# Blackberry



## Tom

Blackberry Wine 6 gallon recipe
36 lbs of previously frozen and thawed Blackberries
10 1/2 lbs – White Table Sugar
1 – Red Grape Concentrate
1/4 tsp – Liquid Pectic Enzyme or 3tsp powdered 
2 tsp – Acid Blend
6 tsp – Yeast Nutrient
1/4 tsp – K-Meta
3 tsp – Yeast Energizer
5 3/4 Gallons – Water
1 Sachet – Lalvin 71B 1122
Pour 1 gallon of warm water in a 7.9 gallon primary bucket or bigger.
Add K-meta, Yeast Nutrient, Yeast Energizer, Grape Concentrate, and stir well. Put all fruit in fermenting bag and squeeze over primary to extract most of juices and then put bag in primary. Pour the 1 gallon of boiling water with all dissolved sugar over fruit. Fill the rest of the way with remainder of room temp water and check SG, it should have a SG of around 1.085 give or take a little, if more then add a little more water, if less then add a little more dissolved sugar in small amount of water as sugars from fruit can vary a little. Let sit for 12 hours with lid loose or with a cloth covering bucket with elastic band or string tied around so as that not to sag in must. After those 12 hours add your Pectic Enzyme and wait another 12 hours while also adjusting your must temp to around 75 degrees. After those twelve hours, pitch your yeast either by sprinkling yeast, dehydrating yeast per instructions on back of yeast Sachet, or by making a yeast starter a few hours prior to the 12 hour mark. At this point either leave primary lid off with the cloth again, place lid on loose or snap the lid shut with airlock. Punch down cap twice daily to get all fruit under the liquid level. When SG reaches 1.015, rack to 6 gallon carboy and let finish fermenting with bung and airlock attached. When wine is done fermenting, (check a few days in a row to make sure SG does not change and SG should be around .998 or less) you can stabilize by adding another ¼ tsp of k-meta and 3 tsps of Potassium Sorbate and degas your wine thoroughly. You can now sweeten your wine if you like by using simple syrup which consists of 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of boiling water or by using a juice or frozen concentrate. I typically take 2 quarts of an alike juice and simmer on stove at medium heat with lid off until its 1/3 its original size and let it cool to room temp and then add slowly to taste. Be careful not to over sweeten. At this point you can use a fining agent or let it clear naturally. Once clear, rack into clean vessel and bulk age more adding another ¼ tsp of k-meta at 3 month intervals or add ¼ tsp k-meta and bottle age for at least 3 months and enjoy. Longer aging will give you a better wine so save a few bottles till at least 1 year mark so you can truly see what this wine can aspire to.


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## mmadmikes1

Ok I dont need to type it out, I used 40 pounds of Berries and 8 pound of sugar. Everything else is close as hell to same


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## Tom

Good!
any plans on f-pac or back sweeten?


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## mmadmikes1

I have 3/4 Gallon of must left in fridge, If I think it needs it I will use it. I am hoping to add it to a Cab Sav or Merlot


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## Tom

OK keep the thread open so you can follow up and let us know


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## countrygirl

is 1/4 tsp k meta the same as one campden tab?
this may just be the recipe i need for the blackberries...i'm not sure how many pounds i'm up to, but the freezer is getting full, AND a local truck patch just started advertising fresh blackberries. i think i'll make sure and get enough and do this BIG batch after all...tom, i'm telling my hubby you twisted my, uh, battery charge cord, lol


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## Tom

No 1/4tsp of powdered meta is enough for 6 gallons. You neet 1 campton tab per gallon.


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## countrygirl

i've seen the little wooden measurers for the powdered kmeta, but i will remember the 1 tab per gallon. thanks!


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## countrygirl

any update on this mike? this will be my next batch...just trying to get enough berries in the freezer. may have to use storebought frozen berries to make up my poundage


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## bluerdg

I started a 2 gallon batch of Blackberry/Blueberry this morning. Had frozen fruit that we picked at a local berry farm in June. It's my second homemade wine, my first is a Pinot Grigio from a box juice kit that is probably about a week from bottling. Other than quantities and mix of fruit, recipe looks similar. I hope it turns out as good as some of the recipes I've seen here.


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## Ken914

Reading this recipe... "5 3/4 Gallons – Water"

is that correct for a 6g batch?


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## Tom

What Recipe?


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## Ken914

Tom said:


> What Recipe?



Hi Tom,

The recipe in the first post of this thread.

-K9


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## Tom

Yea. You may even go to 5 1/2 gal, Remember the fruit will add juice and you want to start with over 6 gal because there is alot of sediment.


