DEWBERRY WINE

[Fixit guy]

Down here in the deep south the dewberries are ripe, so I thought I will make a dewberry wine. I used the recipe on this site for blackberry. I picked 6 # of berries . Before I knew it I had all 6 pounds in the fermenter, all crushed and in the bag. OOPS, there went the cobbler!Was planning for just 4#. So what I did was adjusted the recipe for 1 1/2 gallons. Pitched yeast last night and it is on it's way today.
My question of the day is:
1. has anyone made this before?
2. do dewberries grow up north or have another name?

 

[Wade E]

Never heard of them. What do they taste like?

 

[mississippi mud]

I also started a batch of dewberry wine today

Wade they are a little sweeter than a blackberry and a lot more difficult to harvest. They grow across the ground and when you pick them the thorns pick back.

 

[Fixit guy]

I see if I can get some photos.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Dew berries grow up here in the North...They are like a small Black Berry and grow along the ground....few, sparse and small....But very tasty.....

Could never pick enough for a batch of wine.

 

[mississippi mud]

Hey Fixit guy, do you have those on your property? I found some down the road they were kind of spread out and small this year.I only got about 4# and the dear flies ran me off. Keep us posted on your wine.

 

[mississippi mud]

NW its a lot easier to pick enough for a dewberry cobbler. I talked my wife into going yesterday and she made me make a cobbler instead of saving them up for wine.I had to go back today for the wine. Not complaining that cobbler was vary good hot with some ice cream on the side.

 

[winefan]

A buddy of mine has a couple hundred acres with a few big patches of dewberrys problem is thorns and chiggers... gotta hire some one to pick em.

 

[winefan]

any body have a recipe t make a gallon

 

[Wade E]

This is from Jack Keller's site.
<center><h3>AUSTIN DEWBERRY WINE</h3></center>
<ul>
[*]5-6 lb. Austin dewberries
[*]2-1/2 lb. granulated sugar
[*]1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme
[*]1/2 tsp. acid blend
[*]1 crushed Campden tablet
[*]7 pts. water
[*]wine yeast and nutrient
[/list]


Pick fully ripe, best quality berries. Wash thoroughly and place
in nylon sieve. Mash and squeeze out all the juice into a primary
fermentation vessel. Tie sieve and place in primary fermentation vessel
with all ingredients except yeast. Stir well to dissolve sugar, cover
well, and set aside for 24 hours. Add yeast, cover, and set aside 5
days, stirring daily. Strain juice from sieve and siphon off sediments
into secondary fermentation vessel of dark glass (or wrap clear glass
with brown paper), adding water to bring to shoulder, and fit airlock.
Place in cool (60-65 degrees F.) dark place for three weeks. Rack,
allow another two months to finish, then rack again and bottle in dark
glass. Allow a year to mature to a nice semi-sec. [Author's own recipe]

 

[mississippi mud]

Thats the one I used but I added raisins to make up for theslender pickings.

 

[winefan]

Thanks Wade:


I'm going to go with this one. I just have to compel some one to pick the Berry's. The friend I said thathas the land is a new convert to wine making and I am hoping in his new found enthusiasm will go pick the Berry's for the cause.

 

[Wade E]

Does your new wine making friend have a computer? Theres a spot on this forum for him/her waiting here!

 

[winefan]

Thanks for the recipe. Yes he has a computer. He has been on this site and he is registered. I hooked him up with George and Mark. He just recieved his equipment, already has a pinot going. I'm sure he looks at the forum for its wealth of info.

 

[Wade E]

Great!

 

[Fixit guy]

Today is saturday and I checked the S.G. Was at 1.020 so I racked to the glass carboy. I have never seen a wine with this much fizzle. The best dewberrys are usually found near farms that have cows or livestock. The ones in the wild do not get the fertilizer that the farm grown do. I have made several blackberrys but this is my first dewberry. I used the blackberry recipe at 4# per gallon. After reading the previous recipe it may turn out a little thin. Got to get those photos before they are all gone.

 

[mississippi mud]

What was your starting sg and what kind of yeast did ya use?

 

[Fixit guy]

The starting S.G. was 1.080. The yeast was Pasteur Red (that was what I had at the time). At the present time it is overflowing the carboy with all that fizz.

 

[mississippi mud]

I had the same sg butpitchedMontrachet yeastthis morning (fizzing pretty good now) it's only good for 13%. I wanted to try something different than the usual 1118.

 

[winefan]

Carter called me this evening and said they picked 5 or 6 pounds and that he has more Berry's growing this year tan he has ever seen. we are going to get together this week and pick a bunch more.