Our First Fruit Wine (Blueberry)

[Vaughn]

Wanted to give a report on our first attempt at fruit wine.


SUCCESS! After about 5 months in the bottle, we impatiently cracked one open a bottle of blueberry last night. I expected that it would still be a little too tart, considering that I left the wine dry (I followed the recipe on this web site, with the exception of the grape juice concentrate). Surprisingly, it was very well balanced, with a very distinct blueberry flavor. I wish now that I had picked enough blueberries for 6 gallons, instead of two. I have one other gallon of blueberry mead (melomel?) in the carboy now. I'm really looking forward to that one.


I also have a gallon of frozen strawberry wine that is about a month away from bottling. After a month in the carboy, it shows no signs of clearing.

I don't want to filter it. I wanted to try gelatin. For those of you that have used this, how much would I use for a gallon of wine?

 

[masta]

Glad to hear about your success with the blueberry wine!


Maui Joehas used gelatin and here is the post:


[url]http://www.finevinewines.com/Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2 6&KW=gelatin[/url]+

 

[MedPretzel]

Congrats on your Blueberry!

I filtered mine yesterday (thanks BillB!) and I think it tastes like Rocket fuel. I added 8 oz. of sugar to 5 gallons (I don't want to over-sweeten), and will let it sit for a while yet. It's a little bit lighter than I anticipated, but that's not a huge problem for me. I just hope that the taste mellows out a little. I wanted to name it "Blue Moon Blueberry," then it changed to "Blue River Wine" because it erupted all over my basement floor a while back. Now I'm toying with the idea of "Rocket Man Fuel" -- I can see the label now, Elton John at his "best" (craziest) in his light blue bell-bottoms and light blue glasses.





Unless it turns out to be really good...

With gelatin, I believe I used a 1/4 teaspoon per gallon. Gelatin worked great on my strawberry wine I made about two years ago. But after only being in the carboy for a month, it still is a bit early to use fining agents. Start another batch of something else to keep your mind off of it.

Follow in Waldo's footsteps!

Martina

 

[Vaughn]

Thanks for the advice. You are right, it is too soon. But I've never had anything stay this cloudy this long. Would it hurt to warm up a cup of the wine to disolve the gelatin? I don't want to add any more water, being it's only a gallon.


Our blueberry was a little stout as well, but not "rocket fuel". Oh well, they say everything gets better with age. I'm not sure about that theory. I think if I was patient enough to let a wine age for several years, I would convince myself that itwas better to keep from experiencing any huge disapointment.

 

[Hippie]

It seems we have a skeptic among us!

 

[Vaughn]

No...just an excuse for my impatience.

Just imagine making fine 50 year old cognac. You've spent your entire life waiting for the right moment to open and enjoy this nectar of the gods. What if it tasted like wale bile? Would you be willing to admit it? Perhaps you would convince yourself, this is what it is supposed to taste like! Years ago, a "friend" of my sister-in-law brought a bottle of 12 year old wine over for Thanksgiving. It was obvious that we were supposed to be very impressed with this wine by the way he went on about it. I had never had 12 year old wine before. Frankly, it wasn't that great. But, we all gushed about how great it was because we had never had 12 year old wine. Weguessed that was what it was supposed to taste like and that we were just not sophisticated enough to appreciate it.


Another case on this point has to do with the cost of a bottle of wine. If I spend $50 on a bottle of wine, it should be 5X better than a $10 bottle of wine, right? We all would probably agree that the $50 bottle is better, but 5X? Or does the cost somehow work on our psyche in a way that we BELIEVE the wine is 5X better just because we plopped down $50 for it?


Acontractor at work took me to a fine restaurant a couple of years ago (not my element, I'm a "Chili's" or "Applebee's" kind of person). We ate at the bar. I asked the bartender about a large bottle that was locked up in a glass case behind the bar. It was 50 year old Cognac. For one small shot glass of this stuff it would cost me $175. I really wanted to try this stuff,butI couldn't imagine anything thatI would spend $175just to pass my taste buds with. Now if it cured deadly disease, or permanently wiped out wrinkles, I might try it. But it is just a beverage, right? The bartender explained that most of the time, the Cognac was purchased by rich patrons trying to impress friends or business men trying to impress clients. He, frankly, preferred scotch.


I guess my point is that aging improves the value of a wine in more than one way. Yes, aging does improve the character and complexity of wine. However, putting a bottle aside and investing the patience to let a wine fully mature also provides value to the wine. I just don't want my "investment" (whether in time or money)to cloudmy judgment about how well a wine really tastes.


Rant over.

 

[Hippie]

So far, everything I have waited for has been better than it was. I am a very patient person, so maybe the value of my patience isn't as high as yours. Does that make sense?I am the most stubborn person and I think that is related to patience.

 

[peterCooper]

you have to aks yourself why you are making the wine. Is it because you
want to drink a better wine? Is it a hobby? Is it because of economics? Is
it from some sense of satisfaction in bing able to participate in a physical
representation of great culture (or somsuch metaphysical claptrap)?

For many of us I suspect, there is a mixture of all of these ideas. Value is
important. There is a great deal of satisfaction in producing something
cheaper, better than you can get in a store.

I like to make somewhat larger quantities. That gives me an opportuntiy
to sample, and then sample later and say 'yes, it has improved'. There
comes a point where it is possible to say (after many samples), "this one
is worth putting away for a long time"

 

[Maui Joe]

Aloha Hollow Oak Wine,


Just to clarify the formula for the "Knox Gelatine," in the ratio that I have used was 1/2 tsp=1 1/2 cups boiling water and I have had good results with a recent 6-gal. mango fruit wine. Now the formula above is for a 1-gal. For greater amounts, it would not be the case to "increase the water" ratio to dissolve the gelatin. Therefore, for 5- gals. it would be 1/2 tsp gelatin x 5, dissolved in 1 1/2 cup. boiling water...added to the wine. In the thought of using your wine in place of the 1 1/2 cup of H2O, I see no problem other than the liquid needs to heat to a point enough to dissolve the gelatin. In the case of "boiling," then you would more than likely delete the "alcohol" from the liquid, but retain the color, etc.


No "off-flavors" were noted when used. In fact, a decrease of tannin bite was noted and no change to the fruit flavor of the wine.


I purchased more gelatin for future wines....this should tell you something

 

[masta]

Aloha Joe...thanks for jumping back in!

 

[MedPretzel]

I'm going to ask a question here, because this is nagging my brain all morning, after reading this post. I haven't searched my books, because I think I read it on some obscure website. I don't remember!!!

I was under the impression that gelatin was used for + (plus) particles and chitosan, bentonite etc was used for - (negative) particles? And the plus particles are usually in the whiter wines and the negatives are in the reds? Have I dreamt this?

I understand that this wine we're talking about is Strawberry, and that turns out pretty light usually. But let's say I wanted to do an elderberry/hibiscus mix again... Would it still be wise to use gelatin?

Darn it! Where did I read that?!?