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ClydeWigg3

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Started my wine June 21st, racked it to a carboy on June 28th. After returning from a one week vacay I find that the air lock has stopped bubbling. Is this okay or should I be concerned?
 
This is normal. Your wine is closer to being done fermenting. Give us more details. What was you starting sg, sg when you racked and what is your sg reading now?
 
Finally able to check my wine.

Starting SG: 1.090

Racked to Carboy June 28th, SG: 1.030

Today, July 17th, SG: 0.992

No activity in carboy at all since July 13th, maybe longer.

Taste good, seems heavy on alcohol, dry.
 
All is well.

At an SG of .992, fermentation is pretty much done and the activity level in the airlock will drop off.

The alcohol taste being forward at this point is perfectly normal, and as it ages the alcohol will begin to settle into the background & the fruit flavors will come forward.

Making sure its properly sulfited becomes key once you've degassed as it will become more susceptible to infections and such, because there isnt as much Co2 in the carboy to keep the pressure on the airlock and the headspace filled with Co2.

I might be covering things you already know, just figured i'd go overboard with information rather than cut you short... You seem a tad worried. Shouldnt be :h
 
Thank you. Should I rack this again, or just let it lay? What should be my next step, and about how lone should I wait? Still very new at this and this is my first blueberry.
 
Let it settle/clear. Keep in mind, that it will settle quicker and more completely if you degas it & it probably wont clear completely until you DO degas it. Just remember to sulfite (1/4tsp powder per 5-6gal, or 1 crushed campden tablet per gallon - depending on whichever you're using) after degassing to keep the wine protected, whenever you do degas. There's no particular rush at this point & there's several opinions on how to approach it from here.

One theory is to remove the wine from the sediment as swiftly as possible. Now dont take this as "rack every day", but some people will rack every few weeks when theres sediment dusting the bottom of the carboy.

Another theory is to let it clear for a while (6-8 weeks before the first racking) & sit on the sediment. There's pro's and con's to this (which is why newer people opt for the first theory a lot) - you can pick up more of the tannins and tastes of the fruit/yeast, the longer it sits. Sometimes a good thing, sometimes not so much.

Personally, i degas when fermentation is done and let the wine sit on the sediment for a while. I do it this way because i dont mind the extra time it will take to age the wines, to smooth out those extra tannins and such.

Basically you're just waiting for the wine to clear & age at this point. You can backsweeten with an F-Pack later on, after it's had some time to come into its own & you can really see how much flavor there is. But pretty much, start planning you next batch :dg
 
Looks good so far. I make alot of Blueberry. I stongly suggest that you consider a f-pac and maybe some backsweetening.
 
Blueberry Wine f-pak

I'm at a similar point with my blueberry wine. My wine is now in the secondary carboy with the SG near the finish point. I have additional blueberries in the freezer, but also purchased some 100% blueberry juice that was sold by the farm. I am wondering which of the two, berries or juice, should I use in my f-pac? I understand in the f-pac preperation, the juice is concentrated through evaporation. I'm thinking I might simmer the berries after adding 1/2 gallon of juice.

I understand that I add the f-pac after using k-meta (1/4 tsp per 6 gal), sorbate, and degassing. After adding the f-pac I would add clearing agent followed by several rackings.

So, what are your thoughts on the juice vs the berries. Should I use both, just berries, or just juice?

Thanks, Paul
 
Juice; Simmer the juice by 60+%

Berries; follow directions on making a f-pac.

Both will work berries will give better flavor.
 
I'm at the 4 month in the carboy stage with mine and I think I have the opposite issue with flavor in my wild blueberry. Alaska wild blueberries are extremely flavorful and tart. I just racked again and of course I had to sample. Yowsa! That stuff is like biting into a raw blueberry (overwhelming flavor). It's more like a concentrate. Can't even see through the stuff.

I think it needs taming. Any suggestions on how to address this? Should I just wait and continue racking every month or so? Or should I dilute this stuff? If so, with what? It has been sulphited and sobated. SG is .990.
 
Susan, I would experiment with a small glass and add some water to it and see if that helps. You may need to dilute. I would not be racking every month. If you are still getting small amounts of sediment I would rack every two or three months. If there is not any sediment then there is no need to rack.
 
Thanks, Dan.

That was the 2nd racking. There was a small amount of sediment so I'll wait another couple of months before doing anything else. Then I'll try the water and will definitely be sweetening.
 
My wine is steady now at a SG of 0.992. No activity for several weeks. I added the sulfites yesterday when I racked. Is there any reason I shouldn't bottle about a month from now?
 
Yes , it will not be clear or ready. Have you tasted it yet?
 
My wine is steady now at a SG of 0.992. No activity for several weeks. I added the sulfites yesterday when I racked. Is there any reason I shouldn't bottle about a month from now?

What are you making again..
 
Oh, sorry. you will need a few more rackings for clear wine. shoot for 6 months from start min.
 
Clyde, how did the blueberry turn out? I live a little west of you and was wondering, since we fight the same temperatures, where you make your wine? Do you have a room in your house dedicated or like me use a closet/laundry/mudroom?
 

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