The Blueberry Wine Experiment

[JeanVin]

This is my first attempt at blueberry wine. I used the Wild Berry "Blueberry" Additive kit to make 23L. Here are the instructions:

http://www.brewerylane.com/instructions/wild-berry-instruction-sheet.pdf

I added 12 litres if fruit instead of 10. The starting SG was a lovely 1.090. There was also oak and elderberries to add too. I started this kit at the beginning of September and I have already stabilized and cleared it. The end SG was 0.990 At this point it is fairly acidic and light in body but it is still pretty young. I realized that I forgot to add the nutrient/acid/tannin blend at the very beginning (as described in another thread) and I wonder how much of a difference it would have made.

Now my plan is to bulk age half of it as is. The rest will be divided into 3 x 1 gallon jugs where one will have powdered grape tannins added, the other will be oaked and the last will have an acid blend added.

Then three months down the road there will be a tasting followed by some blending if need be.

The goal is to increase body and find some of that "je ne sais quoi" that I think it is missing.

Thoughts or comments?

 

[mmadmikes1]

Blueberry is a weird berry. It lacks flavor without some sweetness. .990 is not at all sweet so before you try to add flavor add some sweetness. If it fermented dry then the yeast nutrients weren't needed. Test ph before adding acid blend and yes not adding tannin will affect flavor and mouth feel. It can be done now as you are going to age wine for a while.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

Blueberry is a weird berry. It lacks flavor without some sweetness. .990 is not at all sweet so before you try to add flavor add some sweetness. If it fermented dry then the yeast nutrients weren't needed. Test ph before adding acid blend and yes not adding tannin will affect flavor and mouth feel. It can be done now as you are going to age wine for a while.

Yep. Good advice.

 

[JeanVin]

I just had the idea of trying to make a blueberry port. I think it is a venture worth attempting.

 

[Minnesotamaker]

Bench testing is always a good idea when trying new things. That way you won't be back on here in a few days asking how to fix a whole batch of wine that didn't turn out the way you'd hoped. If you like how the small sample test goes, you can proceed with confidence. Good luck.

 

[LJPelletier]

I just had the idea of trying to make a blueberry port. I think it is a venture worth attempting.

That is a great idea! I have been thinking I would like to try making a port as well. I would like to get my hands on some Everclear, but I am a bit far away from Alberta.

 

[MN-winer]

I made some Blueberry wine with wild MN blueberries a few years ago and I did not like the flavor even with sugar added, so I decided to try making some port. I took another batch of blueberries, boiled them to extract the flavor added sugar and about a cup of brandy per gallon. It turned out great, so think you are on the right path.

 

[JeanVin]

Thanks for your tips for making the port. I think it is the way the batch may go. I have some leftover berries in the freezer and I think I may use them for making a juice/syrup. Did you have to use a preservative on them? Is there a risk of introducing any bacteria or nasties?

 

[JeanVin]

The First Batch!

It has been a busy fall and I haven't made the progress on this experiment that I wanted to but I have made some headway and a batch of Blueberry port, not that it is real port.

I took a 1 gallon jug of the blueberry wine and added some oak cubes. After a few months I found it was too oaky to be enjoyed by on its own. I tasted the unoaked wine and it fell short. I took 3 liters of the oaked wine and added 800mL of Remy's Brandy, 140ml of wine conditioner and 11mL of blueberry flavoring. Remind you, I did a practice run with smaller quantities. It has turned out pretty good. I did a small trial batch with the unoaked wine and, as expected, it fell short.

I am going to let the port settle for a month before bottling and the rest of the wine is getting oaked. I will be taking a small batch that will also receive some grape tannins as per the original plan.

Stay tuned and I will post again in a month!