Blackberry Wine - how I do it

[berrycrumble]

This sounds great, I think I'll give this one a go!

 

[whitts.]

well it is truly blackberry season in S.Yorks, i have all mannor of family members bringing me bags and bags of blackberries after last years Christmas gathering.

I think they may be hinting at something :wha:

 

[nerobot]

Still waiting for the blackberrys to rippen up here in Glasgow. Looks like there will be a big harvest this year though

Just started homebrewing this year, so this will be my first suit wine!

Steven

 

[jondi11]

I wouldn't mind trying out this, blackberries are ripening now, Elderberry are not yet.

 

[BIGJIM72]

Made 4 gallons last year to this recipe,3 this summer,but might go back for more. Not tried with the elders,though.

I find a little back sweetening helps. It is nice from the off, but if you can age some for at least a year I found thats when it really starts to improve.

 

[Grotzilla]

Nice, I picked up aload of blackberries today will freeze in the morning then get a brew on next weekend!

 

[berrycrumble]

Have taken the plunge and started this today, my first wine, how exciting!

Is the added Campden tablet at the start to kill any residual beasties in the blackberries?

 

[BIGJIM72]

Thats right

 

[Jonny69]

Seem to have lost the pictures for this. I'll see if I can find them and replace.

Yes, the Campden tab is to stun anything that might be hiding on the blackberries - which reminds me - I need to go and check my local blackberry haunts

 

[Noodleman]

I will be giving this a go this year. I've jsut been for a bit of a morning hike across the fields behind my house in somerset, most are still green, but look like in the next 1-2 weeks they will explode into life. Managed to pick about 1KG on the recon mission, with on average 1-2% ready, I suspect I may need a few buckets when they are ready

 

[MadrikXIV]

Just picked my latest batch for wine.

Got 10 kilos worth, so that should be enough for 5 gallons worth

Given them a rinse and frozen them for now, as got a cheap (Well wilko reduced 30 bottle) wine kit on the go at the moment, and will rack that into the other tub on Friday.

Shocked at how much that lot would of cost in the shops!!

Will look at doing the main part in the bucket, get it going, use some bottled water so that I can then split it in the 5 litre water bottles (Wrapped in brown paper) to ferment.

Hopefully not too many beasties left after a light rinse and freeze :pray:

Then off to pick just a few more, enough for some jam, and an elderberry and blackberry variant, them elderberrys are taunting me, just not quite ready!!

 

[berrycrumble]

them elderberrys are taunting me, just not quite ready!!

The ones around me are beautifully ripe, I can't believe how many of them are about this year, they've got to that stage where the branches are drooping! Hope yours come about soon!

 

[BIGJIM72]

Thanks Jonny69- this years blackberry wine stash to your recipe-about 7 gallons worth.

 

[Jonny69]

Crikey, you did pretty well!

 

[MadrikXIV]

Got my 5 gallons on the go at the weekend, about 22lb of blackberries, soaked for 2 days, then the bathroom resembled a murder scene, squeezed as much water as possible out (Amazing how little space they took up after that.

Pectolase and campden tablet, will be adding yeast come the morning, seemed fairly thick and heavy, good, about 4 1/2 kilos of sugar dissolved in boiled water to the 20 litre mark.

Reading was above 1.1 it seems as the hydrometre nearly flew out the bucket, which is good as I will start the ferment in the bucket,then rack it into 5 demijohns and top up in a few weeks time...

 

[BIGJIM72]

Crikey, you did pretty well!

There is another 3kg of blackberry puree in the freezer. Lots of folk on here have a house beer,well this is my house wine.

 

[MadrikXIV]

Mines bubbling away now after 2 days of waiting.
The house has a rather sweet blackberry smell to it at the moment, it certainly smells good, and looks violent

 

[berrycrumble]

Finished and bottled it, on initial testing it was incredibly dry! I'll definitely use it again, but probably backsweeten(and as a first attempt I was very impressed!)

Thank you for your recipe! See you same time next year :

 

[syzygy]

Crikey, you did pretty well!

I got about 25kg of blackberries in the Summer (Still got a few Kg in the freezer) 60 or so bottles done.

Just cracked open a bottle that's been maturing for 4 or 5 months. Absolutely lush.


Hoping for a lot more this summer, as I just discovered my blackberry supply late on having just moved house.

 

[Noodleman]

This was also my first year of trying this out, thank you Jonny69 for sharing the steps you follow, nice and easy :)

Mines been sat clearing for quite a while now, I left it in the DJ's after the initial racking. Some I added apple juice to, some pear juice and others left as just blackberry.

It has cleared nicely, and I shall be bottling it today / tomorrow, I am expecting about 45 bottles from the batch.

Many thanks :)