# Blueberry Wine



## MJDrum

Blueberry Wine - 5 gallon recipie

2- 5 or 6 gallon primary buckets
30 lbs Blueberries frozen
10 lbs Sugar
2 Fruit Bags


2.5 tsp.	Acid Blend
2.5 tsp.	Pectic Enzyme
3 tsp. Yeast Nutrient
1 tsp. Grape Tannin

Lalvin EC-1118 Yeast

Take about 15 lbs of frozen blueberries and put them into a fruit bag and set them into a 6 gallon bucket like you would use to make beer in or that you received when you ordered juice. The bucket must have a good lid and hole to accomodate an air lock. Tie the bag securely with butchers twine. Do the same with the rest of your other 15 lbs of berries. Leave them both to set a day and defrost.

Day 2. Put a good clean bag on your foot and stop the berries down, being careful to not burst your fruit bag.

Heat 1 & 1/2 gallons of water and 5 lbs of sugar so that the sugar has disolved and add to one bucket and then do the same for the 2nd bucket of berries. Once the mixture has cooled down (stir it up a bit) add the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to proof your yeast and split the mixture across the two buckets.

The 2 buckets ensure you don't end up with a boil over.

Take a starting specific gravity reading and record it. I usually attach the recipie with my notes and readings to the air lock inside a sealed sandwich bag.

Cover the bucket and attach air lock. Remove cover and punch down the fruit bag into the mixture every day or so. 

After 7 - 10 sometimes 12 days rapid fermentation has usually stopped. I pull the fruit bag and set it over the bucket in a large strainer and squeeze the bag of berries to get as much juice as you can out of them. I have left them as long as 14 days..that's about as long as I feel is needed.

Take a 2nd specific gravity reading and record it.
Add 1/4 tsp of Metibisulfite and stir.

Rack into carboy. If you have a bit extra I put that into a quart milk bottle and air lock that also. 

In about 3 months, rack again and check s.g. 
At this time, I usually add some bentonite to help pull the solids down and help with the clearing. Rack it again in about a week.

8 -9 months after start date, rack again, taste and determine if it's ready to bottle. Add 1/4 tsp. metibisulfite and bottle.

This recipie has traditionally ended up at 12% alcohol.


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## Tom

*Please check the bold below. Way to much k-meta and you need to wait before adding yeast giving more time for the pectic enzyme*


MJDrum said:


> Blueberry Wine - 5 gallon recipie
> 
> 2- 5 or 6 gallon primary buckets
> 30 lbs Blueberries frozen
> 10 lbs Sugar
> 2 Fruit Bags
> 
> 
> 2.5 tsp.	Acid Blend
> 2.5 tsp.	Pectic Enzyme
> 3 tsp. Yeast Nutrient
> 1 tsp. Grape Tannin
> 
> Lalvin EC-1118 Yeast
> 
> Take about 15 lbs of frozen blueberries and put them into a fruit bag and set them into a 6 gallon bucket like you would use to make beer in or that you received when you ordered juice. The bucket must have a good lid and hole to accomodate an air lock. Tie the bag securely with butchers twine. Do the same with the rest of your other 15 lbs of berries. Leave them both to set a day and defrost.
> 
> Day 2. Put a good clean bag on your foot and stop the berries down, being careful to not burst your fruit bag.
> 
> Heat 1 & 1/2 gallons of water and 5 lbs of sugar so that the sugar has disolved and add to one bucket and then do the same for the 2nd bucket of berries. Once the mixture has cooled down (stir it up a bit) add the rest of the ingredients *except the yeast
> Wait 12-24 hours add yeast*.
> Be sure to proof your yeast and split the mixture across the two buckets.
> 
> The 2 buckets ensure you don't end up with a boil over.
> 
> Take a starting specific gravity reading and record it. I usually attach the recipie with my notes and readings to the air lock inside a sealed sandwich bag.
> 
> Cover the bucket and attach air lock. Remove cover and punch down the fruit bag into the mixture every day or so.
> 
> After 7 - 10 sometimes 12 days rapid fermentation has usually stopped. I pull the fruit bag and set it over the bucket in a large strainer and squeeze the bag of berries to get as much juice as you can out of them. I have left them as long as 14 days..that's about as long as I feel is needed.
> 
> Take a 2nd specific gravity reading and record it.
> Add 1.25 tsp of Metibisulfite and stir.* 1/4 tsp*
> 
> Rack into carboy. If you have a bit extra I put that into a quart milk bottle and air lock that also.
> 
> In about 3 months, rack again and check s.g.
> At this time, I usually add some bentonite to help pull the solids down and help with the clearing. Rack it again in about a week.
> 
> 8 -9 months after start date, rack again, taste and determine if it's ready to bottle. Add 1 tsp. metibisulfite and bottle. *1/4 tsp*
> 
> This recipie has traditionally ended up at 12% alcohol.


