hooray Blackberry wine!

[nasv]

After recently purchasing my starter package equipment, and as a TOTAL newbie at wine making, I'm very excited to share that, together with my wife, we have "created" our FIRST must for our 1 gallon batch and our initial measurements came out favorably: 1.092 SG and about 0.65% acid. We are actually documenting our steps via video to share our experiences and ideally help make it easier for other newbs out there like us (or show them what NOT to do).

We are using the blackberry recipe from the purple FVW winemaker's recipe handbook. The funnest part so far has been crushing the blackberries in the nylon bag and seeing all the extracted juice! The toughest so far I think would have to be the cleaning and sanitizing - I consistently felt unsure about the cleanliness and felt that anything I cleaned would be quickly re-contaminated. I hope that the use of the K-meta for sanitizing our equipment in addition the campden in the must does not cause fermentation woes.

We are using a 5g packet of 71B-1122 yeast and for pure learning purposes, we are creating a yeast starter based on the picture-HOW-TO instructions in this forum (my understanding was that we should not need the starter for the 1g must, but that it won't hurt). I will wait for the starter to be bubbling tomorrow morning, give it a swirl, and then tomorrow night I plan to just pour it into our primary fermentor with the must.

Well, I'm very excited about this process and project and just wanted to share. If you have any tips or any corrections or any pitfalls specific to my process, let me know!

-Nico

 

[Waldo]

Welcome nasv. Blackberry makes a very nice wine but be advised it does take at least a year in the bottle for it to be really good. Any particular reason you chose the yeast you did for this batch

 

[grapeman]

Welcome to the forum. Have fun with your new project and hobby. If you want some wine to drink sooner with fruity goodness(although on the sweet side) try an Island Mist kit. They are lower alcohol and all use a grape/fruit mix depending on the variety.

 

[nasv]

Welcome nasv. Blackberry makes a very nice wine but be advised it does take at least a year in the bottle for it to be really good. Any particular reason you chose the yeast you did for this batch

hey Waldo! I'm willing to put in the time to age this blackberry wine - I actually hope to keep one bottle for an even longer time since it will have a lot of sentimental value being our first bottled wine!

About the yeast - honestly, I don't know much about the different varieties and it was recommended at the store FVW for the fruit wine. Would you have used something different?

thanks!
-Nico

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

Welcome to the Forum, and Have Fun!

 

[scotty]

Did you wait 24 hours after putting the campden tabs into the juice before pitching your yeast????

It sounds like you did or are waiting.. MMMMMM blackberry wine

Edited by: scotty

 

[nasv]

Did you wait 24 hours after putting the campden tabs into the juice before pitching your yeast????

Thankful to this forum (after perusing for a while), I knew that was necessary! I'm actually in that 24 hour wait right now, and I'm using a yeast starter as well in a separate jar. So the must is at rest right now (created and mixed last night) and the jar with the yeast starter had some foam and bubbles on the top this morning! I gave the jar a little swirl to lightly mix the contents as I had seen on some instructions and I will wait till the end of today to add it to the must.

Thanks for checking in on me with that... let me know if I may run into another common pitfall!

-Nico

 

[scotty]

I always make a starter. I actually enjoy doing it necessary or not.

I usually make my juice and sterilize it in theevening then the next morning i start an 8 hour long starter bottle and it is ready by the end of the 24 hour period that evening. I usually start wit 1/2 cup water + sugar+ nutrient and energizer. Every 4 hours after that i add 1/2 cup water and a bit more sugar.
I make along deal out of it because its fun for me.
The tutorial way is excellent.

 

[kutya]

Welcome to the fourm, sounds like you are on the right path. Keep us posted on what's going on...jh

 

[Wade E]

Welcome nasv, the yeast you used is recommended for country(fruit)
wines so you have been steared in a good direction. Waldo has alot of
experience with blackberry wines and might prefer a different yeast but
this will be fine.

 

[Waldo]

Welcome nasv. Blackberry makes a very nice wine but be advised it does take at least a year in the bottle for it to be really good. Any particular reason you chose the yeast you did for this batch

hey Waldo! I'm willing to put in the time to age this blackberry wine - I actually hope to keep one bottle for an even longer time since it will have a lot of sentimental value being our first bottled wine!

About the yeast - honestly, I don't know much about the different varieties and it was recommended at the store FVW for the fruit wine. Would you have used something different?

thanks!
-Nico

I have much better results with the Montrachet for my Country wines from fresh fruits. They don't like to be too high of an alcohol content as it tends to inhibit or maskthe taste of the fruit. I try and keep them between 12-13% which is about all theMontrachet will yield. I have experimented with several varities of the yeasts and for flavor and body of the finished product Montrachet has came out on top consistently.