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## NoSnob

Tom,
I'm interested in using your recipe for blackberry wine. I plan to use Wal-Mart frozen blackberries. Several questions:
1. How much red grape concentrate to use?
2. Would you consider this recipe to be dry, off-dry, or sweet?
3. If I make it for 3 gallons, do I assume correctly that everything except the yeast, its nutrients and enzymes should be cut in half?

Thanks
NS


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## Tom

NoSnob said:


> Tom,
> I'm interested in using your recipe for blackberry wine. I plan to use Wal-Mart frozen blackberries. Several questions:
> 1. How much red grape concentrate to use?
> 2. Would you consider this recipe to be dry, off-dry, or sweet?
> 3. If I make it for 3 gallons, do I assume correctly that everything except the yeast, its nutrients and enzymes should be cut in half?
> 
> Thanks
> NS



1 One can frozen Welch's

2 Yeast will make it dry. then you can add f-pac or backsweeten to your taste

3 Yes

NOTE; add sugar to get starting gravity of 1.085 using http://mpesgens.home.xs4all.nl/thwp/winecalc.html


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## NoSnob

*Problems With Blackberry Recipe*

This is my first venture in making wine from fruit. I'm using Tom's blackberry wine recipe. My first SG, after berries, enzyme, sugar, etc. were added, was 1.132, which seems way too high. I added about a gallon of water, taking it to within 1" of the very top of my 7.9 gal fermenting pail. The SG was essentially unchanged. I think I may be confused about what the reference to higher and lower SG actually means. 

- Does higher mean a higher number (therefore a more dense solution)?
- Is 1.132 too high to continue? My level is already too high to add anything else. 

I am really afraid that after the yeast is pitched, this thing will take off big time, creating a big mess of overflow.

I have everything ready to proceed to the next step, but this SG seems out of whack. I have a second 7.9 primary I could use but would have difficulty in splitting the fruit in the bag into two equal parts
- What action is recommended here?
NS


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## NoSnob

To clarify here, I used all the ingredients exactly as specified. I used 10 lb of sugar, dissolved in 1 gallon of boiling water. I also used 34 lb. Wal-Mart frozen blackberries (the label says only blackberries, mentioning no sugar or preservatives), plus 2 lbs of fresh berries. All berries were frozen and thawed, but still cool. I added the berries to the bag over the fermenter, squeezing now and then and giving an occasional punch inside the bag with a potato masher. I followed the recipe closely, if not exactly. I would have used a larger fermenter, but my LHBS sells only 7.9 pails and 40 gal. beer fermenters. 

I had my doubts going in that this recipe would tax a 7.9 pail and therefore should be cut in half, but I decided to go full tilt boogy! Tom, I value your opinion and hope you can advise me here. Thanks
NS


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## Ken914

If you're that close to the top of your fermenter, the common wisdom is to divide the batch into two buckets. Blackberry must can get a little messy, but it's worth it.

Can you post your recipe in full? 36 pounds of blackberries should be wonderful for 5-6g of wine.

P.S. Next time you're out and about, go to Wal-Mart bakery. Ask them for used large frosting buckets (about 4g). They are food-safe (obviously) and have no residue that will cause you off-tastes. They typically give them away for free, especially if you're willing to wash them out.


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## NoSnob

Thanks Ken. I am using Tom's blackberry recipe, under which I posted the original thread. I like the idea of using a larger bucket but my LHBS store does not have one. I went to 3 different Wal-Marts yesterday to get the 35 lbs of frozen blackberries. Good suggestion about using their large frosting buckets; wish I had known! 

Looks like I need to divide my large batch & add water to get SG down to 1.085 or so as recipe specifies. Tom may have some ideas about this too.

NS


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## Ken914

I'm certainly not Tom, but I've learned a lot from him.

Did you check your SG before you added the sugar? I always sugar up to the SG that I want, rather than blindly trusting a recipe. I've learned this lesson. 

It may take a fair amount of water to get down to 1.085... and then you've diluted the fruit : water ratio. I'd plan on a significant sized flavor pak.

Will you have enough carboy space to put in a secondary? Once in a while (if I'm over my 5g or 6g carboy), I just grab an old 1g glass wine jug. I get them at the glass recycling center for free. Wash them out and I have an overflow if i need it!


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## Tom

NoSnob said:


> This is my first venture in making wine from fruit. I'm using Tom's blackberry wine recipe. My first SG, after berries, enzyme, sugar, etc. were added, was 1.132, which seems way too high. I added about a gallon of water, taking it to within 1" of the very top of my 7.9 gal fermenting pail. The SG was essentially unchanged. I think I may be confused about what the reference to higher and lower SG actually means.
> 
> - Does higher mean a higher number (therefore a more dense solution)?
> - Is 1.132 too high to continue? My level is already too high to add anything else.
> 
> I am really afraid that after the yeast is pitched, this thing will take off big time, creating a big mess of overflow.
> 
> I have everything ready to proceed to the next step, but this SG seems out of whack. I have a second 7.9 primary I could use but would have difficulty in splitting the fruit in the bag into two equal parts
> - What action is recommended here?
> NS



You will need TWO 6 gallon buckets to fit all the berries and water. No way can that fit in a 7.9 gal bucket.


