Juneberry / Saskatoon / Serviceberry Wine

[TasunkaWitko]

Hi -

These berries are known by many different names, so I am putting the three most common names that I am aware of in the title.

I am going to give this a try, using three pounds of juneberries as my base for a 1-gallon batch of wine. I have been told that juneberries are very similar to blueberries in character, so that is at least a point of reference.

Has anyone made Juneberry wine, and can you share your experiences with it?

Does anyone have any suggestions for an amount of sugar, acid blend, tannin and other normal additives? Would a half-pound or so of chopped golden raisins (which I have used in other wises) be a good idea?

The yeast that I have is Montrachet - would that be an "adequate" yeast?

Answers to these questions, as well as any other feedback, advice and suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks in advance -

Ron

 

[Norske]

Up the amount of berries to 6-7 pounds. Start with a brix at 21 and a pH around 3.6

 

[Turock]

Service berry wine ends up tasting similar to cherry wine. Montrachet is a nice choice, just be sure to use a nutrient feeding schedule with this yeast as it makes quite a bit of H2S if it doesn't get sufficient nutrient.

We like the PH around 3.4

Sure--it's always a good idea to use tannin in fruit wines. 1/4 tsp per gal.

Use as many berries as possible and very little water addition.

 

[dorfie]

I personally have never make a juneberry wine, i have had one that was pretty decent.
when i make a new wine, i crush my fruit, put campden and pectic enzyme in it and wait a day.
after a day i take a sample of juice and test the sugar and acid content. if the acid is high then i dilute the must to the acid level that i want. then i add sugar, tannin, and nutrient. That way i get the most fruit in my wine. I try to dilute it to a level that is approximately near an even volume, correcting with aid blend.
personally i don't like Montrachet, but that's because i had bad luck with it a few times with H2S, but others have done very well with it.
when i am making a red wine i tend to go to RC 212. It also needs nutrients but i feel like it does a better job with reds than Montrachet, in my opinion.
you can add the rains if you want, i don't use them in my wines so i can't advise on that. I will occasionally use a red grape concentrate to boost the body or color, but that's just my preference.
sounds good! pick as many as you can!

 

[Scooter68]

Up the amount of berries to 6-7 pounds. Start with a brix at 21 and a pH around 3.6

Agree with this - 6-7 lbs per gallon for fruit with a less dominating flavor is a good start. Blackberries and Black Raspberries in my experience with the wild versions of these fruits, will produce an excellent strong flavor wine with about 5-6 lbs per gallon.