PCharles
Senior Member
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2011
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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
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
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