Oregon Himalayan Berries

[newBendOrfanatic]

I have wanted to make a wine from the Oregon Himalayan berries, but so many of the berry patches are being sprayed with very toxic sprays to push back this invasive plant. I fully appreciate the effort to limit the spread of the Himalayan, but do any posters know of areas that aren't being sprayed?

The usual Loganberry, Marion, triple crown, etc make good wine, but the Himalayan has the best flavor of all the blackberry/blackberry hybrids.

By the way, the huckleberries are early and plentiful in the PNW. My freezer already has a 5 gallon batch supply ready. The aftertaste is a little stronger this year so a finishing f-pack won't be in order. My previous tests indicate that the aftertaste won't transmit to a finished, dry wine, but I would be fairly sure that the usual f-pack would produce some aftertaste. The standard, finishing sugar addition might be best in this case. Agree?

 

[Deezil]

Everything seems to be early this year, in the Northwest. I missed the cherry harvest, my blueberries and raspberries were early, and im sure the apples, pears and grapes will all get pulled early too.

As for the blackberries, which are a month early themselves, you might have to travel outside the city, something a little rural, if they're really getting that carried away with the sprays. Something away from the street side.

I actually have ~18 gallons of various years of blackberry wines to finish and get bottled, alongside a bunch of other non-wine projects going on, that im doing the unfathomable, and actually skipping the blackberry harvest this year.

Sugar would probably be best for your situation, yes; and you might want to run some bench trials to make sure you get the sweetness just where you want it.

 

[newBendOrfanatic]

Thank you for the information.