blackberry Wine Recipe.

[DavidNW]

Hello,

I was thinking of trying this recipe that I have put together (having amended it from an online source). I'm very much a newbie and would appreciate any feedback. Please feel free to comment.


5 Gallons (UK) of Blackberry Wine:

20 lbs. blackberries
10 lbs caster sugar
5 Campden tablets
2 tsps. acid blend
3 tsps. yeast nutrient
5 tsps pectic enzyme
1 packet red wine yeast
wine finings (optional)

Crush blackberries to extract the juice - save the pulp. Pour juice into a food grade plastic bucket, 5 gallons or more.

Put pulp in mesh bag and place in bucket. Dissolve the sugar into 1 gallon of boiled water and pour onto the must and stir gently. When cooled to 21 - 25 Celcius, add pectic enzyme and other chemicals, stir and cover and let sit 24 hours.

After 24 hours, top up the fermentation bucket to 23 litres, add yeast and place lid on bucket and leave for 5 to 7 days to ferment. Remove pulp and rack to a carboy.

Leave in carboy and fit with airlock for 12 days, or until fermentation is complete.

When fermentation is complete, rack to a 23 litre bucket and degas with wine whip attached to an electric drill for 20 minutes - then rack back to a carboy for 7 days, or until the wine is perfectly clear – then bottle, or bulk age the wine in a carboy.

 

[garymc]

Looks like the recipe is for someone in a big hurry. I don't know that much about blackberry, but how do you know you need the acid blend? What if there are some berries that are not quite ripe and are tart with acid? I made a batch and that was my situation.

"After 24 hours, add yeast and place lid on bucket and, leave for 5 to 7 days to ferment. Remove pulp and rack to a carboy."- You need to take that lid off every day and "punch down" the bag of pulp. You don't want it floating up and drying out, the yeast needs to use the liquid to get into the pulp and eat the carbs, and the yeast in the initial phase needs oxygen to replicate itself.
12 days? If you leave it sitting until it has finished fermenting and cleared up, then rack, then let it sit for a few weeks, you won't need to degas it.

 

[fabrictodyefor]

a UK gallon is a touch more than a US gallon, I am certainly no expert, but it seems a little light on the fruit.

 

[garymc]

No mention of a hydrometer, but 5 pounds of sugar in 5 US gallons gives you about 6.x% alcohol if there is no sugar in the berries. No way to know how much sugar is in the berries unless you use a hydrometer. I think you need to use a hydrometer and make sure this is enough sugar. One thing missing from the recipe is "enough water to bring it up to 5 gallons."
I think I made 5 US gallons with 20 or less pounds of blackberries.

 

[DavidNW]

Sorry, guys. I have made a complete mess of this recipe. Have had to edit several times and still don't have it right!

Hello,

I was thinking of trying this recipe that I have put together (having amended it from an online source). I'm very much a newbie and would appreciate any feedback. Please feel free to comment.


5 Gallons (UK) of Blackberry Wine:

20 lbs. blackberries
10 lbs caster sugar
5 Campden tablets
2 tsps. acid blend
3 tsps. yeast nutrient
5 tsps pectic enzyme
1 packet red wine yeast
wine finings (optional)

Crush blackberries to extract the juice - save the pulp. Pour juice into a food grade plastic bucket, 5 gallons or more.

Put pulp in mesh bag and place in bucket. Dissolve the sugar into 1 gallon of boiled water and pour onto the must and stir gently. When cooled to 21 - 25 Celcius, add pectic enzyme and other chemicals, stir and cover and let sit 24 hours.

After 24 hours, top up the fermentation bucket to 23 litres, add yeast and place lid on bucket and, leave for 5 to 7 days to ferment. Remove pulp and rack to a carboy.

Leave in carboy and fit with airlock for 12 days, or until fermentation is complete.

When fermentation is complete, rack to a 23 litre bucket and degas with wine whip attached to an electric drill for 20 minutes - then rack back to a carboy for 7 days, or until the wine is perfectly clear – then bottle, or bulk age the wine in a carboy.

 

[Julie]

Sorry, guys. I have made a complete mess of this recipe. Have had to edit several times and still don't have it right!

