# Lingonberry from IKEA syrup



## sgx2 (Aug 28, 2013)

Yup, I did it. I saw them there. I wondered. I bought 3 500ml bottles of them. I started a batch.

Interesting experience so far - I tried to float my hydrometer in the syrup as-is, and it was so high it was an inch+ past the bottom of the scale!  I cut with with an equal volume of water and the SG was 1.110, so assuming that it started at 1.220 I used the online fermcalc tool to calculate how much water would be needed to take the syrup to 1.085 ... . .. . . ..

It turns out that putting 1.5 L (all three bottles) into a 160 oz jug and filling to the maximum height I was comfortable with (allowing room for foam/expansion) was perfect. I validated it after diluting to that level and it was spot-on. I also added a tsp of pectic enzyme, 3 tsp of yeast nutrient and 1/2 tsp of tannin, mixed well and used EC-1118 yeast.

I just put it on, so I'll add to this thread with any progress.

I woke up in the middle of the night and had to make a label for it:


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## Downwards (Aug 28, 2013)

Sounds fun! I've done some good wines from jam, so why not? Let us know how it comes out. I'd wonder if a good amount of fruit is there, but you never know. Love the label by the way.


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## sgx2 (Aug 28, 2013)

Thanks! Sometimes I think I make wines just as an excuse to do a fun label! 
What caught my eye were the (simple) ingredients:
_Wild lingonberry juice, sugar, grape juice concentrate, citric acid_

It was surprisingly dark, even when fully prepared:


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## LoneStarLori (Aug 28, 2013)

That looks nummy already


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## vacuumpumpman (Aug 28, 2013)

Please keep us posted


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## CBell (Aug 28, 2013)

I bought some lingonberry jam from them thinking of wine but never got around to it. May have to pick up some syrup on my next trip! keep us posted!


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## vernsgal (Aug 29, 2013)

I'm totally intrigued.Please keep us posted.


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## vernsgal (Aug 29, 2013)

Just wanted to add this because I had no idea what a Lingonberry was (this is just from a google search,no idea on the facts)

One of new berries on the block that science is seriously looking into is the lingonberry; it appears to have higher concentrations of plant polyphenols and may confer even greater health benefits. Well known in Scandinavia, the lingonberry’s Latin name is vaccinium vitis-idaea, and is also known as the cowberry. As a member of the vaccinium species, it is related to the cranberry, bilberry and blueberry. Today, scientists are showing its value in both human and animal studies that are proving to have positive results.
Lingonberry Animal Studies

Animal studies have shown how the lingonberry can lower inflammatory molecules, block oxidants from destroying tissue, and also help the body replace important antioxidants, like glutathione, which is a master antioxidant in our body. Lingonberry has also been shown to increase red blood cell and liver enzymes needed for antioxidant protection. We need antioxidants to protect vessels and nerve tissue, and also to help decrease the damage from inflammation. Proanthocyanidin extracts from lingonberries were also found to be effective against the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause a wide variety of infections.


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## sgx2 (Aug 29, 2013)

I've also seen them referred to as Partridgeberries, but that name is sometimes applied to other berries too.

If you do find them fresh I believe you can treat them, as far as winemaking is concerned, as you would cranberries -- although I'd really want to test the acid levels of the fresh product.

I was also reading about them and ran across this caution if you do find them "in the wild", as it were:
_Also in the genus Vaccinium, partridgeberries (or lingonberries, or foxberries, or quailberries, or red berries) are like mini cranberries, and they ripen in mid-September. They grow on squat evergreen shrubs in dry, peaty soils and rocky, barren, and coastal areas. You should wait until after the first frost to pick them, as there&rsquo;s a little worm, the lingonberry fruitworm, that burrows into the fruit and lives there until it dies in the cold._


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## vernsgal (Aug 29, 2013)

sgx2 said:


> I was also reading about them and ran across this caution if you do find them "in the wild", as it were:
> You should wait until after the first frost to pick them, as there&rsquo;s a little worm, the lingonberry fruitworm, that burrows into the fruit and lives there until it dies in the cold.[/I]



That's a total ewww!