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## MJDrum

Your correct 1/4 tsp. A typo. I have corrected. Never read anything on holding for pectic enzyme to do anything prior to adding yeast.


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## smurfe

Before I used a steam juicer I would heat the water just under boiling and dump it that hot over the fruit. It helped extract the color from the fruit better. I would let it cool to room temps and add K-Meta. Wait 24 hours and add Pectic Enzyme, wait 24 hours and add yeast.


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## Wade E

Please sanitize your foot also!


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## Tom

MJDrum said:


> Your correct 1/4 tsp. A typo. I have corrected. Never read anything on holding for pectic enzyme to do anything prior to adding yeast.


[email protected]@L ! I thought it was a typo.


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## Old Philosopher

*Minor leagues*

I was gifted 3# of wild blueberries. At $30/lb, I thought I was a lucky guy. So I went looking for recipes. :<
Let's see.... 15# of berries, 1.5 gal of water, 5# of sugar. Hummm....
At that rate, I can't make more than a "5th" of the stuff. 
Even >I< can't justify $90 a bottle wine. 
Guess I'd better look up pie recipes instead.


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## Tom

I would suggest 5-6# per gallon. Freeze them and wait till next year when they are in season. MUCH cheaper then. Even cheaper if you pick them !
I usually get at least 100#'s in season
$30.00 a pound? Surley you are making a TYPO?


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## Old Philosopher

Tom said:


> I would suggest 5-6# per gallon. Freeze them and wait till next year when they are in season. MUCH cheaper then. Even cheaper if you pick them !
> I usually get at least 100#'s in season
> $30.00 a pound? Surley you are making a TYPO?



Well, I actually have 6 pounds available...frozen. 
The typo was blueberries vs. huckleberries. These are "wild blueberries", and I have no idea where they came from, or the going price.
The mountain _huckleberries_ around here are only picked by locals who brave the bears and bad roads. The going rate IS $30/lb. It's quite a supplemental seasonal income for those who pick.


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## Mud

Any suggestions on substituting yeast? I've got ICV-D47, K1-V1116, Montrachet & RC212 handy.


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## Tom

1116 will do .. Or, Red Star Cote des Blancs ( thats what I use on all fruit wine)


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## Mud

Thank you, sir.


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## Mud

Finally got moving on this. Been busy, but berry seasons are starting up and making freezer space is urgent. Have also been eating venison like mad. [url=http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php]

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Thawed 30# of berries and mashed them with a potato masher and then by hand. No doubt some escaped, but whatever. Added pectic enzyme and K-meta yesterday. Am working on the starter as we speak. The must is split between 2 buckets with 3 gallons in each. Drew off 2 cups of starter and pitched that into bucket 1. The rest of the starter is being acclimated and will go in bucket 2. Just curious if K1-V116 needs to be acclimated. 

The berry # was a little light at 5/gallon. I plan on backsweetening with an -f-pack. Will be the first time trying that. 

Haven't run acid or pH tests yet. Sunday maybe.


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## Tom

How much sugar did you add and what is the starting gravity?


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## Mud

5# sugar in each. Starting gravity is 1.085. Also added 1.5 gallons of water to each. Not sure what the berries will yield in terms of volume, but each bucket has about 4.25 gallons in it right now.


