Blueberry Wine new recipe

[cgallamo]

Hi all,

This is my first new thread post. I am so so happy to have found this site. I have a small vineyard in North Georgia, and have been doing exclusively grape and more recently blueberry wines as a hobby for 8 years. We had a great fruit year here in the area (60lbs of blueberries from 6 bushes) and I also started a peach and a plum wine this year. I wanted to get your thoughts on this recipe I created from experience and past efforts with blueberries. This is to make a 7-8 gallon batch - Semi Sec.

24lbs blueberries
14 lbs sugar
1 lb Muntons Dry Malt Extract
1 gallon merlot kit fruit pack (half in the primary, and half after sorbating)
oak chips
4 tsp. acid blend
4 tsp. pectic enzyme
5 tsp. yeast nutrient
potassium metabisulfite
(approximately 150 ppm SO2)
2 tsp. potassium sorbate
1 tsp. tannin
Yeast (Lalvin EC1116)

It is off and running so I can't make any changes, but I would love to see what the predictions are the blueberries were mostly small and ultra flavorful. Initial SG reading of 1.085. Thanks for the thoughts.

 

[Scooter68]

" Semi Sec." ??? Semi sweet?

Sounds great - I been having very good luck with blueberry and blackberry wines - love that they clear so nicely with no additives needed. Should be a really nice blend even though I'm not a red wine fan.

 

[cgallamo]

Yes semi-sweet. But maybe that is even an exaggeration. I'm trying to get just enough sweet to balance. I may add more acid based on taste as it comes along.

Good comment on the clearing. I have the same luck with blueberry. What varieties are you growing in Ark?

 

[wineforfun]

I agree with @Scooter68 and the clearing of blueberry. So far I haven't had to use any clearing agents other than time.

Recipe looks very interesting. Good starting SG. Keep an eye on things as you may need more nutrient. Normally it is at a minimum 1 tsp. per gallon.
I was going to say you are pretty light on the fruit also but not sure how that merlot fruit pac will affect things.
Keep us posted.

 

[cgallamo]

Thanks so much DJ! I love it "interesting" code for "thats crazy".

I do a little step feeding in addition to the initial addition. I think you're right on the amount of fruit. Going to add more. I froze all the initial fruit would you add frozen or fresh at this point? I suspect I would need to sulfite and rest for 24hrs?

 

[Scooter68]

"Good comment on the clearing. I have the same luck with blueberry. What varieties are you growing in Ark?"

Well... confession time - I've lost track of all the varieties I have. I know I have Ozark Blue (8 New plants) Bluecrop, Blueray, And several others. I started with 5 plants and now have 31 but two young ones are looking sickly - bought too small a plant. Unfortunately I failed to give them permanent tags on or next to the plants. I've not had much luck with rabbiteyes here. I also found that it's a waste of time and money to buy bareroot or small plants. (Their roots system are not able to withstand much stress) - I buy 2-3 gallon plants - they have enough soil around them that my soil amendments have time to take hold before the roots reach out into the surrounding soil. They love acid so my patches are mulched with pine needles and I spread sulfur chips by the cupful for each plant every year. Our soil tends to be alkaline so heavy acidification is required before and after planting

 

[wineforfun]

Thanks so much DJ! I love it "interesting" code for "thats crazy".

I do a little step feeding in addition to the initial addition. I think you're right on the amount of fruit. Going to add more. I froze all the initial fruit would you add frozen or fresh at this point? I suspect I would need to sulfite and rest for 24hrs?

Fresh at this point.
I always have my fruit frozen, then let thaw before adding to the primary in the beginning. Helps extract more juice from the fruit by freezing and thawing.

If you have sulfited already and are still fermenting, I wouldn't worry about adding anymore until moving to the secondary, possibly.

 

[cgallamo]

Yes just started the ferment last night. It is just beginning to get going. What about boiling some fresh?

 

[cgallamo]

picked and added 8# fresh - so with the Merlot additive it is nearly to 5#/gallon

 

[Stressbaby]

Sorry if this is a dumb question - I don't make kit wines - what is a "merlot kit fruit pack?"
Is this fruit? Merlot juice? And can you get such a thing separate from a merlot kit?