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## saramc (Aug 29, 2013)

A faux lingonberry wine is equal amounts concord and cranberry.


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## sgx2 (Aug 29, 2013)

saramc said:


> A faux lingonberry wine is equal amounts concord and cranberry.



That makes sense - I saw a reference to blueberry/cranberry, but I recently blended those wines together and didn't get the same vibe from the lingonberry when I was working with it. Hmmm. I'll have to experiment...


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## sgx2 (Aug 30, 2013)

This batch is proceeding well - very active fermentation, for sure. SG down 35 points already...


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## reddportleft (Sep 2, 2013)

So, I just bought some of the lingonberry concentrate from IKEA today. Just two bottles with the idea of making lingonberry wine. I want to make a gollon. I only bought two bottles at 17 oz a piece. To reconstitute it into a drink it is a ratio of 1 part concentrate 4 parts water. So, I guess I may do 2 bottles and 1 can of white grape juice concentrate and water to get to a gallon. Try to get the sg up to 1.085 then use ec 1118. Go from there... wish me luck..


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## sgx2 (Sep 2, 2013)

Good luck indeed!

You'll find that the lingonberry syrup starts at a very high specific gravity reading - when I tested my bottles they were at 1.220, so I imagine yours will be the same&hellip; You probably won't have to add very much grape juice concentrate at all!


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## sgx2 (Sep 3, 2013)

My batch is the next thing to dry now at 1.004, just a few more points to go.

One good thing about using a clear glass jug as a primary is that you can really see whether there really are CO² bubbles making their way up.


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## sgx2 (Sep 8, 2013)

I just racked this -- nice colour! The SG is down to 1.000, so there's a little way to go. I hope the small amount of O₂ it was exposed to during racking helps the yeasties finish the job. If I'm not seeing much action by Tuesday I think I'll add ⅓ tsp each of yeast nutrient and yeast energizer and see what happens by the following Tuesday, at which point I'll go ahead regardless and stabilize it. I think I'll also clarify it at that time with an ampule each of Siligel and Liquigel I didn't use with a kit wine I did a while back...


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## LoneStarLori (Sep 8, 2013)

Post a pic if you can. I'd love to see the color.


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## sgx2 (Sep 10, 2013)

LoneStarLori said:


> Post a pic if you can. I'd love to see the color.



Racked and stabilized it today:



Lookin' good!


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## Norske (Sep 10, 2013)

What yeast is recommended for lingonberry?


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## LoneStarLori (Sep 10, 2013)

Nice job.. love the ruby color!


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## sgx2 (Sep 10, 2013)

LoneStarLori said:


> Nice job.. love the ruby color!



Thanks! Me too!!


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## sgx2 (Sep 10, 2013)

Norske said:


> What yeast is recommended for lingonberry?



I used my standard - Lalvin EC-1118. It's tolerant of poor starting conditions, runs like a horse and, when you need it, goes to about 18% ABV (not that I recommend that for fruit wines, mind you).


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## vernsgal (Sep 15, 2013)

so what did you get the SG down to?


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## sgx2 (Sep 15, 2013)

I got the SG down to 0.998. Here's the dump from my database:

Varietal: Lingonberry
Batch Size: 1 Gal/3.8 L Jug (5 bottles)
Date Started: Aug 28, 2013 12:30 PM
Cost of ingredients: $13.47

3 500ml bottles of Saft Lingon (lingonberry syrup)
3 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1/2 tsp tannin
water to fill a 160oz jug
1 pkg bentonite
1 pkg Lalvin EC-1118 champagne wine yeast

Pour the 1.5L of syrup into an oversized gallon jug (160oz). Rinse each bottle to get all the syrup, adding the rinse water to the jug. 

At this point, add the yeast nutrient, pectic enzyme, tannin powder and bentonite. Shake very well to blend all the ingredients. Next, top up the jug with water, leaving a little head room for expansion/foam. Add the yeast, then fit a clean airlock.

