The Blueberry

[opus345]

And free shipping on orders over $59.

 

[Boatboy24]

I really don't understand why anyone is adding any water to these berries and diluting the flavor! I've been making a lot of Blueberry wines over the years and I have never added any water. Last week I crushed 4 tons of blueberries and they are currently fermenting away right now. I have tried freezing them in the past but don't even do that anymore. For those wanting high alcohol, you wouldn't have to worry the alcohol masking the flavor if you didn't water it down. I'm actually thinking of fortifying a batch this year to make a port style wine.

I did a blueberry port two years ago. It's in the bottle and mellowing, but pretty good so far. I had a thread in the port forum, but I think it got buried in the Country Wine forum somewhere.

 

[Boatboy24]

A big reason is that I don't have 4 tons of blueberries, only the 40# picked by my inlaws, and I don't feel like screwing around with a sub-6 gallon batch. Compounded by the fact that if you research blueberry wine, most recipes recommend 4 or 5 pounds per gallon. And then there is cost, around here, they cost over $3 / pound, making a 6 gallon batch cost more than even the most expensive grapes that I have crushed, destemmed, frozen and shipped to me from California. I'd have preferred to not add any water, it just wasn't in the cards, and I believe that I can make a very nice blueberry wine with 6.66# of blueberries per gallon of finished wine.

I supplemented mine with some organic blueberry juice I got at the store. Still not cheap, but IIRC, a half gallon 'only' cost me about $14.

 

[Johnd]

I supplemented mine with some organic blueberry juice I got at the store. Still not cheap, but IIRC, a half gallon 'only' cost me about $14.

Didn't think about that option at the time, in fact, not sure I've ever seen that product. Instead of the nearly 3 gallons of water, I could've added that. Bout $90 worth, but since the blueberries were free, that would've been a good option...................next year!

 

[Johnd]

@Runningwolf
Please share with me some experience, I know you do lots of blueberry wine. Wine is dry as a bone, .990, racked off of the gross lees and topped up as it finished fermenting. Light layer of sediment in the bottom at the moment, I'm planning to rack and give it a dose of KMS, move it into the wine room to clear and age.

So here's the question, do you add any fining agents to yours or go natural? I keep a supply here of bentonite, chitosan and sparkolloid, but don't want to use anything unless there's an inherent blueberry clearing issue that needs to be addressed. What say you?

 

[Runningwolf]

I do not use any fining agents. Rack after fermentation, let it sit several months and filter with the largest filter you have. The first filtering may take a while. Blueberry could be ready in 6 months if you're willing to do the filtering.

 

[Johnd]

I do not use any fining agents. Rack after fermentation, let it sit several months and filter with the largest filter you have. The first filtering may take a while. Blueberry could be ready in 6 months if you're willing to do the filtering.

That's what I was hoping to hear, no fining agents. Have a BV Super Jet, three different size pads, does it need filtering? I don't need it to be ready on any specific timetable. Do you typically sweeten it?

 

[Scooter68]

JohnD - I have had great success without filtering but this current small batch will be filtered with a Harris gravity filter just to see if I can even tell the difference. (This batch is 8 1/4 lbs in one gallon. Has high acidity level at present.) My first two batches of 1 gallon each never needed any fining or filtering - crystal clear in less than 3 months time. (4 1/2 lbs / gallon)

Same results with my Blackberry and Black Raspberry wines, no filtering needed.

 

[Runningwolf]

That's what I was hoping to hear, no fining agents. Have a BV Super Jet, three different size pads, does it need filtering? I don't need it to be ready on any specific timetable. Do you typically sweeten it?

If you're in no hurry and it's just for you I would rack after fermentation and then again in maybe 5 months. Yes, I have to sweeten it if I want to sell it! For yourself I still think you would sweeten it a bit even it's a bit to balance out the acid.