Use 5 pounds of berries per gallon
enough sugar to bring your sg around 1.080 - 1.090, my preference would keep it around 1.080
add enough acid blend to bring acid to .75%
if you have Lavlin 1122, that would be the yeast I would use

the rest of your recipe is find but I won't be in a rush on your procedures. leave the berries in the mesh bag for about 5 days, squeeze as much juice as you can, continue to ferment, when sg is down around 1.010, snap the lid down and ferment to dry, once dry, rack to carboy, add a campden tablet and from here I would rack every three months, add campden until you are ready to bottle, when you are close to that stabilize by adding campden and sorbate, then backsweeten to your liking.

 

[rappdaddy]

I agree with Julie on increasing to 5# per gallon, but don't forget the F-pak before bottling.

 

[jamesngalveston]

Everyone has an opinion about out own wines...I have made about 80 gallons of blackberry, so I will chime in...

First off, 20 lbs of berries will give you about 1 gallon of pure juice unless you have a crusher, then you will get a little more....so for 20 lbs

i would make a 3 gallon batch doing it this way if it was me.

i would take 15 lbs, and reserving 5 to make a flavor pack for later.
add the berries to a bag and gently crush in a bucket, add cold water to cover, and add pectin enzyme, let rest for 24 hours to breakdown the fruit.
add water to 3 gallon mark and take hydrometer reading, (OG) original gravity.
add all other chemicals except for yeast, let rest for 12 hours.
add sugar until your hydrometer reads, 1.110 (SG) starting gravity
pitch your yeast by sprinkling on top, no need to hydrate first.
ferment to .990 dry, ending gravity.
add 3 campden tablest and rack to carboy, when you see about 1/2 of sediment, rack again and add your clearing agent let it clear.
if you plan to backsweeten mix sorbate with water and induce to wine, stir well, let it rest for a day and add flavorpack.

 

[DavidNW]

Many thanks to everyone - much appreciated!

 

[LoveTheWine]

That is 5 lb per US gallon though.
I would bump that up to at least 6 lb per UK gallon.

5 UK gallons = 6 US gallons

Another method:

Start with all the fruit that you can lay my hands on. Freeze it and then thaw to break down all the fruit.
Add to fermenter VIA a mesh bag. Slowly add water to fermenter until PH rises to 3.3. Add sugar to 1.085 SG. Use Pectic Enzymes and KMETA.

Use Lalvin 31B yeast to ferment as it will eat a lot of the malic aid.

 

[Julie]

That is 5 lb per US gallon though.
I would but that up to at least 6 lb per UK.


Another method:

Start with all the fruit that you can lay my hands on. Freeze it and then thaw to break down all the fruit.
Add to fermenter VIA a mesh bag. Slowly add water to fermenter until PH rises to 3.3. Add sugar to 1.085 SG. Use Pectic Enzymes and KMETA.

Use Lalvin 31B yeast to ferment as it will eat a lot of the malic aid.

This is a good method but I believe you had a typo on the yeast, it should be Lavlin 71B 1122

 

[LoveTheWine]

This is a good method but I believe you had a typo on the yeast, it should be Lavlin 71B 1122

Thanks for the compliment ... and yes, good catch, the yeast is Lavlin 71B 1122
My work computer tends to type things on it's own!
I hear 'Maurivin B' is a good yeast too but getting it in small packs where I live is tricky.

http://ecom.bosagrape.com/product.php?productid=20229&cat=256&page=1

 

[vernsgal]

David, is castor sugar like icing sugar?If it's fine ground I would watch your SG when adding.It may not take that much.It seems a little high. I've been recently given the same advice on berry sugar

 

[DavidNW]

David, is castor sugar like icing sugar?If it's fine ground I would watch your SG when adding.It may not take that much.It seems a little high. I've been recently given the same advice on berry sugar

Hi Kim,

Castor sugar is just more finely ground than the regular cane sugar. Some say it just dissolves more easily in the mix. Whether this makes a significant difference, I just don't know. Castor sugar is not as finely ground as icing sugar - that's really finely ground.

 

[jamesngalveston]

i only use store bought white sugar.