Ferment to dry, rack off the lees into a 1 gallon jug (if there are few lees you may need another 160oz jug, otherwise put the rest into a suitable container and treat accordingly), stabilize and add finings. Allow to clear, rack if needed (top up with any extra you may have had), filter and bottle. Don't forget to also filter any extra from the fridge.

Caveat: I made this recipe up on the spot -- but it worked well!

Final ABV level: 11.6%

Initial Chemistry:
SG: 1.085 TA: n/a % pH: n/a SO2: n/a ppm

*Events*

```
[U]Date                   Event       Value   Details/Observations                              [/U]
Aug 28, 2013 12:30 PM  Start		
Aug 28, 2013 6:36 PM   Note                Fermentation has started already
Aug 31, 2013 10:36 AM  SG Reading  1.024   Looks happy
Sep 3, 2013 2:37 PM    SG Reading  1.004   Going great!
Sep 7, 2013 10:42 AM   SG Reading  1.000   Slow and steady
Sep 8, 2013 1:30 PM    Racked              Still a nice color!!
Sep 10, 2013 2:14 PM   SG Reading  0.998   Done!
Sep 10, 2013 2:14 PM   Racked              Racked to 1 gal clear jug
Sep 10, 2013 2:15 PM   Stabilized          Kmeta and sorbate
Sep 10, 2013 2:15 PM   Clarified           Used some leftover Kieselsol and Chitosan from a kit wine
```


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## sgx2 (Sep 15, 2013)

BTW, this is the syrup that I started with...


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## ou8amaus (Sep 15, 2013)

The swedish half of me is dying to get at least a gallon of this under way. But this also makes me curious of the other saft Ikea sells, the elderberry saft...


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## vernsgal (Sep 16, 2013)

Thanks SGX2. I think I'm going to give it a shot. I was at ikea today and saw the lingonberry and remembered seeing this post. The bottles here cost $4.99 a bottle so it'll cost me a little more


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## sgx2 (Sep 16, 2013)

vernsgal said:


> Thanks SGX2. I think I'm going to give it a shot. I was at ikea today and saw the lingonberry and remembered seeing this post. The bottles here cost $4.99 a bottle so it'll cost me a little more




Don't forget that I needed a 160oz jug to use three bottles, which is 32oz larger than a standard gallon jug. 

If you use two bottles it will be cheaper -- running the numbers by fermcalc suggests you'll need to add just under 7 cups of water and 0.58 lbs of sugar to bring the SG to 1.085 and liquid level to 128 oz (1 gal). The taste and colour will be slightly lighter with this variant...

Either way, if you have an acid test kit PLEASE DO TEST IT and, if possible, report what you find to us all -- thanks!!


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## vernsgal (Sep 16, 2013)

sgx2 said:


> Don't forget that I needed a 160oz jug to use three bottles, which is 32oz larger than a standard gallon jug.
> 
> If you use two bottles it will be cheaper -- running the numbers by fermcalc suggests you'll need to add just under 7 cups of water and 0.58 lbs of sugar to bring the SG to 1.085 and liquid level to 128 oz (1 gal). The taste and colour will be slightly lighter with this variant...
> 
> Either way, if you have an acid test kit PLEASE DO TEST IT and, if possible, report what you find to us all -- thanks!!



Thank You

I'll start it this week . I'll test both acid and PH and will post results here.


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## sgx2 (Sep 16, 2013)

vernsgal said:


> Thank You
> 
> I'll start it this week . I'll test both acid and PH and will post results here.



I appreciate that! I'm faking it with respect to PH and acid...