 

[cgallamo]

Sorry if this is a dumb question - I don't make kit wines - what is a "merlot kit fruit pack?"
Is this fruit? Merlot juice? And can you get such a thing separate from a merlot kit?

Sorry - I made that one up. I was referring to the concentrated juice from a winexpert kit. I got the idea from large wineries that add "mega purple" to bolster the fruit and color in their cheap wines. And from people on this site that make their own fruit packs by boiling down fruit.

In the past when I have made blueberry wine the fruit flavor has been on the weak side. So last year I blended with one of these kits and it was much better. This year I'm trying to ferment the merlot in from the start and add a bit later to slightly sweeten for balance and fruit forward flavors.

 

[hounddawg]

RAVEN DEN huh, aint that something, dose your blueberry plants take much room or how close can they be planted together,
wouldn't mind sharing a bottle a little later on, my brothers and friends nail all my aged stuff and I've only been bottling a little this week, and my elderberries are just coming to ripe,,
wouldn't mind meeting you and sharing some wine under a shade tree once mine has had a chance to age a bit, at this point I got a little semi-sweet cherry, and some apple, still in carboys I got elderberry, blackberry, pear/apple blend an cherry, all from fresh fruit, at this time I've planted plums, yellow delicious apples and black native elderberries, I had a bunch of grapes an muscadines but due to hospital time I got one vine left I'm hoping it is a self fertile muscadine, got a huge pear tree and some small peach trees too, some young mulberry trees you're around 5 miles from me, be a waste not to get introduced,
Dawg,, AKA, Richard, Imboden...
if you wish private message me.

Sorry - I made that one up. I was referring to the concentrated juice from a winexpert kit. I got the idea from large wineries that add "mega purple" to bolster the fruit and color in their cheap wines. And from people on this site that make their own fruit packs by boiling down fruit.

In the past when I have made blueberry wine the fruit flavor has been on the weak side. So last year I blended with one of these kits and it was much better. This year I'm trying to ferment the merlot in from the start and add a bit later to slightly sweeten for balance and fruit forward flavors.

 

[hounddawg]

incase you aint been told yet check out homewinery.com
look under wine concentrates beats by far that harvest venter's in a can,
Dawg

Sorry - I made that one up. I was referring to the concentrated juice from a winexpert kit. I got the idea from large wineries that add "mega purple" to bolster the fruit and color in their cheap wines. And from people on this site that make their own fruit packs by boiling down fruit.

In the past when I have made blueberry wine the fruit flavor has been on the weak side. So last year I blended with one of these kits and it was much better. This year I'm trying to ferment the merlot in from the start and add a bit later to slightly sweeten for balance and fruit forward flavors.

 

[hounddawg]

oh shoot I am bad I just noticed you are in Raven Den GA, I am 5 miles from Raven Den AR. SORRY... welp yet again I aint got all my marbles,,,
Dawg::

 

[cgallamo]

Hey Richard. It is named after Raven Den Springs Arkansas. Small world!! All my kin on my mothers side live around there. Most have moved to Pocahantas or Jonesboro now. I'm like you living in the foothills of the mountains. Just in GA not ARK. Blueberries are universal though I would think. I planted as individual specimens about 8 feet apart. Don't really need that much room I would go 5 or 6 next time. I have a vineyard with a variety of vinifera grapes (96 vines) looking at putting in some muscadine soon.

I'll let you know the next time I get back to ARK and will bring some wine with me

 

[cgallamo]

Thought I would give a quick update - Yesterday morning the wine is just a hair over 1.000. I racked to secondary and added the second half of the Merlot juice. I've got almost 7 gallons in there. And have another 1.5 gallon sitting on the lees in a carboy to add back later. Nice purple color. Taste is excellent - the only imbalance I can perceive is it seems a bit acidic. Blueberry flavor is mostly up front - finish is more lemony (probably citric acid).

Would you all add calcium carbonate or something else to reduce acidity? Or leave it be?

 

[wineforfun]

I would leave it be for now and let it finish fermenting to in the .990's somewhere.
That "bite" you taste right now is most likely due to gas and being extremely young.

 

[cgallamo]

Thanks DJ you are probably right on. I just tasted the juice/must I left in the fridge uncovered overnight and the bite is gone.