Blueberry wine

[Joedaddy]

I rounded up the kids one afternoon and took them to the u-pick blueberry farm last August. I got enough berries for a couple Saturdays of blueberry pancakes with blueberry syrup for the boys....and just over a gallon of blueberry wine for me.

I got kind of busy with school starting and making grape wine and some big peach and apricot batches and I kind of ignored it. It never really finished fermenting and it stuck on 1.010 and was constantly bubbling. I have racked it a couple of times and it actually tastes pretty good so a couple of days ago, I put some sorbate in. The bubbles are gone.

I have never made wine with residual sugar in it but I might be pretty happy with this one. I have some leftover berries in the freezer for a f-pac but I might not even use them. Not sure why it got stuck but sometimes the mistakes can turn out pretty good.

 

[KSmith3011]

It could have been the yeast. Do you know what yeast and the current % of alcohol?

 

[UglyBhamGuy]

Post your recipe. Might help answer any questions about the fermentation and i have a bunch of blueberries in the deep freeze that are itchin' to be wine. LOL.

 

[Joedaddy]

Recipe:
1 gallon water.
3.5 lbs "Dixie" blueberries picked from Green River Valley in Washington
1 tsp acid blend
1/2 tsp tannin
1 tsp nutrient
2.5 lbs sugar
1 campden- next day
1/2 t pectic- next day

I pressed the blueberries and then poured the boiled sugar water over the pressed blueberries.
SG was 1.095
Made on 8/2
Pitched pasteur red on 8/3
It didn't start so I repitched pasteur red on 8/8
Started to ferment 8/11
racked 3 times and I still am at 1.010 on 12/3.
It is very gassy and I should probably try out my new vacuum pump on it tomorrow. If I can get the gas out, I will probably just bottle it as is. I like the taste if I can get rid of the gas.

 

[Wade E]

Any starting sg?

 

[Joedaddy]

starting SG 1.095

 

[ellijaywinemaker]

The only problem I can see is not enough blueberrys I use 6 to 8 LBS per gal

 

[Midwest Vintner]

The only problem I can see is not enough blueberrys I use 6 to 8 LBS per gal

that seems like alot, IMO. the berries can make a difference too. usually the smaller, the more flavorful.

 

[Joedaddy]

It was actually a really good year for the blueberries in Western Washington. They weren't as big as usual and these seemed exceptionally juicy and sweet. The blackberries were awful though. They were also small but never really seemed to ripen up. It was a cold summer. I decided to skip blackberry wine this year.

 

[ellijaywinemaker]

My blue berry is full bodied and very blueberry LOL I received a bronze medal in the wine maker mag wine competition in Boston in 2002. But you need to go by your SG wine making it as I don't like adding much sugar to mine if I can get close to what I am striving for with out adding any .