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## Tom

OK sounds good so far


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## Mud

Both buckets are chugging along. Looks like acclimating the starter wasn't strictly necessary. Should have made the starters equal size to see if speed was affected.


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## Mud

This recipe calls for 12-14 days before pulling the berry bag. Is that best practice? Seems like most recipes pull it sooner.


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## Tom

I pull when gravity is 1.020 and rack to secondary @ 1.005-1.010.
This time of year its not uncommon for it to ferment in 3-4 days. Best to keep a eye on the gravity.


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## Mud

Well, it went dry when I wasn't looking. Had to rack today as the buckets are needed elsewhere. Netted about 6.5 gallons. The berries were reduced to less then 1 gallon in volume from 5. It's a pretty purple color. Looking forward to seeing the color when the lees drop. Further posts in 6 months as events warrant. <shades of Calvin and Hobbes>


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## lovethepirk

When you smash the blueberries in the bag and add the sugar water you are looking for 1.085-1.095 let's say. My question is won't the pectic enzyme and the fact that the berries are sitting in the liquid extract more sugar into the must and raise your SG?

Thanks


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## Tom

Yes to a point. Thats why I wait 24-36 hours after adding PE before ckecking the gravity so I can caculate how much sugar to add


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## lovethepirk

Thanks, so if I am going to need 12-16 pounds of sugar, I should use about 8-10 pounds then add pe and after a 36 hrs dial in the appropriate SG?


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## Tom

Download
http://mpesgens.home.xs4all.nl/thwp/winecalc.html

Add PE. Wait 24hrs,ck gravity take that and add to wineCalc.
Never add sugar blindly.


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## lovethepirk

Thank you!


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## SpoiledRotten

I'm fixing to start this receipt. The wife and I just went out this morning and picked two Walmart bags full of blueberries. Not sure how much weight that is now, but the price was about.... $0.00 per pound. Not bad. More where that came from. My uncle has got three huge blueberry bushes in his yard and told me to get as many as I wanted.

Cleaning them now and getting them ready to freeze. Just weighed them and found it's only 15.5 pounds. Now, I have to go pick some more to get the 25 - 30 pounds needed for this project.


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## lovethepirk

i just started a 5 gallon batch of blueberry. One issue I have is I put 5 crushed campden tablets in the must to kill the wild yeast. I am seeing different reports of people using 1 tablet per gallon and 1/4tsp. I am pretty sure 5 tablets is more than 1tsp.

Hope I am alright, I am going to let it sit for 1 1/2 days and add yeast!!!!


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## Tom

5 tabs = 1/4tsp of K-meta powder.

U R fine.

Post ur recipe


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## lovethepirk

Blueberry wine recipe-5 gallons
Primary bucket(probably 8 gallons if totally full to brim)
7lbs Fine White Sugar
1 liter of Red Grape Concentrate
1 Jumbo Nylon Straining Bag 18”x32”

5 campden tablets crushed
2.5 tsp. Acid Blend
2.5 tsp. Pectic Enzyme
3 tsp. Yeast Energizer
1 tsp. Grape Tannin

Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast 1 pkg

1)	Freeze blueberries in ziplocks
2)	Thaw blueberries overnight
3)	Heat up gallon of water and mix in 7lbs of sugar, let cool 
4)	Sanitize everything with Potassium Metabisulfite solution including hands
5)	Add 2 gallons of water to primary, mix in sugar water, red grape concentrate, acid blend, pectic enzyme, yeast energizer, grape tannin, 5 well crushed campden tablets
6)	Hold large nylon bag and have someone pour in berries from ziplocks while over primary, lightly squeeze nylon with one hand ~10 times, tie knot and place in primary
7)	Top off bucket to 6 gallon mark(making 5 gallon recipe)(my test run showed 25 lbs of berries raises water level by 1.8 gallons, will need the berries to create a gallon of water to get me to 5 gallons, I was told this would happen)
8)	Mix the solution while holding berries to the side to fully mix
9)	Take SG measurement, got 1.085
10)	Took acid level measurement with paper thingys, got 3.5 but heard the paper testers are not reliable at all
11)	Cover primary with Clean towel for 1.5 days, was told this helps potassium metabisulfites to evaporate
12)	Sanitize mixer, stir up primary to add oxygen to solution, punch down fruit
13)	Pitch yeast
14)	Cover with lid and airlock
15)	Punch down fruit each morning
16)	Rack into secondary after 7 days
17)	Throw a party on day 8 and drink all the wine, go back and repeat step 1


