# Saskatoon berry wine



## DeniseHogemann (Nov 22, 2011)

Would like to make a saskatoon berry wine. Any suggests or recipes would be appreciated.


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## LJPelletier (Nov 22, 2011)

How many pounds of the saskatoon berry do you have?

I would think you'd want about 4-5 lbs per gallon...

If I had 4-5 lbs of them, I think I'd get one of the nylon straining bags from my local brew supplier...

I'd press the juice into the primary bucket, and leave the straining bag in it.

Next, I'd take some sugar... probably 2 lbs to start. I'd dissolve the sugar in some boiling water, and add it to the primary bucket. Add more water, about a gallon in total. Check SG with hydrometer. I would add more sugar to get it up to about 1.095 ish. Add pectic enzyme, and potassium bisulphite. Allow must to sit overnight.

Pitch yeast. Depending on taste after primary is complete, I might add grape tannin, acid, or sweetener with the sorbate.


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## Arne (Nov 22, 2011)

I have never seen a Saskatoon berry but if I was to try a batch of wine with them I would start out with 4 to8 lbs of berries per gal. If the flavor is very strong I would go with less berries, if weak go with more of them. I would put them in some kind of strainer bag and into the primary they go. If doing 5 gal. might have to use 2 primaries as the berries will take up a lot of room and when fermenting the wine tends to grow some, as in all over your floor. 
Add some water, do not add your full amount as you will get some more when you add sugar. Add campden tabs. one per gal. Let sit for 24 hrs or so, add pectic enzime. Let it sit for another 12 hrs or so. Check your specific gravity. Bring it up to 1.085 or so with simple sugar. 1 cup water to 2 cups sugar, heated on stove without boiling. Add some yeast nutrient, maybe some yeast energizer, check the acid and adjust if necessary, add some tannin, and acid blend if necessary. Pitch your yeast, I would use cote de blanc, either by sprinkling on top of the must or make a starter and pour it in. Get your must up to around 75 degrees, and put a lid on the bucket. I put a tea towel on the bucket, then set the lid on, not snapped down. I would stir it a couple times a day to keep oxygen in the must. Ferment down to 1.010 or so and rack to primary. Let it ferment to dry, less than 0.999, s.g. staying the same for 3 or more days in a row. When dry, rack, sorbate, sulfite and degass. Let sit for a few days and make sure it doesn't start a refirment. Backsweeten to taste and let it bulk age for a while. Make sure to taste along the way. Mine sit in bulk anywhere from three or four months to a year or longer, then bottle. I probably forgot somethng, but somebody else will chime in and correct me. Arne.


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## tjbryner (Nov 22, 2011)

They are also called Serviceberry. I'd start with no less then 6 lbs per gallon, Plus you will want extra for a F pack 

Jack Keller has a recipe on his site, Look for ALLEGHENY SHADBUSH WINE, But you will want to increase his lbs of fruit. 

Here's the link http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request158.asp


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## docanddeb (Nov 22, 2011)

It's not a strong flavor... so I would go with 6-8# per gallon. I think, remembering the taste, it's low on acid. You can adjust that at bottling. To start, maybe some white grape juice to bring up the body.
I prefer fruit wines to start around SG 1.085 so the alcohol doesn't overpower the fruit flavor.
This wine has been done over on winepress.us... there is probably a recipe over there... or just do a google search.

Other names are june berry, service berry... so check those too. We called them June berries when I was a kid. Picked them by the bucket full! It was on a 20-25ft tree. The type I have sourced for my yard is more of a bush. Next summer I should have enough to make muffins out of! They make good pie too!

Debbie


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## DeniseHogemann (Nov 22, 2011)

Thanks for all your advice. And yes,docanddeb,the saskatoon berry is known by all of those name. For us around here it is just called the saskatoon berry. It is a native bush and tends to grow wild in Saskatchewan. There are tame varieties as well. I have 4 bushes. They are wonderful for pies and jams. Last year I made Saskatoon vodka, a wonderful sipping drink! Gonna try a batch of wine soon. Will keep you posted


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## docanddeb (Nov 23, 2011)

Happy Fermenting!!

Debbie


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## brian1947 (Apr 23, 2012)

*brian1947*

I have been making wild saskatoon berry wine and mead for 12 years. I use 3 lbs per gallon of water, 3 tbs of acid blend, 1/2 tbs of tannin, 1/2 tbs of pectic enzyme and a campden tabblet per gallon. It makes a very nice dry red wine in the style of a Merlot. 

I have had one bottle that reached 2 years old and it was better than any Merlot I have had. I am trying to get more bottles to 2 y/o. At 6 months to a year it is really nice. I put 2 cases of saskattoon berry mead in the cellar so I won't drink any before a year. So hopefully I will have some 2 year old bottles next summer.


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## brian1947 (Apr 23, 2012)

I forgot, I start mine at 1.090 to 1.095 and use champaign yeast. 

I also make a 75/25 saskatoon/blueberry that is wonderfull I use just a little less acid blend in it.


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## Turock (Apr 27, 2012)

Freeze the fruit first. Bag it because it has small seeds. Add only enough water to get some fluid going. Get the pectic enzyme in there to break the fruit down. We take a PH reading before starting the ferment and set it at about 3.3 to 3.4 Serviceberry is a fabulous wine if you are careful not to dilute it too much. It is reminiscent of sour cherry wine. We found it needs to age in the secondary for close to a year so the flavor firms up. We use Montrachet culture.


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## beckya (Apr 27, 2012)

Good luck Saskatoon!


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## dlj630 (Jul 25, 2013)

... So it's been about a year, any follow up?


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