Input on blueberry wine

[PierreR]

I am going to be starting a blueberry wine. I have 25 pounds of blueberries frozen, and am wondering what the best method of juice extraction might be. Crushed and simply fermented on the fruit? Crushed and left with only sugar for a period to draw the juice? Steam juice extraction, then fermented with the pulp? Would like to hear your opinions.

 

[Deezil]

Ferment on the fruit, most definitely.
Add very little water.
Adjust the SG to something like 1.090 & the pH to ~3.4

Should come out with a deep, rich, red color, and remind you of a Merlot.

 

[Julie]

I would freeze first, then defrost and add pectic enzyme, place the fruit in a bag and ferment. I would use at least 5 pounds of fruit per gallon of water, get sg around 1.080

 

[PierreR]

Thanks Guys! @Julie @Deezil I appreciate the input! Any thought to steam extraction or crushing?
I will add another 5 pounds, which will give me 30 pounds, all frozen at the moment, so 6 pounds per gallon.

I have seen at least one recipe on this site, and a couple elsewhere that adds raisins or grape juice concentrate. I'm thinking of straight blueberries, unless the additions make a big improvement to flavor or quality.

I have made blueberry wine a fair bit in the past, but have only recently found this site. I'm asking because with the collective knowledge here, I may get through the "School of Hard Knocks" faster, and with a better grade! Haha! Would love some more input, opinions, or pet recipes from anyone willing to chime in. I plan to have things all ready to pitch yeast Tuesday (I go back on shift Wednesday)

Thanks in advance.

 

[dorfie]

I agree whole heartily with the above. freeze, defrost, then crush, add enzyme. I don't always use a bag, but it does help keep sediment down, and it aids in me reusing the pulp to make a second apple-blueberry wine!
i have never steam extracted blueberries though i saw someone on here did it...can't remember who. i think that you would loose so much since blueberries have a nice skin and seeds that attribute some soft tannin to the wine, as well as body.
in my opinion grape juice and raisins aren't needed for blueberry. i have never made a "heavy brooding wine" out of them, but the do make a delightful medium-full body wine for me. i would go with straight blueberries as you planned. 6 lb is a nice amount! i wish i had better access to blueberries, but my three trial plants only gave a handful this year, and those didn't make it to the house!
My recipe is the same as all of mine really. I crush let sit, test for sg, add water and sugar to volume and sg, then test TA, adjust TA, add tannin (really a guess and from notes) and the other chems necessary, and pitch!
Have Fun!

 

[Julie]

I agree with Deezil, ph around 3.4 not greater than 3.5. And stay away from the raisins. I know there are members on here who use them with great success but when I think raisin, I think of a dried up oxidized grape and I don't want that in my wine. Instead of that or the grape juice add some tannins after fermentation. Again, sg around 1.080 for the simple reason that fruit wines really should not be higher than 12% ABV, they do not fair as well as grapes in a higher ABV

I can't comment on steaming, I don't do it but ffemt128 does and really likes using that method. It think whatever way you go would be fine.

 

[Runningwolf]

I've made a lot of Blueberry, 2-3 tons a year. Again as the others say, I would freeze first but I still question whether it is really necessary for extracting color. Immediately crush after pulling out of freezer. Again putting pulp in a bag will help cleaning up the juice after fermentation. I would not add any water at all. Also I do not adjust acid or ph, and it will be high in acid. I feel you can add as much sugar as you want for a higher ABV. Blueberry unlike other fruit is more like blackberry and can handle the higher alcohol if that's what you want but I don't think it needs it. After fermentation you can deal with the taste by balancing with sugar to taste. Also delicate wine like Cayuga is a good blender to drop some acid, stretch the blueberry volume and not affect flavor. I am already bottling blueberry harvested this summer. Understand what everyone else said is BS, kidding what they said is absolutely right. There is many ways to achieve great results. I don't agree with raisins though.

 

[dralarms]

Only made it once, took a long time to "come around" but blueberry makes a fantastic wine.

 

[ceeaton]

I've made a lot of Blueberry, 2-3 tons a year.

Okay Dan. How many 375ml bottles do you get from two to three tons? That's a lot of blueberries!

 

[PierreR]

OK. I took the time today, and got things rolling. Crushed the berried from frozen, into straining bags, then into the primary. I wish I had enough blueberries to use straight juice, but alas at $3.50 a pound, I'm gonna hold at 25 pounds!
Im following this as my base recipe http://winemakermag.com/461-making-blueberry-wine-tips-from-the-pros omitting the grape juice, and adding an extra measure (10 pounds) of blueberries. This isnt too dissimilar from what I have used for years. The fruit content is higher, so looking forward to the extra flavor.
Added water, and 10.6 pounds of sugar to bring SG to 1.085. Added 6 gr of potassium metabisulfite, as I am doing a 6 gallon (5 imperial gallon/23 liters) batch. Will reevaluate and adjust if necessary tomorrow.