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## vernsgal (Sep 18, 2013)

well I finally got my yeast pitched today. Yesterday I put the lingonberry juice,water,pectic enzyme and 1/3 the nutrient into primary.(note I didn't add tannin yet) My readings were as follows: 
SG 1.086 PH 2.60 TA 5 g/L
You'll see that the SG was good with no additional sugar added, but the PH and acid levels were both pretty low. So here's what I did per Gal. 1st I added a tsp. acid blend, then I added a tsp. Calcium Carbonate.I know that they both act against the other but because both readings were low I figured I'd try to bring them both up a bit. I then threw in 1/2 c grape concentrate and 1 lb chopped dark raisons.I let it all sit overnight and took the readings this morning. SG was really high- at 1.114 so I added 1 1/2 liters water. SG 1.098 still a little high but I don't want to water down too much. PH 3.22 a little lower than I like but better than it was. TA 6.5 a little low as well but better and I don't want to add anymore acid blend as it would probably bring down my PH. So accepting these readings I then added only 1/2 tsp. of tannin and pitched my yeast.


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## sgx2 (Sep 18, 2013)

How much water did you add with the syrup?

I still have quite a bit of haze, so I added a teaspoon of pectic enzyme and a teaspoon of amylase enzyme to my 1 gallon batch to see if that would help clear it&hellip;


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## vernsgal (Sep 18, 2013)

I started with 7 pints and then added more 2 1/2 pints more today.I think tomorrow I'll add some bentonite


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## sgx2 (Sep 19, 2013)

Wow! The concentration of your syrup must have been quite different -- I assume you started with the 500 ml (16.9oz) jars. If you used 3 of them I would have expected you would have needed only 5 pints to hit 1.085. Hmm. 4 of them would need 7 pints, but make 1.4 gal of total liquid....


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## vernsgal (Sep 19, 2013)

I did use the 500 ml jars.It was actually 2 1/2 jars I used (I made a 2 gal batch )using 5 jars total.So the numbers above are 1/2 of what I used total. I thought it would be easier if I showed per gal.Sorry for confusion


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## saramc (Sep 21, 2013)

I have recently noticed lingonberries in the canned fruit (not jam/jelly) section at WalMart. Glass jar, cannot recall brand. I bought one for under $3, made crepes and granola yogurt parfaits. I would definitely use that tasty stuff to make a gallon batch, but I need to check the ingredient label again.... no IKEA anywhere near me. :-( I do remember in my research that lingonberries are loaded with pectin.


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## sgx2 (Sep 21, 2013)

saramc said:


> I have recently noticed lingonberries in the canned fruit (not jam/jelly) section at WalMart. Glass jar, cannot recall brand. I bought one for under $3, made crepes and granola yogurt parfaits. I would definitely use that tasty stuff to make a gallon batch, but I need to check the ingredient label again.... no IKEA anywhere near me. :-( I do remember in my research that lingonberries are loaded with pectin.



You're right - they are reported to be high in pectin. This might explain my persistent post-fermentation haze. Time to dose with more pectic enzyme!!


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## vernsgal (Sep 21, 2013)

It does smell good.Thanks sgx2 for sharing. I think it'll make a great tasting wine.Very slow at fermenting though. I would give the canned kind a try Sara.


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## sgx2 (Sep 22, 2013)

Glad to hear you're enjoying your batch 
BTW, I added about 2 tsp of pectic enzyme to my gallon by putting the powder into a new 1 gallon jug, then racking onto it. There was enough headroom that I decided to cap and shake the jug, which served the dual purpose of fully dissolving the pectinase and degassing quite nicely. I opened the cap a bit to let out excess gas, hopefully purging any remaining oxygen.


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## vernsgal (Sep 22, 2013)

I did add a tsp per gal of pectic enzyme at the start. Should I add more when I rack?


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## saramc (Sep 22, 2013)

vernsgal said:


> I did add a tsp per gal of pectic enzyme at the start. Should I add more when I rack?



No reason you cannot add it now. The sooner the pectic enzyme is on board the better outcome you typically see.


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## sgx2 (Sep 22, 2013)

vernsgal said:


> I did add a tsp per gal of pectic enzyme at the start. Should I add more when I rack?


Add it as soon as you can, I think. The next time you test SG, or if you plan to rack shortly, go ahead and add it if you haven't done so by that point...

