Blueberry Wine - Rapid Start

Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum

Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

PCharles

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2011
Messages
460
Reaction score
10
Greetings fellow wine makers, yesterday morning I started my first batch of blueberry wine. I’m pleased to report that it is fermenting away within 24 hrs. I used a quickie yeast starter that I made up with LALVIN RC-212 WINE YEAST. I placed it in orange juice supplemented with yeast nutrient and yeast energizer. Within several hours the yeast was going to town with foaming action and evident multiplication. I added this to my must which is now fermenting as desired.

Here are the basic components of my batch.

 Batch Size – six gallons
 Fresh Blueberries – 3 gallons
 2 Vintner’s Harvest Blueberry Puree – 3lbs each
 1 can Seneca Grape Juice Concentrate (100% Juice)
 LALVIN RC-212 WINE YEAST
 7 lb Sugar
 6 tsp Acid Blend (note the blueberry puree is already acid balanced)
 6 tsp Yeast Nutrient
 2 tsp Yeast Energizer
 Pectic Enzyme
 Initial SG is 1.080

The blueberries are in a sock and have been pressed/squeezed.
The batch has a nice head on it, with the berries and a thick mat of pulp debris on the surface. I’ve been punching down several times each day and anticipate doing this until I remove the fruit bag, say in 10-12 days. I have the fermenter lid loosely attached.

After I remove the fruit bag I intend to press the blueberries and return the juice to the fermenter. On day 14-18 I anticipate racking to a carboy. I may have to purchase another 3 gallon carboy for clearing/aging.
I don’t expect to bottle until October.

The farm where I purchased the blueberries sells a 100% blueberry juice product sold by the bottle. I may pick up several of these to top off with and use to back sweeten. I'll do that or pick up more berries (soon as this years crop is on the way out).

Any comments/suggestions?

Thanks, Paul

blueberry wine1-1.jpg
 
Last edited:
Everything looks good. I have a bunch of blueberries sitting in the freezer that I'm excited about. Did you do an acid test? And if so, what was your TA?
 
Blueberry Wine - TA

Hi Jason,

Good hearing from you. I did not measure TA. I've been going from a basic recipie with some modifications. I stuck to the recipie based on the liquid that I added, excluding the puree which was already adjusted. I must admit I added a good bit more fruit than the original recipie called for. I am aware that both the TA and sugar content might be effected by the increased fruit. The batch has continued to work nicely. I checked the SG about 1AM when I got home from work. It is down to 1.040. I'll take a stab at checking the TA in the morning with my phenol TA kit. The dark rich color may make it diffuclt to read, but will give it a try.

The original recipie calls for the fruit to be removed at SG 1.030. The berries are to be pressed with the juice being returned to the batch. I still have a way to go, with it being 1.040 now. Tuesday will be one week in the fermenter. I may verywell reach the mark by then. I have a small hand opreated fruit press that should be adequate. I'm surprised at how much the blueberries resemble grapes in this process. The berries have still ratained there physical structure. I expect the press will release some really tasty juice.

Thanks again for commenting. This is my first season as a wine maker and I certainly appreciate feedback/suggestions.

Hey you all, have a good weekend, and I hope you all enjoy a good wine this weekend. I believe I'll be tasting a chianti that I bottled several months ago.

Paul
 
I didn't consider the acid testing with the color change. I've been adjusting with a pH meter for so long that I forgot all about titrating with phenolphthalein.
 
Blueberry Wine - TA

Jason, I tested the blueberry must for TA and it is reading at .60%. I was pleased to see it is right about where I wanted it. I retested the SG and it has dropped over night from 1.040 to 1.035. I figure I will remove the berries in another day or two for pressing as my target SG to remove them is 1.030.

I just opened a bottle of Chianti that my wife and I plan to enjoy this eve. The wine was a bit gassy as I didn't have a vacume pump when I bottled it. I have a bung that fits the top of a 750 ml bottle. I gave it a good vacuming and felt obligated to give it a taste test following the degassing.... ahhh so nice. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Have a great day.

Paul
 
I look forward to the results. Hopefully, I'll get motivated to start my blueberry soon. I just freed up a carboy, but I was hoping to save a few for CA juices in the fall. Maybe I should just buy more carboys....:b
 
Back
Top