Blueberry/Plum or Plum/Blueberry with a touch of Meyer Lemon

[Rojoguio]

Just joined the site and have a few batches of country wines in secondaries now. I am considering a fermentation using some of the frozen fruit we have leftover from previous years harvest. I like both combinations in the title and am lazy as far as blending what is in secondaries now. If anyone has tried fermenting together any of the combinations with a opinion, one way or the other, it would be great to hear about your experience. Thanks

 

[Scooter68]

Hard to s ort out how that would taste. Each has unique characteristics but blending in a ferment - Have no idea. A plum wine by itself can be great as will be blueberry. Just remember to age them properly. There is no comparison between a 5-6 month old blueberry wine and one aged a full 12 months - it's worth the wait.

 

[Rojoguio]

Blueberries with lemon overtones is wonderful. I bought a set of silicon whiskey ice cube molds. Makes 2-2in "Jethro" sized cubes. Our Meyer Lemon really produces so I squeezed & zested quite a few for making lemon icebox pies. Was thinking of tossing only one cube in with 3/5ths Blueberry to 2/5ths Santa Rosa Plum. Maybe just do another blueberry since you recommend 12 months. I have quite a bit still in the freezer. I cook seriously but this is a totally different game.

 

[Rojoguio]

Ok, I pulled the trigger on this combination and it has been nothing but interesting. After waiting 2 days for the campden tablets to do their thing I pitched 71B yeast. Well, in my busy day I forgot to add the pectic enzyme & yeast nutrient. I realized that 2 days later after no yeast activity. Well when I added the missing it still took 2 days before the yeast got busy. Just guess what was coming out the airlock? H2S! Lots of it. The room smelled like rotten eggs, the entire room. I just love this stuff! The way my mind works I am a troubleshooter, have even worked on foreign soil as one. So a bit of research (Wine School) and 2 oxygen enriching racking and a double dose of yeast nutrient and now it taste awesome. H2S gone. Nothing says it won't come back later but I really don't think it will. 2.36 on the PH, 1.130SG starting, and I had to add a blow-off tube to handle the vigor now. Plum notes dominated in the beginning but now Blueberry is coming on very strong. The color change is fantastic to watch on a daily basis. More later.

 

[Rojoguio]

Just a update and thank you to those who recommend I try 71B instead of EC1118.

I just got a glass of the "extra" must that has been in our blast chiller for topping off the carboy after racking. The 71B stopped fermenting well before the EC1118 stopping at SG 1.010. Simple App calculation ABV 13.3%. Well it tastes Fantastic! The 71B will be my go to yeast for our fruit wines going forward. I have not tried any from the bulk carboy but it is already crystal clear. With a starting PH at 2.36 I expected it to be very tart but no, my wife a wine Junky her whole life, thinks it would be a good table wine to drink warm. The Blueberry color dominated the Plum red, no plum skins were used just 1/2 gallon of juice. Southern High Bush Blueberries, Santa Rosa Plums, & Meyer Lemon juice plus zest worked out well. Next is learning how to add some body.

 

[Raptor99]

Sounds great! A simple way to add some body is to add some food grade vegetable glycerin (make sure it is plant derived and labeled as food grade). I usually add 2-3 tsp. per gallon just before bottling. It adds body and a bit of sweetness. You could mix a small amount in a glass of wine to bench test and see how you like it.

 

[Rojoguio]

Thank you for the direction. I have not bottled yet so I can order the right stuff in. If my local shop has it I try to buy from them. They can't survive without our patronage.

 

[Ohio Bob]

Thank you for the direction. I have not bottled yet so I can order the right stuff in. If my local shop has it I try to buy from them. They can't survive without our patronage.

I agree 100%. The only time I mail order something is if my local shop doesn’t carry what I’m looking for.

On a side note, my 2nd favorite shop, the guy running the counter KNEW my name, I hadn’t bought anything from them since a juice purchase 6 months prior. That sold me, I’m going to support them whenever possible.