Blueberry Wine Suggestions

[Stressbaby]

I need to post a correction. I checked my notes and my blueberry last year was only 3.5#/gallon. Yet it has a surprising amount blueberry flavor.

 

[Scooter68]

Several years ago we had a very dry spring and the few nectarines we got from our young tree really looked puny. BUT the flavor was so great - like all the flavor of a larger fruit was compacted into that small little guy.

Professional fruit growers will tell you there is a balance between enough water and too much water and when you exceed that, the fruit, blueberries or any fruit, can actually lose flavor - it's all really there but spread through a larger amount of water giving it a less favorable, less enjoyable taste. So I suspect that those blueberries you used in the past were less water-logged ones that were really pound-for-pound more flavorful because there was less water. This year we had some rain just before I started picking our blueberries and honestly it was disappointing. They just didn't seem as sweet even if were so ripe that the fell into my hand when I touched the cluster of berries.

Of course if picked too soon the sugar content hasn't fully developed either so you can get a double whammie that way too. Someday I hope to be able to afford some Ice Wine - something to look forward to.

 

[jimhill]

I just racked my first 2016 Blueberry this afternoon. The problem I had last year, and which prompted this thread, did not occur this year. I did not take time to get a hydrometer reading today, but as I sip it tonight, it is definitely dry. To be so young (4 weeks), it tastes pretty darn good. I went with the EC 1118 yeast, lowered the sugar content, and (thanks MattWI) added a bit of grape concentrate; not as much as you suggested though. I made a double making and it yielded apx. 13 gallons. This is a great forum, and all of you are most helpful. Thank you.
Jim

 

[Scooter68]

Congrats!
My Blueberry batch (8lbs - 1 Gallon) is already at .990 at just over 2 weeks. Racked it Monday - not a lot of lees but I expect more as it really settles in the next month or so. What started out as 1.6 gallons of must in the primary is now 1 Gallon Plus about 20 oz in a Ball Jar in the fridge. Hope to use the extra 20 oz to fill in the lost volume on the racking. Not worried about time to age all of it out and planning on not touching any of this for 1 year - Next 4th of July.

 

[robert81650]

I have found out that fruit wines are much tastier if the alcohol content is not so high. 10 to 12% is plenty strong enough and still get the flavor of the fruit. High concentrations of alcohol will numb the taste buds and you will not be able to appreciate the true taste of the fruit.

 

[PierreR]

PierreR,
Any trouble fermenting to dry using straight juice? I've read that as you push past around 4-5#/gal blueberry wine can have trouble finishing fermentation. I did 6#/gal last year and it fermented dry without any problem. It turned out to have PLENTY of blueberry flavor, a very nice wine, and in contrast to my blackberry I'm not seeing a compelling reason to go with straight juice on blueberry this year.

sorry!! Missed this. I haven't tested yet, but will be sure to fill you in as soon as I do.

 

[Ambugaton]

I'm very new to winemaking but if it helps at all I have my first batch in primary with 15# blueberries, 2# raisins with 9# sugar and enough water for 6 gallons total. It seems your sugar to fruit ratio is a lot different than mine. Starting SG was 1.100. We'll see how it comes out. My blueberries were wild picked from Alaska which seemed to be about 1/2 the size of store bought. Might be that the store bought have more water?

 

[Scooter68]

I'm very new to winemaking but if it helps at all I have my first batch in primary with 15# blueberries, 2# raisins with 9# sugar and enough water for 6 gallons total. ... Might be that the store bought have more water?

I'm a believer in not overdoing it with the lbs of berries to gallons of wine. With Blueberries, Blackberries and Black Raspberries I normally use from 4-6 gallons per gallon and get very good results. I'm afraid that even with a low water content and loaded with flavor and sugar 2.5 lbs of blueberries per gallon you are going to be wanting more flavor. Raisins will help with body but the flavor may be missing at that concentration. I've never made elderberry wine but that's about the only fruit/berry I know that people normally go anywhere near that low on pounds/gallon ratios. If you can add another 6-10 lbs of blueberries of any variety you will probably be a lot happier. Again I don't believe in 'wasting' 10-12 lbs of berries per gallon as a number of people do but would hate to have you invest all that time and effort and be disappointed with the taste.