 

[Johnd]

If you're in no hurry and it's just for you I would rack after fermentation and then again in maybe 5 months. Yes, I have to sweeten it if I want to sell it! For yourself I still think you would sweeten it a bit even it's a bit to balance out the acid.

Good info., I appreciate you sharing it.

 

[Tovis]

Thanks for the post. I did a sweet blueberry and blueberry port before. Now I am working on a dry one. Very excited.

 

[geek]

If you're in no hurry and it's just for you I would rack after fermentation and then again in maybe 5 months. Yes, I have to sweeten it if I want to sell it! For yourself I still think you would sweeten it a bit even it's a bit to balance out the acid.

Dan, what do you use to back sweeten, plain sugar syrup or blueberry juice itself?

 

[Runningwolf]

Plain Sugar

 

[PierreR]

Wow, did you press yourself or bought the juice as is?

I did it myself. I can get the juice here but holy crap its expensive!!

 

[geek]

@Johnd and @PierreR

How's the BB wine coming along, have curiosity....

 

[Johnd]

@Johnd and @PierreR

How's the BB wine coming along, have curiosity....

Mine's doing fine, just sitting in the carboy shedding CO2 and sediment in the wine room aging. It's due for a racking off of sediment and KMS addition in a couple weeks or so, then some work on tasting, pH adjustment, sweetening, etc.

So far, it's tart but has a very pleasing blueberry taste and aroma. My wife is having surgery in a couple weeks and my MIL will be in town to sit with her during the day, the blueberries came from her. so I may step up the time line to do my work on it while she's here to taste with me. I'll be sending half of the bottles to her when it's done............

 

[Tnuscan]

Mine's doing fine, just sitting in the carboy shedding CO2 and sediment in the wine room aging. It's due for a racking off of sediment and KMS addition in a couple weeks or so, then some work on tasting, pH adjustment, sweetening, etc.

So far, it's tart but has a very pleasing blueberry taste and aroma. My wife is having surgery in a couple weeks and my MIL will be in town to sit with her during the day, the blueberries came from her. so I may step up the time line to do my work on it while she's here to taste with me. I'll be sending half of the bottles to her when it's done............

John, Hope Mrs. Johnd is well.

I was currious if you've got to check in on the blueberry? Any updates for us with hungry eyes?

 

[PhilDarby]

over here in the uk I tend to make basic red country wines, and if I want a blueberry wine flavour I add approx. 150 grams per gallon as an f pack (after freezing and thawing) and let it steep for about 14 days, blueberries this side of the pond are relatively expensive, but, in abundance, its a wonderful flavour which can dominate a home wine.

 

[Scooter68]

Saw this post and it reminded me that I popped open a bottle of my first Blueberry wine batch (Only a 1 gallon batch) late last week. Time for another glass. July of 2015 and it has matured beautifully. Only used 4 1/2 lbs of blueberries but they were from of my best bushes.

 

[Johnd]

John, Hope Mrs. Johnd is well.

I was currious if you've got to check in on the blueberry? Any updates for us with hungry eyes?

Yes, she is doing well, neck brace off and started driving two weeks ago. Fingers crossed, all looks to be progressing on schedule.

As far as the blueberry, while MIL was in town, we did our session of work, I racked the wine and checked all of the numbers, here's how they shook out in the end:

Initial: BRIX 6, pH 2.95, TA 4 g/l
Adjusted. BRIX 21, pH 3.31, TA 3.8 g/l
Final. SG .991, pH 3.42, no TA

Mixed up 10 samples with varying degrees of sugar added and she tasted until a winner was picked. Adjusted the so2, added sorbate and sweetened to right at 1.005, and put it away for a month. In January, it was bottled, two cases were delivered to the inlaws this past weekend, I kept 7 bottles (my fee??).

EDIT: I neglected to mention that the wine was filtered at the time of bottling with BV SuperJet, polishing pads. I tend not to let fruit and IM type kist bulk age for a long time, electing instead to filter them, just in case.......