Comments/Suggestions on Blueberry Wine?

[smokegrub]

I am preparing to do a blueberry wine as follows--I would very much appreciate your comments/suggestions:

11 1/2 qt blueberry juice (steam-juiced from 18 lb frozen blueberries)
Sugar (SG 1.090)
6 t pectic enzyme
7 1/2 t acid blend
3 1/2 t yeast energizer
7 t yeast nutrient
Water to 6 gal
12 Campden tablets (crushed; divided [6 in primary before pitching yeast; 6 at bottling])
1 pkg Lalvin EC-1118
3 t wine stabilizer (at bottling)
1 (500 ml) bottle red grape concentrate (at bottling)

 

[Dean]

You need oak! Blueberry takes to oak very well. I'd use hungarian medium toasted cubes, about 8 ounces of it, in secondary for 8-12 weeks. Of course, this assumes you are going to ferement it dry and wait at least 1 year for it to be ready. Otherwise, I'd use about 6 ounces of chips in the primary.

 

[Wade E]

Ive always seen and used 1 tsp of nutrient per gallon and 1/2 tsp per gallon of the energizer. Looks good otherwise and the oak does sound good.

 

[smokegrub]

Dean/Wade:

I have some Virginia white oak which I plan to toast. I will do so and give it a try with this wine.Edited by: Smokegrub

 

[mississippi mud]

Where are you on the blueberry wine ?did it taste good after stabilizing and do you have any suggestions?I might have to cut this in half , it would kill me if it didn't turn out andI wasted 18 pounds of blueberries.

 

[smokegrub]

It has the potential to be the best wine I have made. It is already exceptional. I can't wait until it is a year old. I did not use the oak.Edited by: Smokegrub

 

[fish1onthefly]

I am picking blueberrys tommrow...Any suggestions on what you would do diffrent on you recipie??

 

[Wade E]

Im not sure you need the 6 campden tabs in the beginning as steaming the fruit to get the juices out would most likely kill any wild yeast.

 

[smokegrub]

Good catch, Wade, I did not use the Campden prior to fermentation--only after.

 

[mississippi mud]

Really relaxes close to a year eh!! Smokegrub.

 

[mississippi mud]

Did you manage to save any?

 

[smokegrub]

This produced an extremely good wine. So good, in fact, that I am degassing a new 6 gallon batch now.