BlackBerry wine

[silverbullet07]

@Scooter68

Will I just leave this racking alone until 3 months out or if there is a inch or so of sediments before racking again to another carboy?

 

[hounddawg]

@Scooter68

Will I just leave this racking alone until 3 months out or if there is a inch or so of sediments before racking again to another carboy?

back a few years ago i spent 11 months in SICU & ICU , then it was another year before i got to where i could go home, during that 2 years my nephew kept my airlocks full, so i had all from scratch strawberry, blackberry and a apple/pear/crab apple,, all sitting on gross lees, not something to be recommended, but all three were still good,
Dawg

 

[Scooter68]

If you have an measureable amount of lees 1/8" or more in the next couple of weeks, I would rack it to a fresh carboy. Don't need to add more K-meta but rack it off the lees. Get the hard parts done now and then you can sit back and plot & plan more batches.

 

[opus345]

Love homewinery.com concentrates. I use 1 1/2 Gallon concentrae and 12 lbs of frozen blackberries. I may try Dawg's guidance of upping the concentrate on my next batch. I also spike my 6 gal batches with 2 750 ml Blackberry Brandy. Yum. My Blackberry hooch receives rave reviews.

 

[hounddawg]

Love homewinery.com concentrates. I use 1 1/2 Gallon concentrae and 12 lbs of frozen blackberries. I may try Dawg's guidance of upping the concentrate on my next batch. I also spike my 6 gal batches with 2 750 ml Blackberry Brandy. Yum. My Blackberry hooch receives rave reviews.

yep my trouble keeping it,, lol
Dawg

 

[Snafflebit]

This is a very useful thread for me! I am looking at Vintner's Harvest blackberry fruit wine base. The label mentions "some wines benefit from the addition of natural fruit flavor which enhances both flavor and boquet"

Do you think this is necessary to add flavor at bottling blackberry wine?

 

[hounddawg]

This is a very useful thread for me! I am looking at Vintner's Harvest blackberry fruit wine base. The label mentions "some wines benefit from the addition of natural fruit flavor which enhances both flavor and boquet"

Do you think this is necessary to add flavor at bottling blackberry wine?

on blackberry wine, no,, just use 6 lbs per gal, and at bottling time sugar to bring out your flavor, fruit and berry wines use sugar to bring out it's flavor, since we turn its natural flavors by turning it's sugars into alcohol. i add sugar to get my flavors back, i never add flavor to any country wine, i just double or triple my fruit/berry pounds per gallon, i run my wines much hotter than most but you cant tell well til you trip over your own feet anyway,
Dawg

 

[Scooter68]

This is a very useful thread for me! I am looking at Vintner's Harvest blackberry fruit wine base. The label mentions "some wines benefit from the addition of natural fruit flavor which enhances both flavor and boquet"

Do you think this is necessary to add flavor at bottling blackberry wine?

For the Vintner's Harvest - Just be sure to follow the Correction 3 GALLON recipe (there is no 4 gallon recipe) on the label NOT the 5 gallon. That should give you a solid wine.

 

[hounddawg]

This is a very useful thread for me! I am looking at Vintner's Harvest blackberry fruit wine base. The label mentions "some wines benefit from the addition of natural fruit flavor which enhances both flavor and boquet"

Do you think this is necessary to add flavor at bottling blackberry wine?

try www.colomafrozen.com
single fruit make as strong as you please.
Dawg

 

[Snafflebit]

I bought two cans of the Vintner's Harvest. My plan is to use both cans to make two of the 3-gallon recipes, but reduce the water to 5 gallons instead of 6 gallons. I'm not sure that I have a 6 gallon carboy around here. I think that since I will be racking off some lees, I will need to add some water to top off. The recipe does not indicate potential alcohol. Any suggestions on how hot to make this? The recipe calls for 7 lbs sugar in 3 gallons which in pure water makes 12% ABV

 

[Scooter68]

What sort of wine do you want to make OR do you want to make two different types? 2 x three gallon batches from 2 cans should be fine. My experience has been that their juices are perfect for solid flavor at 3 gallons/can. In any case Blackberry would make a great dessert wine (High ABV and Sweet with full flavor. It can also make a lower ABV wine as well. I'd go for somewhere between 14.5%-15.% for a dessert wine and then after fermentation back-sweeten it well. For just a good fruit wine you can shoot at an ABV of 11%-12.5 percent and then just back-sweeten enough to pull up the flavor a bit more. All fruit wines seem to need a little sweetening to bring the flavor up but in the end... it's a personal choice. I only use 3 gallon carboys so My intent is to make 2 x three gallon batches (From 2 cans with one or both being dessert wines. Same thing with my Black Currant that I also ordered. Black Currant if very tart so it also makes into a better dessert wine - for me.

