RJ Spagnols blackberry merlot

[Jackie]

Anyone try the Orchard Breezin Blackberry merlot or the MM Summer Breeze Blackberry Cherry Pinot Noir? I'm looking for blackberry flavor to make for a friend that lovessweet blackberry wine. I'm not much on sweet wines myself but friends love them.

 

[cpfan]

The OB Blackberry Merlot is wonderful if you like sweet low alcohol wines, similar to the commercial Wild Vines Blackberry Merlot.


If you want it higher in alcohol or less sweet, there's lots of posts on the various forums about doing that.


BTW, this wine makes a wonderful wine jelly.


Steve

 

[Waldo]

I just bottled a batch of the Blackberry/Merlotrecently that I tweaked and it is pretty danged good for a kit wine

 

[Jackie]

Thanks for the info. I've done the increased alcohol thing before with chaptilization but I prefer making those types to 5.5 gals instead if I plan to drink much of it (then I topup to 6 with a dry wine I made so I still get incr alcohol and less sweetness). But my friend likes the real sweet stuff. Thanks for mentioning the jelly. I do make jelly and might just give that a try with part of it. I have a small amt of blackberries (just a couple pounds)and was considering adding those to the kit for a little extra flavor.

 

[Hillbilly Bill1]

I'll be starting my Blackberry Merlot kit within the next few days. My plan is to add sugar to the primary until the s.g. is about 1.075 to boost the abv a little. I also plan to back-sweeten with simple syrup if necessary.
Please keep your progress posted... I'll be watching to pick up some hints.
HB

 

[Brewgrrrl]

I have a small amt of blackberries (just a couple pounds)and was considering adding those to the kit for a little extra flavor.

I wonder if you would get the most flavor from those couple pounds by making your own f-pack for the end (after you've completed the kit instructions - or maybe after the fermentations but before adding the clearing agents)? You'd have to wait a bit longer but it might add a really nice finished aroma and increased blackberry flavor. Others here with more experience on f-packs may be able to speak better to this idea...

 

[Jackie]

I'm starting it today. I'm going to wait on the blackberries. If it's a little too sweet after adding the Fpack, I can use the juice from the blackberries to add a little tartness and more flavor. If not, I can use them for jelly.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

 

[nursejohn]

Jackie, I made the Black Cherry Pinot Noir recently and will be giving it as Christmas gifts. It turned out really good I think. The taste was great. Hope this helps, John.

 

[Runningwolf]

I'll be starting my Blackberry Merlot kit within the next few days. My plan is to add sugar to the primary until the s.g. is about 1.075 to boost the abv a little. I also plan to back-sweeten with simple syrup if necessary.
Please keep your progress posted... I'll be watching to pick up some hints.
HB

Billy Bob which kit are you making? Most of them are already too sweet and that is why we add half the f pack upfront.

 

[Hillbilly Bill1]

Thanks Coyote...
I'll forego the back-sweetening idea and will be very conservative with the f-pack. The kit isthe RJS Orchard Breezin' Blackberry Merlot.

 

[cpfan]

Thanks Coyote...
I'll forego the back-sweetening idea and will be very conservative with the f-pack. The kit isthe RJS Orchard Breezin' Blackberry Merlot.

HB:


If you leave out some of the F-pack, you will have left out some of the blackberry flavour. That's why some folks add part of the F-pack to the primary. IE ferment away some of the sweetness, but still retain all of the blackberry flavour.


Obviously it's your choice, butthese kits are designed to make ablackberry wine, NOT a Merlot with some blackberry flavour.


Steve

 

[Hillbilly Bill1]

Thanks Steve... that is a great option if I decide not to use all of the f-pack for back-sweetening. My dilemma is that my wife likes sweet wine and I don't know whether adding some of the f-pack to the primary will leave enough sweetness for her. I guess I could always back-sweeten with simple syrup if I need more sweetness after fermentation.

 

[Jackie]

Steve,
I was thinking to make jelly all I need to do is add pectin since it's already sweet but that seems too quick/easy. Do you boil it down to concentrate flavors?

 

[cpfan]

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Jackie: Here is the recipe that we use as originally found on a wine making forum way back on Nov 13th 2003. As always, my thanks to John Y.
We have used a number of different wines including reds, whites, and other mist wines. One of the first we tried was a strawberry white zinfandel. But our favouriteis froma blackberry merlot. Might try a batch from Sangria Zin Blush this year, but we're out of small jelly jars so it depends if there are any in the stores.


The recipe calls for Certo liquid, which has always worked for us.An off-brand liquid did not gel. Tasted fine but did not gel.


Steve

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Author : John Y.

OK so you like wine.That means you probably enjoy a little jelly on a cracker now and then. I had been searching my cookbooks looking for a recipe for a wine jelly that was not boiled when this one surfaced. You need a double boiler.

Get a good amount of water in the bottom of the boiler boiling briskly. Add to the top 2 cups of your chosen wine and 3 cups of sugar. Heat this mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved (about 3-4 minutes). Then remove the double boiler from the heat source leaving the wine/sugar mixture over the hot water. Immediately add 1/2 package of Certo liquid (1 pouch) and stir thoroughly. Pour into 4 sterilized 1 cup size mason jars and seal.
This jelly is excellent with all the taste and wallop of the original wine. I tried two batches, one with a sweet sherry and the other was an amarone.

Definitely a ``Do Again``

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[Jackie]

Do you still add 3 cups of sugar to a mist wine? I can see that with a dry wine but not a sweet one. I'll have to get some Certo, I always use Suregel powder.

 

[fivebk]

Hillbilly Bill,

I made the blackberry merlot. The only thing I did was to up the SG to 1.085 . I added all the F-Pack at the end. My wife loves sweet wines too and turned her nose up at the thought of drinking a merlot. With the full F-Pack at the end it was sweet enough for her and she says how good it is every time we open a bottle.

BOB

 

[cpfan]

Do you still add 3 cups of sugar to a mist wine? I can see that with a dry wine but not a sweet one. I'll have to get some Certo, I always use Suregel powder.

Remember thats Certo liquid not powder. And the wine jelly was the first time that I ever used liquid.


Yes, we follow it exactly.


Steve

 

[Hillbilly Bill1]

Hillbilly Bill,

I made the blackberry merlot. The only thing I did was to up the SG to 1.085 . I added all the F-Pack at the end. My wife loves sweet wines too and turned her nose up at the thought of drinking a merlot. With the full F-Pack at the end it was sweet enough for her and she says how good it is every time we open a bottle.

BOB

Howdy Bob... thanks for the holler. I definitely want to up the abv and plan to increase the s.g. to at least 1.080... 1.085 sounds even better.
Thanks...
HB

 

[kelley]

hello george, i'm a new wine maker and i just read your advice on backberry/merlot, you said that you tweeked it a little bit. I thought that a person wasnt suppost to do anything to the kit because it would mess it up, I starting a batch of this produce tomorrow but i would like to raise the alchoil content a bit higher but i afraid that i will mess the kit up?
thanks kelley