Blackberry Wine

New to wine making more of a beer brewer but I was wondering if blackberry wine was possibility. Given the season, I thought someone might have some recipes.

I found this on the forum posted by Jonny69.

If you would rather make something much quicker have a read of this thread - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=49462



Well folks, like it or not, it's coming up to blackberry season! This will be my third year making blackberry wine and last year's crop was amazing. Last night I opened a bottle I brewed last August and it was fantastic, so I thought I would share the recipe with you.

Method:

Put 2 kg blackberries into a clean bucket
Pour over 1.7 litres of boiling water and a mug of stewed black tea made with 2 teabags
Mash it to a pulp with a potato masher
Stir in 1 crushed Campden tablet, 1 teaspoon of pectolase, 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient
Cover and wait 24 hours





After 24 hours, strain it through a sieve, pushing as much liquid out as you can with the back of a ladle. Then squeeze the pulp through a muslin into a demijohn to make sure you get as much juice out as you can. Add 1kg white sugar and 1 teaspoon of Young's wine yeast to the demijohn. Fit an airlock. After 12 hours it should be frothing up and brewing:



Once it calms down, maybe after a week, top it up to the neck with either red grape juice or apple juice. I did one with red grape and the other with sharp-tasting apples I'd scrumped off Isaac Newton's apple tree at work, which I think is the better of the two. Allow it to ferment out, which will take about month, then rack it off, shake out the fizz and let it clear by itself. Once cleared, I added half a teaspoon of sorbate and half a crushed Campden tablet to each gallon. I don't like to add too much.

Mine was drinkable almost immediately and I only managed to hold back 5 bottles, which I've been struggling to keep my hands off, but I opened one last night. It has changed slightly, you can taste a bit of age in it, so I think I will keep the remaining two bottles for next year to see how they turn out.

I would estimate it's about 14% and still slightly sweet. If you don't want it as strong, then reduce the amount of sugar to 800g.

Thanks. Looks like a pretty easy recipe. Any considerations about picking the right blackberries?

I was jogging down the canal last suinday and spotted thousands of wild blackberries so in the afternoon me and the kids decided to walk up with some tupperware and got loads.. however I was thinking of doing something like this or a cider.. But they as wild ones do had some fly worms in.. they have been washed twice and even frozen now.. anyone saw that before or would still consider using them?

Fly worms? Sounds yuck.

Not sure myself the best way. I was thinking of using plenty of news paper, to stratify different bunches of black berry. I think I heard someone say that once when they were making jam. Otherwise, no idea except...avoid non-black blackberries.

Good to see my pictures are still holding up! I've got about 6kg of blackberries in the fridge ready for wine this year, plus another 10kg or so in my friend's freezer!

Is there any advantage/disadvantage to freezing the blackberries prior to use? I think we'll have a go this year. ;-)

I'm picking blackberries as they appear on our bushes in the back garden.

I wash them well and freeze them until I get enough to make the wine. Also, freezing breaks down the cell walls in the fruit and releases the juices quickly when they defrost so there is less work involved in mashing them.

Blackberries get plenty of bugs on them so a good wash is important and as long as the fruit is not damaged I would use them no matter what was crawling/scurrying/creeping over the surface.

Just done my first couple of picks and got 2lbs so far. Once I get the 4lb I need for my recipe I will be on my way. :)

Deltabrew said:

Is there any advantage/disadvantage to freezing the blackberries prior to use? I think we'll have a go this year. ;-)

Click to expand...

I freeze / defrost a few times before using - they're half liquid then
As the cells break down. I always use Lalvin RC212 yeast for
Blackberry wine, as you get a very "soft" wine.
Pete

Thanks for the replies, i'll give it a go :-)

Got my 4lbs of blackberries I need so watch this space.

By the end of the harvest this year I'll no doubt have enough to make a few gallons but I'll stick with the 1 gallon to see how it goes and use the rest of the berries for jams and deserts. :)

How long would you leave it before worrying your yeast hasn't caught on? About 24hrs now and no bubbling or gas being produced, just what is left of the berries collecting in a thick crust at the top.
Is there any reason why I can't put the Pectolase in at the same time as the yeast? (I did).

Deltabrew said:

How long would you leave it before worrying your yeast hasn't caught on? About 24hrs now and no bubbling or gas being produced, just what is left of the berries collecting in a thick crust at the top.
Is there any reason why I can't put the Pectolase in at the same time as the yeast? (I did).

Click to expand...

I would give it at least three days before growing concerned (easier said than done of course).

If there are no bubbles in your airlock this could mean the gas is escaping elsewhere (perhaps around the seal in the fermenting vessel). I had this recently and was worried but I heard a fizzing sound coming from the bucket so knew it was probably ok. The airlock will only register bubbles if there is nowhere else for the air to escape so an airtight seal is required if you are depending on only an airlock.

You can use a hydrometer to measure the gravity at any time and then use it again in a few days and if this has changed then your are probably ok, the yeast is working.

I have added pectolase to wine just before adding the yeast without any problems, in fact the recipe I used called for it.

Is there any reason why I can't put the Pectolase in at the same time as the yeast? (I did).

Click to expand...

I have always put it in with the yeast.

Thanks for the replies they have set my mind at rest, i'll wait a few days. I've cut my teeth on cider which reacts pretty quick and gives loads of gas, first time at wine so maybe this is a bit gentler.
I haven't followed the earlier recipe, but a more common one found by Googling 'Blackberry wine' so the whole lot is in an FB, something tells me it's a good idea to do the primary with everything in for a full flavour, but that's just me.
My bucket has a click on lid which has an extra lip around the edge which you snap down to seal it, what i've found in the past is just to snap up a couple of inches, the gas escapes, but nowt gets in. If you want to know if it's fermenting then snap it down for a bit and see if it starts to blow up - obviously don't leave it too long on its own!

I'm not too keen on the recipe in this thread where it says to put so many ingredients in, but then filter it - I mean, you're going to be filtering out and throwing away some of what you've put in. Doesn't make sense to me, but not through experience, just what I feel. I'll keep you updated!

Wahey! Fermentation started last night :

Gone from an OG of 1.1 to .990 = 14.4% in one week and tastes good, will rack off into DJs soon.