don't trust the sugar or the acid instructions that are provided. Take your own tests, and add in stages. You could easily have more acidic or higher-sugar berries than those used by the original designer of the recipe.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Its also nice to mention the source of your recipe, it might be from a source that has good recipes or it might just be someone who aint got a clue. CC

 

[paubin]

I agree with cracked. Also I've never cared for port style wines that use malt, I feel it gives the wine a beer flavor. It adds a nice mouth feel but I have found that you can often get that by increasing the fruit amounts...just my opinion.

Pete

 

[ckassotis]

FWIW, I have heard that criticism a few times now. However I've only heard it in relation to the light dry malt extract. I have heard nothing but positive reviews from people who have used the extra light. From what I've heard it accomplishes the same as the light except you avoid any beer flavors you may see with the light.