 

[nasv]

I have much better results with the Montrachet for my Country wines from fresh fruits. They don't like to be too high of an alcohol content as it tends to inhibit or maskthe taste of the fruit. I try and keep them between 12-13% which is about all theMontrachet will yield. I have experimented with several varities of the yeasts and for flavor and body of the finished product Montrachet has came out on top consistently.

Waldo, I will definitely try the Montrachet next time to see how it goes - I'm all about experimenting and trying new things with this awesome hobby!

I'll be reporting later on how the initial yeast starter has kicked off! With the yeast starter, do I just pour it on top of the must? Or should I vigorously mix it into the must?

Thanks,
-Nico

 

[Waldo]

Just pour it over the must. i usually pour it across a sterilized sppon. letting it just splash out over the surface of the muist

 

[jobe05]

nasv: This is were personal taste will overwhelm sensibility.


I'm not disagreeing at all with what Waldo is saying, I have to agree with him 100%.


However...............


I too prefer to use 71B in delicate fruit wines, it seems to hold the flavor better, specifically in the Blackberry.


But!............ You have to shut it off! Waldo is correct that it will go to dry, and if your starting SG was 1.092 your ABV will be a little over 13%, a tadd high for my liking in a fruit wine that should be easy drinking. If you can shut it off (stabilize it) at about 1.010, then you'll end up with an ABV of a little over 11% and won't have to back sweeten (water down).


Keep us posted.

 

[nasv]

nasv: This is were personal taste will overwhelm sensibility.


I'm not disagreeing at all with what Waldo is saying, I have to agree with him 100%.


However...............


I too prefer to use 71B in delicate fruit wines, it seems to hold the flavor better, specifically in the Blackberry.


But!............ You have to shut it off! Waldo is correct that it will go to dry, and if your starting SG was 1.092 your ABV will be a little over 13%, a tadd high for my liking in a fruit wine that should be easy drinking. If you can shut it off (stabilize it) at about 1.010, then you'll end up with an ABV of a little over 11% and won't have to back sweeten (water down).


Keep us posted.

Jobe, thanks for chiming in here - and since I am using 71B this batch, I appreciate your advice for helping make my first batch successful! Being my first batch, I was thinking of just letting the fermentation run its course, but I may stop it early when that time comes.

Thanks,
-Nico

 

[nasv]

Just pour it over the must. i usually pour it across a sterilized sppon. letting it just splash out over the surface of the muist

Ok, so, as I mentioned this morning, the yeast starter had a small layer of foam and just a few bubbles - this indicated to me that the fermentation was beginning. Per the steps in the FVW "how-to tutorials" forum, I gently stirred and waited till the afternoon. Upon the gentle swirling the foam disappeared (mixed in to the rest of the starter).

This afternoon, after work, I was thinking I should see the layer of foam reappear in the yeast starter in the jar but it was not present. I feared that something may have gone wrong and that the starter fermentation was not happening. Upon closely looking, however, I saw a lot of tiny tiny bubbles on the surface. They didn't completely cover the liquid surface of the starter but I did see these tiny bubbles actually actively bubbling! I assumed from this activity that the yeast was alive and well and ready to work. So I brought out the must, stirred the must some, and after it calmed, I poured the contents of the yeast starter jar onto the must.

Does this all sound right? Is this expected of the yeast starter? Sorry for seeking such reassurance, I just hope to start off the fermentation well in the 1gal primary fermentor! I think I'm supposed to expect fermentation to begin within 24-48 hours... oh the wait begins.

-Nico

 

[jobe05]

I have never used a starter from my yeast, I usually, Like Waldo, Just sprinkle it on top of the adjusted must and let it work. I always felt that the yeast know more what to do than I do, so I just let it do it's thing.

 

[Wade E]

Sounds right. Some yeasts foam alot and others just sit there and make a lot of sizzling noise like a carbonated softdrink.

 

[rgecaprock]

Nico..............welcome ................to the best.................forum!!!!


You are doing GREAT!!




Ramona

 

[nasv]

Thanks everyone!!!

Last night, about 24 hours after adding the yeast starter, I checked in on the primary fermentor and we had bubbles and foam galore! I took a specific gravity reading and we were at about 1.080! It smelled like a bakery inside of a winery!

I checked in on it again this morning and the fermentation seemed even more "turned on" and I gave it a nice little stir. The temp has been between 75-80 deg F with last night's and this morning's readings (I think just at the top of the comfort zone/range).

So far so good! I'll take another S.G. reading tonight to continue tracking the progress.

Thanks again for all the support and encouragement, this forum rocks!

-Nico