Blueberry Wine

[russki]

My wife and I like to go fruit picking, so a few weeks ago, we drove to Michiana (that's the border area between NW Indiana and SW Michigan), to our favorite blueberry farm, Blueberry Ranch. Normally, we pick/buy enough to eat and freeze some, but this time, I had plans! So, now I have ~10 pounds of organic blueberries to make wine. I've seen a lot of recipes, but settled on this one:

Summertime Blueberry Wine
Makes 3 gallons

10 lbs. blueberries
6 lbs. sugar
1.5 tsp. acid blend
1.5 tsp. pectic enzyme
2 tsp. yeast nutrient
3 crushed campden tablets (potassium metabisulfite)
0.5 tsp. tannin
Yeast - Lalvin 71B-1122

1. Line 5-gallon bucked with a paint strainer bag, crush the blueberries add to the bucket.
2. Add the water-sugar mixture and enough water to make 3.5 gallons. Add potassium metabisulfite (campden). Cover loosely and let sit for 24 hrs.
3. Add sugar, if necessary, to reach specific gravity of 1.090.
4. Add the tannin, acid blend, pectic enzyme and yeast nutrient. Stir everything to blend. Let sit for 12-24 hrs.
5. Add yeast to the must.
6. Stir the floating cap of fruit pulp into the fermenting must twice a day during fermentation.
7. Fermentation will continue for approximately 14 to 21 days. Take notice if the bubbles in the airlock have gotten very slow — that is a good sign that the fermentation is coming to an end. Use your hydrometer to monitor and make sure that the fermentation has stopped.
8. Use a mesh bag to extract the juice from the blueberries in the must. Rack the remaining juice to a carboy, leaving the sediment (lees) behind.
9. Rack the wine at least two more times before even thinking about bottling it. Add another Campden tablet to the wine after each racking. The wine should age at least three months.

Has anyone made blueberry wine before? Any advice/critique?

[russki]

Ahh... it's nice to have a day off. This wine was much easier to make than my plum wine - I defrosted the blueberries overnight, crushed them up with my hands (they were in ziploc bags), and added 6 pounds of sugar and water to 3.5 gallons. I decided to use 3 crushed campden tabs (1 per gallon) - it will sit for 24 hours before I move to the next step.

[Btech117]

This sounds AWESOME I may have to give it a try - but in Nevada ... We buy blueberrys lol .

Let me know how it turns out - I may be askin some questions to get this going

[russki]

It's been bubbling like crazy - I've been mixing it twice a day to release some CO2 and submerge the fruit. I hope this comes out nice!

[Btech117]

What kinda bucket are you using with the air lock? Where can i get one online? Any recomendations - I may give this a shot - Thought buying store bought bluberrys may get expensive.

[russki]

What kinda bucket are you using with the air lock? Where can i get one online? Any recomendations - I may give this a shot - Thought buying store bought bluberrys may get expensive.

Do you have a Lowes by you? They sell 5 gallon food-safe buckets, lids, and paint strainer bags that work great. Just drill the lid for an airlock. You can make this wine with other fruit - whatever is plentiful by you.

[Btech117]

I dont but We do have a hardware store - So a "Air lock" is just a hole in the lid?

Would really like to get this going - WE live in VERY small town - and 10 pounds of blueberrys would more than likely buy them out / have to get more

[jimjohson]

3/8th hole with grommet

[russki]

3/8th hole with grommet

Yep, then insert the airlock into the grommet, fill it with sanitizer, and you are good to go. You will also need a 3 gallon carboy for a secondary.

[haerbob3]

Just make sure the bucket you buy is food grade not all are. For the primary phase you may just leave the lid on the bucket. The release of the CO2 should be enough to keep the nasties out. This should also prevent a blow out. Blueberries have wild yeast on them so make sure you let them go a day or two with the campden tablets to kill the wild yeast off.

I am telling ya Russki you are bring back childhood memories there. Spent many an hour picking wild berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries & thimble). Up in norther MI. Have you ever made Chokecherry or Elderberry Blossom wine??

[russki]

Update: I took a gravity reading this morning, and it's down to 1.040 from 1.100. I will let it go a couple more days before racking off the fruit to a 3 gallon better bottle; I'd like to do it when it's at 1.020 or so.

[Btech117]

OK So I talked with the wife -and we both think this would be great to get going for the holliday seaons coming up - I have a few questions as to where to locate the supplies / i googled for a Ale bucket and found a few but would like some recomendations on what you would buy? Any links would be greatly appriciated!

10 lbs. blueberries - I can get these at our crap wallmart
6 lbs. sugar - Always have at least 60
1.5 tsp. acid blend - ??? Where do i get this?
1.5 tsp. pectic enzyme - ??? .... Same where do i get this
2 tsp. yeast nutrient - .... Same....
3 crushed campden tablets (potassium metabisulfite) .... SAME
0.5 tsp. tannin .... Again .... Same?
Yeast - Lalvin 71B-1122 ... I assume I can google and order online?

Bucket and air lock i see on brewing stores everyweher - does the air lock matter what kind it is ?

[Btech117]

Update: I took a gravity reading this morning, and it's down to 1.040 from 1.100. I will let it go a couple more days before racking off the fruit to a 3 gallon better bottle; I'd like to do it when it's at 1.020 or so.

Sorry im such a noob but what do you mean by "RACKING" off the fruit to a 3 gallon better bottle? Does this mean move to a carboy?

[russki]

Sorry im such a noob but what do you mean by "RACKING" off the fruit to a 3 gallon better bottle? Does this mean move to a carboy? Like in brewing whiskey?

"Racking" means transferring to another vessel by means of a racking cane or auto-siphon and a length of tubing to minimize oxygen exposure. You can buy all the chemicals the same place you can buy a fermenting bucket, carboy, and the airlock - most LHBS sell them. If this is your fist foray into winemaking, I would personally recommend to start with a one gallon batch, so if it doesn't turn out well, you've not wasted a ton of money on ingredients.

Here' s a link to a great winemaking website - there are great instructions and a ton of recipes. Make sure to read the Basic Steps for a good overview of the process.

BTW, I would not talk about whiskey-making or distilling online... It's a federal crime you know...

[Btech117]

Thanks Ruski - I did not know family has always made small batches since i was a kid

Last night I had a buddy call me he repo'd a storage shed which had some brewing supplies in it. Guess what ... he gave me 2 glass carboys (I think they are 5 Gallon), a bucket with a spout, (doesnt say food safe but was in a box marked BREWING) the lid does not have a hole in it - but i did find 2 air locks. I will get a picture and post tonight - it also has 2 boxes of wine bottles and a few hundred beer bottles with old style capper, a vacume corker, priming sugar, some yeast (i believe is bad looks like from 1990 or later) and some other tubing and stuff related to brewing. I paid 50 for it all hoping i got a good deal.

Is there a beginner wine you would recomend from that site?