Blackberry Wine

[Mcamnl]

I was wandering through GFS yesterday and stopped in front of some frozen blackberries. 5lb bags of them. Hmmmm.
So I am going back tonight to pick up 40lbs of berries for a batch of blackberry wine. (I counted and there should be enough assuming they didn't sell a bunch between last night and tonight) I am going to use the recipe listed here that Tom posted.
Couple of questions......

Should I put the berries in a fermenting bag or will just putting them in my primary and smashing them up be ok?
For some reason I can't see 40lbs of berries sitting in my primary bucket leaving much room for anything else. I am kinda thinking when they thaw and I give them a squeeze there shouldn't be a problem. Correct thinking?

I will probably have a couple more questions as I move forward. Still pretty new at this.
Thank you.

 

[Tom]

Make sure you have some for a f-pac.. yes put them in TWO straining bags in TWO buckets. This is the only way you can make 6 gallons. I suggest you freeze them 1st.
BTW don't squeeze. When gravity gets around 1.015 remove bag and let it drain

 

[mmadmikes1]

I just add half berries to start and once those break down add other half. We all do things different. The best part about this hobby is the experimenting part.

 

[djrockinsteve]

I was going to suggest 2 primaries. GFS is one of my downfalls. Sooooo much good stuff.

Their tropical fruit is great for a tropical blend. I've also made 12 gallons of pineapple, 6 gallons of peach strawberry, Raspberry and probably a few more. I just bottled my Blackberry 3 days ago.

Watch for them to go on sale. You probably won't need acid blend of little if any I believe.

Tom they come frozen so I dump them in a bucket(s) and add my water. A little later it's thawed enough to add sulfite, next day pectic enzyme and nutrients then next day it's fully room temp. for yeast.

Like Tom said about gravity reaching 1.015-1.020 your fruit will be falling apart. I remove the mush, put into another bucket and snap on a lid completely, then gently open one notch on the bucket. Turn it diagonal upside down and let it drain into your primary for a hour or two. You'll get a lot of juice off of it.

Have Fun!

 

[Tom]

Didnt know @ frozen.

Make sure you give the Pectic Enzyme to work.

 

[djrockinsteve]

They have a freezer section 2 or 3 wide filled with Strawberries, Blackberries, apples, pears, trop. mix. Pineapples and though a bit pricey, Raspberries, Blueberries. I like shopping there due to it being @30% cheaper than the grocery store though you get a larger amount.

I ALWAYS meander over to the freezer section to see what's on sale.

 

[almargita]

Thought about using the frozen fruit to make something? Just for info, what are the normal prices for the bags of frozen whatever & what would be considered a sale price or do they label them on sale?? Never noticed frozen fruit in their sale flyers.... Maybe you just have to be there at the right time to get lucky......
Al

 

[djrockinsteve]

$6.00 and up. The red rasp. and cherries are the most expensive. I look at it as if I can do 6 gallons for the same or less than what I pay for a Merlot then it's game on.

They come in 5 pound packages. Perfect

Here's a link to a thread I started to let folks know when I saw sales.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9195