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## Tom

How much water did you add? the berries will give up some juice but you still need to add 5.5 gal of water. The sugar added will bring that volume to 6 gal. You will wine up over 6 gal aftewr primary but, you will need that extra to top off @ rackings.


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## NoSnob

Given the SG and the high liquid level in the fermenter, it was clear that the 7.9 pail would not be adequate. So I quickly got another primary, another fermentation bag, and divided both the berries and the juice equally into two fermenters. The SG of each was checked and they were divergent, but I was just winging it and added enough water to bring each up to about the 4 1/2 to 5 gal level. Then the SG was almost dead on 1.085 for each. Thanks to the WineForum expert advice, it looks like we're underway.

NS


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## Tom

KOOL. 
Just remember with fruit split in 2 buckets. Treat it as 2 3gal batches in the primary then rack to one. Add a total of about 5 1/2 gal of water split between the two PLUS the berries in a bag.


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## NoSnob

Update on my blackberry wine (Tom's recipe): Racked the two primary buckets into a 6 gal carboy and a 1 gal jug. When secondary fermentation was complete, the SG was .995 and considerable sediment. I again racked the 6 and the 1 into another 6 and 1. It's been 10 days now and it's clearing. I want to age this in the carboy for at least 2-3 months. 

Here's my question: How long should I wait before racking again? 10 days ago I added 1/4 tsp K-Meta and 3 tsp Pot Sorbate so from that standpoint it's good for 3 months. But there is an inch of sediment and I'm not sure whether to leave it on the lees, or rack it again til clear before aging for several more months. Is this a matter of opinion or is there a principle here I should go by?
NS


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## Tom

If you didnt add any clearing agent nows the time. I would not rack for 3-4 weeks and then repeat. May take 6 months to be really clear.


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## NoSnob

Tom said:


> If you didnt add any clearing agent nows the time. I would not rack for 3-4 weeks and then repeat. May take 6 months to be really clear.


I haven't added any fining agents. Is Bentonite OK?
NS


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## docanddeb

Clearing agents are optional... not mandatory. Time will take care of it too. If you are aging a year... then it's not really necessary.

Debbie


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## Tom

docanddeb said:


> Clearing agents are optional... not mandatory. Time will take care of it too. If you are aging a year... then it's not really necessary.
> 
> Debbie



True but Blackberry need help. I would use superkleer or isinglass at this stage.


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## bchilders

Ken914 said:


> I'm certainly not Tom, but I've learned a lot from him.
> 
> Did you check your SG before you added the sugar? I always sugar up to the SG that I want, rather than blindly trusting a recipe. I've learned this lesson.
> 
> It may take a fair amount of water to get down to 1.085... and then you've diluted the fruit : water ratio. I'd plan on a significant sized flavor pak.
> 
> Will you have enough carboy space to put in a secondary? Once in a while (if I'm over my 5g or 6g carboy), I just grab an old 1g glass wine jug. I get them at the glass recycling center for free. Wash them out and I have an overflow if i need it!



I totally agree with you Ken. I just put a 2gal batch in last night. My father grows his own and freezes the juice. I partially thawed enough to get 1.5gals of concentrate and then added simple syrup till I got an SG of 1.08 I will add more after primary fermentation if it needs to be sweeter.

I took the time to sterilize over night with SO2 and then pinched it with Cote Des Blancs Red Star yeast along with the normal enzymes and energizer. This is my first attempt with Blackberry. Wish me luck.


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## penderwoman

*my first wine...blackberry*

Hi...I am hoping that my wine will be alright. I used 20lbs of berries and 11 lbs of sugar...quite a different ratio that in this recipe. Its fermenting nicely, won't be due to rack for another few weeks. Does crossing your fingers work?


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## mamero

I have followed Tom’s recipe pretty close and so far everything is going very well. I used 40 lbs of berries. I tried a glass after fermentation and stabilising and it was quiet good even at this early stage. My wine is now “complete” and is about 3 weeks in to clearing.

My 6 gallon carboy has at least 1 to 1 ½ inches of sediment at the bottom and I am not sure what to do with it.

Should I rack to get rid of the sediment or leave it until bottling?
If I rack what should I use to top up the empty volume in the carboy? I’m concerned about diluting my wine if I use water but I also want to maintain my yield. I do have some extra blackberries in the freezer. Should I use the juice from them to top up? I want my wine to be completely dry so I don’t think an F-Pac is the answer.

Advice?