I think it's helping...


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## vernsgal (Sep 30, 2013)

So I racked mine today. SG got down to .095.It tasted good, cranberry like after taste.A little bitter I think but hard to say because alc. was still real strong (I did add raisons at the start, so my Alc. ended at 13.49%)added some k-meta and sorbate.I'll let it sit awhile and taste again before deciding whether to back sweeten or not.


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## sgx2 (Oct 5, 2013)

I just bottled my batch and was pleased at the aroma and clarity. I agree that it was rather cranberry-like, and quite tart, so I expect that like my cranberry wines I'll let age for quite a few months before tasting again. I filtered mine through a set of pads that had just done a batch of Valpolicella, so there might have been 4-5 oz of it trapped in the pads which blended with my Lingonberry -- I can't really taste the effect, but it may have contributed something (maybe just a little colour).

Here's a look:


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## Norske (Oct 5, 2013)

sgx2 did you backsweeten or just leave it dry?


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## sgx2 (Oct 5, 2013)

Norske said:


> sgx2 did you backsweeten or just leave it dry?



I rarely backsweeten -- while I enjoy a sweeter wine, my wife does not and I'm supposed to be watching my sugars and eating as low glycemic as I can. Wine is my indulgence 

In this case, I had no impulse to backsweeten as I enjoyed the tartness -- cranberry is, perhaps, my favourite fruit wine and I was curious how this would compare. After all, if I wanted to do up a larger batch it would be reasonably cost-effective (a 5gal batch would be about 4 times the volume I made, so it would cost about $55.00), and I wanted to compare this with buying large quantities of cranberries at harvest time and steam juicing them..... ... . .. ... . ... .. ... ....... .... ...


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## vernsgal (Oct 5, 2013)

It looks great. Mine is still in secondary clearing. I do love your label


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## sgx2 (Oct 6, 2013)

vernsgal said:


> It looks great. Mine is still in secondary clearing. I do love your label



Thanks! If it persists in being hazy you may want to hit it with another dose of pectic enzyme - I did, and it cleared like a champ. Feel free to use my label -- I think it's attached in the thread here


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## Norske (Oct 7, 2013)

Just gathered up 50+ pounds of Lingonberries. They are now safely in the freezer awaiting there turn at the vat


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## sgx2 (Oct 7, 2013)

vernsgal said:


> It looks great. Mine is still in secondary clearing. I do love your label



Thanks! If it persists in being hazy you may want to hit it with another dose of pectic enzyme - I did, and it cleared like a champ. Feel free to use my label -- I think it's attached in the thread here


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## vernsgal (Oct 7, 2013)

I''m going away for a week and will see how it's doing when I get back. Thanks for all your help. ( I looked at ribena today and thought " that could be good") wasn't surprised to see a post from you on it.Expect some questions on that post from me in another few weeks!
Thanks for your help SGX2!!


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## sgx2 (Oct 8, 2013)

vernsgal said:


> I''m going away for a week and will see how it's doing when I get back. Thanks for all your help. ( I looked at ribena today and thought " that could be good") wasn't surprised to see a post from you on it.Expect some questions on that post from me in another few weeks! Thanks for your help SGX2!!


 have fun!


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## sgx2 (Oct 8, 2013)

Oh, and definitely try the Ribena wine - feel free to ask/comment on the thread I started!


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## Ebonheart (Oct 25, 2013)

My wife works for IKEA. Definitely forwarding this post!


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## sgx2 (Oct 25, 2013)

Ebonheart said:


> My wife works for IKEA. Definitely forwarding this post!


Hey! Discount on Lingonberry syrup for you


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## Ebonheart (Oct 26, 2013)

sgx2 said:


> Hey! Discount on Lingonberry syrup for you



The wife thinks the Elderflower might make a good white.


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## sgx2 (Oct 26, 2013)

It might indeed! Do check the acid levels...


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## reddportleft (Nov 1, 2013)

My attempts didn't work. Nothing happened to my must. The yeast didn't have a good environment to work in. I think it might have heen a little too acidic. I am disappointed. I will be trying it again.