 

[Ambugaton]

Well then I guess I will look into adding some more when I back. It is actually a 5 gallon batch, my mistake. It does have a very very deep and full color and a sample of the must does surprisingly carry the blueberry through the sweetness at this stage.

 

[Scooter68]

Better and of course a lot depends on the concentration of the flavor in those berries. As you mentioned they are smaller and sometimes that can mean less water content more flavor per pound. Still on the light side in pounds per gallon but now adding 5 pounds of berries will bring you into a safer ratio. As STRESSBABY mentions sometimes you can go lighter but after you invest the time effort and a few dollars it's disappointing to have it turn out low on flavor.

 

[gratus_fermentatio]

I used 6.5 gallons of all blueberry juice. No water. Should be bottling late summer/early fall.

I'm curious to know how this turns out. I'll be making a 3 gallon batch with pure blueberry juice as soon as temps cool down enough, probably Oct. Did you add anything other than yeast? (sugar, tannin, raisins, etc...)
Regards, GF.

 

[cgallamo]

Good news! Did not lose the blueberry crop this year! And I've added more plants (Expanded my Second blueberry Patch) up to 29 plants with some late producers so that will spread out the picking time for me. Figure once all the bushes are about 3-4 years old should be getting approxiamately 10-15 lbs per bush or about 290 - 435 lbs of berries. Enough freeze, eat as I pick (My favorite thing) and plenty for wine. Even half to wine would what about 30 gallons of wine with 7 lbs per gallon. Yeah that would be a good number

Hey Scooter - I have 6 bushes averaging 10-12lbs of berries this year. It takes me about an hour to pick 2lbs. Now I eat alot of those, and take my time, but something to think about with all those bushes.

 

[Scooter68]

"Now I eat alot of those, and take my time,... "

Call it "Quality Control" Each bush is different and ya gotta be sure you are only pickin ripe berries.

 

[Scooter68]

I'm curious to know how this turns out. I'll be making a 3 gallon batch with pure blueberry juice as soon as temps cool down enough, probably Oct. Did you add anything other than yeast? (sugar, tannin, raisins, etc...)
Regards, GF.

WATCH YOUR ACID LEVELs ! I've got a 1 gallon batch right now from 8+ lbs of blueberries and the acidity is 2.8 when I racked and checked a week ago. That's one possible issue with a pure blueberry batch. I don't add acid blend to any of my wine musts until I am about to pitch the yeast - I check the acid level and add if needed, then I'm ready to pitch the yeast starter in.

 

[Tnuscan]

WATCH YOUR ACID LEVELs ! I've got a 1 gallon batch right now from 8+ lbs of blueberries and the acidity is 2.8 when I racked and checked a week ago. That's one possible issue with a pure blueberry batch. I don't add acid blend to any of my wine musts until I am about to pitch the yeast - I check the acid level and add if needed, then I'm ready to pitch the yeast starter in.

With 2.8 what will be the process you choose to correct?

 

[cgallamo]

"Now I eat alot of those, and take my time,... "

Call it "Quality Control" Each bush is different and ya gotta be sure you are only pickin ripe berries.

Exactly- but I am eating to see I want them in the wine

 

[Scooter68]

At 2.86 I wait a while - it's early on only 6 weeks in from start. I've had several show high acidity initially and mellow out a lot during 4-5 months waiting and watching. (I don't have my log sheet with me and that 2.8 is an estimate from my head - I know it'ss well below 3.0 and yet I've had other mellow up a lot so I'm not in a hurry....yet. Confirmed pH was actually 2.86

Blueberries are high in citric acid and that does tend to mellow up. My previous batches had me worried thinking I would wind up with blue battery acid - not the case.

Quote from Jack Keller on citric acid - "Citric acid, minor in grapes but major in many other fruits, is often added to wines to increase acidity, complement a specific flavor or prevent ferric hazes. In the grape, citric acid all but disappears during fermentation in much the same way that malic is reduced. It is reduced through normal fermentation and again during MLF. If added to an almost finished wine to increase acidity, citric acid gives the wine a freshness of flavor that seems (and is) artificial." (Underlining is my addition) From: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/acid.asp