Gonna let sit 24 hours, then add the remainder ingredients, and pitch the yeast tomorrow night.

Its interesting, and maybe worth noting, especially for myself, I have always follower a "recipe" usually 3 to 3 1/2 pounds of fruit to a gallon of water. Never questioned it! Never considered using just whole juice! What a thought!! I have read at least a dozen threads of whole juice wines, apple, blueberry, rhubarb I think? I'm just imagining the flavor!

I'd like to thank the admin for this site, and thank you who offered your experience and guidance. Hell the only other forum where three Moderators chimed in, I was getting crap! Haha!

Cheers!

 

[dralarms]

Use apple juice instead of water. It won't water down the blueberry flavor as bad.

 

[Runningwolf]

Okay Dan. How many 375ml bottles do you get from two to three tons? That's a lot of blueberries!

Well if you get approximately 200 gallons per ton (lets go with 2 ton) and you use 2.38 gallons per case of 750ml bottles that would be 84 cases. Double that for 375ml bottles and you have 168 cases multipied by twelve gives you 2016 bottles of 375ml wine.

 

[JimmyT]

The 375ml bottles I get come in 24's. Are you sure yours comes in 12's? Either way your final bottle count is right but it would be the same amount of cases since there's twice as many bottle per case!

 

[gratus_fermentatio]

OK. I took the time today, and got things rolling. Crushed the berried from frozen, into straining bags, then into the primary. I wish I had enough blueberries to use straight juice, but alas at $3.50 a pound, I'm gonna hold at 25 pounds!
Im following this as my base recipe http://winemakermag.com/461-making-blueberry-wine-tips-from-the-pros omitting the grape juice, and adding an extra measure (10 pounds) of blueberries. This isnt too dissimilar from what I have used for years. The fruit content is higher, so looking forward to the extra flavor.
Added water, and 10.6 pounds of sugar to bring SG to 1.085. Added 6 gr of potassium metabisulfite, as I am doing a 6 gallon (5 imperial gallon/23 liters) batch. Will reevaluate and adjust if necessary tomorrow.

Gonna let sit 24 hours, then add the remainder ingredients, and pitch the yeast tomorrow night.

Its interesting, and maybe worth noting, especially for myself, I have always follower a "recipe" usually 3 to 3 1/2 pounds of fruit to a gallon of water. Never questioned it! Never considered using just whole juice! What a thought!! I have read at least a dozen threads of whole juice wines, apple, blueberry, rhubarb I think? I'm just imagining the flavor!

I'd like to thank the admin for this site, and thank you who offered your experience and guidance. Hell the only other forum where three Moderators chimed in, I was getting crap! Haha!

Cheers!

I'm interested to know how this turns out, please keep us updated.
Regards, GF.

 

[PierreR]

I'm interested to know how this turns out, please keep us updated.
Regards, GF.

I will do just that.

SO lunch time today, I checked the SG again, was at 1.076, gave it a good stir, and reconfirmed. Added corn sugar to bring it to 1.085, then added the remainder of ingredients later this afternoon, and pitched the yeast. 3 hours later, and we're off to a bubbling start!

 

[PierreR]

Today, pulled the straining bags, and lightly pressed/squeezed, racked the must through a fine straining bag, captured all the skins and seeds, let these drip for a few minutes. Racked into secondary(s) Have one 6 US gallon carboy, and a 1 gallon jug , tossed maybe a quart. SG was 1.015. Will keep it in the kitchen till I get back from elk hunting, then into the basement and a cooler environment.

 

[gratus_fermentatio]

I've made a lot of Blueberry, 2-3 tons a year. Again as the others say, I would freeze first but I still question whether it is really necessary for extracting color. Immediately crush after pulling out of freezer. Again putting pulp in a bag will help cleaning up the juice after fermentation. I would not add any water at all. Also I do not adjust acid or ph, and it will be high in acid. I feel you can add as much sugar as you want for a higher ABV. Blueberry unlike other fruit is more like blackberry and can handle the higher alcohol if that's what you want but I don't think it needs it. After fermentation you can deal with the taste by balancing with sugar to taste. Also delicate wine like Cayuga is a good blender to drop some acid, stretch the blueberry volume and not affect flavor. I am already bottling blueberry harvested this summer. Understand what everyone else said is BS, kidding what they said is absolutely right. There is many ways to achieve great results. I don't agree with raisins though.

Runningwolf, I'm contemplating making a blueberry wine from Knudsen's just juice:
http://www.rwknudsenfamily.com/products/just-juice/just-blueberry

I'm wondering what yeast strain you use and/or recommend for such a wine? I'm thinking 14%, off-dry. Ordinarily, I would dilute the juice, but I'm wanting to try a pure juice wine with blueberry juice this time. With your blueberry wine, do you do any acid reduction? Any issues with naturally occurring sorbitol?
Regards, GF.