--update....I just took a SG after 1.5 days and the AG is 1.08. WinCalc says I should add .55 pounds(~just over a cup of fine sugar for 5 gallons), then pitching yeast


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## Tom

How many #'s of blueberry did U add 25#?? I cant see how 6 gal of water and blueberry fit in a 8 gal bucket


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## TommBomb

Hey Tom, would regular frozen blueberries work or does a person need to get there hands on some wild blueberries to do this recipe justice? Thanks


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## Stefani

I used blueberries from the store. -- Well they were from the store my wife froze a bunch when they went on sale to use in Smoothies. Well She didn't make her smoothies fast enough and (with her permission) I made those Blueberries into a gallon of Blueberry Bliss wine. 

Here is the recipe I used: http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f2/blueberry-bliss-wine-31937/


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## TommBomb

Thanks!! I may be a little slow so forgive me but it diesant say how much water, do I top up the primary to the 3 gallon mark?


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## thepatient

*First try at blueberry wine*

Hi all. I'm getting ready to start a batch of blueberry wine and I've been checking out different recipes. I found the following 1 gallon recipe on Jack Keller's site:

2 lb. blueberries
1 lb. raisins
2 lb. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme
1-1/2 tsp. acid blend
1/2 tsp. yeast energizer
1 gallon water
crushed Campden tablet
wine yeast

Bring water to boil, then set aside. Wash and crush blueberries and put in primary fermentation vessel with all ingredients except yeast. Add hot water and stir to dissolve sugar. Cover well and allow to cool to 70-75 degrees F., then add yeast. Stir daily for 5-6 days or until specific gravity is 1.040. Strain out fruit pulp and press. Siphon into secondary fermentation vessel and fit fermentation trap. Rack in three weeks and again in three months. When wine is clear and stable, rack again and bottle. Allow a year to mature. Improves with age. [Adapted from Stanley F. Anderson and Raymond Hull's The Art of Making Wine]​
Looks pretty straight-forward, but I'm planning on making a full 6-gallon batch. I figure multiplying everything here by 5 will get me close, but I'm wondering if I need to increase everything that much (I'm guessing I don't need 5 packs of yeast, but what about the enzymes/acid?). I'm planning on using 3-4 lbs of blueberries/gallon and substituting some dried cranberries & fresh lemon for the raisins, so that should increase acidity as well (?).


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## CBell

1 packet yeast
Pectic and energizer you should either multiply or just follow the instructions on the packages for 6 gallons
Acid blend I am pretty sure you should not be adding 9tsp of acid blend. that seems ostentatious. I know a lot of people on here don't necessarily follow Jack Keller's acid blend recommendations in general because they tend to be the same amounts for all wines, and not really adjusted for the type of wine.


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## jamesngalveston

cbell is correct...lots of jack kellars recipes are just copied and pasted.
and he is all ways light on the fruit.
i would bump up the blue berrys to 4 to 5lbs per gallon.
i would use my hydrometer to get to an sg of 1.095, not rely on pounds of sugar...hydrometer is not wrong.
add sugar 1 lb at a time till close then smaller amounts till you get there.
acid blend i would cut back to 3 tsp per 5 gallons


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## brewski09

jamesngalveston said:


> cbell is correct...lots of jack kellars recipes are just copied and pasted.
> and he is all ways light on the fruit.
> i would bump up the blue berrys to 4 to 5lbs per gallon.
> i would use my hydrometer to get to an sg of 1.095, not rely on pounds of sugar...hydrometer is not wrong.
> add sugar 1 lb at a time till close then smaller amounts till you get there.
> acid blend i would cut back to 3 tsp per 5 gallons



Have you ever just used blueberry juice without added sugar? Also, how much sugar would you estimate you use per pound on average in these recipes? Have some blueberries crushed and on campden tablets waiting for a mead or wine tomorrow ug:


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## Allison Gray

Can anybody tell me how to do this as a 1 gallon recipe? I have the 6lbs frozen blueberries. How much for everything else?