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## Easydraw

Almost ready to begin fermenting 40 pounds of berries, now I see your comment about adding a can of Red Wine/grape concentrate. seems like a great idea. I am thinking merlot. Question: how large a can of concentrate? I have seen various sizes. Thanks and wish me luck, second wine batch for me--


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## roadwarriorsvt

mamero said:


> If I rack what should I use to top up the empty volume in the carboy? I’m concerned about diluting my wine
> Advice?


 
Just buy a bottle of cheap blackberry wine from your local liquor store and use it to top up with.


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## mamero

roadwarriorsvt said:


> Just buy a bottle of cheap blackberry wine from your local liquor store and use it to top up with.



I still have 10 to 15 lbs of berries in the freezer. Can I use the juice from these? Or maybe make a small batch of blackberry wine from the extra berries to use for topping up? Buying wine to make wine seems counter productive to me.


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## bchilders

mamero said:


> I still have 10 to 15 lbs of berries in the freezer. Can I use the juice from these? Or maybe make a small batch of blackberry wine from the extra berries to use for topping up? Buying wine to make wine seems counter productive to me.



While it may seem counter productive it is the industry norm to top off with other wines. Using your frozen berries as either wine or juice could work as long as the juice has been heated or treated with an SO2 additive. You could also rank into a smaller container and just drink what is leftover.


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## ckassotis

That's a bit confused. It certainly isn't the industry norm. Commercial wineries would be crucified for that practice. So I'll assume that you mean for home winemakers. I wouldn't even agree with that though. Juice is used far more often IMO, or a similar wine that you have made in the past, or using glass marbles to displace the space - all before I would ever suggest going to the store and getting a bottle of someone else's wine.


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## penderwoman

I wonder what adding 1/8th teaspoon on Diversol (accidently) like I did yesterday to my wine will do? 5 gallons. Was nice, now I'm scared of it.


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## ateurtrk79

I just realized, when the recipe called for 1 red grape concentrate, you meant 1 frozen Welch's grape juice. I accidentally ordered a 1 liter red grape concentrate from Austin Homebrew Supply.Will what I have work? If it does do I need to scale it, or pour the whole 1 liter in?


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## Mcamnl

I've made this twice now both times it has turned out fantastic. Getting ready to start a third. Doesn't stick around very long. 
ateurtrk79, Red Grape concentrate is correct. Use the whole thing.


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## ckassotis

Yeah using an actual concord concentrate over the cheaper Welch's is only going to improve the final product IMO. Go forth and make great wine!


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## ateurtrk79

When do I add the acid blend?


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## Zexsir

K-meta??? is that Potassium Metabisulfite
and also do you have average time frames for this?


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## ateurtrk79

K-meta is Potassium Metabisulfite


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## NC-beeman

bluerdg said:


> I started a 2 gallon batch of Blackberry/Blueberry this morning. Had frozen fruit that we picked at a local berry farm in June. It's my second homemade wine, my first is a Pinot Grigio from a box juice kit that is probably about a week from bottling. Other than quantities and mix of fruit, recipe looks similar. I hope it turns out as good as some of the recipes I've seen here.


Hi Bluerdg
I have about 15lbs of Blueberries and about 15lb of blackberries. I am thinking about making a 5 gallon batch of wine with them. Should I just put them all in one fermentation bucket or use two buckets? I can not find any instructions or recipe for a Blackberry/Blueberry wine.Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks
NC-beeman


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## WildBill

NC-beeman said:


> Hi Bluerdg
> I have about 15lbs of Blueberries and about 15lb of blackberries. I am thinking about making a 5 gallon batch of wine with them. Should I just put them all in one fermentation bucket or use two buckets? I can not find any instructions or recipe for a Blackberry/Blueberry wine.Do you have any suggestions?
> Thanks
> NC-beeman



I have had great results with black and blue berry, I use 2 gallons black berries and 1 gallon of blue berries for a 5 gallon batch. I do this because of the natural sulfites in the blue berries and the likelihood of sticking fermentation is less with more black berries. I also freeze the blue berries and mash them so they release more of their flavor, if you put them in fresh the skins don't pop. I also use yeast energizer and nutrient so the yeast can get a good start. I measure in gallons of fruit not pounds mostly because I never weighed up a gallon of anything. I fill up a 6.5 gallon fermenter for primary and when I rack to secondary in 5 gallon carboy it comes out almost perfectly at 5 gallons without pulp and bag.


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## cajunlte

Tom, You have made my day with this recipe... I am running a virgin  test batch of Apple Cherry right with plans to do Blackberry after. Has anyone heard of using Blackberry puree instead?


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## bmwr75

The work shop were I ferment runs 74-76 degrees during the summer, maybe as high as 78 on hot days. Will that be a problem for this Lalvin 71B 1122 yeast?


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