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## vernsgal (Nov 2, 2013)

reddportleft said:


> My attempts didn't work. Nothing happened to my must. The yeast didn't have a good environment to work in. I think it might have heen a little too acidic. I am disappointed. I will be trying it again.



What was your starting SG? Did you use nutrients?


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## sgx2 (Nov 2, 2013)

Aieee! Sorry to hear that, Red! Can you verify the recipe you used? Did you use the same IKEA syrup that I started with? How much did you dilute it? Also, what yeast did you use?


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## MisterHobbs (Nov 5, 2013)

I've got an Ikea only 5 minutes away. The perfect wine for meatballs.


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## sgx2 (Nov 6, 2013)

MisterHobbs said:


> I've got an Ikea only 5 minutes away. The perfect wine for meatballs.



Don't you mean "the perfect (swedish) meatballs for wine"?


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## Jovimaple (Feb 28, 2021)

Reviving this thread with a photo of my beautiful lingonberry wine before I bottle it!


Made it for a friend who loves lingonberries. Fresh/frozen berries were way too expensive, so I searched on making it from syrup and found this thread.


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## Jovimaple (Feb 28, 2021)

I got the syrup from Amazon. I think it was about $18/bottle and I used 2 bottles, so it was a still a little spendy, but the frozen berries would have been close to $100 for a 1 gallon batch of wine!




Recipe adapted from what y'all were doing on this thread:

2 16.9 oz bottles lingonberry syrup
1/2 C sugar dissolved in 2 C water
14 C water (including rinsed out from bottles)
2 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1/2 tsp tannin
1 Campden tablet, crushed
Red Star Premiere Classique yeast (partial package)
S.G. before yeast: 1.088
Final S.G. before backsweetening: .994

Note: I have a heater pad with a thermostat that I kept at 75 degrees F, so it keeps my fermenting buckets at a more even and warmer temp than the room temp - I think it turns the power on the heater pad at 2 degrees lower than the set temp and turns it off at 2 degrees higher.

2021.01.17: Mixed all ingredients except yeast in 2 gallon fermenting bucket covered with a thin towel
2021.01.18: Stirred must, then pitched yeast
2021.01.19: Stirred twice because there weren't many bubbles and I ended up adding more yeast; in hindsight, I think I should have waited closer to 24 hours after adding Campden tablet and as I recall I was excited to start this and pitched the yeast closer to 10 hours. 6 hours after the 2nd yeast pitch, it was fermenting merrily and the must was up to 78-79 degrees.
2021.01.20: Some bubbling while stirring
2021.01.21: Lots of bubbles; stirred must
2021.01.22: Bubbly still; stirred must
2021.01.23: Fewer bubbles; s.g. 1.006; racked to gallon carboy (+ almost 1 pint)
2021.02.06: s.g. .994; stabilized + 1 crushed Campden tablet and racked to gallon carboy, topped off with extra pint
2021.02.20: Racked and backsweetened* with 1 C simple syrup (2 sugar: 1 water)
2021.02.28: Planning to bottle today with 1 crushed Campden tablet; Final S.G. = 1.012

*Trying to sweeten to my friend's taste. I find that I don't care for the lingonberry wine, myself, but I sweetened it a little less than I did my cranberry. I figure that this will be an experiment. I'm going to record the sweetened s.g. before I bottle, and then if I make it for her again, I will be able to adjust.

But it's just so pretty!!! Definitely bottling in clear bottles!

Edited to fix typos because I do my best editing after I hit the Post button. Grrrr.

Edited again to record S.G. after backsweetening.


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## Scooter68 (Feb 28, 2021)

Your comment on editing - Yeah I often cringe after I post comments. At least on here you have a day or so to catch and fix those pesky typos.


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## Jovimaple (Mar 21, 2021)

Gave my friend a couple of bottles of the lingonberry wine. Her verdict: "You need to open a winery!"

So I guess it's a success!


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