Starting Blueberry Wine

[pizz65]

Here are the first pics. I started the juice on 6/25, Pitched the yeast 25 hours later on 6/26. OG was 1.096 if I read it right. This morning I took the sg and it was 1.020

I racked it to secondary and placed airlock. Time to sit tight and wait........

What is OG??

 

[Wade E]

OG is original gravity(Starting Gravity)

 

[gaudet]

Ok, update on this. I racked it off the last of the lees. The sg was stable 0.996. I degassed and stabilized with 1 tbs potassium sorbate and 6 tabs of campden. I capped it and its sitting there mellowing. Considering I stabilized it can I let it ages for 1 to 2 months then bottle? If I backsweeten do I need to stabilize again with campden and k-sorb

 

[Wade E]

You can let it age even longer if you wish as you have added more then 1/4 tbsp of k-meat so you should be good fro around 4-5 months before checking to see if you need more. You will not have to add anymore sorbate.

 

[gaudet]

I am the impatient one.................

Going to bottle this either today time permitting, or on Monday. I need to know the best way to backsweeten. Should I mix the sugar directly or should I make up a simple syrup? Would that recipe be 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water? I intend to rack out of the carboy into a bottling bucket and stir the snot out of it with my mix stir and will sweeten to taste. If I were using my hydrometer (which I can) what level should it be for say semi sweet to sweet wine?

 

[Wade E]

Sugar is twice the amount of water so 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup boiling water. Do not add sugar to wine without dissolving or it will not dissolve properly. As far as ow sweet to make it thats a very personal opinion and my suggestion to is to you to be careful not to sweeten too much as its very hard to fix. You would have to add a like wine that is dry and blend it back and finding a Blackberry wine that is dry is very hard unless you have another batch going or know another wine maker with such wine. Add a little and taste it then add a little more and taste again. Once you get t to where you like it make a log for future reference on a next batch with your hydrometer.
Dry Wine .990 - 1.000</font></font>
Medium Sweet Wine 1.000 - 1.008</font></font>
Very Sweet Wine over 1.008</font></font>

 

[gaudet]

Thats the info I needed. Thanks Wade. BTW its blueberry, not blackberry this go around. So I will be very careful adding the simple syrup, and will take hydrometer readings.

Thanks again.

Mike

 

[gaudet]

I bottled my blackberry last month. I don't think I took a FG reading on it since I couldn't readily find my wine thief. It is coming along nicely, we have consumed about 4 bottles and I gave two away to friends with instructions not to drink it yet at least not for another 2 months. about

As for the blueberry, I will take a fg reading after I transfer to the bottling bucket on this one. As well as a reading for the final with backsweetening.
Its probably good to know for future reference.
Thanks again for the info

 

[gaudet]

TO close the chapter on this one:

Final Gravity was 0.992

Backsweetened to 1.004 by adding simple syrup (3 cups sugar, 1.5 cups water). I probably could have gone a little further, but I liked the way it tasted. Not too dry not too sweet.

Got 30 bottles and three glasses out of this batch. Now to get creative and make a label.

So I had to look back at my notes and see where I started.

OG was 1.095
FG was 0.992

So 0.103/0.00734 = 14% ABV

I will post some pics after I get them all pretty and labeled.



Edited by: gaudet

 

[Wade E]

Remember that with wine, flavor and sweetness are typically received better after time. In other words in case what I wrote isnt clear and usually isnt. The flavor will be more forward later and so will the sweetness unlike how an oak flavor will fade with time and smooth in.

 

[gaudet]

I get what you are saying Wade. I just have to let those babies mature.

I need to get some more going in the near future. I want to get some muscadine juice fermenting in the next week or two. I have to replace what I lost from the storm power outage last week. I figure if I can get two more 6 gallon batches going, then I can start to build up a supply of wines and will be able to enjoy the second half of my hobby a little more frequently.

 

[Guest]

[chuckles]


Gaudet reminds meof me when I started this voraciously, infectuous hobby. Ready to uncork the bottle two days after I corked it.
I think Mohamed may have said at one time or another, "patience comes only after the 36th gallon".


Over sweetening your fruit winesat start up produces some really heavy alcoholburn in them when they finish up.
Be gentle with them on your start up sg as Wade and all have recomended. You'll be hapier with the end results later.


Also. You can adjust your starting sg per your own tastes.
I started my blueberry at 1.080 to keep the alch taste as far in the back ground as I can.


Take care that you taste your "backsweetening" as you add sugar.
Stop your sugar push the minute you reach your desired level of sweetness.


You might also consider taking an sg reading on some of the "over the counter" wines that you buy to get an idea of what type of sweetness level you like in various types of wines.


Ihave ablackberry that I backsweetened low,that I love to sip in conversation and another blackberry made similar to the first that I finished ata much higher sugar levelthat I serve as a desert wine.


The first is just a tad on the bitter side and lasts a good long while in the glass. On the other hand, the second is much sweeter than the first and it's hard not to gulp it as you drink it.


Welcome aboard!
Handyman

 

[Wade E]

Handyman, What was your fruit to water ratio and what was the color like when you made it.

 

[pbrblue]

Avery has a neat program you can download for free and works for all their size labels. Just pick a picture and overlay the type. The type can be curved or anything you want. I make mine this way and use 3 1/3 X 4 labels.

 

[Wade E]

I downloaded their free template and use Micro-Word to open it and print onto George's pre gummed label paper. I also use the 3.33" x 4"template which gives you 6 per page.
Edited by: wade