Port Wine Questions

[Boozehag]

Im making a Blueberry Port ine using Jack Kellars receipe as follows-

6 lb. blueberries
1/2 pt. red grape concentrate
1/2 c. light dry malt
1-3/4 lb. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme
1-1/2 tsp. acid blend
1/2 tsp. yeast energizer
1/2 tsp. wine stabilizer
4 pt. water
crushed Campden tablet
wine yeast
Wash and crush blueberries in nylon straining bag and strain juice into primary fermentation vessel. Tie top of nylon bag and place in primary fermentation vessel. Stir in all other ingredients except yeast and red grape concentrate. Stir well to dissolve sugar, cover well, and set aside for 24 hours. Add yeast, cover, and daily stir ingredients and press pulp in nylon bag to extract flavor. When specific gravity is 1.030 (about 5 days), strain juice from bag and siphon liquor off sediments into glass secondary fermentation vessel. Fit fermentation trap. Rack in three weeks and again in two months. When wine is clear and stable, add red grape concentrate and wine stabilizer, rack again and bottle. Allow a year to mature. [Adapted from Raymond Massaccesi's Winemaker's Recipe Handbook]


I saw on another thread someone mentioned that you add more sugar while its fermenting to make it stronger. My calculations make this 12% if i leave it. Should I add more sugar (Its day 2 fermenting at the moment.) or should I leave it.
What % should a port normally be and any tips on port would be appreciated.

I used the leftover blueberries from making the blueberry thing Wade suggested and its looking nice and rich and fruitful! I like port and am prepared to leave this to age for 10 years....well at least some of it!!

 

[Wade E]

If making a Port they are typically between 16% up to 24% so either adding sugar(chaptalization) or fortifying it is the way to go. Using the fortification method you can either stop fermentation by adding either Brandy or Grain alc. at certain sg to keep it sweet or you can let it go dry and then sweeten and fortify using the Pearson's Square method that I have included in my link under Conversions and links in General Wine Making.

 

[Boozehag]

Thanks Wade, will have a look at the Pearsons Square method. I did recall someone saying something about fortifying and this receipe says nothing, in fact it soulds almost like normal wine if it didnt have the malt in it.