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## FunkedOut

From the perspective of a total new guy, just divide every quantity by 5!
Let me give it a go...



MJDrum said:


> Blueberry Wine - *1* gallon recipie
> 
> *1*- 5 or 6 gallon primary buckets
> *6* lbs Blueberries frozen
> *2* lbs Sugar
> *1* Fruit Bags
> 
> 
> *0.5* tsp. Acid Blend
> *0.5* tsp. Pectic Enzyme
> *0.6* tsp. Yeast Nutrient
> *0.2* tsp. Grape Tannin
> 
> Lalvin EC-1118 Yeast
> 
> Take about *6* lbs of frozen blueberries and put them into a fruit bag and set them into a 6 gallon bucket like you would use to make beer in or that you received when you ordered juice. The bucket must have a good lid and hole to accommodate an air lock. Tie the bag securely with butchers twine. Leave it to set a day and defrost.
> 
> Day 2. Put a good clean bag on your foot and stop the berries down, being careful to not burst your fruit bag.
> 
> Heat *0.3* gallons of water and *1* lb of sugar so that the sugar has dissolved and add to one bucket. Once the mixture has cooled down (stir it up a bit) add the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to proof your yeast.
> 
> Take a starting specific gravity reading and record it. I usually attach the recipe with my notes and readings to the air lock inside a sealed sandwich bag.
> 
> Cover the bucket and attach air lock. Remove cover and punch down the fruit bag into the mixture every day or so.
> 
> After 7 - 10 sometimes 12 days rapid fermentation has usually stopped. I pull the fruit bag and set it over the bucket in a large strainer and squeeze the bag of berries to get as much juice as you can out of them. I have left them as long as 14 days..that's about as long as I feel is needed.
> 
> Take a 2nd specific gravity reading and record it.
> Add *1/8* tsp of Metibisulfite and stir.
> 
> Rack into carboy. If you have a bit extra I put that into a *?* bottle and air lock that also.
> 
> In about 3 months, rack again and check s.g.
> At this time, I usually add some bentonite to help pull the solids down and help with the clearing. Rack it again in about a week.
> 
> 8 -9 months after start date, rack again, taste and determine if it's ready to bottle. Add *1/8* tsp. metabisulfite and bottle.
> 
> This recipe has traditionally ended up at 12% alcohol.



disclaimer: I have no experience with this scaled recipe and cannot recommend for or against it.


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## Allison Gray

So its about done fermenting pretty early (its been 6 days). Its a 1 gallon batch. Should I leave it in primary for the remaining 6 days with the blueberries or move it to carboy without more time with the berries


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## robert81650

Move to carboy............


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## robert81650

It will finish fermenting there and in a month you can rack to another clean carboy...............


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## hitchiker

Old Philosopher said:


> *Minor leagues*
> 
> I was gifted 3# of wild blueberries. At $30/lb, I thought I was a lucky guy. So I went looking for recipes. :<
> Let's see.... 15# of berries, 1.5 gal of water, 5# of sugar. Hummm....
> At that rate, I can't make more than a "5th" of the stuff.
> Even >I< can't justify $90 a bottle wine.
> Guess I'd better look up pie recipes instead.


if you come to south ga. I will sell you some fresh blueberries for $4.00 per pound


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## hitchiker

hitchiker said:


> if you come to south ga. I will sell you some fresh blueberries for $4.00 per pound


blueberries are coming in we will be taking orders $15.00 per gallon bag aprox 5 pound per bag.
south ga. pick up only 912-381-1938


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