ALSO remember to check your SG as you go. Don't just dump in a given amount like 7 lbs. Start with a solid amount and then check it as you go. I've usually used a simple syrup to add in the sugar with the VH wine bases. That way the SG is accurate with no chance of undissolved sugar changing things. I also prefer to go for the right SG on day one, wait overnight and check it again the next day to see if it stayed there or rises a little. Same with the pH. Just easier to do that than to finding out later that things changed and you didn't realize it. (Some folks who stir the sugar in and don't get it completely dissolved - they may actually see the SG rise after the ferment starts because they 1) Didn't dissolve all the sugar properly and 2) As that sugar dissolves it raises the SG a little faster than the ferment takes it down.) Not a common thing but it can happen if you get in hurry to pitch that yeast. Waiting overnight after you think things are on target is a good idea. Of course te be safe start out by adding K-Meta /Campden tabs crushed as soon as you add the wine base to the bucket. That buys you a day of safe waiting before pitching the yeast.

 

[hounddawg]

I bought two cans of the Vintner's Harvest. My plan is to use both cans to make two of the 3-gallon recipes, but reduce the water to 5 gallons instead of 6 gallons. I'm not sure that I have a 6 gallon carboy around here. I think that since I will be racking off some lees, I will need to add some water to top off. The recipe does not indicate potential alcohol. Any suggestions on how hot to make this? The recipe calls for 7 lbs sugar in 3 gallons which in pure water makes 12% ABV

i agree with @Scooter68 , long ago i tried Vintners Harvest ,, 2 cans will be fine for 6 gallons, and 2 cans added to five gallons will give you a little for topping off,, yup if it was me i'd go with 5 gallon add both cans then come secondary fil 5 gal carboy and put the rest in smaller jugs for topping off, if you have small universal bungs you can turn them upside down and use wine bottles to air lock the extra top off wine,
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

I bought two cans of the Vintner's Harvest. My plan is to use both cans to make two of the 3-gallon recipes, but reduce the water to 5 gallons instead of 6 gallons. I'm not sure that I have a 6 gallon carboy around here. I think that since I will be racking off some lees, I will need to add some water to top off. The recipe does not indicate potential alcohol. Any suggestions on how hot to make this? The recipe calls for 7 lbs sugar in 3 gallons which in pure water makes 12% ABV

do you ferment in a carboy or open top container?
Dawg

 

[Snafflebit]

if you have small universal bungs you can turn them upside down and use wine bottles to air lock the extra top off wine,
Dawg

I'll be danged if that does not work perfectly. I had to go out the garage and test it. I have a few small corks I use with airlocks in wine bottles, but every bottle has a slightly different sized opening. As my grandpa used to say "smart as a hog" which was high praise from him

 

[hounddawg]

blackberry i love,,,, but this year i made 20 gallons , 18 finished to bottle from half blackberries and half elderberries, now i half to make both, I'm getting way to many favorites lol
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

my key touching is bad today, been having to re-read every thing before posting, and wont even take a drink till at least 8m
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

grrrr fudge

 

[Snafflebit]

do you ferment in a carboy or open top container?
Dawg

I plan to ferment in buckets, like grape must.
What are some thoughts on adding bentonite to the batch pre-ferment?

 

[Scooter68]

I've never done that and with the berry wines, I've never seemed to need to. Not that you shouldn't I normally use bentonite after fermentation on hard to clear wines particulary the lighter ones like Apple, Peach, Pineapple/Mango, they seem be harder to clear. Maybe I should be using it on them during ferment. I'd say go with that if that seems better to you. Have you used bentonite before? It's a mess to get dissolved. For me I try to prep it the day before I use it and keep in in the fridge over night. (Doing the slow addition to hot water, then shaking/stirring the daylights out of it. Let it set over night (No reason it needs to be in the fridge really) Just read the amount needed carefully I went with too little water and that was really ugly.

 

[cmason1957]

I plan to ferment in buckets, like grape must.
What are some thoughts on adding bentonite to the batch pre-ferment?

I add some bentonite to nearly all ferments that I do at the start. I think it helps the clearing later on, but have no hard evidence to prove that. I do it, due to the person I learned winemaking from doing it and starting with kit wines, which always have you do it. I seldom have issues with it dissolving, I start with rather hot water, about 1/2 gallon or a gallon, add that, sprinkle the bentonite all over the water, then stir it like I am really mad at it, very fast and hard (maybe the term is whip it like a rented mule??).